Reading is all about escaping, being able to slip away for a while from the real world and into another place, another time, another world. Imagine then what it would be like if, rather than just reading a book, you could somehow transport yourself into it….
This is exactly what happens to Jake, Harriet, Ryan and Becca–the Booksurfers. Using a fantastic gadget called the Nautilus, they find themselves jumping into books to meet the characters and explore the worlds created by the writers of some of the best-loved books of all time, including Charles Dickens, Robert Louis Stephenson and L Frank Baum.
At the beginning of this project one of the hardest tasks was deciding which books the Booksurfers would explore. The choice seemed virtually limitless and Treasure Island with its iconic location was a no-brainer, but some of the other seemingly obvious choices don’t work as well as you might think: take Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea for example. It’s a classic for sure, but on reading it the story just doesn’t lend itself that well to being explored by the Booksurfers. The same seemed true of Robinson Crusoe. Treasure Island, on the other hand, was perfect.
Now, here’s an admission: I had never actually read it. In fact, this was the case for many of the books on the ‘possibles’ list. Throughout my own reading life, I’d neglected the classics. And on reading Treasure Island that first time, I realised that I’d been seriously missing out. Treasure Island is astonishing and can stand up against any contemporary children’s book today. It is one of the most exciting books I’ve ever read. When I then took the Booksurfers into the story and explored it through their eyes, it just got better and better. Not only was I hooked, but I knew I wanted others to discover the story for themselves.
Booksurfers is so full of possibilities that if I think about it too much I fear my brain will start to leak out of my ears. Not only am I writing fun and exciting adventure stories, I’m also constantly discovering writers and novels that I had previously passed by on the bookshelves. I’ve written four Booksurfers books so far, and already I’m thinking about which stories should be next on the list. However, what’s most exciting about this series is that I’m now in a position (I hope!) where I can help introduce a generation of new readers around the world to the classics. These are stories that stay with you. Exploring them with the help of the Booksurfers is a new adventure in itself. And one you won’t want to miss out on, I promise!
If I could jump into books myself, Lord of the Rings would be pretty high on my list, if only to spend a few days in the Shire with the Hobbits. If you had your own Nautilus, which book would you choose?
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