Friday 13 June 2014

We've got two reviews!

So far, Monster Avengers has two reviews. Both are good! Here's an extract from the longest one:

I'm a fan of Rosen's Smelly Trolls series, so I already knew that she could write an entertaining children's story. However this book is a little different in that she crowd-wrote the story with 300 children. A mammoth task of organisation and patience I'm sure, but how did the actual story turn out?
The story is a lot more coherent than I expected while still retaining the imagination from the children involved. There's a wonderful mix of characters, there's the hero of the story who is a young boy who's not had a good time of things. There's a superhero toddler and best of all are the villains - man eating ducks with vicious spikes!
There's an interesting blend of the fantastical and more mundane concerns and again some fun and imaginative ideas for tackling them. It's well paced and with the range of characters there's some good opportunities for funny voices if you're reading the story out loud.
Mention should also be made of the illustrations sprinkled liberally throughout the book. These are full of charm and also highlight the creations of the children involved. Overall this is a fun story for kids of all ages (even 41 year old ones like me!) and any story that features man eating ducks deserves to be read.
Many thanks to Michael for taking the time to write about our book. 

Wednesday 14 May 2014

Our Proof Copy Has Arrived

Something very exciting just happened. This morning, I received a notice from our printer saying that our proof copy of Monster Avengers had been printed. I assumed that meant it would arrive next week.

Then I heard a knock at the door. It was a delivery man with a large, flat package.

I opened it up, and to my delight, it was our proof copy.

Here are some pictures of our book:

Opening the package.

The book, in all its glory.

Monster Avengers next to troll books, to give you an idea of size.

Two pages from the inside.

The back of the book.

Unfortunately, the text is a little close to the margin, so I'll have to make adjustments to the files before we can sell copies, but that is why authors and publishers get proof copies.

This book is going to be incredible.





Saturday 10 May 2014

Monster Avengers eBook out this week

The eBook version of Monster Avengers will be launched this week. The paperback version will be available to order soon after.

You will be able to read the eBook on most mobile phones, tablets, Kindles, laptops or desktop computers.

Watch this space for details on how to buy.


Wednesday 23 April 2014

Exciting News - Monster Avengers has been sent to our editor

Today I finished the third draft of Monster Avengers. I've sent it to Olivia, our editor, for a proof read.

Olivia will look for mistakes and highlight them. Then she'll send the file back to me and I'll look through her suggestions and write the final draft.

Once the final draft of the text is ready, I will start fitting the words and pictures together, ready to send to the printer.

Exciting times!

Friday 11 April 2014

Monster Avengers Merchandise

St Edward's school have been busy creating wonderful merchandise for Monster Avengers.


 Above: a monster bookmark which opens up to save a page.




 Above: Toby the Turbo Toddler 'Action Figure' in special presentation box. Complete with helicopter hair and hand-knitted red pants. Sheer brilliance from Charlotte and Megan.

Thursday 3 April 2014

The Cover for Monster Avengers Has Been Chosen!

Katie W. Stewart and I have been working together to turn your cover ideas into reality.

Here are the first drafts of our front and back covers. We used Chloe's basic idea and brought in illustrations from other children.



What do you think?

More Cover Designs Have Arrived

Yet more Monster Avengers covers have arrived in my inbox. Here are a few of my favourites from St Edward's School:

I enjoyed the acrostic on this cover. It's also bright and cheery.

This cover is very engaging.

I love the bright colours in this one.

I like the way this illustrator has stuck bits on the add colour.

Sunday 30 March 2014

The First Draft of Our Blurb - What do you think?

I've been busy re-reading your brilliant blurbs and trying to put the best bits together. Because blurbs have to be short and snappy, I had to leave out some of the subplots (like Simon and Tigotha falling out) even though those are very important to the story.

Here is my first draft of the blurb. What do you think? Do you like it? Can it be improved?

Deadly ducks with an appetite for chaos, are planning to take over Fangleland. So called because of their luminous poo, the lumipoo momps begin their mayhem by banning bananas – the punishment, getting spiked to death!

Simon is just a regular boy, whose life is turned upside down when his dying grandpa reveals that his parents were killed by a flock of lumipoo momps. He and his beloved best friend, Tigotha, set off on a perilous journey to save Fangleland.

