Felicia Champagne hopes people read her book, “Beji Goes to a New School,” with someone special. Submitted photo.

WEST PARIS — Felicia Champagne did not always have a knack for writing, but it’s safe to say she does now.

Her book, “Benji Goes to a New School,” was published last month.

She started writing the book while pursuing her early childhood degree at Central Maine Community College. She had written it for a college course. It took her a semester to write.

Champagne said her goal was to find a story line that many children could relate to.

The story focuses on a hedgehog that goes to a new school and has a difficult time making friends. One of the main reasons he struggles is because of the way he looks compared to others at the school.

“The biggest challenge was trying to come up with something that other people hadn’t already based their own stories on,” she said.

She wants her book to reach children who have been bullied or isolated and those who have done the bullying, so they can see the impact it has on children.

After it was finished, the book sat for a few years before she began to consider getting it published. Champagne had a friend who had published a children’s book and she told Champagne about “Pen It Publications.” She sent it to them and kept her fingers crossed.

She was told it was going to take up to four weeks for them to approve it, but luckily for her the good news came to her quicker than that. They wanted to publish “Benji Goes to a New School.”

“I was so happy. It is a huge accomplishment that I’m very proud of,” Champagne said.

She’s been reading it to her two children at least once a week.

Copies of her book are for sale on Amazon, online at Walmart and online at Books a Million. People can also place an order by emailing her at feliciachampagne1995@gmail.com.

Champagne lives in West Paris with her husband and two sons. She is a 2013 graduate of Telstar High School in Bethel.