WOW! Let’s Celebrate; Comics, Graphic Novels and Magazines! Interview with Illustrator & Comic Book Museum Volunteer Simon Russell

Father of two; partner of one; feeder of cat; illustrator - Simon Russell and family moved to Brighton five years ago and are still discovering new reasons to be glad they did!

Having studied illustration in the 80s, Simon entered the ‘real’ world just as cheap colour printing saw photography take on a lot of the traditional bread-and-butter jobs that illustrators used to survive on between big projects. Step-by-stumble, he accidentally found himself reinvented as a designer - working in agencies, newspapers, national magazines and finally at the British Tourist Authority working in 26 different countries.

In 2004, Simon left his salaried position and set up boing as an outlet for freelance design, illustration and art projects (http://www.boinggraphics.co.uk).

Along with such mixed company as circuses, universities and drama groups, Simon’s clients include the Cartoon Museum in London where he also volunteers on a regular basis and production work for digital comics The Phoenix and AcesWeekly.

He has written and drawn numerous comic strips over the years, mostly for commercial and academic clients, but also many small press publications which are made for fun and experimentation (and small audiences rather than for money).

One on-going project is a series of strips for medical publications, where he takes the articles and anecdotes about specific subjects written up by The Four Doctors and turns them in to comics explaining symptoms and treatments for various neurological diseases. These strips are building a sizeable readership among medical professionals at conferences and in specialist journals and are a hint of how useful comics are making themselves in other areas than commercial entertainment.

In his all-too-rare spare time, Simon writes an occasional blog on comics- related events at http://simonboing.blogspot.co.uk

Interview

What was your favourite children’s book as a child?

I’m sorry, but it’s impossible for me to pick a single favourite. I want to say Tales of the Norse Gods & Heroes by BL Picard  it was the first really thick book I read for myself - and then reread on a monthly basis thanks to my junior school library.

But then I remember The Tramp and the Dog by Chris Williams.
This was bought through the fabulous Puffin Book Club and stayed in my heart for many years until I reread it as an adult and found it as charming and moving as I remembered.

Tove Jansson’s Moomintroll books were probably my real favourites and I bought every copy I could and in multiple editions because you could always hope to find new illustrations and her drawings were as influential as her writing. I longed to be Snufkin but lacked his bravery so was probably a Moomintroll!

But if I was to pick ONE book I suppose it would have to be The Phantom Tollbooth. Norton Juster’s gleeful wordplay had a lifelong effect on me and Jules Feiffer’s illustrations fit perfectly. I saw Mr Juster talking in Foyles bookshop a year or two ago and he was that rarest of authors - exactly the character his books made me want him to be!

What was your favourite children’s magazine/comic/annual as a child?

I read comics and books without any prejudice between the formats so I read a LOT of comics - almost any I could get from generous adults, my pocket money and local jumble sales and markets.
I was never a fan of the Look & Learn ‘educational’ magazines disguised as comics or of western/war stories, but everything else got added to my nascent collection.

The kids comics that included strips by Leo Baxendale were always highly prized - especially Whizzer & Chips and the Marvel/DC American superhero comics were astounding - helped by the fact that there were UK reprints of the early stories from a few years before on sale at the same time as the then-current colour comics were available in newsagents so I could read EVERYTHING!

The one comic I prized more than any other was Mighty World of Marvel number 1 because it introduced me to The Hulk and The Fantastic Four AND had an iron-on t-shirt transfer! But the comic I most desired must have been Planet of The Apes number 1 - I’d seen the first few episodes of the tv show and the brown-toned painted cover of the comic promised so much that even though I’d spent all my pocket money on Dracula Lives number 1 that week, I stole 10p from my sister’s piggy bank to run out an buy it. To this day I still get a shiver of excitement and shame whenever I spot the cover!

Giles and The Perishers collections that we bought for my dad every Christmas and Trog in a friend’s parents’ newspaper were also great treasures, but so much of them went over my head at the time!

What is your favourite children’s book as an adult?

