Duke Parker
Duke Parker ‘23, a McCallie day student from Chattanooga, has published a children’s book and plans to donate the proceeds to Chambliss Center for Children where he has been a frequent volunteer for several years.
The book, Dylan, a Dragon and a Bad Dream, tells the story of a young man who loves playing games more than cleaning his messy room. Dylan visits a comic book store one day and purchases a box that contains a magic dragon. Dylan attempts to teach the dragon to clean his room and chaos and fun ensue.
The book includes coloring pages and space for readers to write about their own reactions and thoughts. It is intended for 3rd-grade-level readers.
Duke says he has “always been interested in writing,” even during his elementary school years. The first iteration of his book was written when Duke was just a 4th grader. He entered his original book into the Young Southern Student Writers competition where he won an award for his efforts. The Young Southern Student Writers contest, run through UTC, promotes writing among K-12 students in Hamilton County students in public, private and homeschool programs. It includes approximately 5,000 participants each year.
Duke made a few updates to the book before self-publishing on Amazon. The book is also for sale in the McCallie Bookstore.