The family story I never expected ...

Murray Dowding's Magic Lantern and Slides @ 1910,
Town Hall, Chipping Sodbury, UK  * Photo courtesy Rich McDonough, Bristol

This photograph is the result of an incredible family story that began in the early 1900s and ended last month, June, 2024. 

What does the photograph depict? 

My grandfather, Murray Dowding (1881-1966), was a well-known photographer and local historian in Chipping Sodbury, UK. 

The photograph at the top of the page shows Murray's "magic lantern" projector from @1910 and two boxes of his silver nitrate slides. These treasures finally found a permanent home after a 54 year wait, and are now on display in the Town Hall cabinet in Chipping Sodbury, Gloucestershire, UK, for all time. 

Image: Murray Dowding's photo of "The Ancient Parish Chest" @ 1910.

The long, black object below Murray's lantern is the 15th century "Parish Chest," which once held birth, death, and marriage certificates, along with landholder title papers. An historical and irreplaceable treasure. On the wall above, the Town motto, and not shown, the town seal and crest.

How did Murray's lantern and slides end up in Chipping Sodbury Town Hall? 

Long ago, after my grandmother died in 1970, Murray's magic lantern and two boxes of his slides were saved from the garbage. A kind (and wise) local man thought that "someone would want them one day," and stowed them away in his cottage attic. 

Fast forward to August 2023, when thanks to a Canada Council Research and Creation grant, I traveled to England to research a children's book about WWII. One day, local photographer and historian Rich McDonough drove me to the countryside to visit someone who "wanted to meet me." 

We arrived at a beautiful 12th century Cotswolds cottage, and an incredible surprise was waiting: two older people who knew my grandfather! And more, they had Murray's magic lantern and slides in their living room!

The biggest surprise of all? Their exact words to me: "We've been the custodians of your grandfather's treasures for over 50 years Philippa, but they really belong to you."

Did I cry? Oh, I tried so hard no to! I was overwhelmed, frankly.  My grandfather's magic lantern? Two boxes of his slides? I gathered myself, and promised the two kind older people that I would find a place in Chipping Sodbury to house Murray's treasures. And soon. 

Image: Author with Murray Dowding's @1910 magic lantern and slides, a gift from two wonderful custodians after waiting 50+ years for someone from the family to claim them! Photo courtesy Rich McDonough.

I should note here that my grandfather took thousands of images, many of which are safe in local archives and private collections in the UK. The images in these two boxes have been digitized and made public. I  should also note, that my grandfather and his family lived at 62 Broad Street, right across from Town Hall, for three generations. The box I'm holding in the image has Murray's handwriting on it, his address, and the name of the slides within: William Tyndale.

So now, I had to find the magic lantern and slides a home. As you can see, the lantern on its display box is quite large! Who would take it and keep it safe?

With some guidance from new friends in UK, I approached Chipping Sodbury Town Hall. After some back and forth with me in Toronto, the council agreed there was historical and cultural value in Murray's treasures, a local who lived and photographed the area for over 50 years from @1890 - 1945. Image: Murray's photo of Stonehenge, @1905

Much of the town's history is recorded in my grandfather's photographic legacy, and his magic lantern slide talks were part of the social history of the time. My father, Marcus, often spoke of how, as a young boy, he moved the slides across the front of the projector lens while his father, Murray, gave his talk. An expert in local history, the Roman camps, 16th Century Martyr William Tyndale and much more, Murray's magic lantern talks were held in halls and centres across Gloucestershire. Today, many of Murray Dowding's photos hang in Town Hall and in local pubs and businesses. 

And now, as of June 2024, his magic lantern and a few boxes of his many thousands of slides are waiting in Town Hall for the next generation to enjoy. Thank you to everyone who helped make this happen, and thank you to Chipping Sodbury Town Hall for seeing value in ancient technology and images, and in my grandfather's contribution to local culture and historical legacy. By all accounts he was a modest man, but I like to think Murray might be a little glad to see his work curated and protected for all time.

Image: Murray Dowding, Ridley, Gladys, and my father, Marcus, the little guy at right, @1930.

More about Murray Dowding on this blog

More about research for The War Lantern, my children's book set in England in 1941  

 

A little more about Murray, Marcus, and Philippa Dowding in the Yate and Sodbury Voice ...

