Book launch a gift for students who helped with author’s teen story
Brenton Stacey
Public relations officer
Avondale College of Higher Education
Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia
An Avondale lecturer thanked students for their help by launching at Avondale School the sequel to a book about a boy and the challenge of adolescence.
Favourable critics: Year 6 students Bailey Clark and Caleb Kingston with Year 5 student Zoey Watson and her father, Brad, at the launch of Brad’s new young adult story David’s Revenge. Credit: Brenton Stacey.
Brad Watson met regularly with Year 9 students from Avondale and from Central Coast Adventist School and Macquarie College this past year to seek their thoughts on his new young adult story David’s Revenge.
“A consistent problem I have as a 40-year-old is expressing myself in a way that’s acceptable to a 14-year-old,” says Brad, a lecturer in the School of Humanities and Creative Arts at Avondale College of Higher Education.
He must have found the criticism about character development, plot and language constructive because the book’s editor, Nathan Brown, describes David’s Revenge as having more action, more good ideas and more pages than its prequel, Finding David.
Nathan represented Signs Publishing Company, which publishes both books, at the launch in the school’s iCentre this past Wednesday (September 21). He likes the series because it “takes the ordinary things young adults face and puts them in big adventures. But there’s also this recurring theme about God’s influence and presence and interest in those things. It shows how faith, hope and making good choices makes a difference in our lives.”
Finding David follows David as he moves into a new school and deals with bullying, romance and a mysterious family tragedy. David’s Revenge continues the story—caught in a fire storm while hiking, David’s RiskMEN group discovers truths, and lies, about each other. The themes: rescue; relationships; revenge; and choice.
Brad has based the series on stories of his grandfather, Raymond, who suffered a nervous breakdown after contracting a rare disease called wildfire. Brad told the Year 5 and 6 students attending the launch of his father’s anger at the lack of support for his grandfather, particularly after Raymond’s hospitalisation. His message: look out for your mates.
David’s Revenge is available from Adventist Book Centres.
Links
My Story with Brad Watson from InFocus on Vimeo.