Happy 95th Birthday Eileen!

Candy Jar is delighted to be able to say "Happy 95th Birthday!" to the incredible Eileen Younghusband today. Reaching such a golden age is only one of the formidable achievements this lady had made throughout her time, and we'd like to take this opportunity to share a few more today!

Aged 16, Eileen joined the Women's Auxilliary Air Force in 1941 in one of the top secret roles: Clerk Special Duties. She and her co-workers had to sign the Official Secrets Act, preventing them from telling their families and friends about the work they did in the unknown Filter Rooms.

In the war years that followed, Eileen proved herself and went further and further up the ranks, becoming one of the youngest Filterer Officers ever. Any historic event, from the Little Boats of Dunkirk to the time Winston Churchill accidentally flew in without his "IFF" (Information Friend or Foe) signal - Eileen Younghusband was there.

On June 6th 1944, Eileen was working on shift during Operation Neptune, the code name for the D-Day landings of Allied Forces on the French coast and celebrated the success with her co-workers.

On September 8th 1944, Eileen received the "Big Ben" alert, indicating the first V2 rocket launch from Germany against London - one of the most iconic moments in history.

Credit: Warren Allott

On November 16th 1944, Eileen was sent onwards to Second Tactical Air Force in Beligum, gifted the task of working within a highly specialised team to detect the V2 rocket launchers until June 1945.

When VE Day arrived, and Germany had been defeated, Eileen's job wasn't at an end. She was sent to Breendonk, a liberated concentration camp, where she was instructed to act as a guide and translator to RAF officers sent there to learn of the horrors thathad occurred.

In the post-war years, Eileen has remained an unstoppable force. Aged 87, Eileen achieved one of her life's ambitions of attaining a university degree, and remains an active campaigner for health and education. Due to the Official Secrets Act, for 30 years after the war Eileen's story remained a secret from all she knew; her friends,  her family, and even her husband Peter Younghusband whom she married in 1945 and their son Clive Younghusband, born 1946.

It wasn't until 2011 when Eileen published her first war-time autobiography that her story, and the story of thousands of other women, was told.

One Woman's War went on to win the People's Book Prize 2012/13, and has become a widely recognised authority on the realities of war-time Britain and the role of of the women in the Filter Rooms in the Second World War.

Now, Eileen feels that it's time to share her story with the younger generation. Launched today, on her 95th birthday, Candy Jar is honoured to announce the publication of Eileen's third book Eileen's War.

As veterans gradually age and pass away, many of them taking their memories with them, Eileen sees her children’s memoir as her ‘legacy’ book. She says: “I think it is really important to engage with young people about World War II. It’s a pivotal moment in our history. I feel my book helps to make a sense of the insecurities we all face at the moment. In truth I am not going to be around forever, but if my story can live on from generation to generation this will be wonderful.”

Eileen continues: “When I wrote One Woman’s War I wanted to shine a light on the work done by the women of the Filter Room. At the time our position in history had almost been forgotten. Now I am so proud that the women’s contribution has been acknowledged.”

Once again, Eileen tells the story of the Second World War with frank and charming voice, peppered with hilarious anecdotes of a young girl who found herself in the middle of it all. Eileen's War is the legacy of an inspiring true story which will live on. Fans of Roald Dah's Boy and Flying Solo, and Jennifor Worth's Call The Midwife will love Eileen's latest memoir. You can order yours today here.

From everybody here at Candy Jar Books, we're so proud to be able to celebrate and share the work of one incredible golden lady. Her ambition, drive and outlook on life inspires each of us here, and we're delighted for Eileen Younghusband to be a friend of Candy Jar Books.

Happy Birthday Eileen, you are a true hero. 

Spread The Word!

Last Thursday was World Book Day, and to celebrate we headed on mass down to Merthyr Tydfil for the inaugural Spread The Word Festival, organised by Stephens and George Charitable Trust. School children of all ages were invited in their thousands to enter a world of pure imagination from loads of the local schools. Among the sea of craft stalls and fairground rides, Candy Jar was on hand selling books signed by our authors and meeting all the local school children. There were nearly three hundred events at various locations across Merthyr Tydfil, including a drama workshop with Waterloo Road’s Richard Mylan. Candy Jar authors Mark Brake and Jon Chase, Alison Thomas, Andy Frankham-Allen and Lorraine Bowen hosted sessions at the event, as well as a workshop run by illustrator Richard Young. Even Captain Jack Sparrow was able to turn up, also known as entertainer, performer and illustrator Terry Cooper.

In St David’s Parish Church Andy Frankham-Allen hosted a workshop talking about the everyday dilemma’s of time-travel, covering everything from Doctor Who and Anthony Ormond’s Tommy Parker: Destiny Will Find You! to Back To The Future.

