Children’s Fantasy Adventure, Educational Fiction / Learning Adventure,
Date Published: February 27, 2026
Tilly, a clever and kind-hearted young badger, discovers a mossy wooden gate hidden among vines and roots, setting her on an unexpected path: the legendary Wisdom Trials. With her loyal companions, the Brainy Bunch, she journeys through a series of challenges that test more than just book smarts. From riddle gates and logic tunnels to kindness puzzles and courage quests, each trial demands wit, empathy, and commitment.
Written in lyrical rhyme and brimming with wonder, Tilly and the Wisdom Trials is the first book in the Critter Quest Academy Collection - a series that blends adventure, problem-solving, and joyful learning in an underground world of whimsical crifters. Ideal for fans of The Questioneers and The Tale of Despereaux, this story celebrates curiosity, resilience, and the magic of a mind set on discovery.
Tell us about yourself and what you do
David Tra is a
computer scientist, educational game developer, and children’s author who
creates story-driven learning experiences that blend games, books, and
curiosity. He is the creator of Critter Quest Academy, an interactive
educational platform and book series that turns problem-solving into adventure.
David previously developed the educational
math games El Mathador and Treasure Math, helping students build
confidence through play. He is also the author of The Star of Shanraz, a
novel for teen readers. His latest work focuses on the Prairie City
Adventures and Critter Quest Academy books, beginning with Tilly
and the Wisdom Trials, the featured launch title that introduces young
readers to a whimsical underground world where questions, puzzles, and
curiosity guide the journey.
Your Author Journey
Share your path to becoming an author,
including your writing process.
My path to becoming an author grew naturally
out of a lifelong love of adventure stories and a curiosity for how worlds are
built. Growing up, I devoured classics like The Odyssey, The Iliad,
and The Lord of the Rings—any tale filled with quests, courage, and
discovery. Those stories made me want to create worlds of my own, so I started
writing in high school and never really stopped.
In the early 2010s, I picked up 3D animation
to bring one of my stories to life. That process taught me something important:
before anything can move or breathe on screen, it has to exist clearly on the
page. Writing became the foundation. That first animated story eventually grew
into my first published novel, The Star of Shanraz.
Later, a career shift into software
development brought everything together—storytelling, animation, and
problem-solving—through game development. I began building an educational game
for my own children, wanting something clean, ad-free, and genuinely engaging.
That hobby project grew into Critter Quest Academy, and from there, the
books followed naturally.
My writing process is a little unusual: most
of my stories begin inside the game. I design the puzzles, characters, and
learning challenges first, then shape the narrative around them. Once the world
exists interactively, the books feel like uncovering stories that were already
waiting in the tunnels. Inspiration is always close at hand.
The “Why”
Your personal reason for writing the book—this
helps make pitches more authentic and compelling.
Honestly, the “why” surprised me. I started by
building educational games, but as El Mathador and later Critter
Quest Academy grew, the characters and stories began taking on lives of
their own. The world kept getting bigger than the game itself.
Books first felt like a natural
companion—maybe even a marketing idea—but the more I wrote, the more it felt
inevitable. The stories and the game simply belong together. Sometimes the book
inspires the level, sometimes the level inspires the book. I’m just grateful
for being able to follow where the adventure wants to go.
About the Author
David previously developed the educational math games El Mathador and Treasure Math, helping students build confidence through play. He is also the author of The Star of Shanraz, a novel for teen readers. His latest work focuses on the Prairie City Adventures and Critter Quest Academy books, beginning with Tilly and the Wisdom Trials, the featured launch title that introduces young readers to a whimsical underground world where questions, puzzles, and curiosity guide the journey.
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