Tag: blog-tour

Blog Tour: Bringing Back Kay-Kay

Written by  Dev Kothari
Cover Illustration by Tara Anand
Published by Walker Books

Welcome to my stop on the Blog Tour for Bringing Back Kay-Kay. I have a wonderful piece from Dev Kothari to share with you where she reflects on train journey adventures.

You can also read my review of this wonderful story here: Bringing Back Kay-Kay.

Adventuring on trains

Growing up in a small town near Mumbai, in India, I walked or cycled to school, to the shops, to my best friend’s flat. To get to nearby towns, we took buses mostly, rickshaws and taxis were a luxury. And for farther distances, like when we’d visit my grandparents or go on a rare holiday or two, we’d take the train.

And it was during those travels, especially the long, overnight ones, that my love for train journeys began. Whether it is because of the rhythm of the carriages jostling on the tracks, or the views from the windows, or the serendipitous encounters with fellow passengers, travelling on trains has always felt like adventuring to me.

When I was 18 years old, I was lucky enough to be chosen to go on a very special train journey that brought together students from all over the world, to travel across India on a 20-day adventure.

Since then, I’ve ventured on trains in many different countries like Austria, China, France, Germany, Italy, Morocco, Norway, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.S, to name some.

The more I travel by trains, the more I love it. I think that’s why the mystery-adventure in Bringing Back Kay-Kay is centred around a train journey too. Even though I didn’t set out to do so when I began writing it, I was very happy when the idea occurred to me. I loved bringing in and exploring different elements of train journeys. I think the best bit was writing the people that Lena meets like Stan the Man and Chacha and Singh Madam. What is interesting is that I had no idea when I was writing the story that these characters would appear. It was as if they were all waiting to be discovered – I’m sure that they’re all semblances of people that I came across one time or the other myself on a train somewhere.

I hope that my book is able to convey some of that sense of adventure and joy that I’ve experienced to the readers. And wouldn’t it be absolutely wonderful, if it inspirits them to adventure on trains themselves too?

Author Information

Dev Kothari grew up in a sleepy hamlet near Mumbai,
where she read obsessively, wrote furtively and daydreamed endlessly. She
won the Commonword Diversity YA novel prize in 2018 and went on to study
for an MA in Writing for Children at Bath Spa University. This is her debut
novel. Dev lives in north London. You can find Dev on Twitter: @DevyaniNK
and Instagram: devyani_nk

Bringing Back Kay-Kay by Dev Kothari (Walker Books) available now.

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For the opportunity to win a copy of Bringing Back Kay-Kay, please check my pinned tweet.

Thank you to Lorraine Keating and Walker Books for inviting me to be part of the Blog Tour. Please do check out the other stops on the Tour:

Blog Tour: Alex Neptune: Zombie Fighter

Written by David Owen
Illustrated by George Ermos
Published by Usborne

Alex Neptune:  Zombie Fighter is the fourth amazing adventure for Alex and his friends Zoey and Anil in this action-packed, exciting and fun series … perfect for readers of 9+.

Out on their rowing boat, Alex Neptune is teaching his friends, Anil and Zoey, how to control their sea magic when a heavy fog creeps towards them.  Racing it back to Haven Bay with the help of the new Water Dragon, they watch it blanket the town.  When Alex arrives home and the pirate Brineblood’s skull begins to glow, he knows that the fog is bringing danger … and he’s not wrong!  Hidden in the fog are frightening crab spiders ridden by creepy cloaked zombies … and they’re looking for their master, Brineblood.

And so begins a thrilling, fast-paced adventure as Alex, Anil and Zoey discover that the only way to stop the zombies from resurrecting Brineblood is to find a powerful weapon:  a trident.  There’s only one problem – it has been broken into three pieces.  Actually, there’s two problems – each piece has been hidden in a perilous place.  Can the children enter each of these places, overcome the danger there, and use their sea magic to retrieve the trident pieces before the zombies hunting them catch up?  Can they trust in an old acquaintance to help save Haven Bay from the zombie hunters?   

I absolutely loved being back with Alex and his friends for another incredible, page-turning adventure.  The zombies, relentlessly hunting on the backs of huge spider crabs, are seriously creepy and gross.  I really felt the danger and tension as they hunted for Brineblood’s skull whose twisted magic holds power over them.  It felt like the children could never escape them as they get closer and closer to catching them as the friends are focussed on retrieving the hidden trident pieces. 

Alex, Zoey and Anil make such a wonderful team with such a strong friendship, always ready to support and encourage each other.   They face great danger with courage, determination – and a sense of humour!  I really liked that the children’s families, especially Bridget (she’s seriously sassy and brilliant!) and Grandpa, are such an active part of the adventure, helping and supporting them in their mission.  I also really enjoyed that the sea animals remain such a pivotal part of the adventure, helping their friends to save Haven Bay and its people.    

This is an exciting, magical and humorous adventure brimming with wonderful friendships, courage and danger, and is a brilliant continuation of a series I’ve absolutely adored.  I cannot wait to join this wonderful team in their next adventure:  Dragon Champion.

Author Information

Having worked as a freelance games journalist and taught on a BA Creative Writing course for three years, David Owen’s debut novel, Panther, was longlisted for the Carnegie Medal, and was followed by three further highly
acclaimed YA novels. Alex Neptune is his first series for younger readers, born of his love for nail-biting heists, fantastical monsters and heartfelt friendships.

Thank you so much to Kaleidoscopic Tours for inviting me to be part of the Blog Tour, and to Usborne for providing me with a copy of Alex Neptune, Zombie Fighter in exchange for my honest opinion.

Do check out the other stops on this week’s Blog Tour below: