Dilon Helbig: Idaho boy, 8, sneaks self-written book into library, now he's a phenomenon
Many kids dream of becoming writers and getting their published works on library shelves, but nobody has done it like eight-year-old Dillon Helbig, who decided to take matters into his own hands. The second-grader from Idaho, who had worked dedicatedly on his 81-page magnum opus for four days, marshaled a secret plan to get his masterpiece out onto the shelves.
Helbig's illustrated book, titled 'The Adventures of Dillon Helbig’s Crismis', narrates the story of how he travels back in time after the star atop his Christmas tree explodes. He then took action on his plan, sneaked past the librarians and put his back against the shelf while slipping the comic in among other titles. When asked why he did so, “I wanted to put my book in the library center since I was 5,” the young man said in an interview with 'Good Morning America'.
READ MORE
Who are Sinead O’Connor’s children? Irish singer's tragic son Shane was one of four children
Three Missouri children missing since 2017 found alive in Texas after being abducted by their mother
Dilon visited the library a week later to check on the sole copy of his book and found that it was no longer where he had placed it. After hearing about it, Dilon's mom Susan Helbig called the library to ask about it. To her surprise, the librarian informed her that they were very impressed with Dilon's book and were adding it to their official catalog. “Dillon’s book definitely fit all the criteria,” insisted branch manager Alex Hartman, who, with Dillon’s permission, processed the book and made it accessible to “anybody with a library card.”
"We are so proud of him. We see him drawing and writing books, and he keeps himself busy for hours and days on end. It was pretty awesome to see he had the gumption to put this one on the shelf," Dilon's mom said in an interview with The New York Times. The young author has been writing comics of his own since he was five. And he made his way to fame as "Crismis" has become Ada Community Library, Lake Hazel branch's most sought-after book, with 56 people on the waiting list for the book by the end of January.
The library attributes the demand to the creativity showcased in “Crismis,” in which Dillon uses a Christmas “tree portal” to travel to the first Thanksgiving a la 'Nightmare Before Christmas' meets 'Back To The Future'.
“His imagination is just incredible,” added his mother, who is overwhelmingly proud of her son's deed. Dillon even received a 'Whoodini Award" for best young novelist, an award that the library specially created for him. Dillon has purportedly become the hero of Christmas with many kids his age congratulating him and expressing their wish to be like him; they even feel inspired by him.
The young author's career has only started as he revealed an insight to his next work, 'Jacket-Eating Closet', a 'Dog Man'-inspired graphic novel that’s reportedly based on a true story, Dillon told GMA. “Every time in kindergarten, I put my jacket in the closet and during recess, it would be gone. The jackets are still gone and that’s why I’m making the book," Dillon added.