Ben Spies, 11, writes quirky new book for kids

Ben Spies, 11, with his "quirky and authentic" book The Magic Pencil, the second of his two published children's books.

He is not even a teenager yet but Paraparaumu's Ben Spies has written, published and sold his second fiction book for children.

The Magic Pencil, which was launched at the Paraparaumu Library recently in front of around 60 guests, sold 32 copies on its release.

The result of 10 months' hard work, The Magic Pencil follows Ben's first book Weirdo, both illustrated by Ben's father Robert Spies.

"We've been learning so much about the publishing business and I'm really loving being able to have all the family together in these projects," said Ben's mother Renata Spies, who launched Spies Publishing in 2015.

"Daniel, Ben's younger brother, makes sure he gives his feedback to Ben about the stories and we're working at the moment on another two books."

The book tells the story of London school boy Bob, who finds a magical pencil one day on his way to school and from there, his life will never be the same.

Having visited four schools since the book's launch and held a signing at Paper Plus Coastlands, Ben was excited to see the publication of his latest 160-page book, written for eight to 12 year olds.

According to the Raumati South School student, the book features a cast of memorable characters, which he hoped children would enjoy meeting as Bob goes on an "awesome adventure to save the world from the horrible Fakeys".

"My favourite part of the book is when Bob travels back in time to ancient Egypt and meets a rather nasty pharaoh."

Described by Spies Publishing as sure to delight, The Magic Pencil takes young readers on a breathtaking and hilarious adventure through space and time, as past, present and future collide.

With the help of his friends, Bob must keep the magic pencil away from the clutches of the villainous Fakeys, who will stop at nothing to take the pencil from him.

"Ben has a quirky sense of humour that shines through in his writing, and he loves to make his readers laugh, taking them on an adventure with his writing," Renata said.

"You get to see Bob's world through a child's eyes and have his story told with an authentic child's voice.

"In this digital age, Ben wants to inspire children to read with his books.

"He also wants other young authors to realise their dreams and write their own stories."
- The Magic Pencil is available to purchase at www.spiespublishing.co.nz