adventure

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Velda the Awesomest Viking and the Wild Unicorn Chase by David McPhail and Richard Morgan

I think it is fair to say that I have never read a poor book from the publisher Kelpies.  So there were very high expectations when I was asked to take part in the blog tour for David McPhail’s latest Viking adventure.  Needless to say, the book more than lived up to my dreams.  I would like to thank David for this guest post and I am sure that everyone will find it just as hilarious and exciting  as I have done.

The Story of a Girl and Her Axe

About ten years ago, I published a book called Thorfinn the Nicest Viking and the Awful Invasion, about a ridiculously polite Viking boy trapped in a world of ferocious, belching Vikings. While everyone else was pillaging and roaring, Thorfinn baked scones, made tea, washed the dishes and helped old people across the street. In short, he possessed absolutely no useful Viking qualities whatsoever.

Much of the fun of writing Thorfinn came from finding new ways to embarrass his fellow Vikings.

One small character in that first book was a red-haired Viking girl called Velda. With her oversized helmet and enormous axe, she was every bit as fierce as the other Vikings, possibly fiercer. She had a loyal heart, an adventurous spirit and absolutely no interest in being told what she could or couldn’t do.

As Thorfinn became a series, my editor suggested Velda should join his adventures. I remember saying something like, “Well, the Vikings think it’s bad luck to have girls aboard their longships.” We both immediately went: “EXACTLY.”

From that moment, Velda’s path was set. The Vikings didn’t want her around, but Velda wasn’t remotely interested in their opinion. She was coming anyway.

Over eight Thorfinn adventures, Velda became his closest companion. Thorfinn solved problems peacefully. Velda preferred charging straight into danger with confidence set to MAXIMUM and planning set to MINIMUM. And sometimes, when you’re writing, a character simply refuses to stay in the background. Velda was one of those characters. She barged into scenes, stole jokes and generally behaved as though the books belonged to her.

So, I suggested giving Velda adventures of her own, and suddenly Velda the Awesomest Viking was unleashed – OORAH!

Three books later, Velda now captains her own ship, the Mangy Mutt, complete with a rainbow sail. She hated the rainbow at first, right up until she realised how furious it made other Vikings. Naturally, she kept it.

Her crew are as chaotic and oddball as she is, a collection of goofballs and outcasts she regularly insults as “PIG-DOGS”, “SEA-WEAVILS” and occasionally much worse. But Velda would fight the world for them, and they’d do the same for her.

Together they’ve battled legendary wolves, frost giants, oh, and not to mention an oar salesman who boarded the ship and refused to leave until Velda bought new oars.

And now comes The Wild Unicorn Chase, in which a particularly smelly troll steals Velda’s beloved axe. Velda will do absolutely anything to get it back… even if that means sailing across the sea in search of fabled lost unicorns.

I’m very proud of this little book. Underneath all the shouting, axe-waving and troll pong, it’s really a story about empathy, friendship, building bridges (and sometimes smashing them down again). It’s about the vanity of human endeavour, our talent for meddling with the natural world, and the importance of hope.

Because as it happens, everything becomes more hopeful once unicorns are involved.

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Maya’s Sri Lankan Spice Trail of Tails by Sharika Chauhan

This is a lovely introduction to the country of Sri Lanka, seen through the eyes of a young British Asian girl who goes to visit her pen-pal in that country.  It is  part of a series which follows the main character called Maya as she travels across the world having lots of adventures on the way.  There is a real feeling that the stories are based on the author’s own experiences, as she has travelled to over 40 countries.  I am delighted to be part of this blog tour as it has enabled me to learn more about Sri Lanka, especially from the viewpoint of young people who live there.

The book is aimed at the lower end of KS2 if you look at the size of the print and it is also highly illustrated, although this is something that it attractive whatever the child’s age.  The intensity of the colours really adds to the sense of the exotic that we feel when contemplating  where we are.  The author, as narrator, is talking directly to their audience which really helps to draw them in to the adventure that is happening.