Meanwhile, a scientist tries to invent a predator to eat the lumipoo momps. However, when his plan goes horribly wrong, the heroes end up fighting not just one species of monster – but two!

Simon and Tigotha’s adventure raises many questions. Who is the mysterious caretaker and what is he doing with that hoover? Why is there a disco happening in the microwave? And who is the toddler with helicopter hair, who keeps turning up to save the day? 

Are you aching to know whether the monster avengers save Fangleland? Turn the pages if you dare – these monsters would like to eat you for breakfast!



Saturday 29 March 2014

Week 10 Task - Promote the Book

When you're a professional author, you only get to spend half of your time writing. The other half of the time is spent promoting your book. Promotion is making people aware of something. When you promote a book, you are trying to convince people to buy it.

Here are some of the promotional activities I like to do:
- running competitions
- visiting schools
- giving away badges
- giving away bookmarks
- being interviewed on the radio
- sending press releases to newspapers
- asking bookshops to stock copies

This week, you are going to promote Monster Avengers.

You can choose to create anything you like, as long as it promotes our book. Ideas include:
- giving a talk
- making a poster
- acting out a scene in assembly
- making bookmarks
- a classroom display
- writing a press release
- making Monster Avengers merchandise

Your teacher might have something particular in mind for you to do.

Please send me photos and scans to rosen.trevithick@gmail.com so that I can see all the lovely promotion you have been doing. You've got from now until whenever you like. Promoting a book never ends!

Friday 28 March 2014

It's a Cover-a-thon!

It's a very exciting blog post - here are some of the fantastic and colourful covers I've received so far:
Above: Charlotte from St Edward's.

Who doesn't love bright and cheery rainbow colours? The bright lumipoo momp pops when you look at it. Plus, the scene with the hairdryer might make a reader think, 'What the Dickens is going on here?' (Then he or she will hopefully open the book to find out!)

Above: Cover by Anonymous from St Edwards

If you look closely, it appear that the features of this monster have been stuck on with glittery paper - very creative.


Above: Cover by Anonymous from St Edward's

The central tubster of terror is rather frightening - the red background helps make him stand out. I really like the bubble font, especially the little monsters peeping over the tops of some of the letters.

Above: Cover by Anonymous from Queensgate

I really enjoyed the cheerful and charismatic characters in this one. They're definitely engaging.


Above: Cover by Cam from Queensgate

Because our book is going to be massive, the idea of lots of small characters mounted on a bright background might work. However, they might be tricky to pick out in a thumbnail or from a distance.
I like the author name: 'Rosen Trevithick, also some young talented school children'.

Above: Cover by Chloe from Queensgate

It's hard not to be attracted to this bright cover. The font is ideal. I like the blue stripe used to make my name stand out. Telling readers of past successes gives them confidence in an author and makes them more likely to trust that a book will be good. All in all, a super piece of work.

Above: Cover by Ella from Queensgate

This is a very simple but effective cover. The title appears to burst from the page, which I particularly like. Also, it gets in many of the key characters.

 Above: Cover by Emilie from Queensgate

'Amazingly Talented Children' is a great way to describe yourselves - it's accurate and will hopefully intrigue potential readers.

Above: Cover by Kiri from Queensgate

The border of this one reminds me of a stamp. I like the way that so many characters - even Simon, appear in this cover.

Above: Cover by Lacey from Queensgate

Again, nice to see so many of the key characters on the cover. Toby flying overhead adds a nice touch.

Above: Cover by Josie from St Edward's

This cover looks like a photo of Fangleland taken from the air - very original. The text is pretty; it might be a little hard to read from a distance because it's very fancy.

Above: Cover by Matthew from St Edward's

Ha ha - a momp going up an old lady's skirt is one of the funniest moments in the book. I like the 'Starring' strip, too.

Blurbs from Queensgate

I enjoyed reading the blurbs created by Queensgate Primary. I decided to add some individual feedback.


Includes work by Abi, Cameron, Connor, Sapphire, Grace, Liam and Emily. Many thanks for all of your hard work.

Monday 24 March 2014

I Just Wrote Bob's Death!

I just drafted Chapter 14 - the section where Bob gets evaporated and Jeff the cleaner bursts into tears. Thank goodness I know what happens next, otherwise I'd be really sad right now.

