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Growing up, Dan led three lives. In one he survived the day-to-day humdrum of boarding school, while in another he travelled the world, finding adventure in the padi-fields of Asia and the jungles of Brazil. But the third life he lived in a world of his own, making up stories . . . which is where some people say he still lives most of the time!
Now settled in Newcastle with his wife and two children, Dan writes stories to share with both adults and children – and with an interest in World War 2, a great-aunt who was a flak-gunner, and a grandfather who was an army captain during the war, is it any wonder that his first book for children is set during those uncertain days of 1941?
A Q+A with Dan
You have books published for adults and children. Do you find it easier or harder to write for children? I don’t think I find it easier or harder. Of course there are differences in the way I write for adults and children, but those differences aren’t very big. I approach stories as stories whoever I write them for. My adult books often have children in them, and my children’s books often have adults in them, so I just change the focus of who tells the story – the adults or the children.
How did you get your big break? It’s difficult to say whether I’ve had a big break or not. I think I’ve had a series of small breaks – which makes me sound like I should be in hospital. My first break, though, was finding a great agent who loves my writing. I spent a lot of time sending letters and sample chapters to different agents until I found just the right one. She always gives me good but brutally honest advice about my books, which is sometimes hard to listen to, but helps me get better and better at telling stories.
Any advice for budding authors? Read, read, read. And then read some more! I really believe that the more a person reads, the better they will understand how stories and characters work. The other important thing is to write. It might sound obvious, but if you sit about, waiting for inspiration and dreaming about being an author, then you’ll never be an author. Writing makes you an author so … get writing!
Where is your favourite place to write? I sit on a small sofa in the corner of the sitting room. It’s not very glamorous but it’s comfortable and it’s the brightest, warmest room in the house. I put my laptop on a cushion and perch it on my knees and, you know what? It’s just about the best place in the world.
Have you ever wanted to do anything other than write? When I was very young I wanted to be a judge. I have no idea why. Then I wanted to be a vet until I saw Star Wars at the ripe old age of seven. After that I knew what I wanted to be. I wanted to be Han Solo. I was never any of those things, though, and by the time I was a teenager, I knew I wanted to be a writer. Nothing else would have been good enough. Apart from, perhaps, being Han Solo.
You can only read three books for the rest of your life, what would they be? Well, if you asked me this on another day I might give you a completely different answer but today I’m going to say Lord of The Flies by William Golding because it’s a brilliant story about children who find themselves in a terrifying situation without any adults to help them, The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway because it’s the classic tale of man versus nature, and The Go-Between by LP Hartley because it’s a summery, dreamy tale about a shy child who is thrown into an adult world that he struggles to understand.
Do you visit your local library? Really, I like to own books, because they’re such lovely objects to hold and look at, but, yes, I do visit my local library. I find the library especially helpful when I’m researching a book of my own and I’m looking for information about something in particular. Also, both of my children love to borrow books and they take part in the Summer Reading Challenge every year.
September 2020 Book of the Month | Interest Age 8+ Reading Age 8 | If you like your adventures good and creepy, you’re going to love The Invasion of the Crooked Oak. Crooked Oak is a peaceful kind of place, but it seems something is up with the town’s grown-ups – they’ve stopped eating, are avoiding the light, and generally behaving really strangely. When teenagers Pete, Krish and Nancy try to work out what’s going on, they find the trail leads to the fracking site on the town’s edge. The tension ratchets up nicely as the three realise they’ve got one chance to save their parents and themselves. The environmental theme feels very topical and author Dan Smith knows just how to keep his readers on the edge of their seats. Published by dyslexia specialists Barrington Stoke, this is accessible to readers of all abilities and completely gripping.
