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Elgin teen writes children's book

Fourteen-year-old Shane Cloonan of Elgin never thought a story he wrote as a class assignment would turn into a children's book.

Shane, a freshman at St. Viator High School in Arlington Heights, is the author of "Journey to the Cross," which tells Jesus' story through the eyes of a donkey. The book was published this month.

Its genesis was a story Shane wrote as a sixth-grader at St. Anne School in Barrington. The family had a miniature Sicilian donkey, whose typical dark stripe on its back is reminiscent of a cross, Shane said.

"I got interested in how that came to be, and I took the story from Christ's birth into a whole story about his life," Shane said. "It just kind of developed from there."

It was Shane's mother, Debbie, who pushed her son to finish the story and turn it into a book.

"When I first saw it, I said, 'You have to keep going,'" she said. "It was that good."

Debbie Cloonan then contacted local publishers including George Rawlinson of State Street Publishing, who writes in the book's prologue: "Shane's wonderful writing turns this simple story into a richly emotional experience, especially appropriate for young readers. He combines engaging characters with a resonant sense of Christian history."

Shane's father, Mike Cloonan, said he and his wife are happy to support their son's passion, and decided the investment into the book was worth it.

"Journey to the Cross," with illustrations by Richard Browning, is available on Amazon.

"We are very proud of him," Mike Cloonan said.

Shane said he's ecstatic that the book was published and plans to write more, although he doesn't know what yet. His other hobby is wood carving; two years ago, he took a first-place finish at the 47th International Woodcarvers Congress.

"I didn't think (the published book) would be anything close to what it is. It's more than anything I could expect," he said. "It's been an incredible experience."

"Journey to the Cross" by Shane Cloonan of Elgin was born as a class assignment when the author was in the sixth grade. Photo by Elena Ferrarin
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