Feedback on The Troll Trap's Blurb

One of the classes at St Edward's School got so carried away with editing that they commented on one of my blurbs - The Troll Trap.

Here's what they had to say:


Thursday 20 March 2014

Sunday 16 March 2014

Simon and Tigotha Break Friends

I've just drafted the chapter where Tigotha eats Thugodore and Simon says he doesn't want to be her friend anymore - so very sad.

I had to read the end of our detailed plan to cheer myself up!

Saturday 15 March 2014

Appeal for More Illustrations Please

I've been sorting through the illustrations, picking ones to use. There are some fantastic drawings. However, our book is going to be quite long, so it needs even more pictures. Some chapters don't have enough pictures yet and others don't have any.

If you have some spare time, please submit more for:

Chapter 1 - 8x9cm
Chapter 2 - 8x9cm
Chapter 4 - 8x9cm and 16x6cm
Chapter 5 - 8x9cm and 16x6cm
Chapter 6 - 16x6cm
Chapter 7 - 8x9cm and 16x6cm
Chapter 8 - 8x9cm
Chapter 9 - 8x9cm
Chapter 10 - 8x9cm and 16x6cm
Chapter 11 - 8x9cm and 16x6cm
Chapter 13 - 16x6cm
Chapter 14 - 8x9cm and 16x6cm
Chapter 15 - 8x9cm and 16x6cm
Chapter 16 - 8x9cm and 16x6cm
Chapter 17 - 8x9cm and 16x6cm
Chapter 18 - 8x9cm and 16x6cm
Chapter 19 - 8x9cm and 16x6cm
Chapter 20 - 8x9cm and 16x6cm

Here's a reminder on how to draw the perfect illustration for Monster Avengers:
http://ourmonsterbook.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/week-7-task-illustrate-our-monster-book.html

Week 9 Tips - The Making of The Troll Trap's Cover

Here's a quick article explaining how the cover for The Troll Trap was created.

Firstly, Katie hand drew all the illustrations for the inside of the book. We decided they would be best in black and white because of printing costs. Here are three examples:

 

Then, we thought about what would make a good cover. The book is called The Troll Trap, so we knew there had to be a troll on the cover. We narrowed it down to just the pictures with trolls in them. Eventually we decided that the illustration from Chapter 13 would make the best cover.

It's best to have a colour cover, so that it's eye-catching. Katie traced the outline and scanned it into her computer. She used a computer to colour and shade the illustration.


Katie sent the illustration to me by email. Using my computer, I created a file the size and shape of the book. I filled the background in with green, because it's troll-like. Then I pasted Katie's picture onto my cover.


Next I added text. I added the name of the book, my pen name, Katie's name and a note about my past books.


And there we have it - a colourful book cover.

Week 9 Tips - Looking at Other Blurbs

To help you write a blurb for your book, I have collected some of the best blurbs from children's books and made some notes about why they work:

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Blurb (taken from Amazon)
Harry Potter thinks he is an ordinary boy. He lives with his Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and cousin Dudley, who make him sleep in a cupboard under the stairs. Then Harry starts receiving mysterious letters and his life is changed for ever. He is whisked away by a beetle-eyed giant of a man and enrolled in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The reason: Harry Potter is a wizard!

Why it's great:
- It makes you ask yourself questions (as soon as you read 'thinks he's an ordinary boy', you start to ask yourself 'In what ways is he not ordinary?').
- It creates sympathy (sleeping in a cupboard under the stairs makes you instantly feel for Harry).
- It tell you that the book will be about a school for wizards.
- It doesn't give too much away.

What could be better:
- It's a bit short.

The BFG Blurb (taken from the Puffin website)
Every night, when the world is sleeping, big gruesome giants guzzle up whoppsy-whiffling human beans. And there's only one giant who can stop them - the BFG. He's the kindest giant there is and, with his friend Sophie in his top pocket, he sets out to rid the world of the Bloodbottler, the Fleshlumpeater and all their rotsome friends forever...

Why it's great:
- A blurb full of made-up words and funny language suggests a book full of just that.
- You might find yourself wondering why is says 'human beans' not 'human beings'.
- It tells you the book is going to be about ridding the world of giants.

What could be better:
- It's a bit short.

You're a Bad Man, Mr. Gum! Blurb (taken from Amazon)

Shabba me whiskers! It’s one of those Mr Gum books by Andy Stanton. They’re only the craziest, funnest most amazing books for children in the world.

