Fifth class students at the Teresian School in Donnybrook, Dublin, have written and published their very own novel, and are selling it on Amazon with all proceeds going to charity.
The concept, plot and character development for the novel was devised entirely by the 29 girls, aged 10-12. They each wrote a chapter, complete with illustrations, to create the 140-page book.
Entitled The Catas-Trophy, the novel is a mystery, which centres around the theft of a prestigious basketball trophy from a school in London. It is a classic whodunit, which shifts between the first and third-person perspectives, giving the reader an insight into the minds of some of the main characters. The story follows the quirky private detective, Mr Jacob, as he tries to solve the mystery with the help of eccentric school principal, Miss Peacock.
The young authors enjoyed the challenge of working as a team. “It was so much fun. How often do you get to say you wrote a book with your best friends?” said Isabelle Collins.
“Writing this novel has really brought us together as a class. Seeing it as a real book was brilliant!” said Eve Nolan.
“It was a pleasure to write a chapter for this amazing book,” said Ella Slater.
It was teacher Caoimhe Ní Fhaoláin’s idea for the students to write the novel – but she has been astounded by the result.
“I thought the project would be a good challenge for the class as both a creative writing assignment and a team-work exercise. But their attention to detail and commitment to the project have astonished me; they have worked together to fully develop the characters and ensure that the plots are flawless throughout. It is a fantastic story. The younger girls in the school have loved reading it.”
The benefits of the project have not been lost on the students, who, having submitted drafts of their chapters, critiqued each other’s work as a group. Once the class had finalised the storyline, the girls submitted their final drafts for copy editing by their class-mates.
“Writing the novel really helped me to improve my creative writing skills, and it has inspired me to write more,” said Charlotte McSharry.
“It was really fun trying out different words and phrases,” said Anna Cusack.
Each child submitted suggestions for the original concept, the title, copy for the blurb and illustrations for the front cover, with the class then voting for their favourites.
The book has been printed by a local company and is being sold to students in the school. It has also been launched on Amazon, as a Kindle download, with all proceeds going to the Irish Cancer Society and Down Syndrome Ireland.
“The girls are delighted to see their work on Amazon. They decided they wanted to help raise money for charity and voted to support the two charities with any profits they might receive,” said Ní Fhaoláin.
The book can be downloaded here for €2.99.
