On Georgia Byng, author, illustrator and comedienne
The Molly Moon scrapes and fantastical adventures began in 2002, now a series of six books for pre-teen children. These imaginatively written books allow children to escape into a colourful fantasy world where the downtrodden triumph.
Molly Moon is the fictitious child of glamourous author and comedienne Georgia Byng. Molly was inspired by a school friend who was clumsy and always in trouble, picked on by other girls and the teaching staff, Byng has compensated by giving her the super powers of hypnosis, mind reading and time travelling. Byng was unhappy at boarding school which she found depressing and hollow, she was homesick; Molly is a misunderstood orphan and strangely liberated from family and traditional life, her magical abilities enable her to find fame and fortune. The hypnosis idea came from Byng’s cocker spaniel that appeared to be hypnotised by Byng eating a biscuit.
When Byng talks about Molly it is as if she really existed, her research for the books is thorough, for the third book Byng went to India and was mesmerised by Chandi Chowk, soon Molly Moon and her dog Petulawere transported back to nineteenth century India and trapped by a giant evil Maharaja who spoke in spoonerisms.
“There’s no time like the present, No present like time. And life can be over in the space of a rhyme. There’s no gift like friendship And no love like mine.Give me your love to treasure through time.” Georgia Byng
All of Molly’s adventures are quirky and charming, this week the first CD in the seriesis available on download “Molly Moon and the Incredible Book of Hypnotism the Movie”, perhaps the perfect Christmas gift from parents prepared to be hypnotisedwhen their child has seen it?
Byng was involved in the complete film experience, she is very protective of her child star, having raised the money herself she linked up with Amber Entertainment and Lipsync Productions; Molly is played to hypnotic perfection by Raffey Cassidy, a young Mancunian actress who had previously starred with George Clooney, Byng says Cassidy was conscientious, polite and professional at all times. Due to the nature of Molly’s escapades there were some practical financial restraints but the story is never compromised, Byng likens the film to the book as “non-identical twins”, she is delighted with the result.
Since completing the movie Byng is as innovative as ever, having just published The Girl with No Nose, written specifically for dyslexic children who can struggle with reading and experience low self-esteem or depression. With publisher Barrington Stoke Byng has produced a book with a special font and spacing to minimise the typical blurring and switching symptomatic of dyslexia. Never short of inspirationByng noticed a pair of spectacles with a prosthetic nose attached in The Surgeon’s Museum in London, clearly Byng’s entire following of young readers can look forward to further tales of the unexpected.
Byng was involved in the complete film experience, she is very protective of her child star, having raised the money herself she linked up with Amber Entertainment and Lipsync Productions; Molly is played to hypnotic perfection by Raffey Cassidy.