Good evening. Mr Gum is a complete horror who hates children, animals, fun and corn on the cob. This book’s all about him. And an angry fairy who lives in his bathtub. And Jake the dog, and a little girl called Polly and an evil, stinky butcher all covered in guts. And there’s heroes and sweets and adventures and EVERYTHING.

Why it's great:
- It launches straight in with a colourful phrase (i.e. 'Shabba me whiskers!').
- It's quirky (e.g. he hates three general things and corn on the cob).
- It's funny (e.g. an angry fairy who lives in a bathtub is incongruous with what we've come to expect from fairies)
- It's lively. It breaks the rules and starts sentences with 'And' to keep the blurb racing forwards.

What could be better:
- Again, slightly too short.
- The blurb deliberately breaks spelling and grammar rules. Some people think this is brave and modern. Other people think it's stupid. What do you think?

Week 9 Tasks - Create a Front Cover and a Blurb

Now that we've written most of the book, it's time to start thinking about packaging - this means the book's cover and blurb.

Task 1 - Design a cover that:
- is eye catching
- is colourful
- contains the title, 'Monster Avengers'
- contains the author's name*
- contains an illustration
- is 8 by 10 inches (203 x 254 mm) big.

* In our case, there are too many names to list, so you must decide what to call ourselves. It needs to be a name that shows that many children worked together.

You may create your cover by hand, on a computer or using a combination. If you create by hand you may use paint, pens, collaging - whatever it takes to create a bright and cheerful cover.

Task 2 - Design a blurb that:
- make people want to read the story
- is between 100 and 150 words long
- is in third person (e.g. 'Simon is' or 'Turbo is', but not 'I am')
- is in present tense (e.g. 'Simon is' or 'Turbo is', but not 'Simon was')
- tells the reader what our story is about
- doesn't give too much away

Tips
- Looking at other blurbs
- The making of The Troll Trap's cover

Please send your covers and blurbs to rosen.trevithick@gmail.com by Friday, 28th March, 2014.
Please note: you have two weeks to complete this task.

Friday 14 March 2014

Our Book Will Be Called...

I've just counted up your votes for the title of our monster book. Thanks to everybody who voted. Our book will be called:

Monster Avengers

I think this is a good title. It's snappy. It uses real English words, so readers will know what it means. It captures the essence of our book. It tells readers what it's about. It will fit neatly on a cover. All in all, a great choice.

The runners up were:
2. Momps Go Quackers
3. Enter the Orbit of Zorbit

More Cracking Illustrations

Above: Chapter 1 - by Red, St Edward's


Above: A Chilling Flock of Lumipoo Momps - by Matthew, St Edward's


Above: Two beautifully presented illustrations by Abigail, Manor Lodge School

Above: Turbo to the rescue (twice!) by Harry, Manor Lodge School

Above: A Tubster emerging from a hole by Anonymous, Manor Lodge School

An Example Chapter 19 by St Edward's School

I just received this outstanding response to this week's task from St Edward's school.

As you know, this week's task was to get into pairs then write and edit part of the book using our detailed plan. The piece of writing could be as long or as short as your teacher wanted to set.

These children have chosen to write the whole of chapter 19. I have to warn you - it's pretty scary - scary, and brilliant.

Chapter 19

By St Edward's School.

The dark forest was unnerving and ominous but Simon held himself together. He dared not look behind for Lumipoo Momps may have jumped out at any second. Either side of him were ancient withering trees with holes in the bark that looked like faces; scary enough in the daylight. Simon carried on trudging through the forest for what felt like, and probably was, hours when finally he reached the edge of the forest straight into a swamp; a Lumipoo swamp! Simon pulled his swamp shoes (slabs of Styrofoam) from his backpack and strapped them on over – well under really – his normal shoes. Gingerly taking one step onto the marshy swamp grass the shoes held firm, filled with confidence Simon continued over the glow-in-the-dark poo swamp for ages, nothing exciting happened and then whoosh… A spike, travelling at breakneck speed straight for Simon, missed by a few millimetres and embedded itself in Simon’s left swamp shoe with a loud Thump! Simon had ducked to avoid the spike and as he raised his head, wary of more inbound spikes, he saw standing in front of him Maddie LongLegs, Queen of the Lumipoo Momps. Maddie was outraged!. Accompanying Maddie was her new Momp-to-English translator, Summer SlimySpikes

“Momp momp, momp” Maddie announced in a commanding tone. Summer translated the Queen’s words;“You captured many of my loyal subjects, for that you are sentenced to execution!” and punctuated the words with a few well targeted peas for good measure. 