 

 

"Septimus Murrells Dowding (aka Murray Dowding, 1881-1966) was one of the most renowned figures in the modern history of Chipping Sodbury ... he was a notable civic figure and local historian ... Dowding was also a colourful character, eccentric, and well-read ..."

Really lovely to see my grandfather Murray Dowding, my father Marcus Dowding, and me (yes, Philippa Dowding), all connected in this article by David Hardill, in the Yate and Sodbury Voice. Thank you, David!

Here is the full article: Yate's Dowding Connection, October 4, 2023, by David Hardill

I recently returned from a fascinating research trip to England, in which I was visiting archives to read about WWII and the day my father survived the main bombing of Parnall's Aircraft Factory, in Yate. He was 15 years old on February 27, 1941, and although he survived the bombing, 53 of his coworkers and friends did not. I've always known about this story, but I've never researched it before, and I have to say that the experience was incredibly moving.

At the Gloucester Archive:
Holding one of
Murray's postcards.

There are so many ways to sidle up to our histories, yet sitting in an archive and reading or listening to first-hand accounts of your intimate family past ... no one can really prepare you for the impact that makes upon you. How it changes you. How past and present come face to face in a sudden jolt. It's a fascinating experience.

Thank you to the Canada Council Research and Creation Grant, for sending me on this fascinating journey. I'm still processing it, but I will be adding more and more information here in the weeks and months to come. This research will culminate in a young adult/late middle grade novel, more to come on that!

At right: "The open mouth of this hideous face was used as a peep-hole from the Lady's gallery into the banqueting hall at Little-Sodbury Manor House, Glos. A rare specimen. Dates from about 1500. Copyright, M.D."

More posts about Murray Dowding here.

Update: The War Lantern will be published October, 2026.

Puck's Dream and Murray Dowding

Puck's Dream, Murray Dowding, @1910

My grandfather, Murray Dowding, was quite a talented photographer and from @ 1895-1935 took thousands of photographs around Yate, centred mostly in Chipping Sodbury, Iron Acton and other fascinating English towns.

Judging by Puck's Dream, I'd say my grandfather would love my Weird Stories Gone Wrong series of horror stories for kids!

The photo of his little terrier dog, Puck, was taken in his studio apparently while Puck was having a rather bad dream (after swallowing spirits?). My dad always told me that although very well trained and particularly attached to Murray, the little dog was "irascible." On the right is Murray as a young man (@1910?). I've grown up listening to stories about Murray and his photography, since as a boy Dad helped drag his father's heavy camera equipment and glass plates all over the countryside.




This week, google showed me this: Murray Dowding Calendar

The Chipping Sodbury historical society and a local photographer, Rich McDonough, have collaborated to create a then-and-now 2016 calendar featuring my grandfather's work coupled with modern day photos of the same spot. They've very generously sent me a few copies, thank you! A very special thanks to Jim Elsworth from the Chipping Sodbury historical society for sending me fascinating jpg images of my grandfather's work, and also many thanks to Alexandra Womack from the Gloucester Gazette, for getting me in touch with everyone. More to come in the weeks ahead when the calendars arrive, but for now, please enjoy some of Murray's online images.

The Long and the short of it, 1916

Research, roots, and Saxon ramparts

 

Author and road named for her grandfather, 
Murray Dowding, near Old Sodbury, Gloucestershire.
Photo credit: Rich McDonough

After taking hundreds of photos on my recent research trip to England, this one kind of captures a lot of how the trip went. 

It was fantastic. I met family (some I'd never met before) and friends old and new, discovered histories, heard narratives, and drew close to my roots here, in Chipping Sodbury, part of the beautiful Cotswolds. 

At left, I am standing beside the street named for my grandfather, Murray Dowding, who was a talented photographer and who took thousands of photos of his part of England from the 1890s-1930s. His photographic record is in archives all throughout Gloucestershire, and part of my trip was to see as many as I could.

The other part of my trip was to research a book based on my father's experience as a boy, bombed during a work shift at the local Yate aircraft parts factory (Parnalls), in 1941. 

Read more about THE WAR LANTERN here.

Difficult reading, hard material to work with, I drew close to the war and my father in a way I never have. The book-writing commences now.

