Authors: Sarah Webb

Sunny Days and Moon Cakes (16 page)

Later that afternoon I walk down to the cafe to see Alanna. She’s in the kitchen, mixing pastry in a big ceramic bowl. She puts down the wooden spoon and wipes her floury hands on her Songbird Cafe apron before giving me a hug.

“I’m making moon cakes,” she says, smiling. “The birthday cake was such a hit at Min’s party that people have been asking for them. I’ve created my own special recipe. I’ll make some extra for you and Min.”

“Thanks.” It slips out easily, like I’ve always been able to talk to Alanna. My voice is still quiet and my sentences are short, but I can’t tell you how excited and relieved I am to be able to use my voice, even in a small way. Rosie says we have a long way to go yet. She has every confidence that I’ll be speaking fluently by the end of the year, though. “Baby steps,” she says. “Take it one day at a time, Sunny.”

Alanna smiles. “I still can’t get over hearing you speak, little nightingale. Do you know why I call you that?”

I shake my head.

“Because nightingales have beautiful voices. And I always knew you’d have a beautiful voice one day. How’s that mad sister of yours doing?”

“Good. She sent you this.” I hand Alanna the “thank you for my party” card that Min made for her, with my help. Surprisingly, it was Min’s idea. Mum usually has to talk her into writing any kind of thank-you letter, but this time Min insisted.

There’s a picture of the cafe on the front – I drew it and Min coloured it in – and inside Min has drawn dozens of hearts and kisses around Alanna’s name with her favourite glitter pens.

“It’s beautiful,” Alanna says. “Tell her I love it.”

“And this” – I pass over the large tube of paper I’ve been clutching – “is for helping me.”

She unrolls it and gasps. “Sunny, is this your work? It’s extraordinary. It must have taken you hours.” It’s a drawing of a fairy girl. She’s tall and willowy, with emerald-green eyes and slightly pointy ears. Her long brown hair is in two plaits, interwoven with ribbons. She’s wearing a floaty pale-blue dress and there are delicate white wings on her back. There’s a faint golden aura around her head, like a ray of sunlight shining through the trees.

“It’s you,” I say.

She gazes at my drawing. “It’s the most beautiful thing anyone’s ever given me. I’m going to get it framed and hang it on my bedroom wall. That way I can see it every night before I go to sleep and every morning when I wake up.”

I beam at her.

“Now, would you like to make a wish on the moon-cake mix?” she asks.

“No, thank you,” I say.

Alanna looks surprised for a moment, then she smiles.

“I don’t need to make any more wishes,” I explain, my voice coming out clear and strong. “All of mine have already come true.”

Five things you might not know about me
by Sunny Sullivan

1. I love drawing more than anything else in the world. Picking up a pencil and sketching makes me happy.

2. I love dogs. We had a black pug called Puggy in China. Then came Woody, and now we have Goldie, a golden Labrador.

3. My favourite colour is a golden, happy yellow. Sunny yellow, like me!

4. My favourite artists are Monet and Frida Kahlo. I love looking at paintings – good ones make me feel like I’m in the painting too.

5. If I could have any super power, it would be the power to change into any animal I wanted. So if I wanted to spy on people, I could be a tiny fly. If I wanted to fly, I could be a mighty eagle. If I wanted to swim, I could be a dolphin. Wouldn’t that be an amazing super power?

My top five graphic novels and manga
by Sunny Sullivan

1.
Smile
by Raina Telgemeier Based on the author’s own life as a teenager, it is about family and friendship.

2.
Sister
by Raina Telgemeier I like this one cos it’s about sisters. My little sister, Min, drives me crazy sometimes. But I love her really!

3.
Adventure Time
, created by Pendleton North I love the illustrations of Finn, his dog, Jake, Princess Bubblegum and Marceline the Vampire Queen in the land of Ooo, and the stories are really funny.

4.
Vermonia
by Yoyo Great manga with lots of action.

5.
It’s a Magical World: A Calvin and Hobbes Collection
by Bill Watterson
My dad loves the Calvin and Hobbes stories – about a boy and his toy tiger who comes to life. He gave me this book for Christmas. Reading it makes me laugh!

Recipe for the Songbird Cafe Top Hats
by Alanna D’Arcy

Top Hats are great for serving at birthday parties. Sunny and Min had them at theirs. I hope you like them too. They’re easy and fun to make!

Ingredients
(makes 12-14)

1 large bar of good quality milk chocolate
1 packet of marshmallows
1 packet of Smarties or Jelly Tots
1 tub of Hundreds and Thousands
Small paper cases (sweet cases)

Instructions

1. Melt the chocolate, either on the stove or in the microwave. Ask an adult to help you with this and be careful.

2. Place a teaspoon of melted chocolate into each paper case, filling it up halfway.

3. Put a marshmallow on the chocolate.

4. Put a drop of melted chocolate on each marshmallow and press a sweet into it. Sprinkle the top with hundreds and thousands. Leave to set.

