Chase to the Brazen Head Launch
Last Saturday, we launched Young Haven’s newest novel, an exciting YA read called ‘Chase to the Brazen Head‘, at Metrobooks in Elements Mall.
The audience got a taste of the adventures that the CEC (China Exploration Club) have, when author Greg Payne read a tantalising snippet from his book.
We then held a pop quiz (with yummy prizes) and a lucky draw – with one lucky participant winning a copy of the book, and another winning the grand prize of a ticket to Ocean Park!
The author later signed copies of his book for fans – please scroll down for photos.
A special guest star was also unveiled at the launch – the Brazen Head featured in the title! The Head is unusual, as, if awoken, it can tell you what will happen in the future. Everyone was quite excited to see it there, but as it is complicated to ‘wake’ it, it remained silent and mysterious through the launch.
If you could ask the Brazen Head just one question about your future, what would it be? Tell us, in the comments section, under this post!
The author, Greg, is pictured below with Carson Long (left) – who wrote the very first review of the book – and Oliver Steinglass (centre) – the brother of the lucky draw grand prize winner, Naomi!
Hello HKIS students!
Look for our table this Saturday at the HKIS World’s Fair. Three Haven authors will be signing copies of their popular new books and answer your questions. From 11-12:30pm, ‘Chase to the Brazen Head’ author, Gregory Payne, will share the secrets of the China Exploration Club. Be sure to ask him about his favourite Chinese weapons! You will also be able to meet authors Andreas Rosboch and Vera Goodwin. See you there!
Live storytelling
Meet ‘Chase to the Brazen Head‘ author Gregory Payne this Saturday from 3-4pm @ Metrobooks in Elements Mall. Listen to the China Exploration Club’s adventures and test your luck for a chance to win a free copy of the book! See you there!
Calling young illustrators!
What do you think the characters in ‘Chase to the Brazen Head’ look like? Pick your favourite character and draw him/her then email it to us at younghavenbooks@gmail.com. Don’t forget to let us know which character you’ve drawn, and also your name, age and school details.
The winner will receive a coupon for any book published by Haven Books! The judges’ decision will be final.
Vote for the next great character!
Great characters make for great stories. We’ve picked four famous Chinese people – a pirate, a warlord, an empress, and an explorer. Check out the list below and pick the one YOU think would be a great character for a book. To vote, write your choice in the comments section below.
1. Zheng He – the famous naval explorer who commanded a huge fleet and sailed as far as the Gulf of Arabia in the 15th Century
2. Cheung Po Tsai – the infamous pirate chief – leader of 50,000 pirates! He pillaged and terrorised Hong Kong waters, in the Qing dynasty (so much so that they had to offer him a position in the Qing navy!)
3. Genghis Khan – the bloodthirsty emperor warlord of the Mongols, who had the burning desire to rule over the whole of China
4. Empress Dowager Cixi – who ruled China with a ruthless rod of iron when Queen Victoria was on the throne of England…
Ever dreamt about being a published writer/illustrator?
Haani Jetha, the author of ‘Paint the Sky Blue’, had his dream come true aged ten! Below, Haani talks to Young Haven about his book, his life and his inspiration.
YH: Do you enjoy writing?
HJ: Sometimes, when I have something interesting to say!
YH: What sort of thing do you like writing the most?
HJ: I prefer writing poems.
YH: Did you enjoy writing or illustrating Paint the Sky Blue more?
HJ: I enjoyed doing both but illustrating was more fun.
YH: How long did it take you to write and illustrate?
HJ: It took about three weeks, but I did not work all day. Some weekends I sat on my balcony in the sun and just painted the pictures.
YH: What is your favourite book?
HJ: Right now, I love Alice in Wonderland.
YH: If you were to be a character in a book, which character would you choose to be, and why?
HJ: Harry Potter because I would love to be a wizard like he is, to make good magic and cast spells.
YH: What’s the first book you remember reading?
HJ: Goodnight Moon. [a classic picture book by Margaret Wise Brown]
YH: What do you like doing in your spare time?
HJ: Playing the violin, reading, painting, playing tennis and cricket, riding my bike and watching movies.
YH: What do you want to be when you grow up?
HJ: An artist.
Kid authors help kids in need
You can write and draw, so what? Well, A LOT. Your writing can make a big difference in another kid’s life. How?
Over the last two years, kids from Renaissance College, Canadian International School, Chinese International School, HKIS, Shatin College, Peak School and Hong Kong Academy wrote and illustrated books to help change the world. Really. They made books for Kids4Kids. The money raised by selling the books is used to build schools and libraries, to help other kids in poor countries. Thanks to the Kids4Kids authors and the hardworking Kids4Kids volunteers, Kids4Kids raised HK$85,000 last year for the charity Room to Read with the first series of books titled: One Painting at a Time, You’re Never Too Young to Help, Badminton for Books, Sweet Work and Figure Skating for Gold.
The Kids4Kids Books 2009 series is out now featuring talented kids from Chinese International, Peak School and Hong Kong Academy. The books are: Where are You?, No Ordinary Dog and Paint the Sky Blue. Get your copy today and, when you’ve finished reading them, start writing and drawing for tomorrow! The kids have again chosen to give all the money raised from the new series to Room to Read.
