Page 4 - Clover issue_15

Once again, this year our school
was honoured to welcome, as
of a ladder to space while the
part of the Hong Kong Literary &
“Silverwing” series chronicles the
Arts Fes� val, 2 guest writers. Ken-
adventures of sen� ent bats.
neth Oppel, a Canadian writer of
While these were the books he
“Young Adult Fiction”, was kind
principally talked about, Oppel
enough to talk to us about his life
has written 32 books, all fic-
and works. Right away, it became
tion, for children, young adults
apparent that he had something
and adults. Questioned about
in common with “Auggie” the
his characterization of female
central character in “Wonder” –
characters, Oppel confessed
the book promoted by the PTA
that he found this challenging
this year. Both, as children, were
huge fans of “Star Wars” and awarded a prize for the best
ques� on to his interlocutor.
Kenneth describes how he wrote
Questioned further about his
his first story based on a Star
career, Oppel admitted that it
Wars theme. When he wasn’t
was diffi cult in the modern world
writing, he played video games
with so many writers self-publish-
and Dungeons and Dragons. By
ing on the web for a professional
the time he published his first
writer to make a good living.
book, at 17, it was clear that he
was going to be a fantasist. book sets up a totally different
Nonetheless, Kenneth Oppel
concluded with some force that
Unlike JK Rowling though, he
reading is a unique way for the
didn’t take the medieval mag-
human brain to work since every
ical route but instead engaged
with Sci-Fi concepts and anthro-
experience in your head, one
pomorphism in his 2 most suc-
in which the imagination of the
cessful collections. His “Airborn”
reader is ac� vely par� cipa� ng in
series started with the concept
the engagement with the writer.
Famous Anthropomorphic Novels
1903 Call of the Wild Jack London
1945 Animal Farm George Orwell
1972 Watership Down Richard Adams