Orchestra!

Lights!

Cue the Wolf-Pack!

I saw all this at Tiverton School last week -- a wonderful primary school in Tottenham.

     I was there because I was contacted, through my website, by Kate Stilitz (left), Tiverton's music teacher. She had come across my book, The Wolf's Footprint, had loved it, and had turned it into a play, writing the script, songs and music herself. She wondered if I would like to come and see it performed?
Well, what a silly question. It is true that I detest traveling to London. I don't like London much. It always seems to be roasting hot when I'm there, and gritty and dirty, noisy and crowded - normally I'd much, much rather spend 15 hours traveling to the Outer Hebrides than two hours traveling to London.
          But how many chances do you get to see a story that you wrote interpreted and reinvented by another artist because they loved it? With all the work, and thought, and revision that entails?
          Not many... So there was never any question but that I would go.

It was a roasting hot day. London was as noisy, crowded, dirty and gritty as ever. But the play, and the children's performance -- was worth it and more. There wasn't a moment when my attention wandered -- I sat there throughout with a big grin on my face. You might say I was biased - - but the rest of the audience, made up of parents and children from other classes in the school, were equally absorbed, despite the heat.

Called on to say a few words after, I said that, although a bit late -- my birthday had been the week before -- it was the best birthday present I'd ever had.
I mentioned that I'd written a book called The Ghost Drum, which had been awarded the Carnegie Medal for best book of its year -- and that this was better. And I mean it.

I'm not decrying the Carnegie Medal in any way. It was awarded by librarians who work with children, and who are informed, and often passionate, about children's books and their importance. And they gave me their medal. I'm proud of that.

But it doesn't quite compare with discovering that another artist has so enjoyed and 'got' something that you've written, that they've been willing to pour their own energy into creating something new from it.

Thank you, Kate. And thank you, the wonderful cast.
The beautiful wolf-masks were made by Ramona Barsalona.

Daw becomes a wolf.

Thank you to Kate for the wonderful photos.

The King and his court.

Below, you can watch a trailer for The Wolf's Footprint.'