The Phantom Tollbooth for myself but I love reading picture books to my boys and books from Chris Riddell’s (Angus drives the Goods Train; Emperor of Absurdia; Mr Underbed) and Sarah McIntyre (Titus Takes the Train; Vern & Lettuce) are among our most-read. I have a particular soft-spot for Ed Vere’s Mr Big. And for Andrew Cottingham’s double-entendre filled Winderbilt Over Floodsville and Mr Winderbilt and the Modern Conveyance - if only because I illustrated them ;-)

Do you read comics/graphic novels as an adult? If so which is your favourite?

I read them, help produce them for a couple of publishers and occasionally make them myself so there are probably too many to choose from!
I shy away from superheroes and adventure stories these days - not because I’m ‘too old’ for them, but because with limited time I’m happier to read other stories.
My absolute favourite comic is Eddie Campbell’s Alec: The Years Have Pants which chronicle his magical life for the last 30-years or so.

What do you think makes comics and graphic novels books so inspirational?

Comics is a unique art form - it uses elements common to other forms (pictures and written words) but is distinctly it’s own thing. Just as the printed text can be used to make novels, poetry, short stories, biography, histories, reference and instructions etc, comics can be used for entertainment, education, experimentation, profit and pleasure.

One of the greatest things about comics for me is the way that information is received in two routes - through the eye when looking at the pictures and through the ‘ear’ when reading the text. This split is something no other form that allows the audience to control the pace can offer. On screen or stage you get both but when you experience them is dictated by the director - in comics the reader can control the pace, backtrack or jump forward and the two information routes can (by design or by chance) diverge and come together in different ways on different readings.

If that sounds too technical, there’s also the immediate pleasure and understanding to be had by looking at a whole page, then individual panels then reading each in order... the amount of reading you can get out a few pages of comics is amazingly broad for the space used. And they are portable!

Simon's Recommended Comic Reads!

Young Readers (5-7)

Young Readers are poorly served by comics these days although there are a lot of toy-oriented magazines in the supermarkets that look like comics!

Beano annuals and the like are a good introduction to the form because they have short stories and are durable.

Asterix and Smurfs books are reliable and newspaper collections of the Mutts strip by Patrick McDonnell.

Sergio Aragones’ Funnies is great for all ages - short funny strips, memoirs and puzzles.

The Phoenix  or on the iPad  is probably better for the Older Readers age range, but could be enjoyed with a parent and Moose Kids Comic is another that straddles both ranges.

Older Readers (8-12)

Older Readers are the perfect age to enjoy superheroes but unfortunately looking at the shelves of our local comic shop a lot of Superman/Batman type comics now cater for an adolescent crowd with ‘serious’ violence and sexuality shoehorned into a childish concept. Creative teams and editorial directions on these characters change at unpredictable intervals so it’s impossible to say with confidence which titles would be good for Older Readers. Parents should talk to their local shop every few months to see what’s recommended or ‘safe’ for their family.

I’d go to Asterix, Tintin and similar books for this age group too - Lewis Trondheim and Joann Sfar are a good place to go next!

Snarked by Roger Langridge is a brilliant extension of the adventures of the walrus and the carpenter from Alice in Wonderland. Castle Waiting by Linda Medly is perfect for fans of gentle fantasy and fairy tales.
And The Encyclopedia of Early Earth  by Isabel Greenberg is amazing!

Young Adults

Young Adults may be the target for most superhero comics now but most ages would be best served by buying graphic novels and reading online strips:

iPad families can enjoy all sorts of comics at http://www.sequential.cc
Some are adult (like prose novels not like smut - usually) some child-focused so a parental-overview is necessary of course

What I Drew by Joe Decie is a wonderful series of 1-page strips about a father and son (http://www.joedecie.com

http://www.acesweekly.co.uk is an anthology with an all-ages policy

Any children wanting to make their own comics should look at How to Make Awesome Comics by Neil Cameron of the Phoenix  or The Cartoonist’s Workshop by Steve Marchant of The Cartoon Museum . Or look for the Cartoon Museum’s school holiday workshops.

