Look What I'm Reading! Pamela Rushby

I’m a writer for children and young adults with over 200 books published by trade and educational publishers. I’m a tiny bit obsessed with ancient Egypt so it’s no surprise that for my latest book, The Mummy Smugglers of Crumblin Castle, I’ve drawn on my experiences of volunteering on a dig in Jordan, visiting excavations in Egypt, cruising down the Nile (though sadly, not on a dahabiya) and haunting the Petrie Museum, University College London, and the mummy rooms of the British Museum!

Which children’s book are you currently reading?
The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling by Wai Chim, Allen & Unwin, 2019.

Can you tell us in two sentences what the book is about?
Anna Chiu has her hands full looking after her siblings and working at her dad’s restaurant – while her mum stays in bed.
Things aren’t right, and they go from bad to worse. A story of family, food, mental wellness and first love.

How much did you enjoy/are enjoying this title?

Haven’t yet finished it, and can’t wait to see what happens next.

What made you choose this title? Was it a review, advertising, the cover, the blurb, the author/illustrator, or the subject/genre?

Review and advertising in Magpies.

What other titles are on your bedside table /To Read Pile?

The Austen Girls, Lucy Worsley, Bloomsbury 2020, Radio Girl, David Dufty, Allen & Unwin, 2020, Ink Death, Cornelia Funke, Chicken House, 2007.

How did you come by these titles: personal choice/request, publisher’s review copy, or other?
Personal choice. Ordered from library, bought online, picked up while browsing in a bookstore.

Do you have a favourite genre? If so, what is it, and why do you prefer it?

I can rarely resist a good, well-researched middle-grade/YA historical. Especially about little-known events in history. I really like books that teach me something as well as entertain me. Don’t mind a bit of fantasy, either – but not too way-out. Needs to be rooted in reality.

Do you read from printed books or some other medium? Please expand a little on the why of your choice. Print. Always print. There’s nothing like the feeling of a book in your hands. Also, I find that the pages are so small when reading online. And you can’t flick backwards and forwards so easily. Call me old-fashioned!