When Rowan University senior Paige Starr was home during the pandemic, she came across a short story she had written when she was in high school. Since she had the time, she decided to work on it again, this time making the message about inclusion and emphasizing that being different is cool. The book “Brave Blake” was published last fall (after Starr received rejection letters from 8 publishing houses).

“Brave Blake” tells the story of a little boy with a cleft lip who wins his class’s “Best Smile” contest, while also dealing with the class bully. The book is based on Starr’s 13-year-old brother who has a cleft lip but is “emotionally strong,” the writer says.

Currently, Starr is an inclusive education major at Rowan and plans to attend Drexel University’s master’s program for global and international education with a concentration in peace education.