books
Beverley Birch
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Events for young people
About my books, my writing life, creative writing, about reading, or any combination of these.
On writing picture books and creative partnerships
In picture books there is the artist, bringing unknown dimensions and possibilities. The open-endedness of that is marvellous.
The Fight against Microbes: Pasteur’s Story
The true story of a man who helped save millions of lives
Adventures with Electricity: Benjamin Franklin’s story
The true story of one man's curiosity and the discoveries he made about electricity
Greedy Anansi and his Three Cunning Plans
Crafty spider Anansi's cunning doesn’t always get him what he wants.
Suzi, Sam, George and Alice
It's early Sunday morning, but Suzi, Sam, George and Alice have plans ...
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Sea Hawk, Sea Moon
‘She drifts, bumping the rock. Seaweed laces her legs and her hair spreads thin on the tide. She rolls with the wave, and her face rises to look at him …’
Ben will never forget the summer with his uncle in the Scottish highlands. How it began: restoring an old wrecked boat, Sea Hawk. Wandering the lochs in a boat with the wonderfully mysterious girl, Iona. But then the frightening dreams begin. And Iona vanishes.
Is she the girl in his dream? Has she been snatched by the waves, drifting in seaweed below grim, dark crags?
Is she the key?
Inspirations
When I was ten I read a story about two children roaming a lake in a boat, among misty mountains. I lived in a hot, dry place in Africa, but I thought, one day I’ll go there and write my own story about it. Years later, I was on the edge of just such a loch, in the Scottish Highlands. I woke one morning and Ben’s story was in my head. So I wrote it. I’ve always been fascinated by how people and events of the past seem to leave a gleam, or a shadow, or a resonating murmur of sound in a place. In a way, that’s where this story begins. It’s about a secret that refuses to stay hidden. …
Photos: © Nick Birch
[Sea Hawk, Sea Moon published by Hodder Children’s Books]