5. Eat – delicious!

Interview with Sarah Webb
(author of The Songbird Cafe Girls)

1. How long did it take you to write
Sunny Days and Moon Cakes
?

About a year, on and off. I did a lot of research into Sunny’s condition – selective mutism: reading books, watching documentaries and talking to mums of children with the condition. It’s something lots of children have, so I wanted to get it right.

2. Have you ever been to China, where Sunny and Min were born?

Yes. In 2013, I spoke at a book festival in Hong Kong and visited lots of Chinese schools on Hong Kong Island and on the mainland. It was an amazing experience – one I’ll never forget. It’s such a magical, special place.

3. How did the trip inspire the book?

Lots of the places Sunny and Min visit on their trip to Hong Kong were inspired by real places. The temple with the huge incense coils, the shop full of Hello Kitty and Monchhichi dolls, the cats, the blossom on the cherry trees, the dried-seafood shops, the food, the smells, the noises, all came from real things I’d seen or experienced in China. Sadly, we didn’t stay in a hotel with a Jacuzzi like the girls did!

4. Where and when do you write?

I write at the small, very old desk I used to do my homework on, in the corner of my bedroom. It’s like an old friend at this stage. I write mostly in the mornings when my children, Amy and Jago, are at school.

5. Do you have any tips for young writers?

Yes! Number one: practise. Write as often as you can. Keep a diary and write down all your thoughts. Carry a notebook and jot down ideas or snippets of dialogue you overhear or funny stories people tell you. Write short stories or poems or reviews of movies and books you like. Keep writing no matter what.

Number two: read. Not just fiction, but all kinds of things – history books, comics, factual books about nature and the world. The more you know, the more you’ll have to write about.

Number three: never give up. If you want to be a writer, follow your dream.

6. We have loved reading about Sunny and Min. Are there any more books set on Little Bird?

You can read Mollie’s story in
Mollie Cinnamon Is Not a Cupcake
. And in
Aurora and the Popcorn Dolphin
, a new girl with a very special talent arrives on the island.

Acknowledgements

Writing a book is a strange business. After careful thinking, planning and research, you sit down at an empty screen and gradually your fingers start to type and a story begins to unfold. After you’ve written the first version (the first “draft”) all the hard work really begins: crafting the book and making it the very best it can be.

Sunny’s story was a difficult one to tell and I wanted to get it right, so there were many different versions of this book. Each version was lovingly edited by my super-smart and kind editor, Annalie, ably assisted by Emily.

Maria gave it a glowing cover (don’t you just love Sunny’s headphones) and Jack created the fantastic map of Little Bird. Thanks must also go to Team Walker Books, especially Conor, Paul, Gill, Victoria, Jo and Heidi. And to Philippa and Peta, my lovely agents.

Simone Michel gave me such help and encouragement, and Maggie Johnson’s book
The Selective Mutism Resource Manual
was invaluable. If you want to know more about selective mutism, it’s a brilliant read, full of wisdom. I’m very grateful for Maggie’s kind words about my book at just the right time and for inspiring the “sliding in” scenes in the story.

My friend in Hong Kong, Louise Law, was most helpful with Chinese details and I must thank her for inviting me to her literary festival in 2013. Sunny’s story was coloured by that extraordinary trip.

I’d also like to thank most sincerely the amazing gang at the Irish Coast Guard at Waterford, who arranged for me to fly in their rescue helicopter, especially Keith Carolan (and hi to his daughter, Aishling), Declan Geoghegan and Ger Hegarty. It was a remarkable experience and made the cliff-rescue scene in the book truly come alive. And thank you to Philip Stanley for putting me in touch with the team.

And finally I’d like to thank you, my reader, for picking up Sunny’s story. Books only truly come alive when they are read. I’d love to hear from you, so do drop me a line:
[email protected]
.

Yours in books,

Sarah XXX

Sarah Webb
worked as a children’s bookseller for many years before becoming a full-time writer. Writing is her dream job because it means she can travel, read books and magazines, watch movies, and interrogate friends and family, all in the name of “research”. She adores stationery, especially stickers, and is a huge reader – she reads at least one book a week. As well as The Songbird Cafe Girls series, Sarah has written six Ask Amy Green books, eleven adult novels and many books for younger children. She visits a school every Friday during term time and loves meeting young readers and writers. She has been shortlisted for the Queen of Teen Award (twice!) and the Irish Book Awards.

Find out more about Sarah at
www.SarahWebb.ie
or on Twitter (
@sarahwebbishere
) and
facebook.com/sarahwebbwriter
.