In this book, Maya goes on a visit to stay with her pen friend  Ramy in Sri Lanka.  The fascinating thing is that after her parents take her to the airport, she does the whole journey on her own.  This means that she is probably 12 years or older as there are rules about unaccompanied children.  What really comes across is how similar are the lives of the two girls, but also how there are tremendous differences.  We learn about the families and about the cuisine that Maya has heard so much about.  We also see the girls try their hand at surfboarding and  swimming, enjoying the wonderful coastline and climate of the island.  However, central to this story is the fact that Ramy helps out at a local dog shelter and dreams of being able to adopt a dog called Mimosa, but her parents are not sure she can truly care for a pet.  Finally Ramy is able to persuade them that she is ready for the responsibility of a dog and the girls are overjoyed.

The final part of the story is very different and really brings us face to face with the reality that the world suffered through the COVID pandemic in 2020 and beyond.  We can really feel the fear, not only of the disease itself, but also the thought that Maya could find herself unable to get back to her family; luckily this did not happen and her return flight to the UK was able to take off.  Of course the world had become very different in the crisis and the girls understood that the animal shelter would struggle without the visitors that it relied on; so they set up an online charity and undertook fundraising to help with the fees.  The story finishes on a very positive note as the girls’ friendship grows and strengthens and they learn about how helping others can strengthen their own friendship.  This book  can be read as a wonderful adventure, but it is also something that can act as a focus for discussion about the various topics that are mentioned.

 

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Unicorns in Uniforms: Dragon Inferno by Tracy Curran and Steve Wood

Uclan, 9781916747425

We have been very lucky over the last decade or so to have seen a wonderful growth in the number and quality of  chapter books, aimed at the emerging reader.  Tracy Curran’s new title is a hilarious tale of a magical place called ‘Witchy Wood’.  When two young dragons accidentally set fire to the wood (breathing fire is a hazard!) it is up to the heroic firefighter Blaze, together with her fire engine Quench, to save the day.

As part of the tour to celebrate the launch of this fantastic story, Tracy has very kindly written about five of  the books that have inspired her to write for this age group.  I was more than delighted to discover that they are all books that I have read and reviewed in the past, and I have to agree with her assessment, they are all fabulous reads.

 

MY TOP FIVE CHAPTER BOOKS

Tracy Curran

Chapter books are so much fun! I love everything from their colourful covers to their loveable characters. The joy of a chapter book series is that you can meet your favourite characters over and over again for new adventures and they are short enough to read in one afternoon.

1) Unipiggle by Hannah Shaw

Usborne, 9781474972178

It’s such a treat to read a Unipiggle book. Unipiggle is an hilarious character and Hannah Shaw has put a brilliant spin on a unicorn with stories to suit everyone: a unipig who can turn things into chocolate by touching them with her horn. What’s not to like?

As with Unicorns in Uniforms, the books are illustrated in full-colour throughout which makes them literally leap off the bookshelf. Hannah Shaw has also included seasonal instalments such as Fairy Freeze and Witch Emergency. Each story is action-packed and completely entertaining – it’s my go-to rainbow mood booster!

2) Hotel Flamingo by Alex Milway

Piccadilly Press, 9781848127753

A hotel for animals is such a great concept and Alex Milway has packed this series with great characters and storylines that readers of all ages can enjoy. The main character, Anna – the girl who inherits the hotel – is full of determination and I love the charm and flamboyance of all the animal characters too, especially the flamingos. There’s some great villains in this series including the hotel inspector and the owner of a rival hotel. A special mention goes to Madame Le Pig, the chef, for being a particularly hilarious character.

 

3) Adventuremice by Phillip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre

David Fickling, 9781788453288

Who doesn’t love an adventure on the high seas? Or even on the moon? This chapter book series reminds me of the books and TV programmes I devoured as a child like The Moomins and Button Moon. The mice are brilliantly resourceful, each with different personalities, and each story takes us to a new setting: underwater, into space or onto a ghostly galleon ship (my favourite). The adventures are just great fun with lots of humour and peril and yet, you kind of know that things will be okay in the end because the Adventuremice will save the day.

