Ana & Frog Search for Minty the Missing Horse is a new middle-grade mystery from SHELLEY BURNE-FIELD, following two cousins turned junior detectives on the hunt for their aunty’s horse.
Read on for a Q&A with the author.
MEET SHELLEY BURNE-FIELD
What first sparked the idea for Ana & Frog Search for Minty the Missing Horse?
There’s a rumour that when I was a child, growing up in a small town – just like the town of Waitapu that Ana & Frog live in – I knew of a kind old grey horse, just like Minty! Okay, I’ll spill the beans: the rumour is true! A neighbour owned an old grey mare and kept her in a paddock. All the local school kids used to ride this horse, and she had such a lovely nature. She never bucked off anyone and would patiently walk around and around the paddock. She’d even miss the blackberry bushes. One day when I went past the paddock, the grey horse was nowhere to be seen. She’d vanished! So many kids were worried about where she’d gone. Luckily, one day the horse turned up again.
Ana and Frog make a great detective team – how did their characters take shape?
Thanks! Ana & Frog remind me of me and my cousins when I was a kid. Also, I have lots of nieces and nephews, plus I know a heap of kids. The characters in this book are a combination of lots of smart, funny, and cool kids I know. Ana was always a cool girl. She’s quiet but has a big heart – and she’s determined. She loves her cousin and is very trusting. Frog is funny and intelligent. She definitely knows who she is, which is something I love about her. I just know her personality so well. She is the girl who wants to be an usher at the dance, rather than a performer – just so she can wear a tuxedo. And of course – you know Frog has a photographic memory, don’t you? Well, you’ll soon find out!
The search for Minty is at the heart of the story – what drew you to this mystery?
I mentioned I had been through a similar horsey mystery when I was growing up. Plus, I really liked that Minty is a big horse – not just some little golden coin chest or a suitcase full of money. Minty is a living and breathing animal – and someone has stolen her! Where do you hide a horse? How do you hide a horse? Why would anyone steal or hide a horse? And lastly – who would do this? Also, Minty is the love of Ana’s life. That makes the story interesting and urgent. Ana & Frog had to find Minty. There was no plan B.
How much of your own experiences find their way into your stories?
Many, many real experiences appear in my stories. But there is also imagination. With Ana & Frog, I imagined a couple of cool cousin characters (do you like the alliteration I just did? Lol) in a normal town, with lots of adults they can trust like Ana’s dad and Frog’s mum, plus Whaea Diamond their teacher, and Whaea McCready who is Minty’s owner. This story is my ultimate dream town and the people in it. These tamariki can solve a crime, and there is no real danger. They can swim in Frog’s pool, go biking, and even ride a motorbike on the farm. AND they can solve the mystery together. I wanted Ana & Frog to have an amazing childhood adventure.
Did anything surprise you while writing this book?
I think the main surprise was Frog’s personality. She is a real foil to Ana’s steady but a little shy personality. Frog is upbeat, confident, and brainy – and she doesn’t care who knows it. Frog’s personality sort of came from Ana’s mind, too. Ana would describe Frog and what she loved about her. That was a neat way for Frog’s character to really shine. I loved having fun and put the girls through their paces, whether it was taming a big old slobbering dog, to Frog biting her fingernails because of her paranoia of being wrong. One of the other supposing things I enjoyed was the way the two girls stood up for themselves. They backed themselves and never gave up.
What do you enjoy most about writing for children?
It’s creating and building a world for the characters to thrive in. For my first two books: Brave Kāhu and the Pōrangi Magpie and Kimi the Kekeno’s Big Adventure, the world was in the natural world. In the bush and swamplands, and on the coast and in the ocean. In Ana & Frog, the world I built was one I know well. A small town, with a school and neighbours, shops and paddocks. I can drop the characters in these worlds and see them figure out what they’re going to do next. For Ana & Frog, Waitapu is a safe town, with trustworthy adults, awesome parents and neighbours. Sure, there are some bullies and potentially unsavoury characters – but on the whole, Ana & Frog can have the time of their lives. I enjoyed imagining a place that was kind of like the place I grew up in, but way better. I like a good ending, with there is happiness and hope. This is a book that kids will feel good about. I enjoy helping readers get all the good feels. It makes me happy too!
Read our interview with Shelley Burne Field on Brave Kāhu and the Pōrangi Magpie
Read more about Kimi the Kekeno
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shelley Burne-Field (Sāmoa, Ngati Mutunga, Ngati Rārua, Pākehā) is a kaituhituhi from Te Matau-a-Māui Hawke’s Bay. She writes articles and creative non-fiction as well as fiction of all sorts, including short stories. She has written two epic middle-grade adventure stories, Brave Kāhu and the Pōrangi Magpie and Kimi the Kekeno.
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