WOW! Graphic Novels, Comics and Magazines - Good Dog Bad Dog – Review - Dave Shelton - Graphic Novel

Dave Shelton the creator of, Good Dog Bad Dog, the graphic Novel publish by David Fickling, has kindly spoken to Space on the Bookshelf about the process of writing, illustrating and creating comics, press here to read. So we also bring you a review of his fantastic Good Dog Bad Dog....

Adult Review

Good Dog Bad Dog, is a beautifully illustrated and well plotted series of mystery adventures set in comic style. The heroes are the ‘Bad Dog’ Detective Bergman who is moody, mean, and a tad inept at times, and ‘Good Dog’ Detective McBoo who is gentle, food loving and clumsy.

The Stories are fast paced and funny, and accessible and enjoyable to all ages, with lots of slapstick humour and ‘who-done-it’ suspense for children. For adult readers there is plenty of parody and cultural references to keep them amused, from Bond and Morse to Agatha Christie and even a dab of Maltese Falcon.

Good Dog Bad Dog, is a bright funny read, with exquisite illustrations, which can be enjoyed by the whole family.

Child Review by Spike aged 8

I like Good Dog Bad Dog. I like that the detectives are dogs. The stories are funny, I really liked the Golden Bone of Alexandria with its tie in to Roman History (sort of).

The pictures are bright and funny.

My favourite character is detective Bergman because he is stern, funny and a bit clumsy, plus he likes hats! I also really liked his arch enemy, Wgh Wgh Johnson, because he was such a good baddy!

I like reading Good Dog Bad Dog, because it has lots of pictures and it’s a quick to read, but mostly because it’s exciting and funny!

WOW! Graphic Novels, Comics & Magazines - Interview with Writer, Illustrator, Cartoon-Creator and Graphic-Novelist Dave Shelton

Dave Shelton is an illustrator and writer, his novel A Boy and a Bear in a Boat was shortlisted for the 2013 Carnegie, to read our review press here. Dave also creates comics, both penning the text and inking the illustrations, his work can be found in the The DFC Comic (forefather of The Phoenix) and as graphic novels published by The David Fickling Library.

What was your favourite children’s book as a child?

This is a question I get asked quite a lot and I really struggle to answer it, I’m afraid. I remember reading quite a lot when I was a child but I don’t remember having any particular favourite book at any stage. I do have fond memories of Dr Seuss books in general though, and The Cat in the Hat in particular. There’s a scene in a Harrison Ford movie (I forget which one) and I was watching it while visiting my parents sometime in my thirties, I think. My dad happened to walk into the room as the Harrison Ford character was reading The Cat in the Hat to his daughter. As he did so, my dad started reciting the words in time with him, still remembering them from when he read it to my brothers and me 25 years or so earlier. So I guess that must have been a favourite with us - one of those “Again! Again!” books.

What was your favourite children’s magazine/comic/annual as a child?

I read a lot of comics and annuals as a child but the one that really turned me into an obsessive was the science fiction comic 2000AD, the home of Judge Dredd, among many other characters. I’d avoided it for the first year or so of it being published but then I read a copy that my dad bought me when I was off school ill (we always got comics and Lucozade when we were ill) and I quite liked it. Then my older brother and I started to get just the occasional copy, and we liked it more and more. Then at some point we started having it delivered weekly by the paperboy, and I saved all the back issues in a big suitcase in my bedroom and read and reread them, and I knew the names of my favourite artists and started trying to draw like them. Then I was off on the slippery slope to eventually (occasionally) writing and drawing comics for a living myself.

What is your favourite children’s book as an adult?

