A book series written by Bandon writer Leona Forde continues to capture children’s imaginations as they can relate to the young protagonist Milly’s everyday adventures, writes Martin Claffey
THERE’S a special focus on Bandon at this year’s An Post Irish Book of the Year awards, which take place in the Convention Centre Dublin next Wednesday, November 27th.
The town has writers shortlisted in three different categories at this year’s awards, with talents across the literary sphere.
Bandon-based writer Dónal O’Sullivan, originally from Ardfield, has a short story – Estepona – shortlisted in the New Irish Writing Best Short Story Category of the awards.
Graham Norton’s book Frankie published by Coronet is shortlisted in the Ireland AM popular fiction category.
Graham Norton’s book Frankie is nominated in the popular fiction category.
And Leona Forde from Kilbrogan’s book Milly McCarthy and the Sports Day Shambles is nominated in the senior category for the Specsavers Children’s Book of the Year.
Last year, Leona was nominated for another book in the series, Milly McCarthy and the Irish Dancing Disaster.
Milly McCarthy and the Sports Day Shambles is the third in the series of Milly McCarthy books, which have captured the imaginations of children across the country. Milly McCarthy and the Sports Day Shambles, hit number one in the children’s fiction chart on release, ahead of the latest in the US juggernaut Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and stayed there for four weeks, the only Irish-published title in the children’s top 10.
Milly McCarthy and the Christmas Calamity, has just hit bookshelves across the country as Milly returns with a festive adventure, which has already flown into the top 10 children’s books.
Teacher Leona Forde could not have imagined the success of the Milly McCarthy when she started to bring her character to life two years ago.
‘Milly just started through stories I’d tell my children,’ said Leona, who is a secondary school teacher in Kinsale Community School. ‘We could be in the car or whatever and I’d start telling them stories about Milly and there’d always be mischief, and they’d say things like, “what would Milly do?”’
The beauty of Milly, says Leona, is that she is just like her readers and they can relate to her.
‘My daughter Asha loved the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books but there were no books where the characters were like her,’ explains Leona.
‘Children can relate to Milly. She’s from Cork, she goes to a Gaeilscoil just like my children were going to the Gaeilscoil. They have names like Ronan or Emily or other names that they hear. The adventures happen when they are doing things like going on the school tour, or in school working for the Green Flag – all the things that happen in Irish schools.’
Indeed some of the adventures are inspired by real life. ‘In Milly Is A Complete Catastrophe, Milly and her class go on a trip to Fota Wildlife Park. On the trip Milly thinks a tailfeather has fallen off one of peacocks but gets a surprise when it is still attached – that’s something that happened to Asha when we were at Fota,’ says Leona.
Leona’s children Asha (14), Rían (12), Isaac (9), and Indy (5) are all huge fans of the Milly series. And chief critics.
‘I can tell by their faces if they get it or not. Sometimes if there’s a joke in a story, they’ll say “that’s not funny” and I know it doesn’t work.’
Leona’s husband Tony Speight helps in his own way – with caffeination! Tony runs West Cork Coffee roastery, which stocks across West Cork and beyond and has a café at the Grey Heron on Bridge Street in Bandon.
And while the children are getting older, Milly will remain a mischievous 10-year-old schoolgirl forever. ‘The character doesn’t age so she will always be the same character,’ says Leona.
While Milly’s adventures will continue unabated, Leona has also started a new adventure of her own, as she starts to write young adult fiction.
‘It is different. Milly can do crazy things and the story can just continue. With teens it has to all make sense at the end, so it takes a bit longer.’
The Milly books are illustrated by Karen Harte, an artistic creator from Dublin. ‘I didn’t knw Karen before the books came out, and we met for the first time after the first book came out,’ explains Leona. ‘But I describe a character and she is able to create exactly how the characters should look.’
Milly and the Christmas Calamity has just hit bookshelves across West Cork but Leona told The Southern Star that the adventures won’t stop there. ‘I’ve already finished the fifth book and I’m already working on the sixth book, which will be a Halloween adventure,’ said Leona.
The books have been a huge success in Ireland and Leona has discovered there’s also an expatriate grá for Milly.
‘I know a lot of people tend to send them to relatives as gifts to places like Australia and the US,’ says Leona. ‘Also people from Ireland who have emigrated have ordered the books to that they can tell their children “this is what school life is like in Ireland, where I grew up”.’
