When we heard that David Fickling Books was publishing the debut children’s novel from Doug Naylor, the LoveReading4Kids team got more than a little excited. After all, many of us grew up watching the irreverent antics of the Red Dwarf crew – a cult sci-fi comedy that defined a generation through the 80s and 90s.
Doug’s debut children’s book, Sin Bin Island, delivers exactly what you’d hope for from the co-creator of that iconic series – bold imagination, laugh-out-loud moments, and an utterly original voice.
Each year, four unlucky pupils from Cyril Sniggs’s Correctional Orphanage for Wayward Boys and Girls are banished to Sin Bin Island — a forbidding place once used to imprison pirates, smugglers, and witches, surrounded by eel-infested waters and dark legends.
This year, orphaned Digs finds himself among them. Armed only with a mysterious Russian nesting doll that can predict the future, Digs is thrown into a world of brutal discipline, maritime survival skills, and whispered tales of a hidden tunnel used to smuggle magic into England.
No one has ever found the tunnel. No one has ever returned with proof of magic. But Digs and his new friends are about to change that — if they can survive the island first.
Huge congratulations to Doug on this rip-roaring and quirky adventure. We’re delighted to welcome him as our Debut Author of the Month.
Q. Can you tell us what inspired you to write a children's book at this stage in your career?
A. I got an idea that wouldn't go away and so I started writing it and fell in love with the characters and the world. Sin Bin Island was my happy place.
Q. You are best known for writing and producing the sci-fi comedy Red Dwarf. How did you adjust your writing style for a younger audience?
A. I don’t think I adjusted anything really. Red Dwarf was watched in vast numbers by schoolchildren during the 90s. I borrowed things from Red Dwarf, like having four main characters who become a team. I knew one would be a flawed hero, one would provide information, one would be wrong a lot, and one would be headstrong.
I knew the school, as I went to one very like it. My school was founded in 1653 and started out life as 'a charity school to teach poor children to read and write.’ I put the two worlds together and it just seemed to bloom into existence.
Q. Why did you choose to write for that middle grade/9-12 age range?
A. I think it’s a great age because you’re starting to work out who you are. What are you good at? Who are you friends? And you want independence, at least some of the time.
Q. Has writing a children's book changed your perspective on storytelling?
A. When you write a novel there are no cost restrictions. In TV, especially when you are directing as well as writing, you have to write the script and know how to shoot it within the given budget. I had no such restrictions with Sin Bin Island so I set out to tell a rip roaring epic adventure story with lots of laughs without one hand tied behind my back which I loved.
I really could have my cake and eat it.
Q. Was the story of Sin Bin Island inspired by one of your favourite childhood books or authors?
A. When I was young I used to enjoy Swallows and Amazons, Jennings, Tom Brown’s School Days and The Famous Five but, in some ways, I think Sin Bin Island is closer to Red Dwarf than the books I read as a child.
Q. Can we expect more adventures from Digs and friends?
A. You certainly can. I can’t tell you the exact number but certainly more than three.
Q. How did it feel to hold the finished copy of your debut children's novel in your hand...and how did you celebrate?
A. I knew it was coming. I was away from home on holiday. The holiday house had a mailbox outside the house at the end of the drive. I went out every three minutes or so to check if any mail had arrived.
Nothing.
I went back inside and stared out of the window - then a big, beautiful red post office van hurtled down the street towards us. I ran outside. The post office van hurtled right past and stopped further down the street. I ran after it and asked if they’d got a parcel for me. They hadn’t. I even filmed myself asking. Boy, was I sad. I trooped back to the house and thought I’ve got to stop obsessing about this and decided to go to the shops for twenty minutes only to return and discover the Postie had arrived when we were out but needed a signature and had gone away again. Argghhh. I phoned the post office to see if I could pick it up from the Sorting office. They said I couldn’t. Also, it couldn’t be redelivered the following day as it was Saturday nor the day after that as it was a Sunday; I’d have to wait until Monday. Argghhhh.
Monday arrived. No post. Then at eleven, a knock on the door, I was on the toilet. Arggghhh. My wife answered the door. I could hear voices. I ran down stairs. She brought in a package and handed it to me. It felt like a book. It had to be the book.
I opened the package - it WAS THE BOOK. The cover was so glossy. I flicked through the pages, looked at the map and drawings, read some of my favourite sections. All the commas seemed present and correct. I was going to celebrate like there was no tomorrow. I put the kettle on. I considered having two teabags in the same cup but on reflection decided that was a bit too flash. I was an author again, I had to keep my feet on the ground, so I ate a whole packet of jammy dodgers instead.
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