I’m not sure what my absolute favourite children’s book is now. I’ve just been one of the judges for the Branford Boase Award, and I loved the book we chose as the winner for that: Infinite Sky, by C J Flood. It’s just so beautifully written. But I still love a good picture book too, so I could easily choose Jon Klassen’s I Want My Hat Back, for instance, because it’s so hilariously funny. Or there are the comics that I love to read to my step daughter, like Tintin (my favourite of those is probably The Black Island) and Asterix (Obelix and Co. is my top choice of those.)

Do you read comics/graphic novels as an adult? If so which is your favourite?

I most certainly do read comics and graphic novels (though I tend just to call all of them comics) as an adult. My earliest memory of reading is of me reading a comic while on holiday at the seaside, and I carried on reading them all through childhood and into adulthood. There was a time when I fell a little out of love with them simply because there didn’t seem to be very much exciting new work coming out (I think this was around the early 2000s) but now it kind of feels like we’re in a ridiculously rich golden age of great and beautiful comics being published all the time, so it’s actually rather hard to keep up with it all. Some of my favourites these days are from Europe. There’s a lot of really lovely work over there only a tiny fraction of which, sadly, has been translated into English. A couple of my favourites that have are: Green Manor, by Fabien Vehlmann and Denis Bodart; and Isaac the Pirate, by Christophe Blain. The UK scene is very vibrant too now though with some wonderful titles coming out from publishers like Selfmade Hero, Blank Slate and Nobrow. Favourites include Rob Davis’s adaptation of Don Quixote, Joe Decie’s work, Jon McNaught, and, oh, loads of others. And of course, specifically for children, there’s The Phoenix, a proper, high quality weekly comic full of original stories by the likes of Gary Northfield, Jamie Smart and the Etherington Brothers. An embarrassment of riches.

What do you think makes children’s books so inspirational?

I think children make children’s books so inspirational. Because children tend to be less constricted by any kind of rules about how stories can be told this gives authors a freedom to be a little bolder, take more risks with both the story itself and the way that it’s told. There’s less of a sense that some things just aren’t allowed.

Did you always want to be an illustrator/ comic maker?

I didn’t always want to be an illustrator/comic maker, but I think from about my mid teens I had at least some idea that I’d like to somehow do something involving drawing for my living. So I studied on a couple of illustration courses at college and l started to get some illustration work here and there. Then little by little I drifted toward drawing (and writing) comics and from there I’ve drifted further still into writing and illustrating prose novels for children. But it’s mostly been happy accidents that have got me here rather than any sort of a plan.

When writing and illustrating a comic, does the story or the pictures come first?

I don’t really know which comes first when I make a comic. My process is a bit of a mess. Sometimes I’ll just draw the characters for a while and play around making them do things. Then that might give me some elements that I’ll want to work into the story. Then I might try to work out some sort of overall structure for the story and begin to, really badly, draw the pages in a fast, doodly way, just to work out what happens when and roughly how to tell it, mostly working on the timing of the action and jokes. Then once I’m reasonably happy with that I’ll probably start to draw the pages up properly. But, as I say, it varies a lot. The only thing that stays the same is that it always takes far too long.

How does creating a comic differ from illustrating books?

Comics are harder.

WOW! Let’s Celebrate; Comics, Graphic Novels and Magazines!

Over the summer Space on the Bookshelf is running our WOW! series celebrating children’s comics, magazines and graphic novels. As you know we at SPTB like to celebrate all types of children’s literature and that extends to sequential narrative and periodicals, over the summer holidays we’ll be reviewing quality magazines, comics and graphic novels as well interviews with creators and writers, and much more.

The comic/graphic novel and magazine world is a huge industry, and not the easiest to navigate. Newsagents and supermarkets tend to stock magazines that have television and film tie-ins with free plastic toys, where the content isn’t necessarily the best quality.

However there is an array of well written comics, magazines and graphic novels out there which are far from being poor cousins to book and are in fact rapidly gaining critical acclaim. After many years comics and graphic novels are finally shaking loose of preconceptions that they undermine reading skills, proving that they in fact enhance reading skills and gaining the respect they deserve. This is supported by the national curriculum which in 2014 version set the expectation:

‘…that children will be introduced to literature that reflects our literary heritage as well as literature from other cultural traditions.’

