A CHILDREN’S author whose magical adventure story encourages youngsters to swap screen time for imagination has brought her book to one of Ashton-under-Lyne’s newest independent cafés.
Michelle Roberts has recently seen her debut novel, Kevin and Sid’s Adventures – An Awakening of a Star, stocked at Peony and Parchment, giving Tameside families the chance to discover the fantasy tale.
The book follows Kevin, a young boy who has never felt like he truly fits in. After leaving home in search of adventure, he stumbles into a magical world where he meets Sid, a wise, walking and talking sloth.
Together, they embark on a quest from the Fairy Queen to discover why the magical portals between two worlds are collapsing, encountering fairies, elves, mermaids and other mystical creatures along the way.
But beneath the adventure lies a deeper message.
Michelle, who hails from Oldham, wanted to encourage children to spend less time on devices, trust their own instincts and build confidence in themselves.
“The story is really about believing in yourself, trusting your intuition and remembering how magical the world around us can be,” she said.
“I think children spend far too much time on devices now. They often accept everything they read online as fact, whereas when I was growing up, we’d go and research things ourselves, ask questions or speak to people.
“I wanted to write a story that encourages children to put their devices down for a while, use their imagination and believe in themselves.”
The inspiration behind the book is also deeply personal.
Kevin is based on Michelle’s father and features many of the mischievous stories he shared about his own childhood, while Sid is inspired by her partner, David, whose thoughtful advice helped shape the character’s wise personality.
“My partner read the book and said he could actually hear himself speaking whenever Sid appeared,” Michelle laughed. “Everybody needs a Sid in their life.”
Suitable for children aged four and above when read together, or independent readers aged eight to 12, the novel also includes six interactive self-development checklists at the back of the book.
Designed by Michelle, the activities encourage young readers to build confidence, practise mindfulness, trust their intuition and discover their own “inner superpower”.
She has also created classroom activities and assemblies based on the book, which she hopes to begin delivering in schools during the new academic year.
“I don’t want to tell children what to think,” she said. “I just want to leave them with something to think about and help them realise they can believe in themselves.”
Although Michelle lives in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, the story features several familiar locations inspired by family memories, including Daisy Nook, Park Bridge and Hartshead Pike, giving parts of the adventure a distinctly local feel.
The book has already found readers further afield too, after Steve Hill, deputy headteacher at her grandson’s primary school, took five copies to Uganda, where they are now part of school libraries.
Michelle is already working on the second book in what she always planned as a trilogy, with the next adventure exploring the growing influence of artificial intelligence.
To accompany the story, she has also produced colouring sheets, bookmarks, badges, stickers and crocheted versions of Kevin and Sid, which she hopes to use during future author visits to schools.
Kevin and Sid’s Adventures – An Awakening of a Star is available to purchase at Peony and Parchment in Ashton-under-Lyne, as well as through Waterstones and Amazon, where it has already received a string of five-star reviews.