The Feature Article

Way back in 1997, Abbey (Lechner) Brown was a seventh grader, who was excessively curling her bangs and reporting for The Northlawn Panther Press. Her craft and passion for writing were nurtured within the walls of her junior high school, and later carried on through high school and into college. Abbey attended Columbia College Chicago, where she continued to grow as a storyteller and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism in 2008.

Her debut book, Secrets of a Science Teacher, kicks off a series that explores middle grade through the eyes of seventh grader, Bromley Quinn. Throughout the book, readers are along for the ride as Bromley navigates, reports, and sometimes stumbles her way through the curious world of middle grade, one newspaper assignment at a time.

When she isn’t crafting adventures for her characters at Walnut Creek Junior High, Abbey can be found in the halls of St. Michael the Archangel School, where she shares her lifelong passion for words as a seventh and eighth-grade English Language Arts teacher. Being immersed in the day-to-day life of middle grade has been a true blessing to her. The lively hallways and bright students of St. Michael School continue to fuel and inspire future adventures for Bromley Quinn and her friends.

Abbey and her husband, Ben, live in central Illinois with their three children and two English Springer Spaniels, Leroy Brown and Loretta Lynn. She enjoys cheering from the sidelines as a sports mom to her two sons and reliving her glory days of dance through her “dancing queen” daughter. Abbey also finds joy spending time in nature and tending to her flower and vegetable gardens in her backyard. Life moves fast in this season of life, but making time for a cozy blanket, a good book, and a hot cup of coffee (with cream and sugar, of course) will always remain a top priority.

Abbey Brown is a proud member of the SCBWI, Illinois Reading Council, and the Starved Rock Reading Council.