Published by Random House
REAL PIGEONS FIGHT CRIME
Title: REAL PIGEONS FIGHT CRIME
Author: Andrew McDonald & Ben Wood (Illustrations)
Pub. Date: January 7, 2020
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Pages: 208
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD
Ever wonder why pigeons act so weird? Because they are secretly chasing bad guys and flying around saving your butt! This hilarious illustrated series is perfect for fans of BAD GUYS and DOG MAN.
What do REAL PIGEONS do? They fight crime, of course! Wait, what? You didn’t know your town is protected by a secret squad of crime-fighting feathered friends? Well, you are about to get schooled. REAL PIGEONS solve mysteries! REAL PIGEONS fight bad guys! And REAL PIGEONS won’t stop until your neighborhood is safe and the questions are all answered: Like, why have all the breadcrumbs disappeared? And which food truck smells the best?
Andrew McDonald is a reader and writer of books for young readers.
His brand new series REAL PIGEONS debuts in 2018, with hilarious illustrations by Ben Wood.
His first children’s novel, The Greatest Blogger in the World featured the story of Charlie Ridge, a young blogger navigating family, friends and the perils of internet life. His second novel Son of Death, a black comedy about a family of modern grim reapers, was named by The Age as one of the ‘best books of the year’ in 2015.
He is also the creator of a blog post about ‘camera loss’ that somehow went viral and he wasn’t embarrassed enough to decline an invitation to be a Cleo Bachelor in 2011.
Andrew is an avid reader of children’s and YA literature. He has worked for Readings bookshop in Melbourne and at the flagship Foyles bookshop on Charing Cross Road in London, where he was thrilled to put his knowledge to work as a children’s bookseller. He has previously judged the Young Adult category of the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards and the Centre for Youth Literature’s Inky Awards.
Andrew is a graduate of RMIT’s Professional Writing and Editing diploma and his writing has taken him around the world. He completed an artist residency at Caldera Arts in Oregon, USA and a May Gibbs Children’s Literature Trust fellowship in Adelaide.
He is a regular presenter on the schools circuit in Australia, conducting writing workshops; talking about his writing life; and sharing the stories and experiences behind his books. Enquire about booking Andrew for your school here.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Tumblr | YouTube | Goodreads
Ben Wood is a children’s illustrator based in Victoria, Australia. He has been commissioned to work with clients such as Hardie Grant Egmont, Penguin Random House, and Scholastic Australia.
Ben is able to offer clients a wealth of illustration styles and techniques in both digital and traditional mediums. Recent publications include ‘Blast Off!‘ by Shelly Unwin and the Squishy Taylor series, by Ailsa Wild. He is currently illustrating the Real Pigeons series by Andrew McDonald. “It’s super coo!”
Ben also runs presentations or workshops in schools, public libraries and bookstores. His sessions can vary from small to large groups, depending on what suits best. He is more than happy to work with Prep-Year 9 students, and adults too. Please contact Booked Out Speakers Agency to enquire about a booking.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Bookhounds Q&A
ANDREW’S ANSWERS
- What is on your nightstand?
I always have three notable things on my nightstand. A cold, half-finished cup of tea from the previous night. A circular tea stain underneath the cup. And a tall, teetering pile of books waiting to be read.
The books at the top of that pile right now include Rusty Brown – the new graphic novel from Chris Ware (whose work I always adore), The Summer Book by Tove Jansson and a greek mythology classic from pre-Percy Jackson times – The God Beneath the Sea by Leon Garfield and Edward Blishen, illustrated by Charles Keeping.
- What author would you totally fanboy for?
Roald Dahl. And that hasn’t really changed from when I was a boy. His stories are so funny and unexpected and strange – yet as a kid you can always imagine yourself existing in them.
I remember when I read The Witches, I immediately wanted to be transformed into a mouse (just like the young boy in the book) but I also wanted to spend a lot more time with my grandma. The heroic, cigar-smoking grandma in The Witches was so awesome that I became convinced that if I could have similarly amazing adventures with my own grandma. That’s the power of a book for you!
- What makes you cringe?
When someone says they can’t write or draw. Or even worse – that they don’t have an imagination. Everyone has an imagination. Your imagination is a bit like a bike. It’s always there but the more you ride it the better you become at it. I get ideas for stories by exercising my imagination every day.
So anyone can draw. Anyone can write a story. Humans are creative by nature. And riding a bike can be pretty fun too!
- Do you obsessively plot out each point or just go with the flow?
I find it useful to do a bit of both. I plot out each Real Pigeons story – and overall arc – from the start so that I always know where we’re going. But when I’m actually doing the writing, I frequently find myself surprised by great little character moments or funny one-liners that seem to come out of nowhere.
In addition to that, when Ben is illustrating a Real Pigeons story he’ll draw something in a particular way and it will inspire further ideas. And so the Real Pigeons stories evolve like that. Ben and I have a similarly silly sense of humour, so we tend to egg each other on a bit. It’s a very organic and open creative process.
