A fun video clip from my new book!
September 4, 2021 at 7:19 pm | Posted in Animation, Video | Leave a commentTags: Charly Cheung, Hong Kong mysteries, Sarah Brennan Author on YouTube, The Marvellous Adventures of Maggie and Methuselah
Just ask Mum or Dad to click here so you can see a fun new video clip featuring my new book, The Marvellous Adventures of Maggie and Methuselah! Huge thanks to creator Charly Cheung (who also just happens to be the fabulous illustrator of the book) for the images and Lenny To for the sound!
Isn’t it fun? And if you haven’t bought your own copy yet, you can get it at this link or at any good bookshop!
A fun virtual visit to Sunnybank State School in Brisbane!
September 3, 2021 at 6:37 pm | Posted in Brisbane schools, Virtual visits | Leave a commentTags: Chinese history for kids, Great children's books about Chinese culture, Stories about Chinese Zodiac characters, Sunnybank State School, The Chinese Calendar Tales, Virtual author visits
Say hello to the fabulous school captains of Sunnybank State School in Brisbane, Queensland! I had the great pleasure of visiting the Grade 6s virtually last Friday for a fun author session, where we talked all about the Chinese Calendar Tales. We had some great Q&A about why I wrote them, how I got my inspiration for each story, and how I plan my stories generally, with a little bit of fascinating Chinese history thrown in! Huge thanks to Principal John Greenup for hosting my visit. I hope you all enjoy reading my books and that they inspire you to write your own stories! And make sure you enter my next Clever Competition, coming soon!
Remember to bring a torch!
August 28, 2021 at 6:13 pm | Posted in new books | Leave a commentTags: Blacksmith Books, Books about Hong Kong history for kids, Books for pre-teens, Mystery in Hong Kong, The Marvellous Adventures of Maggie and Methuselah
A big THANK YOU to Charly Cheung who created this fabulous poster for my new book! Isn’t it fun! And so are all her 80+ fantastic illustrations inside the book! The Marvellous Adventures of Maggie and Methuselah is out in bookstores now – and available all over the internet too! You can buy your own copy here!
A sneak peek inside my new book!
August 7, 2021 at 9:09 pm | Posted in new books | Leave a commentTags: Blacksmith Books, Charly Cheung, Hong Kong history, Hong Kong stories for pre-teens, The Marvellous Adventures of Maggie and Methuselah, WWII history of Hong Kong
Here’s a sneak peek inside my funny new adventure book for 8 to 12 year olds! You can see a really bo-o-o-oring reception at Government House in Hong Kong, which Maggie’s mum insists attend. It’s also where the exciting action starts! And it’s just one of over 80 fun illustrations by award-winning artist Charly Cheung which you can enjoy in my new book! Just ask a grown up to click here to purchase your very own copy!
HOORAY!!!! The Marvellous Adventures of Maggie and Methuselah has finally arrived!
August 5, 2021 at 4:43 pm | Posted in Hong Kong, new books | Leave a commentTags: Blacksmith Books, Charly Cheung, Government House Hong Kong, Hong Kong history, Hong Kong WWII history, Missing Chater Collection, The Marvellous Adventures of Maggie and Methuselah
After months of waiting…my new book is finally available!! It’s been a marathon for all of us: me, my wonderful publisher Pete Spurrier at Blacksmiths Books (top left) and our fantastic award-winning illustrator Charly Cheung (with Pete, top right). HUGE thanks to all the lovely parents and kids who pre-ordered the book for their patience. By now, the book should be in your hands! We hope you love it as much as we do!
Here’s a bit from the blurb:
Maggie loves hanging out with her best friends Methuselah (her talkative African Grey parrot) and Edmund (the richest boy in Hong Kong), but she loathes attending boring parties with her high-flying mum and dad! Little does she know that a Family Fun Day at Government House will trigger a thrilling adventure involving one of Hong Kong’s greatest mysteries: what happened to the immensely valuable Chater Collection, which was hidden on the eve of the Japanese invasion in World War Two? A funny, exciting story for pre-teens set in one of the world’s most exotic cities, where cultures meet and risks are for the taking!
For readers aged 8 to 12 who love mystery, history and adventure! With 80+ illustrations.
So if you’d like to purchase your own copy, just click here, or visit your favourite Hong Kong bookstore! And keep visiting this blog as I tell you more about the story and the fascinating Hong Kong history behind it!
A photo from a fabulous fan!
