Rose ’66 publishes middle-grade historical novel

Mary B. Rose ’66 recently released her debut book, a middle-grade historical novel, designed for readers who appreciate coming-of-age narratives.

Titled “Evelyn AM, Daydreamer,” the book details the life of Evelyn Arndt, an eleven-year-old fifth-grade student living in a small Wisconsin town in 1934. She hopes that one day, she’ll be able to rescue her mother from the Wisconsin State Hospital and bring her home.

Although she’s her family’s black sheep, she daydreams that she’s always the hero. Life shifts when her fifth-grade teacher praises Adolf Hitler, and antisemitism creeps into her quiet town. The book explores topics of bigotry, cruelty and mental illness through the eyes of a child.

“I think the book deals with certainly a grim subject, but Evelyn is such a dreamer, and she’s such a delight,” Rose said. “There’s a lot of humor in the book, and it gives hope, and it shows that anybody can make a big difference in helping in times that are like these.”

Her dreams of writing were first inspired by Professor Emeritus of English Douglas Northrop who gave her a failing grade on the first assignment in a writing class.

“I decided to crawl back out of that hole because I thought I was a good writer,” Rose said. “We had writing assignments each week, and each time, my grade kept going up. I laugh about what a horrendous start I had, because I’ve done a lot of writing since.”

She sent a copy of her book to Northrop, which met with his approval.

At Ripon, Rose majored in drama, was a member of Alpha Phi sorority and was in a cohort with Harrison Ford, now known for his roles in “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones.” Together, they participated in productions like “The Threepenny Opera” by Bertolt Brecht, their first play at Ripon.

In Rose’s sophomore year, she and Ford portrayed Mr. and Mrs. Antrobus in “The Skin of Our Teeth” by Thornton Wilder, and Rose was also featured in Ford’s senior directing project, a one-person play titled “The Sandbox.”

“Ripon was one of the happiest times of my life,” Rose said. “It was really a great experience. I loved going to a small school and people knowing each other. It was a delightful time.”

Rose said she thinks her book would make a wonderful movie, and that Ford should play Harlan, Evelyn’s kindly older neighbor.

“Evelyn is not the only one who can daydream,” Rose said.

Rose is a retired therapist specializing in drug and alcohol interventions, and was also an elementary and English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher. She began writing “Evelyn AM, Daydreamer” in 2002, but after 25 pages, she set it aside to head to Kalocsa, Hungary, to teach English to elementary students.

She taught for a year in Hungary through the Central European Teaching Program headquartered at Beloit College. Although the program was discontinued after only eight teachers were left, the Hungarian director convinced Rose to return to the U.S. to lead the American portion of it.

“By the time I retired, 80% of Hungarian ESL bilingual schools’ teachers were through us, and it’s a very successful program,” Rose said. “Now we have roughly 120 teachers each year in Hungary. If anybody’s looking for an adventure, I would recommend that they do it. It was a wonderful experience with lots of support.”

After retiring in September and selling the business to a fellow teacher, she now spends her time writing stories set in the first half of the 20th century, living in Portland, Oregon, with her partner, Max, and three-legged dog, Frida. As her niece recently said, “Best get those wonderful stories out there as you are already in your 80s.”

She has collaborated with the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and both “Evelyn AM, Daydreamer” and her upcoming project have been professionally edited by the editor who discovered “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins.

For aspiring authors, Rose recommends connecting with fellow writers. Many organizations, such as the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators or Reedsy, offer various resources.

“Push through all the discouragement,” Rose said. “It’s really hard. I never planned on self-publishing. It’s hard for me to believe I actually wrote this wonderful book.”