Author of the Month -- Frank Cottrell Boyce

For Kids

Get to Know Frank Cottrell Boyce

Photo courtesy of Candlewick Press

Buckle up for the much anticipated companion to Ian Fleming's beloved children's book, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Award winning author Frank Cottrell Boyce continues the story in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again
Illustrated by Joe Berger
Candlewick, 2012 (Ages 8-13)
eBook

Author Frank Cottrell Boyce introduces his new book, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again.

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Q & A with Frank Cottrell Boyce

Where did you get your idea for this book?

I have no idea what made the Flemings ask me to write the sequel. I haven’t asked them in case it’s all a case of mistaken identity. I wasn’t sure whether to say yes at first, but when I mentioned it to my family, any doubts I might have had were shouted down. Everyone wanted me to do this. So I went back to the book for the first time since I was a boy and was delighted to discover that, first of all, it’s really good and, second, it’s crying out for a sequel. The original book ends with the car heading off into the sunset with the family on board. They were surely going to have more adventures. But sadly, Fleming died before he could say what those adventures might be. Finally, I was absolutely thrilled to discover that Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was a real car, built by Count Zborowski in an attempt to break the world land-speed record in 1921. I’ve had a lot of fun — and am planning to have a lot more — just kicking this story up and down the pitch, with history at one end and fantasy at the other, mixing up the real history of aristocratic motor racing with the details of motor mechanics and the silly magic of a flying car. Somewhere among all the fun, though, I found it strangely emotional to go and revisit that boy at the cinema and ask if he could help me restore an old-fashioned contraption and make it fly again.

What was your favorite book/movie when you were growing up?

I have extremely clear memories of going to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as a child — especially the bit where she falls off the cliff and everyone screams. And I especially remember the Child Catcher [character], of course. Favorite books would be those by E. Nesbit. I still idolize her. She wrote The Railway Children, Five Children and It, and best of all, The Story of the Treasure Seekers.

When did you decide to start writing books for children?

I’ve always loved reading children’s books, but I never thought of writing one until Danny Boyle suggested that I write Millions — which he was about to start filming — as a book. Sometimes you need someone to give you that shove, don’t you? As soon as I started writing it, I thought, “Oh, this is what I’m supposed to be doing with my life.” It was like coming home.

When writing children’s books, do you let your own children read the first drafts?

Not normally, but on this occasion, yes. It’s because Chitty doesn’t belong to me — she belongs to everyone. So I thought it was only right to get my children to kick the tires and listen for any strange knocking sounds from the engine. They’ve been really helpful.

If you could take a flying car anywhere in the world, where would you go?

I’d love to land on the top of the Auyantepui plateau in Gran Sabana, Venezuela. It’s almost impossible to get there apart from in a tiny flying machine, and it’s from the top of this plateau that the world’s highest waterfall, Angel Falls, goes tumbling into the Rio Gauya. Angel Falls is so high that most of the water turns to mist before it hits the bottom. I’d love to peep over the edge. And after that, fly home and land in my front garden.

More to Explore

Frank Cottrell Boyce is a past winner of the Carnegie Medal, England's version of the Newbery Medal. Find many other books that have won this award for "outstanding book for children."
Follow Chitty and the Tooting family around the world by exploring more about the places they visited, from the United Kingdom to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, to the Great Sphinx of Giza (where Lucy used her Arabic, which you can learn with Mango Languages), and across the Arabian Sea to Madagascar. Where might it take them next?
Mr. and Mrs. Tooting leave the children behind when they go for a ride in an Aston Martin DB5. Discover other cool cars by checking out some of these books.
Create your own Chitty or print other fun activities on the Chitty Flies Again site.