#WorldofWalliamsOZ – David Walliams (‘the new Roald Dahl’) – comes to Australia, Brisbane, and ABC 3!

 

 

 

         

         

David Walliams at the Brisbane Powerhouse, Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Absolutely wow is all we can say!  Brisbane Powerhouse, HarperCollins Kids Australia, and Sydney Writers Festival, made it possible for Brisbane kids, of all ages, to enjoy David Walliams and Ed Kavalee in conversation.

David Walliams writes junior fiction and picture books, and is so good, that he is being heralded as the next Roald Dahl.  A big claim, yet, it seems applicable.  HarperCollins Kids publishes his books.  Check out the slideshow below of David’s books.  Congratulations to HarperCollins Kids for publishing such wonderful books, by such a phenomenal author.

(on a side note, HarperCollins Kids also publishes Jackie French!  And we are over the moon that she will be launching her Book Links Travelling Suitcase nest Tuesday, as part of National Simultaneous Storytime Celebrations.  Find out more HERE).

The Brisbane Powerhouse is an amazing venue, for anything and everything.  Recently they hosted the IRL Digital Festival, which was very well attended.  It seemed to be the past, present, and future of gaming in once place.  And it was free to attend!  The Powerhouse was also the perfect venue for #WorldofWalliamsOZ!

Wallapalooza on ABC 3 this weekend!

So far, two of David Walliams’ books have been made into telemovies.  And thanks to the good folks over at ABC 3, all Australians, young and old, will be able to enjoy these films THIS WEEKEND!

David will be live in the studio on ABC from 5:25pm tonight!  Mr Stink will begin at 6pm.  And tomorrow, Gangsta Granny will begin at 6pm.  So make sure your TV is locked into ABC 3 this, and tomorrow, evening.

The Show

It would take a novel length blog post to do the show justice.  However, we know you’re all a busy bunch, so we’ll try to keep it short.  In fact, where possible, we’ll give you the details in dot points.

We do highly recommend, that if you ever get the chance, go and see David Walliams LIVE!  He is nothing short of inspirational, amazing and phenomenal (and some)!

• David is SO good at character voices when reading his books!
• Has a great deal of fun researching.
• David Walliams plays the Prime Minister in the Mr Stink telemovie. The real Prime Minister is also called David, so some kids are confused about who the real Prime Minister is.

David on his Books

Question – Ed Kavalee – Is The Boy in the Dress autobiographical?”

Answer – David – “I’ve dabbled”.  (His sister used to dress him up & march him down the street in a mauve wedding dress).  “The last time was 3-4 years ago”.

• Gangsta Granny was somewhat based on his Granny.  He used to think she was boring, as they used to do things like playing scrabble (one of our favourite games for the record).  David’s Granny talked about the Blitz, Granny has really exciting stories to tell.  “As young people, we don’t realise what stories older people have.  We think they’ve always been old”.

The Writing Process

• If you’re going to write, it’s really good to always have an evil villain.
• Keep your eyes open, you never know when a good story will pop up.

Question – Ed – Are you reading out loud when you write?

Answer – David – No, I actually act it out, as I come from an acting background in Little Britain.

Stage Adaptations and Film Options

• Gangsta Granny & Mr Stink have been adapted for the stage.
• Ratburger & Demon Dentist have been optioned for films!

New Books!

• David was writing his new book on Tuesday – there are Raj scenes, he is back.  Grandpa’s Great Escape.  Grandpa lives in a Maximum Security Twighlight Zone, and his Grandson attempts to set him free.
• The Bear Who Went Boo.  A picture books about a naughty little polar bear that annoys everyone.

David Meeting the Queen

David told us that he has met the Queen of England on a few occasions.  He said, that before one meets the Queen, that one is briefed on appropriate etiquette, and what one may or may not do or say.

David told us that he was absolutely itching to ask the Queen, “Have you read Gangsta Granny?”  As well as David, would LOVE to know if she has.

Q&A Session

David and Ed ran a Q&A session at the end of their presentation.  The only complaint that we have, is that adults weren’t allowed to questions.  Well, not really, it was all about the kids, and they really did ask stellar questions.

Here are our favourites from the session:

Q – When you were a kid, how did you feel about writing & acting?

A – Well I loved acting, I was quite a show off

Q – who’s your favourite character?

A – the villains!  The evil dentist witch.

Q – what inspired you to write children’s books?

A – I love reading children’s books.  It’s a great guilty pleasure.  (We completely agree!)

Q – have you ever known a thieving Granny?

A – no.  But it would actually be a great disguise.  If you’re a granny, you don’t look like you’re going to steal anything.

Q – what’s your favourite book that you’ve written?

A – Harry Potter & the Philosophers Stone.  I let this woman called J.K. Rowling……. [lots of laughter from the crowd]  Actually, “Mr Stink”.

Q – do you have a good recipe for rat burgers?

A – I’ve never tried one, at least I don’t think I have.

Q – how come all the mothers are dead or split up?

A – at the start of the book, you need the child’s life to be not right.  So the story can make it better.

Q – will you ever set a story in Australia? 

A – I got asked same question in New Zealand.  It’s just easier to say yes (cheeky grin).

Q – where did you get idea for Awful Aunty?

A – I have 3 aunties, and they’re all alive, so it wasn’t based on them…….

 

World of Walliams Website

Not surprisingly, David Walliams has a spectacular website, check it out HERE!

Now, we must finish, as we have a number of David Walliams books to read this weekend!