I discovered so much about my father's life in wartime England, in archives and on-site videos, and through listening to the Yate Oral History Project (headphones image). Thank you to David Hardill for all his help there.

This part of the research trip was generously supported by a Canada Council Research and Creation grant, and I am and will be forever thankful for the opportunity to travel to England (where I was born) to do research on a book about my father's wartime experience. Stay tuned, it will be finished next spring, more to come as I work with all this material.

More to come too, as I slowly process and digest this amazing trip. Trip of a lifetime friends, truly.

Writing Tips and Middle Grade Series Secrets from an Author and Illustrator ...

The award-winning Weird Stories Gone Wrong series, 2014-2018

"If you could give ten-year-old Philippa advice about writing, what would it be?..."

My new book, Alex and The Other, is now out! It's book four in the award-winning Weird Stories Gone Wrong series, horror stories for ages 8-12.

To celebrate, publisher Dundurn Press has a two part blog-post on their website this week, featuring two Q&A posts between the series illustrator, Shawna Daigle, and me.




In PART ONE I ask Shawna questions about her work as an illustrator, like this one:

"Philippa Dowding: Which book of the four books so far in the series has been the most fun for you to illustrate, and why?

Fog Monster, by Shawna Daigle

Shawna Daigle: I’d have to say Myles and the Monster Outside was still one of my favourite books to work on. I really enjoyed getting to create the fog monster who could look like anything I wanted. I tried to make him look a bit different every time I drew him, because fog is always changing and moving. It was a really fun challenge!"

And in PART TWO, Shawna asks me some great questions,
like this one:

"Shawna Daigle: If you could give ten-year-old Philippa advice about writing, what would it be?

Philippa Dowding: I guess I’d say this to myself as a ten-year-old, writer-in-waiting: don’t stop writing, even when people tell you can’t do it, or you shouldn’t do it, or you’re wasting your time (sadly, you’re going to hear all of those things). And don’t stop reading and losing yourself in stories, either. One day it’ll make sense why you’ve read The Hobbit ten times: you’re a writer!"

Shawna (left) and Philippa on stage at Forest of Reading
award-ceremony, May 2017, Toronto (we won honour book!)
Photo Courtesy Riley Murray

We pick our favourite scenes, illustrations and book in the series (they aren't the same). Plus, I talk about my favourite character (who is based on Mr. Atoz from original Star Trek), the theme of the evil twin as inspiration for Alex and The Other, and much more.

Read On! Both full Q&A posts are here: 

Secrets from an Author & Illustrator, 
PART ONE (Shawna's answers to Philippa's questions)

Secrets from an Author and Illustrator, 
PART TWO
(Philippa's answers to Shawna's Questions) 

Order ALEX AND THE OTHER online
CM Magazine REVIEW
Goodreads Reviews
Alex and The Other Book trailer featuring Shawna's illustrations
More about the Weird Stories Gone Wrong series on this blog

5 Questions about THE WAR LANTERN and writing historical fiction for children ...

"Told through alternating narrators, this fascinating World War II novel will hook readers until the very end." --School Library Journal (Aug. 2026), STARRED REVIEW

The War Lantern is coming OCTOBER 17, 2026 from DCB Young Readers! It's my new middle grade historical fiction and is inspired by my family history in WWII. I learned so much about myself, my English family, WWII, and how to write historical fiction for children, which I've discovered is an extremely demanding genre. My research took me to my family's village in England, and to some impressive war museums and memorials.

Since the book is coming out soon, it's a good time to reflect and answer the Top 5 questions readers might ask about the book ...

1. What's THE WAR LANTERN about?

At 2:30 in the afternoon on February 27, 1941, a single German Luftwaffe Heinkel 111 bombed the Parnall Aircraft Factory in Yate, Gloucestershire, UK. It was a bold daylight "pirate raid" that killed 53 aircraft workers and injured many more. My father, aged fifteen, was working at the factory that day: he survived by diving under his lathe. His experience inspired The War Lantern. 

Author's father, 1941, age 15

The story takes place over 24-hours in hourly increments, and has three first-person teenage narrators: my father in England, a German girl, Gisele, in Nazi Germany, and an underage Royal Air Force (RAF) rear machine gunner, Tail End Charlie, also from England.

