Author Archives: thebookactivist

About thebookactivist

Celebrating children & young people’s reading through all sorts of book-ish activities.

Blog tour: Kaya’s Heart Song by Diwa Tharan Sanders & Nerina Canzi

Kaya’s Heart Song by Diwa Tharan Sanders and Nerina Canzi

Kaya is looking for her heart song – the song that happy hearts sing. Her search takes her on a journey deep into the jungle where a broken down carousel waits for a very special song to make it turn again…

I’m thrilled to be hosting this stop on the blog tour for Kaya’s Heart Song by Diwa Tharan Sanders, illustrated by Nerina Canzi. This beautifully illustrated and joyous story focuses on Kaya’s adventure to find her heart song and share her magical journey with all around her! I’m talking to the author Diwa Tharan Sanders, a Malaysian author of Indian-Filipino heritage. At a young age, Diwa discovered that writing gave her the freedom to be as bold, funny or as clever as she dared. As an adult, Diwa finds newfound freedom in using heart and spirit to capture the minds and imaginations of young readers everywhere.

Congratulations on your beautiful story Kaya’s Heart Song! Tell us about your inspiration for writing it. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to write a children’s book that delivered an inspirational message in a manner that children could related to. I also felt that in order to do so, I had to tap into my own inner child to tell a story that was either from experience or close to my heart. Kaya’s Heart Song is a reflection of both these things. At the time of writing, I was going through a re-birth of careers, if you like. I had moved out of the city, left the 9-to-5 grind and suddenly found myself with the time and space to do everything and also nothing. Having this luxury and freedom was in itself a journey of self-discovery and so when I started writing this story (it’s actually the fourth in a series of other stories I had written about Kaya), I poured what I was experiencing at the time into it. And through this process of discovering my own heart song, Kaya’s Heart Song came to form. Because I was living on a beautiful tropical island and spending my time in amongst trees and nature these elements were naturally reflected in my book.

The story is centred on the ideas of mindfulness and how to get to a place of self-awareness. Why did you want to write about this for children? It’s interesting that the idea of mindfulness is the centre of my book as that was not my original intention. I wanted to tell a story of being true to your heart and following the beat of your own drum. And in that process and I suppose as I fell into my own heart’s desires in order to write the book, this story about mindfulness revealed itself. I think it’s wonderful for children to have an awareness of being mindful because it’s important for everyone to make a conscious choice to slow down, take a breath and just allow – anything and everything to be. Anything cultivated from a young age, usually continues as we grow and so learning about mindfulness – whether its about being able to acknowledge how you’re feelings in the present moment, observing the present moment in silence, or pausing to take a few deep breaths – are all powerful tools that keep us grounded, balanced and more connected to ourselves.

The magical elephant carousel is beautiful! Is there significance in choosing elephants for the children to ride on? I’m glad you think so! I love it too, Nerina did a wonderful job. Well, I chose to include elephants because I love them. We have elephants in Malaysia and to me, they symbolise strength, wisdom and protection. Carousels have always reminded me of my childhood; they’re fun, magical and whimsical. So marrying these two seemed like an appropriate way to introduce elements that reminded me of the joys of being a young child, while keeping an Asian relevance to the story.

Your story is brought to life with amazing illustrations. Tell us about working with an illustrator. I cannot begin to tell you how much I love Nerina’s illustrations. As a first-time author, I feel incredibly lucky to have been paired with such an amazing illustrator. Nerina truly brought magic to my words through her illustrations. The process was very smooth and such a delight, to be honest. Once we had Kaya’s character nailed down, every single drawing that I saw after was truly so spot on, so beautiful and so special. I was in tears when I saw the first few illustrations, because she captured the essence of Kaya and the story so perfectly, I couldn’t have dreamed it better myself. I loved working with Nerina and although we haven’t even met in person (yet!) I feel like I’ve built a connection with her through this process.

I noticed in the dedication you mention your father and reading. Can you tell us about the stories you enjoyed as a child? Wow, this question is taking me a long way back! Well, I spent most of my formative years in Boston, Massachusetts so I guess my favourite books are flavoured by growing up there.

I enjoyed reading stories about characters that were uncommon or not people, who were curious and courageous and anything that was set in nature and had adventure, magic or human relationships (although I didn’t really understand them at that age) in them. Some of my favourite stories growing up in Boston include Curious George, Bread and Jam for Frances, The Little House, Strega Nona and Where The Wild Things Are.

