Good things do happen to those who apply themselves. Call it the American dream.

For a Brookfield high school sophomore, who was determined to write a book and get it published, the best lesson in life, he quickly learned, was that hard work pays off.

In September, Dan Crowley saw the fruits of his labor become reality when his book, "505 Unbelievably Stupid Web Pages" was printed by independent publisher Sourcebooks, Inc., of Naperville, Ill. The icing on the cake came when it became an instant hit across the nation in just the first month.

"I'm pretty excited about it," the 17-year-old said. "My friends were more surprised when I told them that my book was being published."

Dan's dream began almost two years ago. An avid reader, he and his father, Michael, often visited the local library. On one particular venture, Dan's immediate future got brighter when he casually picked up a book entitled, "Damn, Why Didn't I Write That," by Marc McCutcheon.

McCutcheon contends that if someone is interested in writing, the likelihood of being published is greater if it's a non-fiction book. His writings include a check list of things to do. He also emphasizes that a writer should have a broad interest and perhaps a sense of humor. Accomplish that, and the writer could learn the trade and begin making a respectable income much faster than most people think possible.

Dan apparently fit the criteria. Putting his inquisitive mind to work, he set off in search of his personal holy grail.

His hobby was surfing the Internet. On occasion, he'd stumbled upon what he termed "stupid sites." He'd chuckle, and then record them for future reference. But even Dan couldn't imagine what he'd uncover when he visited some of the bizarre Web pages.

For example, he found a page with highly classified information on how penguins were planning to take over the world. Penguins? A video introduction to the site pointed out that penguins had been linked to nuclear bombs, crop circles and the Hindenburg explosion. The page also warned, quite properly, "This site is extremely silly." Duly noted.

"It's very interesting," Crowley said of his new passion. "There are a lot of weird sites out there."