My father's narrative is about daily village life, family, and the bombing. Gisele's story takes readers into the heart of Nazi Germany when she learns that her government is going to take her little brother away for not being perfect. Overhead and way at the back of his Whitley bomber, Tail End Charlie learns hard truths about war and killing, yet remains hopeful that the war must end soon. (In reality, in February 1941 it had barely begun.)

The story explores the cost, universality, and connection of war across enemy lines, as paid by children, youth, and families. By the end of the book, readers understand that all three narrators are connected by a single event: the bombing of Parnall's. 

2. What research went into writing the book? 

Author at Imperial War
Museum Archives, 9/2023

I began my very first research for the book in 2019, seven years before publication, but the most intense research happened between 2023 and 2026. 

RAF rear gunner turret

With thanks to the Canada Council for the Arts for a generous Research and Creation grant which allowed me to travel to England and sites in Canada, my research about the bombing took me to the world-famous Imperial War Museum in London, where I read a first-hand account written by a 15-year-old volunteer fireman, Richard Ford. Since they were from the same village and the same age, my father and Richard must have known each other. 

I also viewed dozens of photographs by the war photographer Paule Vezelay, specifically her March 1941 photos of the Pucklechurch RAF Barrage Balloon camp, where my father played the drums in an RAF swing music orchestra and which figures in the book. 

While in London, I also visited the Bomber Command Memorial at Hyde Park Corner many times over the several days that I was there. It was incredibly moving: 55,000 RAF bomber crew died between 1940 and 1945, their average age was 22. 

Author at the Bomber Command
Memorial, London (2023)

Parnall’s Aircraft Factory was one of the only factories in England during WWII that manufactured machine gun turrets for RAF warplanes, like the famous Lancaster bomber which rolled off the production lines in September, 1941. The day of the Parnall's bombing they were just beginning to make turrets to fit the first Lancasters to come.

Some of my research was about that: what was the RAF like in 1941; what's a machine gun turret; how was it made; who used it; what happened on an RAF night-time bombing run? 

What was it like to be a Tail End Charlie, the rear gunner looking out into the darkness, waiting to shoot at prowling Luftwaffe fighter planes? I discovered that in a nighttime dogfight with German warplanes, the rear gunners were often the first to die.

I travelled to Chipping Sodbury, UK, the town where my father grew up. At the Yate Heritage Centre nearby, I listened to hours and hours of incredible Parnall's bombing survivor recordings in the Yate Oral History Project. 

Author at Parnall's factory site
Photo courtesy Rich McDonough

On an exclusive tour of the former Parnall’s factory site in Yate, my tour guide and I got lost in the darkness of the underground WWII infirmary and air-raid shelter. It was hard enough to remain calm on a quiet summer day in peacetime; how did they remain calm when the bombs fell? Or did panic reign?

That day held one of the most incredible moments of my life. I stood inside the factory, possibly in the very spot that my father's lathe would have stood and where he survived the bombing. I have to say that was overwhelming and sobering. Yes, I wept, although I tried to be stoic. My English tour guides were very kind, provided tissues and tea, and made allowances for this Canadian. Thank you to them!

Blue door entrance to the WWII
Parnall's Infirmary & Air raid shelter

I also visited the Canadian Heritage Warplane Museum near Hamilton, Ontario, and was given a personal guided tour of their 1945 Lancaster bomber, one of the last made in the world. I got to see the tiny, lonely space where the rear gunner sat on an RAF nighttime bombing run to Germany. The turrets were cramped, dark, freezing at 20,000 feet, lonely, and dangerous. It took a special kind of innocence and youthful toughness to survive the flight, let alone the fighting.

There is also a great deal of research that went into writing the German side of the story. I spent hundreds of hours watching video of WWII German life and the Luftwaffe (their air force) in 1941. I read many books for children about Germany in WWII, both fiction and non-fiction. I spent hours and hours learning about Hitler Youth and the horrors of Nazi propaganda for children, plus researched the specific pilot and crew who bombed Parnall's. They were a top crew and the 20th Luftwaffe attempt to bomb the factory; all previous 19 crews had failed. 

 It was incredibly eye-opening to be in their world too, the German families, pilots, and children. I found much that was comparable between Gisele and Marcus, yet so much that was horribly different. 