Science duo Mark Brake and Jon Chase were there too and blew away the children of Merthyr with their The Science of Doctor Who road-show, talking all things sci-fi and inspiring the audience to make their own real life science experiments for their Space Time Machine Monster Competition, in partnership with the Welsh Books Council.

In the Tydfil Training Centre, author Alison Thomas lead a workshop with her magical friend Ddraig, chatting about her children’s fantasy-adventure book Amulet and inviting the children to take part in a fold-over poem. At Hope Church, Britain’s Got Talent contestant and crumble enthusiast Lorraine Bowen put on an all-singing all-dancing show for the children, who sang along and learnt that everybody’s good at cooking something, and Lorraine’s good at cooking crumble! 

With all this excitement going on elsewhere, the rest of us were all hands on deck at our outdoor stall, selling signed copies of the author’s books and getting involved with the action in the Charitable Trust’s spectacular reinvention of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. It got really intense...

Thanks so much to Stephens and George for inviting us to get involved with the Merthyr literary community. We met a load  of great people, and it was so lovely to see all the school children getting into the workshops and dressing up as their favourite book characters. With the Roald Dahl theme, we have never see so many Oompa Loompas in our lives! 

                                                                  

World Book Day: Candy Jar Talks Roald Dahl and Childhood Favourites

You've probably heard that Candy Jar will be at the Merthyr Tydfil Spread The Word Arts & Literary Festival on World Book Day this coming Thursday 3rd March; one of the largest growing World Book Day events across in the UK. We are very, very excited!

This year’s Spread The Word Festival is a celebration of one of children’s literature’s greatest, Roald Dahl. This year marks what would be the 100th birthday of the iconic writer on September 13th 1916, and there will be events celebrating the mind who brought us institutions like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda going on throughout the year and across Cardiff and Wales.

With the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory themed festival looming, we’ve been chatting away about our favourite Roald Dahl books from when we were growing up.

Shaun’s favourite: The Magic Finger 

We've got all the Roald Dahl books in our house - my girls love them! The Magic Finger really caught my imagination when I was younger, I just thought it was quite strange. It’s the Roald Dahl book that people don’t talk about as much, and I really like the juxtaposition of the characters and how the ducks and the people swap roles.

My favourite part is when they wake up and the Gregg family first realise that they’ve swapped places; they’ve turned into tiny people with wings and the ducks have grown to people size and they have arms instead!

Favourite quote:

“Don’t shoot! Please don’t shoot!”
“Why not?” said one of the ducks. “You are always shooting at us.”
“Oh, but that’s not the same! Said Mr. Gregg. “We are allowed to shoot ducks.”
“Who allows you?”asked the duck.
“We allow each other,” said Mr. Gregg.
“Very nice,” said the duck.” And now we are going to allow each other to shoot you.”

 Will’s favourite: George’s Marvellous Medicine 

I think George’s Marvellous Medicine was my favourite as a kid, purely because I remember reading it so many times. I loved that it was all about wanting to “one-up” the grown-ups and the rubbish relatives!
I think my favourite part was when George blew up the nan!

Favourite quote: 

“Lalalalalalalala I have nothing to say!”

(Either that or: “Never grow up – always grow down.”)

Hayley’s favourite: The Twits

The Twits is definitely my favourite Roald Dahl book. I really liked the illustrations by Quentin Blake, I remember a really gross one of the beard with all food in it!

I love that the characters were always playing tricks on one another and that they were really badly behaved – and I went to see a show of the book when I was little.

Favourite quote: 

“A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.”

Lauren’s favourite: The BFG 

I loved The BFG, the book and the animated film; I’m a bit nervous about the remake! I liked that the main character Sophie was a bit lonely until she meets the BFG, and they sort of find eachother even though they’re both sort of left out in their own worlds. And the snozzcumbers, I liked them too.

My favourite part is when the BFG takes Sophie to the room full of the dream jars, and I always like the idea of “witching hour” which I fully believed in as a child!

Favourite quote: 

“Two rights don’t equal a left”

... and one from our author Jane Cohen who popped in to say hi!

Jane's favourite: The Witches

Roald Dahl is one of my absolute favourites! I loved The Witches; the magic in it, the way the girl moves in the picture into different positions and grows old in the photograph, and I loved that the witches all owned sweet shops to entice the children.

Favourite quote: 

"Witches of England you're a disgrace!" (and then she brings her potion out!)

