I
am a full-time, award-winning children’s author and poet and have been writing
for about 35 years. I love picture books, short fiction and poetry, but have
also enjoyed writing 3 upper-grade novels, and information books. Many of my
100 + titles have been translated and distributed world-wide.
Which
children’s book are you currently reading?
My recent
reading has included, Lenny’s Book of Everything (Karen Foxlee), The
Gruffalo, (Julia Donaldson), Leave Taking (Lorraine Marwood) Cool
Poems (Kate O’Neil) The Art of Taxidermy (Sharon Kernot) and The
Stupendously Spectacular Spelling Bee by Deborah Abela. I’ve thoroughly
enjoyed all of them but am currently reading Abela’s follow-up book, The Most Marvellous Spelling Bee Mystery.
Can you tell us in two sentences what the book is about?
After her
success as a spelling champion, India Wimple is invited to London to
participate in the international spelling finals. While there’s rivalry between
the competitors and their families, India senses a mystery underlying the
strange occurrences that threaten to close down the competition.
How much did you enjoy/are enjoying this title?
There’s so
much to like about this title. India is part of a strong, supportive family
unit and I love the way the family interacts to encourage her. But she is
good-hearted and prepared to make sacrifices for her brother, Boo, who suffers
with asthma. Each spelling bee
competitor is delightfully individual, as are the parents. Abela creates
trouble, tension, and humour along the way but there’s also an alarming mystery.
United, the children competitors set out to discover who or what’s behind the
potential closure of the competition. Abela’s writing is a joy to read. Her
characterisation is strong, and she creates stacks of trouble for her
characters. But it’s family and friendships that underpin the heart of this
book.
What made
you choose this title? Was it a review, advertising, the cover, the blurb, the
author/illustrator, or the subject/genre?
I’d
read Abela’s Grimsdon many years ago, and more recently, Teresa, A
New Australian. However, I was intrigued by the sound of the first Spelling
Bee book which was a departure from both other titles. Having read and enjoyed The
Stupendously Spectacular Spelling Bee, and having read the review of The
Most Marvellous Spelling Bee Mystery in Kids Book Review, I was curious as
to what mystery could lie behind an international spelling competition. Perhaps
there’s also an additional reason! I remember spelling bees at school, and once
I entered a local competition, as I was a strong speller myself. The word I had
to spell was neighbourhood. I don’t know whether I was nervous or too
confident, but I left out the ‘bour’ section and was asked to step down.
It was a crushing moment.
What other
titles are on your bedside table /To Read Pile?
I have Trent Dalton’s Boy Swallows Universe
and Bren MacDibble’s The Dog Runner.
I’d read
MacDibble’s How to Bee and admired it, and so I wanted to read her next
book. The Dog Runner is receiving great reviews and publicity, as is, of
course, Dalton’s highly acclaimed title. I’ve downloaded both books as I’m
travelling at the moment.
Do you have
a favourite genre? If so, what is it, and why do you prefer it?
That’s hard
to answer! I love picture books, because they are so powerful in such an
understated way and unless you’ve tried to write one, they seem so deceptively
easy. They’re a short story, written in poetry form requiring careful and
challenging word choice. I also love the connection between the words and the
illustrations.
Do you read
from printed books or some other medium? Please expand a little on the why of
your choice.
When I’m at home, I prefer to read from books. They will always
be my first choice because there’s still so much to relish in the handling of
the book, and the turning of the pages. But when I’m travelling, I download titles
onto my E-book reader and I’m quite content with that. They’re efficient,
portable and I can still access what I’d like to read next, which is vital when
you’re not able to borrow from libraries or from your own home-library. Having
said that, when I was travelling UK a few years ago, there were plentiful, good
books to be found at charity shops (Op-shops) and so I was able to read them
and re-donate, so it wasn’t a luggage problem.