July 6, 2021 at 9:36 pm | Posted in Fabulous fans!, Favourite kids' books | Leave a commentTags: Books about Chinese history for kids, Books about Chinese Zodiac, The Tale of Oswald Ox, The Tale of Rodney Ram
Don’t you just love this photo? Here’s Glynnis, who has just this week received The Tale of Oswald Ox and The Tale of Rodney Ram in the post! Her mum, who very kindly sent me this photo, tells me that Glynnis has read the books already, and now she (her mum) is reading them to her again at bed time! Now that’s what I call a fabulous fan! Thank you so much to Glynnis’s mum for letting me post this photo on my blog!
At last! The Marvellous Adventures of Maggie and Methuselah is at the printers!
June 30, 2021 at 10:22 pm | Posted in Book launches, new books | Leave a commentTags: Blacksmith Books, Books about Hong Kong for kids, Charly Cheung, Chater paintings, Hong Kong mysteries, The Marvellous Adventures of Maggie and Methuselah
HOORAY!! At last my exciting, funny new chapter book for pre-teens has gone off to the printers! It’s looking just fabulous, thanks to our incredibly talented illustrator Charly Cheung, who has drawn more than 100 illustrations!!
It’s all about two adventurous kids living in Hong Kong: expat Maggie Magill and her best friend Edmund Ma, Maggie’s very funny African Grey parrot Methuselah, and a fabulous Hong Kong mystery which is real and has never been solved! Not to mention some spooky World War II tunnels, some very valuable treasure and an exciting helicopter rescue!
The publisher Pete Spurrier at Blacksmith Books tells me that it will take just two weeks to get printed – so all you lovely parents and kids who have been so patient with us over the last few months will get their copies by mid-July! At last!!
We’re planning a fabulous Hong Kong launch, so watch this space and I’ll let you have all the details as soon as possible!
And if you haven’t ordered your own copy yet, you can pre-order it now by clicking this link!
Well done Reva!
June 29, 2021 at 8:56 pm | Posted in Discovery College, Writing competitions for kids | Leave a commentTags: Books about Chinese history for kids, Books about Chinese Zodiac, The Tale of Run Run Rat, Writing competitions for primary school kids
Isn’t this a wonderful photo of Reva Kamath from Discovery College, Hong Kong, who at just 8 years old came Second Place in the Year 4 to 6 category of my Oxcellent Ox Tale Competition? Reva chose The Tale of Run Run Rat as her prize, and here she is being presented with it by PYP Teacher Librarian Mrs Leanne Sercombe. The story she chose is all about the success that comes to those try their hardest; a very appropriate choice for this talented young writer! Well done Reva! I can’t wait to read more of your work!
Kids4Kids awards some hugely talented young Hong Kong writers and illustrators!
June 27, 2021 at 11:27 pm | Posted in Kids4Kids, Writing competitions for kids | Leave a commentTags: Hong Kong writing competitions, My Story Creation Competition 2020-2021, Writing competitions for primary school kids
Yesterday I had the huge pleasure of attending the Online Celebration Ceremony of the My Story Creation Competition 2020-2021, hosted by my friends at Kids4Kids, and funded by The Community Chest! I was honoured to read out to the attendees the fabulous overall winning story, The Wolf, written and illustrated by Kristi Ng. It’s a fantastic story, with beautiful illustrations in watercolour, crayon and colour pencil. You can see some of the pages from Kristi’s book in the slideshow below. Aren’t they wonderful?
Huge congratulations to the 352 kids who entered from schools and learning centres all over Hong Kong! You can see the list of winners and their work by visiting the competition website here.
And you can register for next year’s competition right away by scanning the QR code below!
A visit to Lee Shau Kee College with the HKYRF2021!
May 14, 2021 at 4:35 pm | Posted in Hong Kong Young Readers Festival 2021 | Leave a commentTags: Hong Kong history, Hong Kong Schools, Lee Shau Kee College, Missing Chater Collection, The Marvellous Adventures of Maggie and Methuselah
Today I had the great pleasure of meeting the students of Lee Shau Kee College in the New Territories, Hong Kong, in a fun one hour Zoom visit for the Hong Kong Young Readers’ Festival! After a welcome to the Year of the Ox, I told the students all about my new chapter book, The Marvellous Adventures of Maggie and Methuselah (A Hong Kong Mystery) including all the fabulous Hong Kong history behind it! Many thanks to Miss Sarah Wong, my host for the visit, and to Crystal Lau at Hong Kong Young Readers’ Festival who made the visit possible!
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