The national curriculum now recognising that graphic novels and comics are well written with good grammar, and narrative, and that they come in many different types from text heavy to text light, and so there is something suitable for every child, whether they are accelerated readers who relish a challenge or reluctant readers who are encouraged by the text light varieties. It also shows the realisation within education providers that comics, graphic novels and magazines can help foster children’s love of reading for pleasure.

In changes in the curriculum are now filtering down to teacher training, as on the current reading list for the Oxford Brookes PGCE course features a whole section on alternative texts, listing the graphic novel version of Neil Gainman’s, Coraline.

The beauty of comics/ graphic novels and magazines, as they are a different reading experience, they are quicker, usually more colourful, and lighter. Perfect reading for holidays or when out and about. The also teach children that not all reading means an commitment of large amounts of time, as the story conclusion is quicker, and they can dipped into and out of much easier. They are therefore a great resource in widening the reading of children, they are also very easy to adapt into fun activities that support other areas of the Curriculum.

With this in mind, in the coming weeks, we endeavour to deliver to you a wide range of articles celebrating great children’s comics, graphic novels and magazines!

The Moonshine Dragon - Cornelia Funke - Barrington Stoke Review

Interest Age: 6+     Reading Age: 5 - 8

The Moonshine Dragon is a beautiful and enchanting book, (who I had to wrestle off of my son to read and review). Penned by the confident hand of Cornelia Funke author of the bestselling movie adapted Inkheart, it tells the tale of Patrick who wakes on silvery moonlit night to see a dragon crawl out of one of his books, and be pursued by a fearless dragon killing White Knight.

The easy read of this books, makes for a face paced caper, with Patrick soon being shrunk down to the same illustration size as the Dragon and Knight, and finding himself fighting to save hi and the friendly dragon from the lance and crayon wielding White Knight.

The story is funny, with name calling, “Evil fire-worm!”, “Devlish Warlock!”, “Stupid bucket-head” with plenty of action and even an iron dragon being used remotely to deposit the knight back in the book where he belongs. This book will appeal to all children but especially boys as it is fast paced and has plenty of boy’s classic elements, dragons, castles, diggers, untidy room all wrapped in a beautiful cover, accompanied by lovely illustrations by Monica Armino.

Monica Armino’s illustrations are beautiful, creating depth with the limed palette of creating greyscale images, which are full of energy. The characters are full of personality and feel like thay could actually walk off the pages. Patrick is cheeky, freckled and missing a tooth. The White knight is pompous yet strong, and the Dragon is cute. The illustrations look like animations, and it came no surprise to learn that Monica, was involved with designing the Pocoyo TV series which is one of my favourite (my 28th birthday cake had Pocoyo characters on it!)

This is yet another brilliant book from Barrington stoke, that with enthral even more advanced readers, and compel more challenged readers too.

Murder Most Unladylike - Robin Stevens – Editor Interview - Natalie Doherty Random House - 3D Review

What was your favourite children's book as a child?

I loved The Wolves of Willoughby Chase and A Little Princess – anything sweeping and a little bit gothic with miserable orphans! The Suitcase Kid by Jacqueline Wilson was a huge favourite for me too – I had divorced, constantly squabbling parents and I felt like it was talking directly to me.

What is your favourite children's book as an adult?

I loved – and still love – anything by Roald Dahl. Probably The BFG was my special favourite when I was younger, but I read Boy over and over too – the moment where his nose is sliced off in the car accident isn’t easily forgotten - and I can still quote big chunks of The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More. When I got a bit older, it was his incredible short stories in books like Kiss Kiss and The Great Automatic Grammatizator and Other Stories. The twists in stories like Royal Jelly and The Landlady never fail to send a shiver down my spine. I wish I’d worked in children’s publishing thirty years earlier so that I might have got the chance to meet him.

What do you think makes children's books so inspirational?

I love how there are just no rules and no limitations whatsoever in children’s books – anything goes and they can take you anywhere.

