Arts & Entertainment

Local Teacher Pens Mystery Book Set in Glen Ellyn

Abraham Lincoln Elementary teacher uses book to excite kids about history.

A brother and sister are on a mission to solve a mystery after finding a historical artifact near .

This adventure unfolds in 100 pages of historical fiction, penned by longtime Glen Ellyn resident and Abraham Lincoln Elementary teacher, Nancy Drummond.

The inspiration for this story came to her while raising two children and after many bike rides around Lake Ellyn.

After the siblings find this artifact they’re determined to find out how it landed in Glen Ellyn. With the help of the Chicago Field Museum the two work together to find the answer, in what could be the first installment of a series.

Drummond grew up in Glen Ellyn and attended GBW before attending the University of Illinois. She was always fascinated with history, especially Glen Ellyn’s, and was drawn to its architecture. Combining her childhood experiences with a trip to Peru when she was in her 20s, the resulting story is “Wright to Machu Picchu.”

In the novel, there are many homages to Glen Ellyn’s history with references to Lake Ellyn, the Glen Ellyn Hotel and the Heald house overlooking Lake Ellyn, which some have argued was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Drummond’s book was released in October and she has just recently started telling her third- and fifth-grade students at what she’s been up to in her spare time.

“It’ll be a fun week to see what my kids have to say.”

Drummond will host book signings at on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 1 p.m., and the on Sunday, Nov. 20 from 1 to 5 p.m. Click here for more on the novel. 


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