FERGUS – A beloved bedtime ritual for a young Fergus author and her grandmother has since exploded into a popular children’s series now available across the globe.
Brynn Law, 12, started creating her children’s adventure series, Bravery the Alaskan Wilderness Girl, a few years ago, after she was inspired by a bedtime story written by the J.D Hogarth Public School student’s grandmother, Jo Pearsall, who would read the story to her each night over the phone.
“When she asked if I wanted to turn it into a book, I said sure,” said Law. “But then she said, only if we did it together.”
Released in December 2024, Law’s first book, Lost But Not Alone, is about 11-year-old Bravery, who lives in rural Alaska and is launched into a wilderness adventure after she rescues an injured wolf pup and is forced to use her existing life skills to keep it safe.
The sequel, To The Moon and Back, was released in December 2025 and follows Bravery, now 12, as she navigates real-world issues like grief and loneliness in the Alaskan Wilderness.
“Brynn is Bravery. As the character ages, so does Brynn, so that her real-life input is at that age,” said Pearsall.
To write the book, Pearsall said Law would give her an idea that she would then write out and read back to get Law’s feedback.
Sometimes, Pearsall would nail it on her first try. Other times, they would go back and forth, trying to capture the essence of a specific moment.
“At one point, I was struggling to find the words to describe Bravery’s pain, and Brynn says to me her tears pooled in the dust on the window ledge … she comes up with these staggering lines,” said Pearsall. “The way (Brynn’s) brain works and how she sees and feels something is really good and her input is extraordinary.”
Almost every character in the book is someone from Law’s life. One character, a wild turkey named Cornholio, is inspired by a real-life turkey that Law grew up hand-feeding on Pearsall’s property.
The books also have a connection to rural Wellington County, taking from Law’s experiences spending time on Pearsall’s 60-acre farmstead in Centre Wellington, not to mention Erin-based illustrator Colleen C. Coggins created both covers.
“Brynn and her sister spend a lot of time in the woods, so even the travelling through the woods and the trees and the descriptions of things like that are things Brynn has lived,” said Pearsall.
Even Bravery has a direct connection to Law, whose grandfather gave her the nickname after she was admitted to the neonatal unit for a week when she was born.
“My first name is Brynn, and my middle name is Avery,” said Law. “So he gave me the name Bravery.”
The first couple of months after the first book was published, Pearsall said she didn’t see much movement. Now, Pearsall said she can look up a bookstore anywhere from New York to China and find a copy.
“It’s everywhere … it’s pretty cool,” said Pearsall. “We’re just trying to coast the book along and get it in as many kids’ hands as possible.”
“I really hope that people think it’s a good book,” said Law.
While Law was inspired to create an adventure series, the young author said she’s typically more attracted to books about her other passion: sports, more specifically, hockey.
In fact, the series’ upcoming third novel, which is already in the works, is heavily hockey-themed and will follow Bravery as she navigates Alaska in the winter- ice fishing, ice hockey and snowshoeing- something Law has done since she was two.
Looking to the future, Law said she envisions continuing the series until Bravery is 16, after which she would create a spin-off series as Bravery navigates adult life and romance.
Pearsall is also throwing around the idea of creating a series for young readers with Law’s sister, Briar.
“We just wanted to create a story with real kids having fun and the mishaps that kids have in real life,” said Pearsall. “That might sound boring, but we feel that we make it not boring.”
Both books are available on Amazon, Walmart, Google Books and Barnes & Noble as well as in select bookstores like the Magic Pebble in Elora.
Those interested in following Bravery’s journey can find updates on Instagram.