Bloomsbury, 9781408889312

4) Fabio, The World’s Greatest Flamingo Detective by Laura James, illustrated by Emily Fox

As you can probably tell, I love flamingos but I also love detective stories too! This series is really fun. I’m not sure Fabio is quite as clever as he thinks he is but he always gets there in the end and there are lots of twists and turns in the storylines. Animal characters are great to write (and to read about) because they often have really bold personalities and you can play around with stereotypes. For example, flamingos are usually portrayed as being very outgoing and flamboyant and lions can be quite fierce and scary. So I love it when authors play around with that and come up with something different.

5) Diary of an Accidental Witch by Honor and Perdita Cargill, illustrated by Katie Saunders

Stripes, 9781788953382

I can’t choose another animal story again! Instead, I’m tuning into my love of witches. The Diary of an Accidental Witch series, told in diary format, is a modern day Worst Witch. Bea Black is a human who accidentally ends up going to a witch school. The adventures that follow are full of hilarious mishaps and lots of problems that Bea has to overcome. It’s so well-written and hugely entertaining with great illustrations – I struggled to put the books down.

 

It’s been so hard to choose only five. There are lots of incredible chapter books out there with stories to suit everyone. Happy hunting!

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The Great Phoenix of London by Lindsay Galvin

Chicken House, 978191026972

If you are a fan of historical novels, especially authors such as Emma Carroll, then you have hopefully already become a fan of Lindsay Galvin.  Her previous novels have mixed history with adventure in a way that both educates and enthralls the reader.  As an adult who grew up with authors such as Rosemary Sutcliff, Cynthia Harnett and Leon Garfield, I am so delighted to see such a resurgence in high quality historical novels for MG children.

With this new book, the author has taken us to London in the year 1666, which as most readers will know means that great and terrible things have happened; with the Great Plague of the previous year, and now, just when the population is hoping for a more settled life, things are about to take an even more perilous turn.

The hero, Gil, is visiting his grandparents in Pudding Lane when a fire starts at a business further down the street and rapidly gets out of hand.  As the family have to evacuate the house, Gil’s young cousin Roly insists on bringing a mysterious stone, that had fallen from the sky, during a storm two years previously.  But something magical happens when the ‘stone’ splits open, showing that it is the egg for a small bird; the problem is that the bird seems to grow at a phenomenal rate and has a very odd diet of cinders, candles and other fire associated things.  As Gil’s grandmother and cousin head towards the Tower of London and the eastern part of the city, he and his grandfather (with the bird) decide to make for Gil’s home, close to St Paul’s Cathedral.  the river seems to be the safest option, but finding a boat is far from easy.  Eventually his grandfather is taken aboard a friend’s boat, but Gil and the boatman’s granddaughter Linnet have to make their way through the panicking city.  The two young people face a multitude of dangers, from both nature and the scared inhabitants around them and the fire loving bird is not really helping them.  The story follows the children as they overcome prejudice, fire and a mysterious character who tries to kidnap their bird for King Charles II.  the story is told chronologically and we follow the action as the flames spread over the days, always at the mercy of the wind direction.

Lindsay Galvin has once again crafted a brilliant adventure story that weaves historical accuracy and also manages to give us the feel of  17th century London, with its crowded and dirty streets,  fear of invasion by the French or Dutch  and the underlying mistrust of those who might be Catholics or foreigners at least.  I love the way that the author has included several well-know characters from the period, so we see the Lord Mayor of London, Sir Thomas Bloodworth, who did not do well and also the diarist Samuel Pepys, who was much more pro-active and involved in trying to save areas of the city.  We also get the fact that the many bookshops and printers near to St Paul’s did store their stock in the crypt, only for the fire to find a way inside and destroy almost everything.

This author really does go from strength to strength, not only with her historical accuracy, but also with the emotions that she portrays in her characters.  Whilst the majority of young readers will read this because of the action and excitement, the book will also prove a favourite for KS2 teachers who are covering the events of 1665 and 1666.  What a fabulous book, this really does deserve five stars and a place on my favourites list for the year.

Lindsay Galvin is a full-time author and scriptwriter fascinated by history, the natural world, myth, and psychology. Her first middle grade book — word of mouth bestseller Darwin’s Dragons — has been published across the world and is commonly read in British classrooms. She presents lively book events for all ages, calling on 20 years teaching experience. When not working, she enjoys long shore-side dog walks with her family, and the occasional sea swim.