We’ve also been obsessively browsing the internet for all things Roald Dahl, and here are a few of our favourite facts about the Llandaff-born author:

• His first children’s book is usually considered to be James and the Giant Peach, but actually it is The Gremlins, based on WW2 RAF folklore. The Gremlins was written when Dahl was stationed in Washington in 1942. Dahl already has a career as a WW2 fighter pilot, having flown planes in North Africa. The Gremlins takes place in southern England during the Battle of Britain in 1940. The made-up "gremlins" were commonly given the blame by the RAF personnel when anything went wrong throughout the Second World War, as Eileen Younghusband will well know.
• Roald Dahl actually co-wrote the screenplay for the children’s classic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, based on the novel of the same name by Bond writer Ian Fleming. He was, in fact, the creative mind behind the chilling and villainous character The Child Snatcher (who terrifies the best of us to this day... even if we are too old for bedtime stories!), as the character didn't appear in the original novel. Thanks, Roald Dahl... 

  

  Sorry for the nightmares...

  
  
• The Fantastic Mr Fox was, at least partly, inspired by a tree that sat outside Roald Dahl’s house in Great Missenden. He used to call it the “witching tree” and tell his children stories about the family of foxes who lived inside it.

What was your favourite Roald Dahl book? Tweet us and tell us your favourites at @Candy_Jar!

Book Worms author Jane Cohen visits local primary school

Here at Candy Jar, we are always keen to spread the literary love around - to anybody who will listen, to be honest. Luckily, we have a lovely bunch of authors who feel exactly the same way!

The fabulous Jane Cohen, writer for women's magazines and author of Book Worms, has been sharing her charming and fun children's story with a local after-school book club.

A couple of weeks ago, Jane went and met the lovely children at local primary school Albany Road Primary School for their weekly after-school "Book Worms" meeting.

After first arriving with the promise of giving the children "real worms" to taste (they were gummy worms really - we promise!) Jane got down to business to chat all things bookie.

"We talked about our favourite authors - the two favourites seemed to be Roald Dahl and J.K. Rowling!" says Jane.

Jane got to share with the children her story of how Book Worms came about, too:

"My daughter entered a school competition to paint a mural on the school wall. We came up with the idea of a very clever family of worms who had a million books, and could read a book in 25 seconds - I think the children thought that was very funny!"

"I read different parts of Book Worms, and we talked about different creepy crawlies and what the word 'metamorphosis' meant. The children were horrified when I told them that Earth Worm Soup was actually something real!"

It wasn't just the children who left the session a little bit wiser - Jane got a lesson too:

"Their lovely teacher taught me where the term 'Book Worms' originated from - apparently years ago, old books would get riddled with actual worms!"

Well... you learn something new every day.

We love that all the children had such a lovely time, and that Jane could go and meet some young fans! Many thanks to the staff at Albany Primary School!

Book Worms is available to purchase from the Candy Jar website and on Amazon.

If you are interested in booking a visit or talk about all things Book Worms , contact Lauren Thomas at lauren@candyjarbooks.co.uk or call 02921 157202

@Candy_Jar
@MissBobbles101

Spread The Word Festival 2016 - We're Excited!!

Candy Jar is really excited to be getting involved with the Spread The Word Literary Festival 2016, coming to you on World Book Day, Thursday March 3rd.

The amazing event is hosted by Stephens & George Centenary Charitable Trust in Merthyr Tydfil town center, and is one of the biggest annual arts and literature festival in Wales for children.

Spread The Word Festival was first launched in 2013, and with the great success that was seen has been a recurring fixture in Wales' annual line-up. With previous themes including Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland, this years event is based on characters created by the iconic Cardiff-born author Roald Dahl.

The main influence of the event will be Roald Dahl's hugely influential classic Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, and the event locations will be teaming with Oompa Loompas, and even Willy Wonka (on stilts!!) Keep an eye out for the Glass Elevator!

Among the famous faces which will feature at the Merthyr Tydfil event, including BBC Drama Waterloo Road's Richard Mylan and CBBC poet Joseph Coelho, we are privileged to announce that Candy Jar authors Alison Thomas, Emmerdale actress Sammy Winward, People's Book Prize 2014 Nominee Anthony Ormond, Mark Brake & Jon Chase, and the renowned pop-culture artist Nathan Wyburn will be featuring at the event!

There will be author-led talks and workshops for children of all ages, as well as the opportunity to buy signed copies of their books and meet the authors in person.

There will be food, there will be drink, and there will even be crafty stalls to get your hands mucky!

Keep an eye out for the event schedules, and we will see you there! (hopefully in costume)

Photo credit: Sir Quentin Blake (The Guardian)

Spread The Word Festival will be held at various locations in the Merthyr Tydfil town centre Thursday March 3rd, 2016. Further details will follow.