I, Spy by Rhian Tracey

Bletchley Park is the setting for this war time adventure and there are still so many mysteries and events that took place there that capture the imaginations of writers such as Rhian Tracey. Read on for her blog about writing a middle grade novel set in Bletchley Park.

Before I had children of my own, I spent most of my time, as an English teacher and Head of Drama, with teenagers, so it felt quite natural to write for this age group. By the time my fourth or fifth novel was published, I had three children of my own, either in primary school or preschool and everywhere I looked were picture books and middle grade stories. I remember taking a bag for life to the library to carry home the vast amounts of books for the three of them and myself. Each evening the house was filled with the sound of three different audiobooks playing and I would tune in to middle grade stories full of adventure and mystery and most of all friendship and hope.
I found myself starting to think along the same lines, especially when my children asked for stories about my own childhood. It was quite natural to find myself back in the middle of Wales, climbing a tree and swimming in a river out to an island, finding an abandoned house and daring my friends to climb in through the broken window. All of the things I got up to came flooding back, helped by my parents and brother who would delight in sharing with my children the trouble I’d got into at their age.
My mum always read to us and took us to the library, but my father told us stories every night about him, his naughty brother, and his sister, and they became the stuff of legend in our family, with all his grandchildren wanting to hear them too.
There is much joy to be had in a story for this age group because they are eager and willing to suspend their disbelief and are open to the world and actively looking for wonder. I started volunteering for school trips as a parent helper, on my day off from teaching, and went on several visits, thoroughly entertained by classes, who weren’t afraid to ask awkward questions, were able to find the humour in almost any situation and had a deep fixation with facts and figures.
It was on one of these trips that I found myself with my daughter and her class at Bletchley Park, where my great-aunt, Audrey had been stationed during the war. I didn’t know much about her story because she’d signed the Official Secrets Act and kept much of it to herself throughout her life, but there were a few times when she let down her guard and a detail or two would be revealed. These details were interesting enough to hang a story on and I took my group around the park with my notebook in my hand, furiously scribbling away. On the bus, on the return back to school, several Year 6s were curious about what I was doing and offered their own insights into what makes a good story and how Bletchley Park was the perfect setting.

I wrote I, Spy, during lock down – the strangest of times! – and was lucky enough to have three children stuck at home to test my chapters out on. And let me tell you, there is no harsher critic than children who are surrounded by so many other forms of entertainment. But their criticism drove me to make my story better each time they shared their feedback with me. It took a while for me to let go of the desire to write in the first person and to get rid of all the parents and to ensure that the language I used was appropriate for this age group but once I was immersed in Robyn, Mary, and Ned’s world, it was hard to leave. And this world is one I look forward to returning to.

I, Spy by Rhian Tracey is published by Piccadilly Press and is available now.

 

Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the Federation.