LILI WILKINSON’s Bravepaw and the Clawstone of Rotwood Mire is an epic tale filled with magic and prophecy, quests, heroism and loyal friendship. We caught up with Lili to find out more about the world of Alluria.
What gave you the idea to create the world of Alluria, and how did you come up with all the cool creatures?
I wanted to create a story that felt like classic fantasy, but for young readers. There’s so much amazing middle grade fantasy out there, but often those books are quite chunky, which can be intimidating for less confident readers. My goal with Bravepaw was to give the sense of an epic quest, but put it in a very accessible package.
Titch is a brave little mouse, but sometimes she wonders if she’s really a hero. Why did you decide to make her question herself, and what do you think young readers can learn from that?
More than anything, Bravepaw explore the idea of what it means to be brave. Sometimes we get hung up on bravery being a physical thing. But sometimes being brave can mean asking for help, or showing kindness, or knowing when to walk away. Part of Titch’s journey is learning that there are lots of ways to be brave, and lots of ways to be a hero.
Titch and Huck make an awesome team. Why do you think their friendship is so important to their adventure?
Huckleberry is the Sam to Titch’s Frodo. It’s much easier to be brave when you’re not alone. The fact that Huckleberry believes in Titch makes it easier for Titch to believe in herself. I’m looking forward to exploring their friendship more in books 3 and 4 – sometimes being brave means being honest with your friend, even if it hurts their feelings.
What inspired the prophecy in Bravepaw 2?
I wanted Bravepaw to feel like a classic children’s fantasy story, so a prophecy felt like a natural part of that! I love the mysteriousness of a prophecy, the way it hints at what might be ahead of our characters. Our friends uncover a missing verse in Bravepaw 2, and in Bravepaw 3 and 4 they will learn even more about the secrets of the prophecy.
What do you hope kids will learn or feel when they read Bravepaw 2?
More than anything, I hope they will be drawn into Titch’s adventures. I vividly remember that childhood feeling of being so immersed in a fantasy world, it was difficult to return to reality. I have tried to be thoughtful about the themes of the book, and updating some of the more tired fantasy tropes. I’ve never liked the idea that certain races or species (or school houses) are inherently evil, for example. Why are wolves, bats and crows bad, and badgers, bears and eagles good? Just as there are lots of ways to be brave, there are also lots of ways to be cruel or false. And lots of reasons why, too. So I wanted to add a bit more nuance, and show that being good or bad isn’t something you are, it’s all about what you do.
What’s next for Titch and Huck?
Bravepaw 3: Bravepaw and the Fangstone of Flintfall will feature some new characters, as well as a few old favourites. We’ll see the grabbers from Book 1 again, meet a hedgehog librarian who has a silverfish problem, and delve deep underground to a crystal cavern guarded by a rock monster.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lili Wilkinson is the award-winning author of more than twenty books for young people, including A Hunger of Thorns, which won the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award, and was a CBCA Honour Book. Lili has a PhD from the University of Melbourne, and is a passionate advocate for YA and the young people who read it. Her latest books are Unhallowed Halls and the Bravepaw series.
Lavanya Naidu is a storyteller with a passion for building worlds and developing characters with heart. The twilight zone where they meet is where the magic happens! She is a graduate in animation film design and over the last decade has illustrated several children’s books and worked on games and animation production (television and film). When she isn’t drawing, Lavanya is collecting dinosaur models, boxing, hiking, cooking and patting all the dogs. Lavanya grew up in Kolkata, India, and now lives with her husband and their ever growing collection of plants in Melbourne.
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