Find out more at lindsaygalvin.com and follow on Twitter: @lindsaygalvin.

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The Legendary Mo Seto by A.Y Chan

Aladdin,978-1665937320

Over the past few years there has been a growth in the number of books featuring sports.  At one time it seemed to be mainly team sports such as football, but nowadays there is a much greater range.  With the advent of the Olympic Games, every four years, there is always a sudden spurt in the number of books written and recently we have had titles about gymnastics and swimming among others.

In this book, the heroine Mo Seto is fanatical about her martial art and the fact that she is less than 5 ft tall should not really matter.  However when she applies for a part in her hero’s next film, she finds that she is too short, but Mo is nothing if not determined and goes to extraordinary lengths to try and achieve her dream. This is also a story about family and the hidden world of Chinese secret societies; so when Mo’s father disappears and someone is trying to steal an ancient family heirloom, things take a very dangerous turn. This really is a book about determination, hard work and following your dream.  However it also shows us some lessons about  those we choose to admire; very often they have ‘feet of clay’ and are not the shining hero that you imagine.  What a truly fabulous heroine we have in Mo, but she needs help from some unexpected sources in order to achieve her dreams and solve the mysteries around the book.  A truly fantastic read, that will be popular for both boys and girls.  There are such positive role models and some strong messages, but above all this is a truly rip-roaring adventure that will have the reader hanging on to every word.

The Author

A.Y. Chan is the author of The Legendary Mo Seto, a story about a 12-year-old female martial artist who auditions for a movie role opposite her favourite martial arts movie hero—only to find out she’s too small for the role. Growing up in Canada’s Greater Toronto Area, A.Y. read all the middle grade and young adult books she could get her hands on. To this day, those remain her favorite genres. After achieving her black belt in Taekwondo, she explored a range of other types of martial arts, and she draws upon her experiences in learning new techniques and philosophies to inspire her writing. These days, she continues her martial arts training some mornings, writes in the afternoons, takes long walks to muddle out plot points, and falls asleep reading.

Why I wrote this book:
I started training in taekwondo when I was six and, growing up, I longed to read books about kick-butt girls doing kick-butt things, but there really weren’t as many as I had hoped for. The idea for this book has been percolating in my head ever since. I wish to inspire kids not only to be brave and never give up, but also to be proud of who they are.

My inspiration for my story came from a real city-wide competition, where, like Mo, my protagonist, I faced off against a bigger, stronger boy during the final match. At that time, pairings were determined by belt-level and age, not by weight class. I ended up losing. I remember feeling so crushed by my second-place finish, and I kept replaying the fight in my head, wondering what I could have done differently.

I was also inspired by martial arts movies—especially the stunt actors and body doubles, and the thugs in the background serving as punching bags for the protagonist. As an introvert, I never wanted to be the main character…but to get beat up by the main character? That seemed awesome. After achieving my black belt in Taekwondo, I explored other types of martial arts and came away with an appreciation for the similarities and differences in the different forms, and how each has a unique philosophy linking the physical to the mental (and spiritual). Martial arts is about discipline and practice, but it’s also about respect (for oneself and for others) and integrity. And, of course, indomitable spirit, the all-encompassing light within us all that shines with determination and hope and an unshakable optimism for a brighter tomorrow.

Best,
A.Y.

Author Socials:
Twitter/X: @aychanwrites
Instagram: @aychanwrites
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560087155240

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Ghosts of Mars by by Stuart White and Jennifer Jamieson

Growing up in the 1950s and 1960s I had a strong awareness of science fiction, but also the way the major powers were striving to get to the Moon and then beyond.  There were not many science fiction stories for children in the early days, but there was a huge amount for adults.  As a young library assistant, I devoured both crime and sci-fi stories and many of them were published in a yellow library edition by Gollancz, of which it has been said: “its main postwar strengths were detective fiction and sf: from the early 1960s to the late 1980s it was the premier UK publisher of sf books in hardcover, both native and US”

https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/gollancz

In the 1970s we started seeing more books written specifically for the young reader and a particularly popular series was the  “Tripod” series by John Christopher.  However the growth in Sci-Fi was really expanded by TV series such as Dr Who, Blake’s Seven and Star Trek, but this was then overwhelmed by the franchise that is “Star Wars”.  With a renewal in the desire to return to space, we have seen another surge in books with a space setting and they are now reaching out to their new younger audiences.

