Welcome to #TheQuickSixInterview with Aleesah Darlison!
It’s such a privilege to welcome award-winning author of over sixty-five fabulous children’s books – Aleesah Darlison! Today, she is sharing the heartrending and extraordinary story behind her latest novel for middle grade readers, Grace the Amazing. Penned based on a deeply personal place in her own heart, Aleesah tells the story of a young girl’s touching relationship with her art teacher and her determination to cure her illness with the power of magic. This is a beautifully sensitive, meaningful, and emotive tale with strong characterisation, insightful real life struggles and soulful humour. Even though it’s a book of preparing for loss, it is one that will, and already has, resonated for many on many levels. Readers will, too, form a special bond with Grace the Amazing, that is sure to last a lifetime.
A phenomenal read. Thank you, Aleesah! 🙂
About the Author
Aleesah Darlison is an award-winning author, naturalist, and life-long learner. A keen observer of birds and animals, Aleesah enjoys sharing her passion and knowledge for the natural world and the environment. She has also made it her mission to champion the cause of children and loves writing stories that empower, educate, and inspire young readers to celebrate their uniqueness and their strengths.
Aleesah has written over sixty-five books for children including picture books, chapter books, novels, and series. She has won or been shortlisted for many awards including the Book Excellence Awards, the Environment Award for Children’s Literature, the CBCA Awards, the Speech Pathology Book of the Year Awards, and WAYBRA.
Her latest novel is Grace the Amazing, published by Wombat Books.
Please find Aleesah Darlison at her website: www.aleesahdarlison.com and on Facebook | Instagram |
Grace the Amazing is available for purchase from Wombat Books and local bookstores.
WHO wrote, illustrated and published this book?
I wrote the book and Wombat Books published it. The book doesn’t have internal illustrations, but the cover illustration was done by Carmen Dougherty.
WHAT is it about?
The story is told from the viewpoint of eleven-year-old Grace Marshall. Grace is curious and creative and dreams of becoming a magician called Grace the Amazing. Because Grace is a little bit different and ‘left of centre’, her only friend is her art teacher, Pamela. When Grace discovers that Pamela is unwell, her life is turned upside down and a million burning questions start to whirl through her mind. While Grace tries to maintain equanimity in her life, she also embarks on a mission to find a cure for Pamela using miraculous magic.
What is your favourite part of this book?
That’s a tricky one to answer! The opening chapter is one of my favourites because it’s where the reader meets Grace and her voice is so clear and strong and beguiling. She really speaks to the reader and draws them in. It’s almost like she’s real … and you can hear the sincerity of her voice, her yearning to be loved and understood.
Another favourite part of mine (and I’m limiting myself to two parts here!) is when Grace is in church and the song, ‘Amazing Grace’ is played. It’s the first time she’s heard it. The song itself is so beautiful that I’ve included some of the lyrics in the book. Knowing the backstory of the song and how emotive it is adds an extra layer to the story. Its discovery, and the lyrics, are a huge revelation to Grace, notwithstanding the fact she feels the song could be about her given that it includes her name.
WHEN did you begin writing this book?
Over five years ago. It had been bubbling away in my head for some time and I’d wanted to write about my childhood teacher for a while. I often use life experiences and memories as jumping off points for my stories.
When is its release / launch date?
The book was released in May 2024 and has received lots of wonderful, positive reviews, which has been fantastic!
WHERE did the inspiration for this book come from?
I had an amazing primary school teacher who had a huge impact on my life. I was taught by this woman across various classes over several years from kindergarten to year 4 and I still remember her with great fondness.
That teacher’s name was Pamela. Pamela and I shared the same last name. Pamela’s husband had the same name as my father, so we shared commonalities and a special bond. I loved learning and Pamela loved to teach.
Even when Pamela moved away, she wrote beautiful letters in her perfect, flowing handwriting to me while I was a child. I loved receiving the letters, but as a child, I didn’t fully appreciate – or know – the truth or reason behind them.
It wasn’t until many years later I learned that Pamela passed away from cancer not long after she moved away. Those letters were her way of saying goodbye to me and I never realised, never knew until decades later. When I found this out, I was determined to revisit and reconstruct – albeit with some fictionalisation along the way – my relationship with Pamela. Grace the Amazing is my way of commemorating my wonderful teacher and all wonderful teachers everywhere.
WHY is this book meaningful to you?
While the book is a work of fiction, it carries precious pieces of one of my childhood teachers, Pamela Smith, within its pages. The book is dedicated to Pamela and serves as a record of my respect and adoration for a teacher who was a stand-out. At its core, the book is a commemoration and a mark of respect to my teacher.
More than that, I think the book is meaningful to me and to others because it reminds us that it’s okay to be different. It’s okay to have a big personality. It’s okay to be you, whoever that is.
Why would its message resonate with readers?
Grace the Amazing highlights critically important themes to young readers, such as emotional regulation, mental health, anger management, courage, positive teacher-student relationships, dealing with loss, spirituality, love, foster families, and family bonds.
It’s based on my own relationship with a beloved teacher who nurtured in me a thirst for knowledge and who I’ve held dear my whole life. I know many other people – both children and adults – have benefited from the guiding light of a kind, caring teacher so I think this aspect along with the various themes the story raises will resonate with readers.
HOW do you feel about the illustrations / cover design? How do they convey the feeling or mood you envisioned?
There aren’t any illustrations within the novel, but the cover design by Carmen Dougherty is absolutely stunning. It shows Grace from a side-on view, holding a magician’s hat with magic pouring from it into the night sky. There’s also a white dove, which represents a prop that magicians often use when performing, but it also represents hope and is a symbol of spirituality and renewal. All these elements exist within the story, so I feel Carmen captured the essence of the book perfectly.
How have you promoted this book and how can we find it?
Yes, like all my books, I have promoted Grace the Amazing. You’ll find information about the book on my website www.aleesahdarlison.com and my social media pages at Facebook and Instagram.
The book has received fantastic reviews, which is very exciting! Here are a few of them:
- Grace the Amazing is a heart-warming look inside the mind and heart of a young girl…
- Grace the Amazing is a beautiful story cleverly crafted with elements of light and shade.
- An impassioned, spirited, and quirky female lead…
- There are (also) many funny, light-hearted moments and I must admit to chuckling out loud as well as shedding a tear.
- It was truly ‘amazing’… A perfect balance of realism about the difficulties life brings and offering hope.
- It is both emotive and genuinely funny, with a charismatic cast of characters and a loveably candid protagonist in Grace.
There’s also a book trailer on YouTube here.
The book can be purchased online or in bookstores. Here’s a link to the purchase page on the Wombat Books website: https://wombatrhiza.com.au/grace-the-amazing/.
OTHER information or experiences you’d like to share?
I run a Facebook page that features Australian picture books and it’s called Little Darlings. Here’s the link: www.facebook.com/LittleDarlingsPBs. Authors and illustrators can send me their books for review or request interviews and articles to be included on the page. The aim is to support and highlight all our wonderful homegrown picture books. For more information, email aleesahdarlison@yahoo.com.
Such a stunning, heartfelt and precious book! Congratulations, Aleesah! 🙂
#thequicksixinterview #gracetheamazing #emotions #courage #loss #family #middlegrade #justkidslit