One example: Marcus plays in the Pucklechurch swing orchestra in the book (and in real life). At the BDM/Hitler Youth meeting for girls, Gisele hears about the "Swing Kids" and is warned not to become one of them. As my research went deeper into the youthful resistance of the swing kids (their crime was listening to American and British swing music), I discovered that many hundreds of them were rounded up and murdered by the Nazis later in the war. 

Here's a trailer for a 1993 movie about the German SWING KIDS, with Christian Bale.  

Final thoughts on research ...

I read constantly and widely. I read stacks and stacks (and stacks) of historical fiction and non-fiction books (and watched their movie adaptations) about WWII for middle grade readers and adults, from writers all over the world. I can't possibly name them all here but a few include: The Book Thief (Markus Zusak), All the Light We Cannot See (Anthony Doerr), Making Bombs for Hitler (Marsha Skrypuch, Canadian writer), War Stories (Gordon Korman, Canadian), Under the Iron Bridge (Kathy Kacer, Canadian), many Alan Gratz books including Prisoner B-3087, Eyes on the Ice (Anna Rosner), Hitler Youth: Growing up in Hitler's Shadow (Susan Bartoletti), and many, many more. I read constantly, which provided a valuable writer's reference library of styles, ideas, and interesting secondary-text facts. 

A note on using the internet: I did use the internet for research too, but usually only after I'd found the first mention or facts about something in a book. OR, I stayed within well known and trusted sites like the Imperial War Museum (IWM) or the US Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM).

Finally: My final advice to anyone writing historical fiction for children is to find a group of fellow writers who do the work too and ask questions! MANY THANKS to Canadian author Marsha Skrypuch for discussing war words in titles for young readers, her thoughtful advice was absolutely what I needed to hear to choose the right words for THE WAR LANTERN. And many thanks also to Frieda Wishinsky, Rebecca Upjohn, Monica Kulling, there from the start and writers and historians all. 

3. What was it like to write about a family member and his survival of a real WWII event?

Author's grandparents, uncle, and father (right) 
Chipping Sodbury @ 1930

I was close to my father. We look alike and my love of music and books came from him. At the beginning of this book project, I had no idea that writing about him would be so hard, though. I soon realized that because I was writing about family and a real event that killed 53 people and injured many more, I had to be as exacting in the facts as possible, and respectful of the horrors of the bombing without being merely sensational. I had a duty to be responsible with people's lives in that place at that time, so I had to get the facts right.

Although I knew the outlines of the story of my father's bombing survival, which he shared with me in it's entirety when he was well into old age, I knew none of the real facts, or much about the life that my father and his family lived in February, 1941 in Chipping Sodbury. So I went to the UK to visit his family home on Broad Street, and walk the hills, see the churches, the factory site, the school. I met people who knew my grandparents (no one remembered my father, who left England to come to Canada right after the war), and those who knew my grandfather Murray's photography.

Murray Dowding photo of Stone Henge @ 1905

I am usually careful in my writing, but for this project I felt an extra burden of being as exact as I could, to honour the people who fought and died, or lived. I hope I achieved that; there will be inaccuracies and I apologize for those, but I hope the feeling is right. There's no one left in my family to ask about life in 1941 anymore, so that solitary act of being the one to tell the story was a great honour, a responsibility, and I took it as a solemn and sacred duty. 

That's the biggest difference between all my other books and this one: I had to get it right.

4. What's the greatest problem I had to overcome in writing THE WAR LANTERN? 

The greatest problem I had was working day after day for three years, deeply mired in the relentless sorrow, fear, and destruction of war. 

The actual Parnall's bombing scene is something that I wrote and rewrote dozens of times, and writers will understand this, but if you're not a writer, here's the truth: we write best when we go right into the scene, feel, see, hear, smell, touch everything that our characters do. It's an act of willful and controlled dissociation from the here and now, and in this case, an act of time-travel too. 

A Luftwaffe Heinkel 111 bomber

It was difficult to willingly venture every day into the desperate fear of England and the absolute horrors of Nazi Germany in February, 1941. I had to take many breaks, and some days I knew I had to take time away from writing. 

At times, the sorrow and senseless reality of death and war weighed heavily on me, and I could have stopped writing the book altogether, but as I say in my acknowledgments, my young characters got me through. 