Eva, the thirteen year old heroine of this story, has a lot to put up with; her mother died when she was young, she is a type 1 diabetic and she has the dubious distinction of being the first human to be born on Mars.  As she faces discrimination by some of the other children, she relies on the support of her father and her AI companion to help her cope.  So, when her father and his team go missing she decides she has to go and find them.  Linked to this we have the ‘ghosts’ that Eva starts to see, one of who looks remarkably like her late mother, the question is, are they hallucinations or are the real? If they are real, then who are they and why are they trying to make contact with Eva?

This is an fast paced story with a strong female character who has to overcome so many difficulties.  The issues around her type 1 diabetes are profound because, after an accident, the colony does not have supplies of insulin and Eva has to depend on outdated technology to keep her alive.  We gradually see that as the story continues, that the organization running the colony are only in it for the profit they can make and the infrastructure is facing collapse.

The book reminds me of the series  “The Martian Chronicles” by Ray Bradbury, which I watched on TV many years ago.  There is the same question of identity and belonging, something that Eva really struggles with.  We all assume that there is no advanced life form on Mars, so it is ‘safe’ to build colonies for the human race, but has that always been the case?  Whilst this is a great adventure story for young people, it also asks a range of questions about the way some groups feel that they have the right to expand wherever they like; in the same way that countries and large corporations have done throughout history.

This exciting and thought provoking read will make a great addition to the Science Fiction Genre for middle grade children.  It will also provide inspiration for the many young people who enjoy STEM subjects.

 

About BBNYA 

BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

 

Author Bio

Stuart is an award-winning author and secondary school teacher. He has a Masters Degree in Creative Writing and founded, and now runs, WriteMentor. In 2020 and 2022 he was placed on the SCWBI Undiscovered Voices longlist and named as an Honorary Mention for his novels ‘Ghosts of Mars’ and ‘Astra FireStar and the Ripples of Time’. In 2023, he won the WriteBlend award for his middle grade debut, Ghosts of Mars.

Stuart was included in The Bookseller’s 2021 list of Rising Stars in the publishing industry.

 

With a Type 1 Diabetic main character, Ghosts of Mars explores how life beyond Earth, and the fame and scrutiny that come with it, affects the young people involved, who didn’t sign up for life on Mars. Ten percent of author profits go to Diabetes UK.

 

Book Details

Length: 280 pages

Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction

Age Category: Middle Grade

Date Published: 12 September 2022

https://amzn.eu/d/id7TkjA (UK)

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63274577-ghosts-of-mars

The StoryGraph Link: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/2b3c86c8-ef1b-4708-ad90-d982d93d3ed1 

 

 

 

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Ember Shadows and the lost desert of time by Rebecca King and Raquel Ochoa

Most of us assume that we have a right to self-determination and the idea that we are restricted by a fate that is given to us at birth, is something that we might have real problems with.  This is the idea behind the adventures of the feisty Ember Shadows.  In the first book she is looking forward to receiving her fate card, which will decide if she can follow her dream of being an inventor; however, things do not happen as she hopes.  Firstly, there is no fate written on her card and then her younger sister receives her card, saying that she only has a short while to live.  This leads to a fantastic adventure as Ember tries to change the way that the fates work.

Thankfully the second book sees our heroine very much alive, as is her sister Juniper.  At the end of the first book Ember manages to solve the riddle of the fate cards and gives everyone back the freedom to choose; however, for many people, especially the adult this is proving to be a very difficult option.  There had been safety in the old system and they have problems coping with having choice. Someone is taking this fear to an extreme and they are gathering the strands of fate and cutting them, so that the owners are killed.  Ember and her brilliant sidekick Hans (yes, he is a hand from a clock, brought to life by magic) decide that they need to try and stop any further disasters taking place.  They meet a wide variety of characters on the way, from giant spiders to mon-keys (who manage the weather patterns), but there is always the lurking menace of the line cutter.  The author manages to throw a lot of red herrings in our path and especially in Ember’s way, so that she is often caught out in her thinking about the culprit.  The denouement sees an unexpected villain and an upsetting discovery about someone she had thought was a friend.