Maddie brandished her wooden spoon menacingly, smacking Simon across the face with it; Simon tumbled to the ground and sprawled out on the swamps floor. He had no strength left within him, not even enough to stand up. Maddie stalked slowly in for the kill; ‘There’s no way out’ thought Simon, ‘I’m going to die’

“Momp momp, momp mompmompmomp” said Maddie, she was about to swing her spoon for the last time when Simon noticed not only that her shot spikes had regrown, but there was something glinting in the sun around her neck; a piece of jewellery was glittering in the sun; with horror Simon realised it was his mum’s glaciergem necklace! The incomparable anger boiling inside of him gave him new found energy, strength, power. He felt alive again. He wanted that necklace back!

Maddie saw the glint in Simon’s eye and realised what was happening. She was slowly waddling away when Simon grabbed hold of a low branch on a nearby bush and pulled himself up. 

“That is not yours! It was my Mother’s and I want it back” Simon yelled and he lunged towards Maddie’s spikey neck grabbed the necklace and yanked it from her neck.

Maddie and Summer looked down as Simon tilted the surface of the glaciergem towards them and they both turned into fluorescent purple puddles of goo – or maybe lumipoogoo. The two puddles oozed their way along the swamp floor away from Simon, but he was too quick for them and trapped them both in a jar. The Maddie-Summer (or Summer-Maddie) cocktail squirmed in the glass jar trying to break free as Simon slid the jar into the side pocket of his backpack. He continued his journey across the swamp uninterrupted by more Lumipoo Momps for at least half an hour, the luminous poo started to clear, walking was easier as the swamp became less swampy. Simon was looking ahead to the edge of the swamp and firmer ground and the gates that enclosed the Lumipoo Momp lands when his feet started to sink; literally a few steps from the edge and he was well and truly stuck! He could hear loud whispering from the gates in front; were they debating whether Simon should pass or not? Were they deciding what to eat for dinner? Simon didn’t know what they were saying, he leaned in and then he understood; “You may not pass” was what he heard. “What?” Simon muttered, obviously the gates were biased towards their Lumipoo Momp friends. 

Simon heard a faint flapping of wings; ‘sounds like a Lumipoo Momp’ he thought as he feared the worst. The flapping grew louder, and louder, and LOUDER; Simon was prepared to fight! He felt the warrior spirit build up inside him. A figure came into view, it was… Bob? It was Bob! He had come to help, yeah, Simon was overjoyed and when Bob landed close by Simon tried to run towards him and remembered how totally stuck in the Lumipoo Swamp mud he was. Bob grasped Simon’s hands and flapped his wings hard eventually pulling Simon out of the boggy swamp and dropping him onto firmer ground. Simon headed towards the gates only for Bob to grab hold of him before he stepped into a putrid moat hiding behind the small bank edging the swamp. Bob then tried to persuade the gates to open using complex explanations, long stories, tall tales; he failed time after time. In frustration Bob yelled out “He’s my friend” and all of a sudden they started to open. As they did a drawbridge dropped from a cleverly hidden building spanning the putrid moat. Simon and Bob started across the moat but the stench of rotting tuna smothered in mouldy stilton cheese topped off with used Lumipoo Momp nappies was too much for them; Simon removed his swamp shoes and they raced across the drawbridge holding their noses, they ran through the gates and around the building to the North Tower. The door into the tower was closed, not locked just closed. Simon peered through a spy hole in the door and saw Tigotha tied high above an unlit fire. She was completely surrounded by snot pies and snake soup… she was to be the main course of a three course dinner! Simon dropped his swamp shoes and rushed towards Tigotha but a long tentacle snaked from behind the opened door, Tubby had been waiting. From his position behind the door Tubby blew on a dry stick igniting it and with one of his free tentacles used the stick to light the fire under Tigotha. 