Marcus, Gisele, and Charlie had no choice but to live through WWII, so I could write about it safely from my office decades later. I couldn't stop, for them.

Parnall's turret assembly shop, 4 days after the 1941 bombing

I persevered and I'm so grateful that I did. Thank you again to the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and my amazing publishing, editing and marketing team at DCB Young Readers. Near the end of the final, final edits in June 2026, my wonderful editor said to me patiently and kindly, "Philippa, you may be overthinking this." Yes, I agreed. I definitely am, and I definitely must.

5. Any advice for writers of historical fiction for children? 

Go for it. Expect it to be hard. Keep good notes and write everything down (don't rely on memory even if yours is much better than mine). Follow the crumbs. Revisit your research often. Be brave. Take breaks from the material when you need to. Let your characters lead the way. Write about difficult things, because the next generation of readers need to know. Be the bridge between then and now. Hold the torch high. Let your heart break when it needs to, just a little. Do it for you, do it for them, do it for everyone, but do it. 

From journey to book! PD, September 2026

Historical fiction for children is the most challenging genre I've ever tackled, but in the end it has been the the most rewarding work of all.

GOOD LUCK!

All Posts about THE WAR LANTERN on this blog

 You're Invited to the Book Launch: 

November 3rd, 2026, 6:30 - 8: 30 p.m.,

Mabel's Fables Bookstore, Toronto 

Top 5 Memories from Forest of Reading 2017

Here's a post from a few years ago, to celebrate the Forest of Reading week May 12-14, 2020, which is postponed this year. My book OCULUM was a Silver Birch nominee. I hope this post reminds us all of better days ahead.

Original Post, May 24, 2017:

Well, the OLA Forest of Reading adventure is over for another year. My 6th book, Myles and the Monster Outside, was nominated for the Silver Birch Express award, and WON HONOUR BOOK!

A thousand, thousand thanks to the OLA for  running such a spectacular reading program for tens of thousands of young Ontario readers. Thanks also to the super-hero librarians, teachers and educators who bring Canadian books into Canadian schools and libraries, and to publisher Dundurn Press for letting me tell such a weird little story. SUPER thanks to Shawna Daigle, the wonderful series illustrator.

Thank you to the school who posted this!

Finally, thanks to Ontario school kids, who read so many books, and picked the story of anxious Myles and his monster, as one of their winners!

The Forest of Reading is always a major event in the life of any writer, and here are my top 5 memories from this year:

1. FOREST FRIDAYS. This year, the OLA ran a pilot project, called Forest Fridays, which was entirely online. Each week, one nominated author presented in the Friday lunch time slot, using Adobe Connect, talking to kids across the province, and across the country, in lunchrooms, gyms, libraries and classrooms, for 45 minutes. My Forest Friday was March 24: here's the link to find out more.  We had @ 100 schools and close to 1000 kids listen in.

Best FOREST FRIDAY Question: What would you say to an aspiring writer?
A: Keep writing, write what you're passionate about because your readers will feel that passion and enjoy your story, don't let anyone tell you you can't be a writer.
2020 update, Watch a free Forest Friday (OCULUM) with Philippa Dowding

Myles WINS the London Regional Award!

2. LONDON FESTIVAL OF TREES: Driving to London for the first of the 3 major festivals in early May, I got a ride with the Executive Director of the Forest of Reading and author, Richard Scrimger (Lucky Jonah). We laughed all the way (Richard will do that to you!). That night I had dinner with authors Teresa Toten (Shattered Glass), Helaine Becker (Worms for Breakfast), Kira Vermond (Half-Truths and Brazen Lies), Niki Tate (Deep Roots), Richard Scrimger, Karen Bass (The Hill), and we talked late. The Festival the next day was fantastic, with 1700 kids, and Myles WON the Silver Birch Express London Regional award! Thanks to all for a great day!


Best London Festival of Trees Moment: a young boy came up to me after my presentation, to tell me that Myles and the Monster Outside, "blew him away." When I asked why, he considered very carefully, then said, "It's the care you put into it." Awww. Thanks young man, that's a keeper.

