About

Ralph Levinson MD

I am a Professor Emeritus of Health Sciences Ophthalmology at UCLA, having retired in July 2019. I have previously written on medical and scientific subjects, as well the relationship of spirituality and Zen to science.

I wanted to write books for kids that would have positive values without being heavy-handed.  “Aidan and the Dragon Girl Save the World” is about being centered, brave and compassionate, even when it’s tough and things get really weird. Like in life! I do allow my love of Zen, science, history and the environment to peek through, just a bit, but if I have succeeded, young (and older) readers won’t notice that I stuck all that stuff in there, they’ll just have fun reading the book!

This is also true of the second Aidan Dream Detective book, “Aidan and the Mummy Girl Save the Universe,”  which is dedicated to those who try not to be trapped by their stories. It is about anger, death, second chances, and being compassionate, even to yourself!

Also, If you haven’t read the first book “Aidan and the Dragon Girl Save the World,” that’s okay, you can still enjoy the second one!

Some background about the characters, places and legends in the books can be found under  the “about the characters” page on this website.