Simon held up his ornate pocket mirror but it didn’t work because Tubby was too large to see enough of his reflection in the dirty dusty mirror to be frightened and cower in a corner. Simon reached into his pocket for some bananas; they were brown and mouldy but they had to do. He lobbed the bananas at Tubby but they just bounced off leaving him untouched. In pure frustration and anger Simon yanked his left swamp shoe off his foot and threw it at Tubby who was already running away; Tubby put his hands above his and backed as far away as possible from Simon dropping the fiery stick onto the cold, dry stone floor.

Bob picked up Simon’s swamp shoe and brandished it at Tubby, threatening to throw it on Tubby. He did this to buy Simon time to help free Tigotha. Simon’s thoughts of turning Tubby into a fluorescent puddle of lumipoogoo were completely blown away when Tubby tried to escape through a window that was much too small for him and sent broken glass and chipped bricks flying. Then Simon strapped a wounded Tigotha onto his backpack to take her somewhere safe so he could help her. 

Meanwhile, Tubby Mompstrosity had fled the tower, barged his way through Whiffleton on Swamp sending market stalls and people flying. Without stopping to look back Tubby carried on through Quackers Park out into the condiment district, he was valiantly trying to escape Simon and Bob and the Styrofoam not realising they had not chased after him. 

Tubby collided with Thia who was out walking Champ and her pooch, Champ was growling ferociously at Tubby, he wasn’t bothered by the enormous Rottweiler; it was Thia’s tiny little yapping pooch that Tubby was terrified by, he instantly turned into a puddle, unfortunate with the three lakes serving as the entrance to the condiment district; Tomato Sauce, Brown Sauce and -Mayonnaise; Pretty soon the Tubby puddle had sploshed and splashed and slipped into all three lakes tainting the sauce and mayonnaise with a slightly bad smell of Lumipoo Momp and a definite hint of luminous purple… not good for you or I as the Sauce Company pumping machines continued to syphon the condiments from the lakes. 

Thursday 13 March 2014

Morton Trentside Primary School are in the News

Super news: Morton Trentside Primary School and our monster book have been featured in their local paper, the Gainsborough Standard.

Tuesday 11 March 2014

What You're Saying About the Titles

Incredibly, 116 children have votes for their favourite title so far.

Here are some of your comments:

Momps Go Quackers is a good play on words. It's also a catchy title that will make people want to read our monster book!

I like the title Dreaded Lumipoo Momps and their Quest to Take Over Fangleland because it sounds exciting.

Enter the Orbit of Zorbit sounds really good and it rhymes which makes it even better.

I like Quack to the Future because I love DUCKS!

Momps Go Quackers is funny!

I like Quack to the Future because there is a movie called Back to the Future and it sound good.

I like There's Something Stuck in My Hoover because its funny and I have never heard of a book with that name.

The Terrible Truth About Shoogle Lagoon sounds creepy and I like reading creepy stories.

I chose Who's Afraid of the Lumipoo Momps? because its funny and exciting!

I don't know why because all of the titles are really good, but I just prefer The Incredible Adventures of Simon, Turbo and Tigotha the Tig .

I like Enter the Orbit of Zorbit because it is mine and it is short and snappy.

Momps Go Quackers is also a good name because its an EPIC NAME!

I chose Enter the Orbit of Zorbit because its a very catchy book name and sounds like a good book to read.

I voted for Monster Mash in Fangleland and Enter the Orbit of Zorbit because they don't just focus on Lumipoos or anything in particular; it's just talking about the whole book in two or three words. I think that's how a title should be.

Dreaded Lumipoo Momps and their Quest to Take Over Fangleland sounds adventurous and would make me want to read the book.

Sunday 9 March 2014

Week 8 - The Shortlist of Titles is Here

It was hard work but I've managed to get our many title ideas down to a shortlist:

The Terrible Truth About Shoogle Lagoon
Momps Go Quackers
The Incredible Adventures of Simon, Turbo and Tigotha the Tig
Enter the Orbit of Zorbit
Quack to the Future
There’s Something Stuck in my Hoover
Monster Mash in Fangleland
A Monster Problem
Monster Avengers
Dreaded Lumipoo Momps and their Quest to Take Over Fangleland
Who's Afraid of the Lumipoo Momps?

I had to drop some really good titles such as Monster Mayhem and Monster Mischief because there are already books with those names and we want ours to be unique.



