Meet Trevor, a maths-obsessed stay-at-home Dad!
October 20, 2021 at 2:16 pm | Posted in new books | Leave a commentTags: Books about Hong Kong history for kids, Charly Cheung, Hong Kong history, Natural History Museum South Kensington, The Marvellous Adventures of Maggie and Methuselah, True Hong Kong mysteries
Trevor is Dad to Maggie, one of the three heroes of my new book The Marvellous Adventures of Maggie and Methuselah! He met Maggie’s mum, Ursula, back when he was working as an animal conservator at the Natural History Museum in South Kensington, London. He’s shy, he’s kind, and he loves his daughter Maggie to distraction! But he also loves MATHS PROBLEMS! In fact, his ambition is to solve the world’s greatest maths problems, which is one reason why he loves being a stay-at-home Dad, especially when Maggie is at school and he can work on his computer!
If you click on the link here you can see a fun animation by our fabulous artist Charly Cheung of Trevor busily taking notes back at the museum! Isn’t it fun?!
You can find out more about Trevor and the rest of the characters in my book THIS SATURDAY at the official launch! Make sure you register on this link, and REMEMBER TO BRING A CLIPBOARD!
YAY! You are invited to the Official Launch of The Marvellous Adventures of Maggie and Methuselah!
October 14, 2021 at 9:52 pm | Posted in Book launches | Leave a commentTags: Bookazine Princes Building, Books about Chinese history for kids, Charly Cheung, Hong Kong history, The Marvellous Adventures of Maggie and Methuselah
Sound the trumpets! Beat the drums! And above all, get ready to have FUN! This is your official invitation to the Official Launch of my exciting new chapter book for pre-teens, The Marvellous Adventures of Maggie and Methuselah (A Mystery in Hong Kong)!
If you love mysteries about missing treasure, adventures in dark tunnels, and above all, crazy rhyme-loving African Grey parrots, you’ll just LOVE hearing all about my new story at 3pm on Saturday, 23rd October, at Bookazine, 3rd Floor Princes Building!
I’ll be Zooming in to read you a fun chapter, and to fill you in on all the fascinating, fabulous Hong Kong World War II history behind the story!
PLUS you can learn how to draw that crazy rhyme-loving African Grey Parrot (a.k.a. Methuselah) from brilliant artist Charly Cheung (but only if you remember to bring a clipboard so you can draw on it!)
PLUS you can win some fun prizes in our QUIZ and Drawing Competition!
PLUS you’ll be going home with a tricky Maze and some Colouring-In to complete, and a great bookmark! Not to mention a signed book if you wish :)!
So make sure to save the date in your diary, and we’ll see you there!
A REAL Hong Kong mystery for you to solve!
September 30, 2021 at 3:43 pm | Posted in new books | 1 CommentTags: Hong Kong history, Hong Kong mysteries, Sir Paul Chater, The Chater collection, The Marvellous Adventures of Maggie and Methuselah
Introducing Sir Paul Catchick Chater, whose missing paintings are at the heart of the mystery in my new book The Marvellous Adventures of Maggie and Methuselah ! Sir Paul was a VERY important man in Hong Kong, but apart from Chater Road in Central and Catchick Street in Kennedy Town, most Hong Kongers today know nothing about him! Born in Calcutta to Armenian parents, he was orphaned at the age of just 7, and came to Hong Kong to be near his sister when he was 18. But he was clever, and very good at business, and by the time he died he was so well-loved and important to Hong Kong that he was called the “father of Hong Kong”! Here’s a small list of just some of the things he did:
- he founded Dairy Farm (which owns Wellcome, Mannings and Marketplace) with a Scottish partner
- he founded Hong Kong Electric, one of the first electric companies in the world!
- at night, he could be seen in a sampan, measuring the depth of the coastline, which resulted in Hong Kong’s very first land reclamation, where Statue Square, the old Legco Building, Princes Building and the Mandarin Hotel stand today! As well as Chater Road of course…
- he built the fabulous Marble Hall as his family home, on Conduit Road. Here’s a picture:
So why is he so important to my new book?
Well, he also collected VERY valuable paintings and etchings of China’s early contact with Europeans, the most valuable of which went missing during World War II, and have have never been found since ! Today they would be worth at least 30 million Hong Kong dollars or 3 million pounds sterling! They must be somewhere in Hong Kong – but where?
You’ll have to read my new book to find out how they disappeared and where they might be now! Maybe you’ll be the one to find them!
And if you want to find out more about the fabulous Sir Paul Chater, just click 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 she 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 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!
Desmond starts his Hong Kong tour early!
January 16, 2018 at 12:50 pm | Posted in Hong Kong Schools, Story Readings, workshops, Writing competitions for kids, writing workshops for children | Leave a commentTags: Chinese history, Ching Shih, Hong Kong history, How to Write a Riveting Story, Stories about Chinese Zodiac characters, Stories about pirates, The Tale of Desmond Dog
Desmond Dog got off to an early start (a month before his official year begins!) yesterday when I visited one of my favourite Hong Kong schools, Kingston International School in Kowloon Tong! The Grade Ones met Desmond first, and as such, had naming rights for the two little creatures that Harry Harrison always adds in to his wonderful illustrations! See my next post to find out what they called them! The Lower Primary school all had fun pretending they were pirates, like the infamous baddie in the story, Ching Shih, with many a ferocious “Aha, me hearties!” but were reminded at the end of the story that Crime Doesn’t Pay! They also learned about Hong Kong’s early history! Then the Grade 4s to 6s all took part in my How to Write A Riveting Story workshop! I can’t wait to see their entries in my new Dashing Dog Story Competition! Warm thanks to Jade Englebracht who hosted me – I had a ball! More photos to come!
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