It’s wonderful to hear the story behind Kaya’s Heart Song and your inspiration and experience as a writer. Thank you and we wish you every success with Kaya!

For more information please visit www.lantanapublishing.com

With thanks to Lantana Publishing for inviting me to participate in this blog tour! Discover the rest of the tour on these brilliant blogs:

Book of the Month: Fabio The World’s Greatest Flamingo Detective: The Case of the Missing Hippo by Laura James

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What a gorgeous book! I opened the package from Bloomsbury and out fell this fabulous illustrated chapter book. You can’t help but fall in love with Fabio the flamingo, a brand new character from author Laura James (who writes the Adventures of Pug series) with fabulous illustrations by Emily Fox!

Fabio The World’s Greatest Flamingo Detective: The Case of the Missing Hippo by Laura James, illustrated by Emily Fox

Fabio, the world’s greatest flamingo detective, just wants to sit on the veranda of the Hotel Royale and drink pink lemonade, not judge the local talent show. But when Julia the jazz-singing hippo disappears from the stage, Fabio knows he’s been served a tall, refreshing glass of crime.

This first story in the series sees Fabio the flamingo on the case of finding a missing hippo of all things. Having been roped into judging the local talent contest, Fabio uses his detective skills to find out just who is behind the disappearance, all the while hearing the many and varied talents of the local residents of Lake Laloozee! Aided by his somewhat hapless assistant, a giraffe called Gilbert who loves to be helpful and put on a disguise, Fabio cleverly weaves his way through the suspects to find out who kidnapped the star-songstress Julia. It seems nearly everyone has a motive, but Fabio is not one to give up easily and notices everything – after all he’s the world’s greatest flamingo detective!

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, which had echoes of many of my favourite detective novels. A convincing setting; a fantastic cast of characters from moody hotel owner Smith the vulture to the fabulous jazz band trio of crocodiles Kevin, Delilah and Tiny Bob; and plenty of suspects – this read like an Agatha Christie for kids! The imaginative plot will keep young readers guessing and laughing out loud; especially where Gilbert the Giraffe is concerned. I absolutely loved the artwork and three colour illustrations throughout, bringing to life the animals and their various personalities. Fabio, of course, is the favourite – who knew a flamingo could be so suave and sophisticated?! The culprit is of course caught but it’s a suitably happy ending with the world’s greatest detective in charge! I absolutely cannot wait for the next adventure and am sure this series will be a hit with young readers far and wide.

Find out more at www.laurajamesauthor.com and www.emilyafox.co.uk.

With thanks to Bloomsbury for sending me this book to review!

New review: The Song from Somewhere Else by A.F. Harrold illustrated by Levi Pinfold

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I was delighted to receive the beautiful paperback version of this book holding the wonderfully quirky tale of Frank and Nick and some very strange music. This is another fantastic story by A.F. Harrold that warms the heart and stirs the imagination, with incredible illustrations by Levi Pinfold.

The Song from Somewhere Else by A.F .Harrold illustrated by Levi Pinfold

The last person Frank wants to be rescued by is Nick Underbridge. No one likes Nick. He’s big, he’s weird and he smells – or so everyone in Frank’s class thinks. And yet, there’s something nice about him, and the strange music that plays in his house. Something that makes Frank feel happy for the first time in forever. But there’s more to Nick, and to his house, than meets the eye, and soon Frank realises she isn’t the only one keeping secrets. Or the only one who needs help…..

The Song from SomewhereElse is a beautifully written tale about friendship, family and belonging. Frank has suffered at the hands of bullies for as long as she can remember. With a persistently irritating Dad who just doesn’t ‘get’ things and a Mum who is always working, Frank is often on her own trying to avoid the vile Neil Noble and his two cronies, who delight in tormenting her. One day when the strange and friendless Nick comes to her rescue, a new friendship begins. This is utterly believable and described with the perfect amount of awkwardness and tentative steps as both Frank and Nick slowly begin to relate to each other. Frank finds herself oddly comforted by Nick and his home, especially when she discovers ethereal music coming from his cellar. Strange secrets are revealed and while the world around her makes less and less sense, Frank realises she is not the only one who suffers. Her curiosity is palpable and whilst her choices lead to a troubling outcome, you can’t help but empathise with her.

The narrative is gentle but depicts the harsh reality of being bullied and resulting consequences. The beautiful illustrations capture the story’s other-worldliness and the fantasy elements perfectly. I found myself transported into Frank’s adolescent world feeling her worry; her fascination with the music she hears and her constant conscience driving her decisions. The Song from Somewhere Else weaves a clever plot and at its heart it’s a timeless lyrical story about belonging, friendship and bearing the consequences of our choices.