- Is there a word you (and the pigeons!) love to use?
We’ve made good use of the word coo in the Real Pigeons books. It’s such a versatile word for punning with.
My favourite coo puns so far are:
- Fighting crime is super coo
- Real Pigeons coo-operate to achieve things
- A sick pigeon will coo-ough
- When pigeons are happy they shout ‘coo-ray’
- Pigeons communicate in morse coode
- Woo-coo!
- Also, if you have any pictures of your pet you would like to share, please attach them. My readers love animals!
I don’t have any pets but I did get to handle this bird of prey a couple of years, which was a Life Highlight. Although I try not to think about how this bird would definitely eat a pigeon if it got the chance.
BEN’S ANSWERS
What is on your nightstand?
A lamp and my ‘to read’ pile! The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman, Starting Point by Hayao Miyazaki, and Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper.
- What author would you totally fanboy for?
Anne McCaffrey. She was an incredible writer and world-builder.
- What makes you cringe?
Forced plot in books or films, and when my newly washed dogs decide they have to roll in something smelly. They are always so happy about it!
- Do you obsessively plot out each point or just go with the flow?
I am very obsessed about how everything looks in the Real Pigeons series. I have discussions with Andrew as I go, and will design multiple versions of characters and locations until I find ‘the one’.
The words and images in Real Pigeons share the storytelling. Making sure that the illustrations narratively flow within and around the text is really important to me.
- Is there a word you (and the pigeons!) love to use?
Andrew is really good at finding words to put COO into. He can speak pigeon! I like any words that have food words in them. I love food! In Real Pigeons Fight Crime one of the pigeons named Homey Pigeon loves eating bread. After he eats bread he goes ‘BREAD-UURRPPPP!’ Kids love that bit.
- Also, if you have any pictures of your pet you would like to share, please attach them. My readers love animals!
Attached is a photo of my dogs: Bil and Wombat!
Giveaway Details:
3 winners will win a finished copy of REAL PIGEONS FIGHT CRIME, US Only.
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
| 1/6/2020 | BookHounds | Interview |
| 1/7/2020 | Abellafairytale | Review |
| 1/8/2020 | onemused | Review |
| 1/9/2020 | Do You Dog-ear? | Review |
| 1/10/2020 | Fazila’s Book Review Corner | Excerpt |
Week Two:
| 1/13/2020 | Popthebutterfly Reads | Review |
| 1/14/2020 | Twirling Book Princess | Excerpt |
| 1/15/2020 | Fictitiouswonderland | Review |
| 1/16/2020 | Not In Jersey | Review |
| 1/17/2020 | She Just Loves Books | Review |
Week Three:
| 1/20/2020 | DJREADSBOOKS | Excerpt |
| 1/21/2020 | Lifestyle of Me | Review |
| 1/22/2020 | Eli to the nth | Review |
| 1/23/2020 | Little Red Reads | Review |
| 1/24/2020 | fictitious.fox | Review |
Week Four:
| 1/27/2020 | Cuz I’m a Nerd | Review |
| 1/28/2020 | Nerdophiless | Review |
| 1/29/2020 | Wonder Struck | Review |
| 1/30/2020 | Lori Murray | Review |
| 1/31/2020 | A Dream Within A Dream | Excerpt |
Week Five:
| 2/3/2020 | Nay’s Pink Bookshelf | Review |
| 2/4/2020 | wordsandruin | Review |
| 2/5/2020 | Books_andPoetrii | Excerpt |
| 2/6/2020 | History from a Woman’s Perspective | Review |
| 2/7/2020 | Two Points of Interest | Review |
It looks like an awesome read.
This looks like such a fun read!
My niece will love this book.
This sounds like a fun, unique and interesting book to add to my collection.
Sounds like a fun book to read.
This sounds like so much fun and illustrations look perfect for the storyline.. My grandson would likely love this book so ordering today.. Thank you for sharing.
Sounds good.
Super cool book. I’m always wondering what the squirrels are up to around my house #takeover… !
This looks like a lot of fun to read!
This looks like an instant best seller to me.
Intriguing!
I can’t wait to read this and have fun. Puns are favorites around here.
Pigeons as crime fighters sounds highly entertaining! Love to win a copy.
Sounds wonderful. I would love this.
Sounds fun. Love the pups :).
I’d love to win for my granddaughter!
Sounds like a new favorite in the making!
cute dogs
This sounds like such a fun read. I would love to share it with my daughter.
Very cute cover.
Children’s books are such fun. I was a children’s librarian for about 10 years and really miss it. There are so many good books coming out every year, it made it very difficult to decide what to get with our limited funds. My home library is much bigger than it should be, but I enjoy sharing it with my grandchildren. It is also enjoyable to grab a book from the children’s section to read. It helps one to keep in touch with the child’s mind and is a nice break from the adult world.
What a cool unique concept. Thank you