What do you love about Murder Most Unladylike and what makes it stand out?

So many things made me fall in love with this book! The narrative voice is the most obvious – I knew within a couple of pages that it was really special, genuine and authentic, and I just wanted to keep reading. Hazel and Daisy’s friendship and double-act is gorgeous – it really reminded me of the relationships you have with your school friends at that age, and as one of the quieter ones in my friendship group, I definitely had my own Daisy to contend with! Plus, I was blown away when I found out who the murderer was, and that showed me what a skilful, clever plot I’d just worked through – and made me really want to work with Robin.

How many people have worked on this book and for how long?

Robin and her lovely agent Gemma had already done lots of work on the story before it arrived at Random House, and once we acquired it, which was just over a year ago, lots of people have played a part. Other than me, there were two copyeditors and two proofreaders working on the text; a designer and an illustrator creating the cover and the wonderful map inside; a publicist, Harriet, who sent copies of the book out to reviewers and bloggers; and various people in the Sales, Marketing and Production teams. All in all probably fifteen people have had a direct role, and then lots more who are more behind the scenes.

What made you want to work in children's publishing?

I’d always been a big reader and it was the only thing I felt really passionately about, but it had never occurred to me to try to work in publishing – I’d been told it was super competitive and I was convinced I didn’t stand a chance. Then I did a children’s literature module at university, and at the same time I signed up to do some work experience with the brilliant, encouraging, very enthusiastic New Writing North, up in Newcastle. The two things put together made me realise I needed to give it a shot.

For a chance to win a copy of Murder Most Unladylike tweet us with the hash tag #MMU3DReview to @BookshelfSpace or e-mail us atspaceonthebookshelf@yahoo.com with MMU GIVEAWAY in the subject bar. Good Luck!

Murder Most Unladylike - Robin Stevens – Author Interview - 3D Review

Robin Stevens was born in California and grew up in an Oxford college, across the road from the house where Alice in Wonderland lived. She has been making up stories all her life.

When she was twelve, her father handed her a copy of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and she realised that she wanted to be either Hercule Poirot or Agatha Christie when she grew up. When it occurred to her that she was never going to be able to grow her own spectacular walrus moustache, she decided that Agatha Christie was the more achieveable option.

She spent her teenage years at Cheltenham Ladies’ College, reading a lot of murder mysteries and hoping that she’d get the chance to do some detecting herself (she didn’t). She then went to university, where she studied crime fiction, and now she works at a children’s publisher, which is pretty much the best day job she can imagine.

Robin now lives in Cambridge with her boyfriend and her pet bearded dragon, Watson.

What was your favourite children’s book as a child?

Either The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson or the Chrestomanci books by Diana Wynne Jones. I loved magic and adventure, but I hated it when they ended with the end of the book’s story. Both Diana Wynne Jones and Eva Ibbotson show magic spilling over into ordinary life and changing it forever, and that’s what made their books so special for me.

What is your favourite children’s book as an adult?

Still anything by Ibbotson and Wynne Jones! I think they’re timelessly perfect.

What do you think makes children’s books so inspirational?

Children’s books are so special because they are one of the ways a child first sees the world. They bring children into contact with ideas and stories for the very first time, and so they have incredible impact. Every adult – even the ones who don’t see themselves as readers any more – can instantly tell you about the children’s books that affected them, and that says a lot about kidlit’s power to shape people.

Why did you start writing for children?

I started writing as a child (actually, I ‘wrote’ my first story before I could read, because I didn’t understand how writing worked), and I just never stopped! These days, everything I write seems to end up being a middle-grade novel – I think because that was when I first read the books that really inspired me. Those are the readers I want to reach.

What made you want to write this book?

I went to an English boarding school, just like the one that Daisy and Hazel go to – but as an American, I wasn’t exactly the typical pupil. I was totally fascinated by boarding school life, and I couldn’t stop noticing how weird it was. It always seemed to me like the perfect setting for a detective novel. I’ve known since I was about fifteen that I was going to write a boarding school murder mystery one day!