The Song from Somewhere Else is published by Bloomsbury With thanks to Bloomsbury for sending me this book to review.

Find out more at www.afharroldkids.com and www.levipinfold.com

New review: Sleeper by J D Fennell

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This novel had been sat on my to be read pile for some time so I’m glad I finally read it. It’s definitely one to recommend; an edge-of-your seat thriller set in wartime London with plenty of plot twists to keep you guessing.

Sleeper by J D Fennell

Sixteen-year-old Will Starling is pulled from the sea with no memory of his past. In his blazer is a strange notebook with a bullet lodged inside it: a bullet meant for him. As London prepares for the Blitz, Will soon finds himself pursued by vicious agents and a ruthless killer known as the Pastor. All of them want Will’s notebook and will do anything to get it.

Sleeper is a fantastic gripping read set in World War 2 and featuring a brave hero, Will, who has lost his memory. The reader is shown the precursor to this memory loss and then follows Will on his journey desperately trying to rediscover who he really is. Fraught with danger and deception and villains at every corner, Sleeper is a roller-coaster ride through the streets of wartime London. At every turn Will loses those who want to help him to ruthless killers – in particular the evil Pastor; a quite horrible character! Will follows the only clue he has and ends up at a school for young Mi5 agents in training.

But even then he is not safe and only as he escapes yet another attack does Will find a true ally in the shape of Anna. With her help he begins to understand who he really is and the mission he must complete in order to save, not just himself and Anna, but the whole of London from the Nazis. I enjoyed the wide cast of characters and never knowing quite who was on Will’s side. Weaving history with magical realism and a spy thriller narrative, the story has plenty of fantastic action sequences. Sleeper has deservedly been nominated for the Amazing Book Awards and I wish the author every success with this fantastic debut novel.

Sleeper is published by the Dome Press. With thanks to The Dome Press for sending me this book to review.

New review: The Land of Neverendings by Kate Saunders

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I’ve enjoyed many of Kate Saunders books for children – this one is no exception and I’d thoroughly recommend it. Poignant, heart-warming and full of creativity The Land of Neverendings is a great read.

The Land of Neverendings by Kate Saunders

The cat flap opened. Emily thought a wild animal was coming into the house. But the muddy creature that climbed through had four little wheels and a tail. It spoke in a voice like rough sandpaper. ‘Come on, you two – it’s nice and warm in here.’ What if there exists a world powered by imagination? A world of silliness, where humans and their toys live on long after they’ve left the Hard World . . . and what if the door between that world and this one was broken? Welcome to the Land of Neverendings.

The Land of Neverendings is moving story about a young girl Emily, whose disabled sister Holly dies, leaving her family bereft and Emily lost in a world of grief and imagination. I hadn’t been expecting this narrative but the best stories are the ones that surprise you and this one did. I’ve always loved the idea of toys coming to life and being able to chat away with your favourite teddy bear would be just brilliant. After her sister dies, Emily starts a journal to help her capture her memories; the more she recalls about the fun times she, Holly and Holly’s favourite toy Bluey had, the more the two worlds collide. It seems the magical world Emily created through the stories she told her sister, Smockeroon, really does exists as do the toys that live in it. And somehow the door has opened to this world, something she can only share with her babysitter Ruth, who suddenly finds she can also see and hear the toys. For Ruth too has lost someone she loves and knows exactly how Emily feels.

The relationship between Emily and Ruth is just lovely. As Emily experiences the varying degrees of sadness, anger and even difficulties with her parents and friends who can’t deal with the death of her sister any more than she can, she is able to share all of this with Ruth who is conveniently on hand with chocolate biscuits and cups of tea. The magical narrative full of original ideas, lightens the story and creates opportunities for lots of laughs. With a host of enchanting characters including the Barbie dolls (hilarious) and soft toys Hugo and Smiffy (gorgeous), the story takes the reader on a wonderful and poignant adventure through a world of imagination.

On a personal note, I lost my eldest sister when I was 19. She too was disabled and her death like the death of any sibling left a huge hole in all of our lives. So I could truly relate to The Land of Neverendings and Emily and her experiences of grief and felt they were handled with the right amount of tenderness and humour. This middle grade story is a celebration of the power of memory to keep those we love alive – and the power of imagination to bring joy.

The Land of Neverendings is published by Faber & Faber.