SHREWSBURY, Mass. — Growing up, David Lee always had a book in his hand. In middle school, he read “The Martian,” which fostered an interest in botany. While his reading taste evolved, books continued to inspire him. Lee began to seek out even more stories and articles within the science fiction and non-fiction genres.

Now, Lee has since published his own five-part book series called “The Adventures of Danny Hoopenbiller,” hoping to inspire other kids and bring about more interest in the science, technology, engineering and math fields.

“Stories have nuggets in them that have inspiration,” Lee said. “I feel like reading science fiction is what made me choose the specific field I’m interested in.”

“The Adventures of Danny Hoopenbiller,” series follows the titular character as he invents time-travel technology and goes on adventures ranging from an exploration beyond the solar system to high-stakes battles against otherworldly adversaries such as martians, dinosaurs and “Dinozillas.”

Science fiction stories, he said, are almost like an advertisement for different aspects of the STEM field.

“The stories are incredibly appealing,” Lee said. “That’s sort of the magic of stories, they really inspire people.”

 

The Danny Hoopenbiller series.


As a kid, Lee loved dinosaurs and archeology — though he’s since grown out of that phase a bit. His books pay homage to that early passion, calling it a “love letter” to these interests. He also counts Steven King and Roald Dahl as his inspirations, with their style of writing and ideas as a major jumping-off point for his own writing.

“I really loved ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,'” Lee said. “I loved ‘The BFG.’ I really wanted to write in that same whimsical style.”

A younger David Lee at the computer. Courtesy photo.

Lee wrote and illustrated his first chapter book at 7 years of age. Since then, each of his books have taken a year or less to write. He completed the Danny Hoopenbiller series by the age 12, with the primary audience being children between the ages of 6 and 12. His work has even made it to the “Top 100 in Children’s Time Travel Books” list on Amazon. The books available for sale on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

“The goal of the series is to provide inspiration for kids to enter STEM or creative writing,” Lee said. “It’s an inspiration to create.”

Lee comes from a particularly creative family. His father, Sam Lee, is an award-winning photographer and has his animal photographs included in his book “So Many Lovely Animals.” Lee’s sister, Laura, is a writer in her own right, having published a fantasy-action trilogy called “Two Worlds.”

The family also started a Kids Read Local program, which was created to encourage more children in Central Massachusetts to become self-published authors.

“I’ve had kids who have been inspired by talking with me. They’ve gone on to write their own stories,” Lee said.

As for Lee’s future, he sees himself going into the STEM and writing fields professionally. He hopes to study neuroscience at Boston University next year.