Thanks Kids4Kids for a great virtual event!
October 7, 2021 at 7:50 pm | Posted in new books | Leave a commentTags: Government House, Hong Kong history for kids, Hong Kong mysteries, Kids4Kids, Sir Paul Chater, The Marvellous Adventures of Maggie and Methuselah, The Mystery of the Missing Chater Collection
Huge thanks to the fabulous team at Kids4Kids (pictured above) who invited me to and hosted me at our event together this morning! A whole gang of young Kids4Kids members joined us via Zoom for a funny and informative introduction to my exciting new chapter book for kids, The Marvellous Adventures of Maggie and Methuselah (A Hong Kong Mystery). We talked all about the fascinating Hong Kong WWII history behind the story, and especially the mystery of the missing Chater Collection! But I think what excited the kids most was the fact that there are still tunnels all over Hong Kong, from, Kennedy Town to Chai Wan to Repulse Bay, guarding their WWII secrets! There’s even one behind the Kids4Kids headquarters in Wanchai! Now the kids are busy completing a questionnaire about the history, and the person who gets the most questions right…and writes the best description of the place where they think the paintings are hidden…will win a free copy of my book! Best of luck kids! And thanks for joining the session this morning!
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 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!
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!
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