As boys’ own adventures go, Big Game takes some beating! Thirteen year old Oskari sets out into the wilderness of his Finnish homeland as part of an ancient trial of manhood. He’s small, a bit clumsy and no-one expects him to do well, least of all himself. But events take an unexpected and highly dramatic turn: terrorists shoot down Air Force One over Oskari’s forest and it falls to him to save the US president. In a series of explosive adventure scenes, Oskari uses all his survival and hunting skills to prove himself, as the President says, ‘more of a man than anyone else I know’. This exhilarating action-packed story is ideal for anyone who’s ever felt they weren’t good enough, which probably accounts for everyone. Gripping, feel-good adventure. ~ Andrea Reece A Piece of Passion from Barry Cunningham, Publisher Could you survive in a wilderness? What if you had someone else to look after too? A really important person? Oh, and what if there were a load of bad guys after you both? I loved this story of all-action peril in Finland – and working with the brilliant story by Jalmari Helander and Petri Jokiranta, we asked Dan Smith to write a novel that bought the film and characters to life on the page. It’s a totally cracking thriller and you won’t be able to stop for breath . . . Watch out!
As boys’ own adventures go, Big Game takes some beating! Thirteen year old Oskari sets out into the wilderness of his Finnish homeland as part of an ancient trial of manhood. He’s small, a bit clumsy and no-one expects him to do well, least of all himself. But events take an unexpected and highly dramatic turn: terrorists shoot down Air Force One over Oskari’s forest and it falls to him to save the US president. In a series of explosive adventure scenes, Oskari uses all his survival and hunting skills to prove himself, as the President says, ‘more of a man than anyone else I know’. This exhilarating action-packed story is ideal for anyone who’s ever felt they weren’t good enough, which probably accounts for everyone. Gripping, feel-good adventure. ~ Andrea Reece A Piece of Passion from Barry Cunningham, Publisher Could you survive in a wilderness? What if you had someone else to look after too? A really important person? Oh, and what if there were a load of bad guys after you both? I loved this story of all-action peril in Finland – and working with the brilliant story by Jalmari Helander and Petri Jokiranta, we asked Dan Smith to write a novel that bought the film and characters to life on the page. It’s a totally cracking thriller and you won’t be able to stop for breath . . . Watch out!
May 2014 Book of the Month Growing up in Germany at the beginning of the Second World War, Karl Engel imagines the role he might play in fighting for his country. Joining the Hitler Youth movement will be his first step. But after his father is killed, Karl realises that the war is not so good or glorious as he had once thought. Gradually, and especially after his brother Stephan is in trouble, Karl begins to question the world he lives in. Rich in detail, this is a thought-provoking story. A Piece of Passion from Barry Cunningham, Publisher, Chicken House Brothers often fight – and feel that parents just don’t understand or take unfair sides. But when taking sides becomes a matter of life and death, then the brothers in Dan Smith’s war-time Germany have to make some tough decisions together. Based on real Second World War events, this brilliant story gives a feeling of what life was like when children were faced with real evil and conflict. Fighting for our freedom – who knows if it may be something we have to choose again one day!
July 2013 Book of the Month An exciting and thought-provoking World War II adventure for children aged 9-12. With shades of Michael Morpurgo, Michelle Magorian and Robert Westall’s classic The Machine Gunners the author carefully explores the moral dilemma of helping the enemy, and the pressures placed on family members left at home, far away from enemy lines. A Piece of Passion from Barry Cunningham, Publisher My uncle was a rear-gunner on a bomber in the war, and when he was shot down I hoped that someone would look after him. This is the choice facing our hero Peter, who finds out that being brave sometimes means doing what is most difficult. Loyalty to real values is even harder when war seems so black and white. Dan Smith’s courageous story is exciting, moving, and full of conflict. I think you’ll find yourself really CARING about what’s going to happen next.
An essential tool for understanding the Middle East and its pivotal role in global politics, this book lays bare the complexity of the region - its emergence from fallen empires, the shaping of its current contours by oil and outside intervention, the wave of change that broke in 2011, and the violence that has swept the region since. With his customarily acute analysis, Dan Smith, author of The State of the World Atlas,uncovers the web of fault-lines that underlies the Middle East. Using maps and graphics, he demonstrates why recent events have occurred and why they have an impact on us all. This atlas explores and lays bare the complexity of the region, looking at how it emerged out of the history of fallen empires, how oil and outside intervention have shaped its current contours, where it stood as the wave of change broke in 2011, and the impact of violent conflict throughout. It uses maps, graphics, chronologies and analysis to offer a fair and tough-minded look at what lies behind a moment of change and hope.
