A SOUTHSIDE author has penned a new comic fantasy for young readers that features wacky werewolves, vulnerable vampires and an edge-of-your-seat plot.
The debut book by Maura Byrne entitled
‘Bridget in Werewolf Rehab’ is the mad-cap, comic story for nine to 12 year-olds of how Bridget, a teen werewolf, transforms her feelings of self loathing to self acceptance.
With the onset of puberty, Bridget’s mother dumps her into Herr Wolf’s international werewolf rehab. Bridget thinks she has problems until she meets the other inmates. There’s Katy, an American who vomits at the sight of raw meat, Eddie, an English hyper wolf who wants to rip everyone’s head off and Dev an Indian werewolf who’s allergic to fur.
Bridget must endure compulsory shape shifting inner wolf therapy and live mice breakfasts which she hates.
According to Maura, from Donnybrook:
“It was inevitable that with a passion for reading that started very early during childhood and the fact that my adult career encompassed producing exhibitions for children that I was going to write a children’s book.
“Two things inspired me. My experience of working in a company with nine different nationalities, and many were hilarious, crazy misfits much like the characters in Bridget Jones but despite our differences and perceived prejudices, we all got along. Secondly, the fact that the majority in the two communities in Northern Ireland could throw away their prejudices after hundreds of years really shows that we’re all not that different from each other and we can share the same adventures and dreams – an important message for children in our now multi-cultural society.
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Maura lives in Donnybrook with her husband and two teenage children. A ferocious reader as a child, Maura loved being transported into strange worlds with unusual characters – a great, and essential, escape from growing up in a household with five brothers.
She started writing full time four years ago and is responsible for bringing pre-schoolers’ purple hero, Barney the Dinosaur, to Ireland for the first time. Having had her first child in 1994, Maura was surprised by the lack of events and exhibitions for children and families and in 1995 established the first Baby & Kids Show at the RDS which grew in attendance from 15,000 in its first year to over 30,000 when Maura sold the show in the late 1990s.
Maura can be found every other week enthralling young readers in local libraries and schools reading and discussing passages from the book, leading howling practice with her young audiences and introducing them to writing tips.
Primary school teacher Muireann Carroll read Bridget in Werewolf Rehab with her 6th class students.
“The characters and storyline kept them entertained and wanting more each day,
? she said.
“It is a great way to encourage all levels within the class to enjoy reading and improve their literacy skills. There are plenty of opportunities to integrate this novel into other areas of the curriculum and this has allowed me to use the book over a series of lessons. I look forward to seeing more work from Maura.
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Self-published by the author in conjunction with Original Writing, Bridget in Werewolf Rehab is the first installment in the Bridget trilogy. Priced
?¬7.99, it can be purchased at Easons and online at www.amazon.com