Rock Star Moment on stage with Shawna (L) in Toronto
Photo courtesy Riley Murray

3. TORONTO FESTIVAL OF TREES: If you've ever wanted to feel like a rock-star ... the Festival of Trees in Toronto is just the ticket! This year, I got to share the experience with my awesome illustrator, Shawna Daigle, who rocked the stage wherever we went. We did a signing, a presentation, and the award ceremony together. It was Shawna's first Festival, and it was so fun to share it with her.

Best Toronto Festival of Trees Moment: Standing on stage with Shawna at Harbourfront, and holding up our favourite books: Charlotte's Web and Animalia. I said, "Books unite us, inspire us, and stay with us, our whole lives." Thanks Toronto!!

Second Best Moment: telling Kevin Sands (The Blackthorne Key) about my Star Trek: TNG script from 1987, and apologizing for it being so weird. His response? "We're writers, nothing is weird."

Thanks Maggie Ewert for the pic; Chi-Cheemaun, Toronto

4. SAULT STE. MARIE Festival of Trees:
Part of the excitement of being a nominee for the Forest of Reading, is travelling and talking to kids and librarians in other cities  you've never been to before. This year, I joined the Festival in Sault Ste. Marie. Yep, I'd never visited. It was so fun to fly in over the lake, to talk to the hosts, other authors, and the local librarians at a party the night before.

Me with my sign holder and presenter, in Sault Ste. Marie!

 It was fun to be part of the literary and school community in a fairly remote part of my home province.
And ... Myles won the Algoma Regional Silver Birch Express Award, THANK YOU!

Best Sault Ste. Marie Festival Moment: talking to my sign holder, Matteo, who was SO EXCITED about talking to me, because he loved my book. It's just so inspiring to meet a young reader like him.

At left: What authors do after the Festival of Trees!
L to R: Vikki VanSickle (If I had a Gryphon), Joel Sutherland (Haunted Canada 6), Me, Helaine Becker rocking her pink bag, (Worms for Breakfast), Rob Laidlaw (Elephant Journey), Shane Peacock (The Artist and me)

5. Winning Silver Birch Express Honour Book.
Yes, I can honestly say, that winning Silver Birch Express Honour Book 2017, was one of the thrills of the year. Congrats to all the nominees this year, and to Jess Keating for her Honour book win (Pink is for Blobfish) and to Andree Poulin who won the Silver Birch Express top spot for The Biggest Poutine in the World. We chatted afterward, I congratulated her, and she said (because she is totally cool) ... but we all win right?

View from the stage, Toronto Festival of Trees Ceremony

And that's pretty much the whole idea.

We do all win, the nominees, the libraries, the schools, the publishers and mostly, the kids. Thanks to all for another fantastic Forest of Reading year! Keep reading, everyone.





Forest of Reading Posts from Previous Years:
Red Maple, 2015: The Strange Gift of Gwendolyn Golden
Silver Birch Express, 2014: The Gargoyle at the Gates
Silver Birch Express, 2012: The Gargoyle Overhead
All Forest of Reading Posts

Join me for the launch of Quinn and the Quiet, Quiet...

Weird Stories Gone Wrong series, 2014-2019

It's HERE! The sixth and FINAL BOOK in the award-winning Weird Stories Gone Wrong series.

Please join me for the launch of Quinn and the Quiet, Quiet!

When: Saturday, Sept. 14/2019
Time: 1-4 pm
Where: Indigo Yonge & Eglinton, Yonge Eglinton Centre
(Toronto) Children's Department

Shawna and Philippa at Festival of Trees, 2017

I'll be accompanied by the wonderful series illustrator, Shawna Daigle. We'll sign your book, chat, laugh, reminisce. 

We've worked for 5 years together on this amazing series, and we've loved every book like the children they are. 

Please drop by and say hi if you can, we'd love to see you.

More about the book, a middle-grade, environmental resistance dystopia: Quinn and the Quiet, Quiet

Event listing on Dundurn Press site: Philippa Dowding launches Quinn & the Quiet, Quiet

Our first book, our first launch, 2014

And please enjoy a few pictures of Shawna and I on this fun, five-year journey together, including a picture of our launch of book 1, Jake and the Giant Hand, back in 2014. 

Illustrator and author on stage at Harbourfront, 2017.
What were our favourite books as kids?
Thanks to Riley Murray for the glam shot!

Thanks all, it's been grand, hope to see you on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019! 

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