This unique book, a milestone of graphic reporting, has become a trade reference classic since its first publication in the 1970s. Completely revised and updated, the new 9th edition of this groundbreaking 'atlas with attitude' keeps pace with the speed of change, using over 100 thematic world maps and vivid graphics to break down hardcore statistics into accessible, compelling form. Widely praised for its ingenious design and statistically meticulous presentation of trends, The State of the World Atlas graphically analyses every key indicator and vital statistic of modern life, from wealth and power, war and peace through to rights, health and the environment. Authored by leading international peace researcher Dan Smith OBE, it has sold over 700,000 copies in different languages around the world, offering its sharp analysis and informed comment on the most challenging issues facing the world today.
What's hiding in Harwood Forest? When Pete, Nancy and Krish arrive at Heathland Camp for a school trip, they're in for an adventure - just not the kind they were expecting. Nearby sits the abandoned Harwood Institute. The crumbling buildings are out of bounds but strange screams come from the surrounding forest at night. Mystery shrouds the events that took place at the institute during the war, so Pete and his friends make it their mission to find out the truth. But the forest is hiding a sinister secret, and the trio could be in real danger ... Are some mysteries best left undisturbed?
This book, first published in 1980, is a close analysis of Britain's defence policy in the latter years of the Cold War. It examines the factors that limited the choices available to the governments of the day, including technological advances, costs, changes in the balance of power, strategic thinking in both West and East, and the consequent implications for the development of forces and arms.
In a world governed by 'fake news' and where world leaders are dismissing 'facts', this statistically meticulous presentation of trends is vitally important to understand the world today. A milestone of graphic reporting, this groundbreaking 'atlas with attitude' keeps pace with the speed of change with informed analysis and graphically analyses every key indicator and vital statistic of modern life. New topics for this 10th edition include: Climate change: Impact on human health and security, different scenarios, and the time left to change course Terrorism: Number of terrorist attacks in each country Weapons of mass destruction: Chemical weapons use in Syria Peace: Agreements reached across the years Democracy: Spread of democracy around the world Minorities: Peoples under threat Big business: Panama and Paradise papers, and dirty business * Around 258 million people live outside the country of their birth *14% of the world's children are economically active *Violence is estimated to cost the world $8.3 trillion a year. Less than half of this would meet the UN's development goals by 2023 * USA: nearly 40 million people a year depend the Feeding America network for help * UK: the Trussell Trust handed out 1.6 million food packages in 2018/19
September 2020 Book of the Month | Interest Age 8+ Reading Age 8 | If you like your adventures good and creepy, you’re going to love The Invasion of the Crooked Oak. Crooked Oak is a peaceful kind of place, but it seems something is up with the town’s grown-ups – they’ve stopped eating, are avoiding the light, and generally behaving really strangely. When teenagers Pete, Krish and Nancy try to work out what’s going on, they find the trail leads to the fracking site on the town’s edge. The tension ratchets up nicely as the three realise they’ve got one chance to save their parents and themselves. The environmental theme feels very topical and author Dan Smith knows just how to keep his readers on the edge of their seats. Published by dyslexia specialists Barrington Stoke, this is accessible to readers of all abilities and completely gripping.
Summer, 1941. For Peter, the war is a long way away, being fought by a faceless enemy, marching across places he's never seen. Until the night it comes to him. A German plane is shot down over the woods that his Dad looked after, before he went off to fight. Peter rushes to the crash site to find something exciting to keep. But what he finds instead is someone: a young and injured German airman. The enemy. Here. And in trouble. Suddenly, helping him seems like the right thing to do ... An exciting and thought-provoking World War 2 adventure from acclaimed author Dan Smith.
'Action, adventure, wolves, snow ... this story has EVERYTHING. I devoured it so quickly I need to read it again.' EMMA CARROLL Northumbria, 866. Washed ashore on a frozen English beach, Ylva's survived. She will not cry. She's meant to be strong. She's a Viking. But when her mother dies at the hand of a three-fingered man, and the wolves of the forest circle closer, Ylva will need more than the memory of her mother's stories to stay alive. Can she shape her own legend? Will it end in revenge - or is there another way?
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