Even More Title Suggestions

Manor Lodge School have sent in some title suggestions. Here they are:

Monster Mischief
The Monster Mystery
Lumipoo Momps and the Mystery of Shoogle Lagoon
The Incredible Adventures of Simon and Tigotha the Tig

Week 8 Task - Editing

Editing is a very important part of writing a book. It is necessary to get at least two people to edit a book: you and an editor.

This week, you will need to work in pairs. You will get a chance to be a writer and an editor.

1. Pick a section from between Chapter 11 and the Epilogue.
2. Write your chosen part of our story in your own words.
3. Redraft your own work. Read it through and correct any mistakes. If you think of anything that will improve it, you can add new bits and delete any old bits that don't quite work.
4. Swap your work with your partner.
5. Make a list of at least three things you love about your partner's work.
6. Make a list of suggestions that might improve your partner's work.

Please do not pick a section from the first ten chapters. Why? Because I want to use some of your work in our monster book, and by next week I will have already drafted chapters one to ten.

The editor who will proof read our monster book is called Olivia. She has kindly performed a line edit on the beginning of our monster book, so that you can see what a professional line edit looks like:


Please sent your edited story extracts to rosen.trevithick@gmail.com by Friday, 14th March.

Friday 7 March 2014

More Title Suggestions - Mopping up Momps and Quack to the Future

A few more title suggestions have come in. It's going to be hard work choosing a short list.

From Highfield School:
Simon the Lumipoo Momp Slayer
What happened to the Lumipoo Momps?
Simon’s Revenge.
Simon and Tigotha Mop up the Momps
Simon Sandymop Mops up the Momps

From St Edward's
Enter the Orbit of Zorbit (not on Spooktube)
Tiddy Toddlers vs. Spiky Ducks
Monster Mash
Turbo vs. the Lumipoo Momps
The Fight in Fangleland
Simon's in a Mood
Spiky Ducks (Lumipoo Momps) Take Over the World
Fangleland in Danger Again
Turbo the Toddler Strikes Again
Simon's Not Afraid
The Momps Fight Back
The Monster Teasing Turbo
Call of Monsters
Monster Avengers
Quack to the Future
The Day the Lumipoos Go Quackers
Lumipoo Momps and Tubsters Gone Crazy
Turbo Tiddle Terror
The War on Planet Zorbit
Something is Stuck in the Hoover
Quack Comes the Duck
The Monster Mash in Fangleland
Lumipoo Invasion
The Misadventures in Fangleland
Monster Mayhem
Gloomy Lumipoo Invasion

Here Are Some of the Illustrations that Arrived This Week

Here are some of the illustrations that have arrived so far this week. 

Don't forget to check back later to see if Katie W. Stewart has commented.
Above: Chapter 1 by Callum from Highfield School. Thugodore bullying Tigotha is rather chilling! Look at that wicked grin!

Above: Chapter 3 by David from Highfield School. It's Simon starting school. I like the way that David has made Simon look really kind and friendly.

Above: Chapter 5 by Annabel from St Edward's - Micromaniac lets go of Toby when he sees a puppy. Phew!

Above: Chapter 6 by Chloe from St Edward's - a lumipoo momp climbs up an old lady's skirt. (One of the funniest moments in the whole book!)



Above: Here's another Chapter 6 illustration. This time by Ella from Queensgate Primary. That momp looks very menacing. No wonder the lady is screaming!

Above: This illustration by Tyler could be used for chapter 8 or 9. It's Toby versus Micromaniac action! 


Above: Chapter 12 by Lacey. A boy goes to answer the door and there's a lumipoo momp outside. Is that Simon, I wonder? The zebra-striped jumper makes me wonder if it's Thugodore!


Above: Another Chapter 12 illustration, this time by Emily from Queensgate. I like to details.

Above: Chapter 16 illustration by George from Highfield School - the mobility scooter in all its glory.

Above: Tigotha looking happy near a zebra so this must be Chapter 20. This one's by James from Highfield school.


Above: Anti-Galactic Sauce Co poster by Josh. A great poster. I had envisaged posters being portrait (rather than landscape) because the book will be portrait. But then again, readers will have to rotate their books to look at our map, so perhaps it doesn't matter.


Thank you for all the illustrations I've received s far. Keep them coming in!