I absolutely love the main theme of this book , about letting people make their own decisions and allowing ourselves to make mistakes, learn from them and then try again.  These are very important life lessons and together with the thoughts around family (and what that really means) there is a lot to make us think and to act s a start from some very important discussions.  However, there is also a theme around Ember’s love of inventing and this is such an important message to be passing on to young girls especially today.  Science and Engineering are equally as important for girls and boys, yet we still have a conscious or unconscious bias against this choice.  This really is a superb series for the middle grade and I can’t wait for book three to appear next year.  A five star series.

About the author

Rebecca King was born in Wolverhampton and spent her childhood in a
village called Sound in Cheshire.
She studied Journalism at the University of Portsmouth and has worked
as a reporter and a primary school teacher, including three years
teaching in China. She was inspired to write Ember Shadows and the
Fates of Mount Never after visiting Mount Everest, in search of her
Tibetan heritage.
She now lives in Bratislava, Slovakia, with her partner and her Chinese
rescue dog, Mushu.

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The Sundae Delivery Service by Holly Rivers

I was asked to take part in this blog tour just before I went on holiday, so the story stayed at home waiting for my return.  Oh, how I wished that I had taken it with me (the explanation will follow shortly.)  I had the great pleasure of reviewing Holly’s previous book about “The Boy in the Post” and so it was delightful that I would be able to enjoy the new adventure featuring the three Shalloo siblings, Orinthia, Seafra and Taber.

In this book they are back in their village of Little Penhallow and are excited because an Ice Cream parlour, called the Two Scoops Creamery, is opening up and offering FREE cones to the first one hundred customers.  Well, I would have done exactly what the children did, although I don’t think I could run as fast as they can.  The problem is that everyone else wants the free treats; luckily the children meet up with Dotty, the daughter of the two owners and they manage to wangle their ices.  This is the start of a great friendship, especially between Dotty and Orinthia.  When  Pem and Pandora, Dotty’s mothers, announce that they are about to take part in an international Ice Cream competition called the “Golden Udder Award” and it is in Norway, things start to get exciting.  Together with Dotty and Orinthia (plus two cows called Fosse and Falaise)  the team head to Bergen on board their favourite ship the Mollusca, complete with their friend Mog.

This sounds like a really warm and cuddly story, but no, someone is out to destroy their chances of winning the competition and they find numerous problems are put in their way; culminating in the theft of the two cattle, without whom they would not have the right kind of milk for their Jam Roly-Poly Ice Cream.  Yet again Orinthia is called upon to use all her ingenuity to find out who is the enemy and then to make sure that the Two Scoops Creamery are able to take part in the competition.  Yet again we have a wonderful mix of adventure, intrigue and humour, with our heroes managing to lurch from one crisis to another, but always winning out in the end.  There are really strong theme around the concept of family and although our heroes have a very positive experience, we also get to see what happens when the wider family employs a moral blackmail in order to achieve their aims.

Image is from the official website, thank you to them for a superb photo.

What is so great is that we get to learn about Bergen and in particular its famous Funicular called the Floibanen, although I am still not sure how the enemy was able to undertake one of their activities.  You will have to read the book in order to find out!

At the beginning of this article I said I wished that I had taken this on holiday with me, and that is because I have been on a cruise to Norway, starting at Bergen.  The story brought back so many lovely memories, especially of the Funicular and the amazing views that you get from the top, but it also reminded me of the arrival into Bergen and the astounding scenery surrounding it.  Thank you Holly for creating such a wonderful story and for giving us an insight into the beauty of another country.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Author: Holly Rivers

Holly grew up in a real-life children’s book, playing the part of Drusilla in ITV’s The Worst Witch alongside Felicity Jones. She spent her childhood in Wales, wishing that she was Pippi Longstocking, and after graduating spent time working as an actor, broadcaster and cheese-seller, until one day she had the idea to pen a story about a tenacious young inventor named Demelza. Holly’s days are now spent penning new stories as well as leading drama, craft and bushcraft classes for children. She lives in Brighton with her girlfriend and still wishes that she was Pippi Longstocking.