What is your favourite aspect of writing for children?

When you’re a child, almost everything feels new and interesting – you’re constantly having experiences for the very first time, and that makes children fantastic characters to write about, and a great audience to write for. They’re also the most discerning readers around: they won’t tolerate writing that’s boring or slow, and if they don’t like a book they’ll just put it down and read something else. I think that’s a brilliant challenge – and I hope I’m up to it!

Murder Most Unladylike has a tightly knitted complex plot, have you any tips on how to plot (and not get you yarn in knots!)

It’s a huge relief to hear people saying that the plot works now! It took me a lot of discussion with my agent, and then more discussion with my editor, before I managed to sort out my ideas and my alibis into something vaguely coherent. What I’ve learnt is that it’s important not to overcomplicate things. When you’re constructing a mystery plot, you only need five red herrings at most – three is absolutely fine. I’ve also discovered spreadsheets. I ended up creating a gigantic Excel document for the evening of my murder, with the characters’ movements divided up in five minute slots. It let me make absolutely sure that everyone was doing the things they were supposed to for the story – and also let me check that I hadn’t written two characters into the same ‘empty’ room at the same time!

You yourself went to boarding school (although obviously not in the 1930’s). How different was your experience to Hazel and Daisy’s?

Hazel’s and Daisy’s school life absolutely isn’t mine. I never discovered a murder, I was never alive in the 1930s and (most importantly) I was never taught by the people who teach my detectives. But I did spend many depressing hours hanging around on wet sports fields, I learnt Latin, I went to San and I ate masses of bunbreak (and tea, and dinner, and after-dinner snacks . . . there was a lot of food involved in my school days). So Deepdean is a complete invention, but one that’s based on my memories.

Do Hazel and Daisy have any more mysteries to solve? If so can you give us some hints of what to expect?

They absolutely do! I’m delighted to say that there will be two more Wells & Wong Mysteries. In fact, I’m already working on the second draft of Wells & Wong 2, so I certainly know what’s next for the girls! The book will be called Arsenic for Tea, and it takes place in Daisy’s country mansion, Fallingford, during the Easter holidays after the events of Murder Most Unladylike. From the official Random House blurb:

Daisy's glamorous mother is throwing a tea party for Daisy's birthday, and Daisy's eccentric family are all invited. Then one of their party falls seriously, mysteriously ill - and everything points to poison.

With furious storms preventing anyone from leaving, or the police from arriving, Fallingford suddenly feels like a very dangerous place to be. No one at Fallingford is what they seem - and everyone has a secret or two. And when someone very close to Daisy looks suspicious, the Detective Society must do everything they can to reveal the truth . . . no matter the consequences. It’ll be released in early 2015, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I’m enjoying writing it now!

Question From our Child Reviewer Isobel (aged 9): I would like to ask the author if she ever went to boarding school, and if so, what was the most exciting thing that occurred while she was there?

I certainly did go to boarding school - a girls' boarding school very like the one that Daisy and Hazel go to - but sadly, nothing really exciting ever happened to me while I was there. I was always hoping it would: I watched my teachers very carefully in case they did anything suspicious, but they never did. I actually once followed two of them around the supermarket to see if they had any shocking secrets, but all they did was buy cereal, like normal people. Actually, our teachers were just as interested in us as we were in them. They thought that we would try to run away - or even worse, run away with boys. There were always a few people who managed it every year, but the worst things my friends and I ever did was disguise ourselves as different people so we would be given second bunbreak. We also used to hide ourselves at the bottom of our wardrobes to get out of going to church on Sundays. If there had been a murder, though, I'm quite sure that we would have been on the case immediately

For a chance to win a copy of Murder Most Unladylike tweet us with the hash tag #MMU3DReview to @BookshelfSpace or e-mail us atspaceonthebookshelf@yahoo.com with MMU GIVEAWAY in the subject bar. Good Luck!