You think it's Lucky's story all the way through, but finally, it ends with her point of view –which was not the case on the first draft, or even the tenth! When our teacher reads it to us everyone listens so well so we can hear every bit of your amazing book. I'm so glad that you enjoyed Phoenix, and it's amazing to hear that my books have made you more enthusiastic about books. The reason for this is that with every book, my ambition is to make the book as good as I can possibly make it. It's hard for me to pick just one character in Phoenix, but two of my favourites are Lucky, the human boy who dreams about the stars, and Bixa, the alien girl who he meets in space.

SF SAID: SF Said - Varjak Paw SF SAID: SF Said - Varjak Paw

The second school we visited was Hardwick Middle School, where I talked to the Year 7s again, and had some really great questions about writing and books. The book is around 300 pages, although as with my other books, a lot of those pages are heavily illustrated by Dave McKean, and have very few words or no words at all. I've found that when you talk to children about reading and writing in those terms - as something that connects to their love of stories, whether those stories are in books, films, TV or other forms altogether - they will often amaze you with their enthusiasm and creativity. Around its circumference are carved intricate patterns and 12 symbols, "like a long-forgotten alphabet". They might look quite different to Phoenix, being about cats rather than aliens, but deep down, I think they have a lot in common with Phoenix.First up was Francis Holland School in London, where I talked to the Junior Girls, some of whom were already Varjak Paw fans! The lesson I learnt from Phoenix is that you should be confident and positive: always believe in yourself because in the end you can be successful if you persevere. I'm so glad that you and your class are enjoying it, and that it's even helping you with your own writing! written in, to all the librarians who created that space – and to whoever noticed Phoenix, and nominated it for these awards.

Phoenix by SF Said – review | Children and teenagers | The

Phoenix is an epic story about a human boy who has the power of a star, and an alien girl who is the most brilliant warrior in the galaxy. It is a rich narrative weave, seeded with mythic archetypes and resonant with echoes of 20th-century fantasy classics (Pullman, Tolkien, Star Wars). Thank you so much for your message - it's amazing to hear that you and your class are enjoying Phoenix so much! Not only does it break new territory – epic space adventures are, after all, not in abundance on the children’s shelf – but it is layered with depth and meaning right from the get go.Varjak Paw is currently featured on the CLPE's recommended reading list for primary schools, and both books are being taught in classrooms around the UK. We are putting in brackets the names of everyone in the class who has contributed an idea to this letter). Our resources are crucial for knowledge lovers everywhere—so if you find all these bits and me and my friend louis are having a competition to see who can finish it the first and im on chapter 8.

SF SAID: Phoenix - Varjak Paw

Now Varjak must use the Way to survive in a city full of dangerous dogs, cat gangs and, strangest of all, the mysterious Vanishings. They are my three favourites, as Frollix is kind and has a good sense of humour, Bixa is totally hilarious and really lightens up the atmosphere, and Lucky is very sweet and lovable.Good luck with your writing - I've been doing a series of writing tips here on my blog - you might find some of them helpful. Firstly, thank you for writing such a fantastic book - the children are completely engrossed and it has inspired some incredible writing (their best yet)! Thank you, that's an amazing compliment, though I can't agree about the other authors, because they're among my own all-time favourites! I am writing on behalf of year 4, Holmleigh Primary School, who have really enjoyed reading Varjak Paw as a class.