 

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Moonflight by Gill Lewis and Pippa Curnick

As a fan of books by Gill Lewis, I was delighted to be asked to take part in this blog tour.  The book itself is a fabulous tale of adventure and overcoming the limits that are placed on us (often by those who love us best).  Thank you so much to Gill for agreeing to answer these questions for me and many thanks to everyone at David Fickling books for publishing the book and asking me to be involved.

 

  • Moonflight is a very different story to those that we often associate with you. Have you always wanted to write this type of book and if so, have other authors been an influence on this?

My other stories are very grounded in the real world and are often about conservation with the human characters telling the story. I ventured into anthropomorphism with A Street Dog Named Pup, but Pup does live essentially as a dog in the modern human world. I suppose as a writer one can get pigeonholed into one genre, but I think most writers have a variety of stories they want to tell. I did enjoy being released from detailed factual research and building the world of the highly anthropomorphised Dockland Rats.

As a child, the stories I wrote were about small people or animals having adventures, and it has been wonderful to immerse myself in these worlds again. I have always enjoyed stories such as Despereaux by Kate Di Camillo and the world of the mice she created. As a child I loved Paul Gallico’s book Jennie, about a boy transformed into a cat after a car accident. I also love the Disney films of The Rescuers. I think children can relate to small creatures being the heroes of the story.

 

  • What gave you the idea for a hero who was so restricted in his lifestyle? Did lockdown have any impact on your thought process?

Lockdown had a huge impact. I was lucky that we had a big garden and access to local walks, but our lifestyles were so restricted in the first lockdowns. I remember feeling claustrophobic with a need to escape. And so, I escaped into Tilbury’s world, following him on his adventures, the twists and turns of the story happening organically as I wrote. I think I needed a change from my usual stories that are based in the real world, and to travel to new unexplored worlds. The infinite realms of the imagination were my portals out of reality. Lockdown also made me feel a little institutionalised, and anxious to venture out when Lockdown was lifted. A trip to London seemed a huge undertaking. I really felt I understood Tilbury’s paradoxical desires for adventure and yet to stay at home and never leave.

 

  • A main element of the story is about family and the importance of allowing the young to find their own way in life. Does modern life make us more wary of giving freedom to young people?

This is a hard one to answer – yes and no, I suppose. I think my early childhood had more freedoms than that of my own children’s – I lived in a suburban street and I played outside all the time, at friends’ houses, in local woodland even when we were really quite young. I didn’t have to say where I was going or what time I’d be back, I just had to turn up before dark or for tea. I think parents are more worried by stranger danger and dangerous traffic on roads these days. But also sadly, a problem of modern life, especially in urban areas is that are fewer places to play outside as many places may be developed for housing. My own children grew up in a rural area, but the small roads were so busy, and used as cut-throughs for local traffic, that cycling and walking were not very safe. Like all mothers, Tilbury’s Ma wants to protect her little son as much as she can, but of course, she cannot protect him forever. She must be brave and let him begin to find his way in the world, letting him test his own boundaries. Even Tilbury’s Pa must remind Ma that they were young rats once in search of adventure. But Ma will always there for Tilbury with a hot dinner and a warm bed if he should need it.

  • There are several very strong themes around greed, trust, cultural history and beliefs. Were they part of your original plans, or did they develop as the story grew?

These themes developed as the story grew. Part of the story was inspired by the myths behind the Koh-i-Noor diamond, a priceless diamond in the Crown Jewels. Queen Victoria gained this diamond by deception from the then 11-year-old Sikh Maharaja, Duleep Singh. This diamond has many stories woven around it, and different claims to its ownership. Queen Victoria would never have wanted to admit to the deception and may indeed have convinced herself she lawfully gained it. But this diamond also holds a curse such that no royal male ever dares wear it. Maybe the curse itself is a story, a hidden narrative of guilt, lies and bloodshed that cannot be ignored.

In Moonflight, I wanted to explore the stories we tell ourselves, those narratives we weave around our own lives to protect us and validate who we are. Sometimes it can be difficult to challenge those stories. I wanted to put Tilbury, a timid little rat, into a tale where he has to search for the truth, and in doing so, gain a greater understanding of himself too.

 

  • Finally, are we likely to see more stories set in this magical world?

At the moment I don’t have any plans, although if there were to be a spin-off I think it would follow Nimble-Quick on her travels. The first draft of Moonflight had other rat groups that ended up being cut from the story. I’d particularly like to revisit the City Rats, large domestic fancy rats that live in the top of the Shard and collect shiny watches and other bling. I’d also like to delve into the Elders’ possessions in the Tower of London, acquired and stolen over the centuries. An earlier draft of Moonflight included a rather mature piece of cheese from the original piece that Samuel Pepys buried to protect in during the Fire of London. So will there be more stories? Not right now, but maybe watch this space!

This really is a highly recommended story and gets  five stars from me.  I do so hope that we will have more stories from this magical world.

 

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The Uprising: the Mapmakers of Cruxcia by Eirlys Hunter

The first thing to say about this book is that it is the sequel to “The Mapmakers’ Race”, which makes this a very exciting prospect indeed.  For those who have not read the first book, it follows the adventures of the four Santander children as they go in search of their explorer father, who has disappeared on his latest expedition.  They undertake a gruelling challenge called the “Mapmakers’ Race”, hoping to win enough money to continue their search.  Despite dastardly competitors (not quite Whacky Races) they actually win and thanks to some teasing information they start out on a new adventure.

Gecko Press, 9781776574049

In “The Uprising”, the quartet of Sal, Joe, Francis and Humphrey are joined by their mother, as they follow their information to the small community of Cruxcia.  They find that the area is under threat from a gigantic corporation called the Grania Trading Corporation, who have already appointed the local governor and want to take over the whole of the valley around the local mountain.  The family find themselves in danger from the agents of the corporation, as well as from very unscrupulous map makers, who we met in the first book.  As they begin to uncover the machinations of the giant corporation, the Santanders find themselves helping the local people who are trying to save their homes and land from the outsiders.  Their adventures take us on a helter skelter ride as they face dangers that are both natural and also man-made, so hang on to your hats as we follow these intrepid mapmakers.

I am delighted to say that Eirlys Hunter has written this fascinating insight into her longing for adventure and how it was often thwarted by the adults in her life, when she was a child.  This is probably why her heroes are able to go off and have adventures, sharing them with others of a similar age.  This is yet another fantastically exciting  story as the children continue their quest and find themselves getting closer to finding their father.

Searching for adventure

When I was young, I liked reading about families, and I liked reading about children who were competent. Who knew about motorbikes, or how to care for horses, who sailed boats, put on plays, or acted in films. Most of all, the children in my favourite books managed to have adventures, adventures that rarely involved adults, and never involved parents. 

My sister and I wanted to have adventures more than anything. We lived in London, it should have been possible, but we just didn’t know how to go about it. Once, we persuaded our mother to drive us a long way from home and leave us to get back on our own with just our pocket money. It was exciting to be in an unknown street, miles from anywhere familiar, but then we turned round the first corner and there was the tube station by our mother’s work. We were home in less than an hour. Why did we go on the tube instead of, say, seeing where the first bus that came along would take us? Tragic.

We got our father to drop us at the head of the loch one holiday, with our expedition’s provisions. It was a four-mile walk along a straight road beside the loch to get back to Granny’s house, but long before we got there, the old Ford Consul pulled up and our father insisted we hop in.

We had our last stab at adventure the summer holiday I was thirteen. My sister and I left the campsite in the Italian Alps where we were staying with our parents. We said we were going for a walk, but we didn’t mention that we were going to try to touch the snow that we could see high above the valley. We climbed for hours, desperate for adventure. Then we touched the dirty old snow, and walked all the way back down the endless zigzag path to the tent. Our mother was beside herself – certain that something terrible must have happened. It was all so disappointing. It would have been so much more exciting if we’d been in a book.

I never managed to have an adventure when I was a child, but I nowadays I can invent children, write about them, and give them adventures. And the first thing I always do, is get rid of the parents. And if you read The Mapmakers books you’ll find out how I turned that disappointing hike to touch snow into a proper adventure.   

The Uprising: The Mapmakers in Cruxcia is out now in paperback (£7.99, Gecko Press)