30 March 2010

Hello!

Thank you for visiting my website. You’ll see I’ve made some changes to family news and contacts, as well as to the book pages and the newsletter.

The first thing to tell you is that I have just been made Reading Champion of Derbyshire. This means I’ll be talking to children, families, librarians, teachers, minders, carers and maybe all their pets about what a wonderful thing it is to read a book! Most of these people won’t need telling, but I hope to persuade them to pass the word on. I hope you will, too. When you’ve enjoyed reading a new book, tell your friends! Ask them what their favourite book is. Ask your teachers and your parents what book they’re reading at the moment. Then you’ll be a reading champion too. This photograph was taken at the launch – I’m with Julie Potton and Annie Everall of Derbyshire libraries, along with Michael Calladine and Molly Jones, both Bookpushers from Ecclesbourne school.

As part of the appointment, I’ve been asked to tweet about life as a writer. If you’re a twitterer too, I’d love you to follow me. See www.twitter.com/berliedoherty

This appointment has happened very soon after the Peak District National Park invited me to be their Cultural Champion, to help to celebrate the beauty of this lovely area. This photo was taken on 16th December, the 60th anniversary of the day that the legislation to set up National Parks first went through. To celebrate, I planted trees with children from Elton school. Here I am with two of the girls and Narendra Bajaria, who is Chair of the English National Parks Authority Association.

My books are often set in the Peak District and Derbyshire, so I thought I’d have a little parade of those particular titles for you.    

Jeannie of White Peak Farm (Catnip) tells the story of a farming family. Jeannie, the teenage daughter, falls in love for the first time, and must decide between her loyalty to her family and the farm and her overwhelming desire to see the world beyond it. Under its original title, White Peak Farm, it was serialised for BBC television, and won a New York Film and Television award. The novel was nominated for the Carnegie medal and won the Phoenix award in the USA. An audio book has just been released by WE Howes. Great reading by Rachel Drazek.

Children of Winter (Catnip) is inspired by the true story of Eyam, the village that cut itself off from the outside world at the time of the Great Plague. In my story three children leave the village and try to survive on their own in a barn. It has been serialised for Channel 4 Television and abridged for BBC schools radio.

Deep Secret is inspired by the drowned village of Derwent which lies under the beautiful Ladybower reservoir. Identical twins Madeleine and Grace are separated forever, and the people who love them most have to uncover a secret of about them. It was nominated for the Carnegie medal and shortlisted for the Book Trust teenage fiction award.

The Snakestone (Collins) James is adopted, and one day he sets out to find his natural mother, with only a fossil stone and a torn scrap of envelope as clues. His search brings him to Derbyshire, into the secret valley of Edale. It was nominated for the Carnegie medal and shortlisted for the Guardian Fiction Award.

Holly Starcross (Andersen Press) Holly hasn’t seen her father since she was six years old. One day he turns up at her school and wants her back. She goes on a journey with him to Derbyshire, to the valley of her childhood, and uncovers some haunting mysteries. Nominated for the Carnegie medal.

A Beautiful Place for a Murder (Five Leaves) Sixteen year old Sean discovers the body of an elderly reclusive writer in her remote cottage in Edale, and becomes one of the suspects. He and his girlfriend Caroline desperately try to discover who the real culprit is. Shortlisted for the Bolton award.

Peakdale Farm Stories: A Calf Called Valentine and Valentine’s Day. (Catnip) Eight year old Anna has to stay with her grandparents on their farm. Everything is strange, the animals are all a bit frightening, but on Valentine’s day a white calf is born, and Anna falls in love with him. Now she has to try to persuade Uncle Dusty to keep him.

Blue John (to be published by Five Leaves). A picture book inspired by the Castleton caverns, about a child created out of the blue of ice and the golden yellow of the sun.

Bella’s Den (out of print) Bella takes her new friend to her favourite den, and there they see a beautiful fox. But should they tell the farmer?

And there’s more publishing news. Spellhorn, my magical story about a blind girl and a unicorn, has just been given a striking new cover and format as a Collins Essential Modern Classic. The book is now 21 years old and has never been out of print. This is its sixth cover! To find out more about the story click the novels page.

To buy a copy of Spellhorn, click one of the links: Amazon UK • The BookBrain (UK only).

The Starburster, the story about Tam and his journey to Faery to rescue his baby sister Blue from the king of the fairies, has just been published in America as The Goblin Baby.

Abela; the Girl who saw Lions is now available in Japan, published by Tuttle-Mori Agency Inc.

Thank you again for all your letters. Naomi Noran wrote about Dear Nobody, which she first read when she was twelve and has just re-read at 28. She said, “I would recommend it to anyone.” Thank you!

Christina, Anna and Jasmin, all from Realschule Kirchzarten in Germany also wrote about Dear Nobody, which they saw as a play in Freiburg. I too saw that production. It was brilliant. It is fantastic for me to see my books and plays interpreted so well.

Children from Edward Peake school in Biggleswade, Thurlaston Primary in Leicestershire, Larkswood Primary School in Chingford, London, Edgewood Primary School in Hucknall, Nottinghamshire and Belmont Junior school in County Durham all wrote me fantastic letters about Street Child. Their teachers have all given them really interesting topic work based on the book, which is great to know.

And there are more letters! Among them, children from Thorner’s Primary School in Dorchester have written lovely letters about Children of Winter. Oliver Ward suggests I should write Children of Spring and Children of Summer as well! What do you think? Perhaps you could give me some ideas!

I loved Davina Kular’s (from Edgbaston) letter about The Humming Machine. She says, “I really love your books because they are scary.” No-one has ever told me that before, Davina. Thank you!

And so to my favourite letter this year so far. It’s from Claire Margerison, from Harrogate, and it’s about Abela. It’s a fantastic letter.

Dear Berlie Doherty

My name is Claire Margerison and I am 14 years old. I have read many books but I have not read one as many times or with as much love as Abela. I am a very deep thinker and I think about how much sadness is in the world and your book has opened my eyes all the more on how much hope and strength these people living in poverty have. I’d love to help less fortunate people when I am older and Abela has been one of my inspirations. The parallels between the two lives are expertly written and the sheer emotion throughout the book is incredible; so thank you.

I remember when you visited the Kids’ Lit. Quiz in Harrogate in 2006. I was part of the Harrogate Grammar team that came second. I also really enjoyed reading Spellhorn which was one of the books I won. It’s such a shame that so many people can’t appreciate words! I just wish I’d come across Abela before the quiz so I could have told you how amazing it is and how much it’s touched me. It’s beautifully written and extremely inspiring so thank you.

PS Nyota’s death made me cry. Nyota is such a beautiful name. Especially because we’re doing about population in GCSE Geography, so your book is even more important.

Thank you,

Claire Margerison.

 

Well, that’s a beautiful letter Claire, and I’m very touched. I’m sending you a copy of Dear Nobody, and I hope you enjoy it. And I would like to tell everybody who reads this something about you. Claire is a poet. She sent me some of her poems, and they made me cry, too.

One last thing to tell you – children at Buxton school asked me where I get my Wow! words from. Isn’t that nice! They just come, like hiccups.

That’s it for now.

My book recommendation this time is a picture book by Alan James Brown and Francesca Chessa. It’s called Love-a-Duck and 23-months-old Kasia loves it!

If you’d like my busy wizard to let you know my next news, fill in his box below – you’ll be very welcome!

And don’t forget to tweet!

To join my mailing list and be notified of my news, please enter your email address into the box below. Please check that your details are correct before clicking 'Submit'.

This website © copyright Berlie Doherty, 2002–2010.