Karen McCombie’s latest book for children follows Tyra as she moves school and has to make new friends. BooksfromScotland spoke to the author to find out more about her book and her advice for kids in a similar situation to Tyra.

The Broken Dragon
By Karen McCombie
Published by Barrington Stoke

Well done on another book under your belt with the release of The Broken Dragon. Can you tell the readers what to expect from the book?

Readers can expect a short and sweet tale of a dragon-obsessed ten-year-old, plus they’ll learn about Kintsugi – the Japanese art of mending things with gold! It’s all wrapped up in a story of kinship care, where children live with a member of their extended family, when staying with their parents isn’t an option. In this case, Tyra has just moved in with her beloved nan.

Your book explores the challenges of starting a new school. Do you think back to your own childhood and school days when you write your books? What are your go to tips for making new friends?

Due to my family moving around – including a spell in Australia – I ended up going to five primary schools in total. I was already a shy kid and trying to fit in and find my feet at each new school really dented my already fragile self-confidence! What I’d love my younger self to have known are these two short-cuts to getting to know people…

1) Smile, even if you’re feeling wibbly as half-set jelly inside! Not everyone will smile back, but the nice ones – the potential future friends – might!

2) Ask questions or give compliments. Shyness can tie your tongue in knots and make your head feel echoingly empty of anything to say about yourself. But you can always find questions to ask or nice things to say. Something as simple as “where did you get your pencil case?” or “I like your trainers” could be a quick-fix route to bonding with someone.

You also feature the Japanese art of Kintsugi in your book. Why do you think the theme of embracing imperfection is useful for young readers?

Small children operate in their own wee world, but there’s a tipping point of self-awareness at a certain stage of development, where children can start comparing themselves to other people and their achievements. And that can sadly chip away at your confidence if you think you’re falling short! I just wanted to write a story that might help make children think about the fact that quirks and differences can be pretty interesting. A lot more interesting than perfection!

You have now published over 100 books, and before you wrote your books you were a journalist for a variety of children’s’ magazines. Although tech may change, do you think young people’s preoccupations remain the same? How have your readers changed over the years?

Tech aside, the fundamental things that mattered to children and teenagers I wrote for at the beginning of my career 20+ year ago are the same as they are today; friendship joys and woes and family dynamics. Luckily, that’s always at the core of what I write! And my biggest thrill these days is that readers of my best-selling ‘Ally’s World’ series back in the early 2000s are now becoming parents and are emailing me to say they’re starting to read my books to their children. That’s pretty mind-blowing!

How to keep inspired? Are there days when stories will just not come? What do you do then?

Writing is a full-time job, but yep, some days my brain feels more like it’s full of sludge than intricate storylines and zippy dialogue. When that happens, I don’t force it, and turn my attention to sorting out the admin around my job. That’s so dull that I’m soon itching to get back to writing! Oh, and taking my dog out for a walk always helps clear my mind. There’s nothing quite like chasing a frantic Westie who’s chasing a squirrel to get the adrenalin pumping!

What books are you enjoying reading at the moment? What are you looking forward to reading?

I’m a huge fan of short books… as a former magazine journalist and sub-editor, I often spot where longer novels are sagging and how they could’ve been edited to tighten the story up and keep things pacey! So I do enjoy reading quick-read Barrington Stoke children’s books. Recent favourites have been The Journey Back To Freedom by Catherine Johnson (the true story of former slave Olaudah Equiano) and Victorian gothic tale The Mermaid in the Millpond by Lucy Strange.

And I’m also really looking forward to reading Glitter Boy by former teacher Ian Eagleton, after I saw him talk on the ITV news about the book and the importance of having diverse stories in schools . It looks like a really joyous read, and a great addition to classrooms!

The Broken Dragon by Karen McCombie is published by Barrington Stoke, priced £7.99.