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Stories, surprises and fantastical film sets with Frank Cottrell-Boyce
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Primary Times catches up with celebrated author, screenwriter and Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce!
Known for his imaginative storytelling and heartwarming characters, Frank Cottrell-Boyce’s newest book The Blockbusters! is a thrilling adventure that captures the excitement of childhood and friendship. Frank shares with us the inspiration behind the title, along with his favourite thing about writing and the power of stories more widely.
If you could swap places with any character from a children’s book for a day, who would it be and why?
Because I grew up wanting to be an astronaut - and still want to be an astronaut - it would be Liam, the boy in my own book Cosmic. Two reasons – one, because he’s an astronaut (which I’m not), and two because he’s tall (which I’m very much not). It’s probably bad to choose one of my own books but it’s the truth!
What’s your favourite thing about reading and writing?
Same thing for both - not knowing what comes next. I love surprises. A good story is full of surprises and the first person to be surprised is always the writer.
Why do you think stories are such a powerful part of childhood?
Stories are how we think. They’re part of our brain’s software. But more importantly, if you’re read to as a child, that’s a huge bond with the person who read to you - be that your parents, grandparents or carers. A story is a hug that lasts your whole life!
Some parents worry if their child is a reluctant reader. What would you say to encourage them?
Read TO them! Or read WITH them. Reading is a shared thing - like food.
Your new book is titled The Blockbusters! Can you tell us what inspired the story?
I visited a school in Seacombe, near Liverpool. When I arrived, the kids welcomed me by doing some Shakespeare sonnets. I was amazed and wanted to write something for them. I love hanging round film sets but couldn’t figure out how to get these kids onto one. Then I thought of an occasion when I was filming with a very big star. The road was closed off but a man came up to the barrier and said he was the postman. We thought he was the actor playing the postman but he was the actual postman. He’d had a big breakfast with a big movie star before anyone realised.
What do you hope families will talk about after finishing The Blockbusters! together?
In the end it’s a book about finding your forever house so maybe they’d talk about what would be your forever house but it’s also a film about all the brilliant and surprising jobs there are on a movie set. I think people don’t talk enough about how many weird and funny jobs there are in film making. For instance I once met the woman in charge of all the owls in Harry Potter (it’s a LOT of owls).
Were there any parts of the story that surprised you as they unfolded?
I was blinking surprised that it ended up at the Oscars! Also one character turns out to be not who you think she is. Her real identity was a complete surprise to me. No spoilers.
If readers could take away one message from The Blockbusters! what would you want it to be?
The world really is your oyster.
The Blockbusters! by Frank Cottrell-Boyce and illustrated by Steven Lenton is published with Macmillan Children's Books and out now!
Photography © Rich Barr