Sarah Brennan Funny & Fabulous Blog

Three fabulous days in Tassie!

Here I am in beautiful Hobart, with Mount Wellington in the distance behind me, and standing just outside the school I attended for most of my school days, The Friends’ School! I spent a wonderful long weekend in Hobart from Thursday to Sunday morning, seeing my lovely relatives, catching up with old friends, dropping into some fabulous schools to meet the librarians, and, of course, having a very happy trip down Memory Lane! I look forward to returning next year with my Chinese Calendar Tales!

My Aussie Book Week tour started at Loreto Mandeville Hall!

Hello again to all my friends! I’m in Australia this next fortnight for Book Week, and kick-started my tour with a visit to the gorgeous young ladies of Loreto Mandeville Hall in Toorak, Melbourne! I met the whole of primary school, from the Preps right through to the Grade 6s, and we had a lot of fun with a story reading for the younger girls and some Poetry and Writing Workshops for the older girls. Here I am above with some of the gorgeous Prep to Grade 2s, and with the lovely Miss Erin Moodie. Thanks for a fabulous day, and make sure you enter my Clever Writing Competition – see the tab above!

A Mega-Update to my Website – and a Reminder to enter my holiday Writing Competition!

I love holidays! At last, there’s time to breathe, to unwind, and to do all those fun things we don’t have time for during our normal working life! And for we busy authors, it’s a great chance to update our websites – big time! So if you want to see photos and news from all the schools and bookshops I’ve visited in the last six months in Beijing, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Singapore and Sydney with my Chinese Calendar Tales family; or to read all the latest press articles and interviews; or to view a new Youtube video; or to check out some brand new testimonials from school students, teachers and librarians about my books and school visits, then click on the link below and go to my Newsroom and School Visits pages! http://www.sarah-brennan.com.

Another thing holidays are great for is entering Writing Competitions! My current story competition for primary school kids is a load of fun! Your story has to include –
a ram;
a Chinese Empress or Princess;
a talking frog;
a storm;
the colour vermilion
and must be set in China!
How’s that for a challenge? Go to the Clever Competitions page above right away for all the details. The deadline is 6 September, so you’ve still got time to write a stunning story!

And of course, the very best thing about holidays is that we’ve all got time to read lots and lots of fantastic books! And remember, reading books keeps us ALL healthy, wealthy and wise – so get reading!

A fun interview at Christian Alliance International School, Hong Kong!

Here’s a fun interview I had earlier this year with Bryce Goff of Christian Alliance International School which he has very kindly shared with me – enjoy!

A Funny and Fabulous Visit to YLPMSAA Ying Yip Primary School!

I had SUCH a fun morning today, visiting the fabulous Grade 3s of Ying Yip Primary School in Yuen Long! I introduced them to my shy Rodney Ram, we had a story reading, and the kids asked some great questions afterwards! Huge thanks to lovely NET teacher Brenda (below, holding my dragon) for inviting me, and to CAs Hilary and Maggie for all their help! I hope to see you all again next year!

Happy Birthday Greetings from Harry Harrison on Buddha’s Birthday!

Here’s the fabulous Harry Harrison’s Birthday Greeting to Buddha today – enjoy!!

Clever Competition No. 25 starts TODAY!

What better way to celebrate a Chinese holiday…not to mention a day off school if you’re lucky enough to live in Hong Kong…than to dream up a fabulous story set in China! So it’s high time we had another international writing competition, and this time you’re going to have to get your imagination hats on, because I want a story of great originality and fun, set in China, involving three very different Chinese characters: a ram, a Chinese princess and a frog!  It can be a mystery, an adventure, or even a romance! And because I know you love a good challenge, there are a few other ingredients you must include! Go to my Clever Competitions page (above) right away to see all the rules and conditions. (I’ve also set out exactly what I’ll be looking for when I judge the competition, so make sure you pay careful attention before planning your first draft!) I’m giving you lots of time for this one, including the summer holidays in case you’d like a fun challenge to fill those holiday hours! The competition deadline is Sunday 6th September.

Happy Birthday Buddha!

(The Reclining Buddha, Jade Buddha Temple, Shanghai)

In the West it might be a Bank Holiday today…but here in Hong Kong, we are celebrating Buddha’s Birthday! Legend has it that when Buddha was born, nine dragons sprayed him with water to bathe him. So today, in temples across Hong Kong, people gather to bathe statues of Buddha in bowls of water! The biggest ceremony is of course held at the Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island, near the world’s biggest statue of Buddha!

Fabulous Fun at the ELCHK Lutheran Academy Book Fair!

Today my lovely office manager Mita and I spent the day at the ELCHK Lutheran Academy Book Fair where we met lots and lots of lovely fans, and sold lots and lots of lovely books! Here I am with two very special fans:

Introducing Hayes Ng, from Year 5BH, who was selling his own fantastic comic books, which he made by himself – they were great fun! Hayes has written at least 5 books, and is a very talented young writer!

And here is my BIGGEST fan at the Fair, Eunice Tang, who bought every single one of my books! She’s a great reader, and I’m sure will become a great writer too!