Create your own engineless flying machine. You could make it out of paper, cereal packets, a plastic bottle, a cuddly toy even – whatever you have available.

Then record a video of your maiden flight and upload it to this special site:

http://www.isitabird.co.uk

Full details, rules, terms and conditions are available on the site.

Here’s a video from author Chris Bradford and his amazing (!!!!) Ninja-Copter.

Airman is available in paperback from Amazon and all good bookstores.

Airman by Eoin Colfer

Eoin’s swashbuckling high adventure novel, Airman is now available in paperback format. Available from Amazon and all good bookstores.

Other authors on the list include: Darren Shan, Robert Muchamore and Charlie Fletcher.

Last year (2007-2008), the Doncaster Book Award was won by Derek Landy’s Skulduggery Pleasant.

So get on over to the site and write a review!

Airman Reviews

“Which thing do you love or hate the most about writing, and why?”

“I love being alone.” Very loud and disbelieving laughs. “No, it’s a great luxury for any person to have a couple of hours on their own, in their own office, to put on their own music. Like most Dads…, when you’re older and you’re a Dad Charlie, you will realise that you are the only person in the world that likes the music you like. For some reason when I put on good music in our house, that I paid for, everyone starts screaming that you’re an idiot. Even in the car now, as soon as I get in the car, my son is at the dial to change the radio station. So, when I’m in my office I can put on 1970s David Bowie,” loud laughs, “Led Zeppelin, and nobody says anything, and it’s fantastic. I’ve downloaded all my old CDs to iTunes and I just sit there and I listen to this music. It’s a huge luxury to do that, which most people do not have. When you’ve got kids you do not have two hours in the day to have your music going as you work, so I appreciate that. It’s really nice.

What I hate about it is, erm, I don’t think I hate anything about it. I don’t like the time when you send in a book and you’re waiting for your editor to get back to you, because you don’t know if it’s any good. You’ve been in your room for a year and a half and you’re too close to it. You’ve re-read it a hundred times, and you’ve forgotten what excited you about it, and what were the funny bits, and so you’re waiting for two weeks for the phone call from the editor. Luckily so far it’s been pretty good. I’ve had two editors killed.” Very loud laughs. “Only in my mind.” More laughing. “They’re still alive.”

Read the full interview here:

The Bookwitch, Charlie and Eoin at the Cheltenham Festival

Eoin Interview from the Guardian Podcast

You can listen to the programme via the streamed download from the BBC site here:

BBC Radio Site

or if you hate RealPlayer as much as I do you can download an mp3 version of the show here:

Download MP3

*Please note that this file is approx 80 mb in size.

Technorati Tags: airman, artemis-fowl.com, interview, eoin colfer

Read the Newsweek interview

Report!

“For Conor Broekhart, the only way out… is up…”

The words are still dancing in my ears after hearing the enthusiastic Eoin Colfer spin them into a story named “Airman”. Yr 6 were ecstatic to be part of this brilliant book’s launch. We barged excitedly into the spacey hanger of the Duxford Air Museum, ready for an incredible day of “Airman” adventures.  The museums huge collection of planes and helicopters transfixed our amazed faces. We were so excited we couldn’t stop talking! I felt like I was bubbling all over with anticipation and amazement so much that when we sat down in a stuffy, crowded talk room I couldn’t stop quivering!

Half way through the talk on “How Things Fly” I was tapped gently on the shoulder and lead out to a staircase. Around me, five of my friends stood gazing at a reporter and a camera crew! We were lead down the stairs and into one of the giant museum rooms and told to get into pairs. We realised we would be on the television! Two by two we were placed in front of a plane and asked questions about Artemis Fowl and how we thought the book “Airman” would take of. It was very nerve racking but absolutely incredible.

When the filming was over we were taken outside onto the landing field! First we saw the tiger moth plane but then we spotted Eoin Colfer sitting inside it, photographers all around him. It was outstanding. But it wasn’t only him who could have the praise. After a few minutes my friends and I were pushed to the tiger moth, next to Eoin Colfer. He was very funny and cracked loads of hilarious jokes to make our smiles wider. When we could stand the blustering wind no longer, we strolled back into the hanger for more filming and photos before we went back to the talk room. But this time we would be listening to Eoin Colfer…

The bubbly author’s speech was fantastic. He was smiley, relaxed and HILARIOUS! He made me giggle all the way through the talk about his childhood experiences of “flying”. This was actually “flying” over the handlebars of his bike! By the time it was lunch, I was starving after all my laughter.

After a delicious feast we had a stroll in the museum. The interactive part was outstanding because we got to push buttons to our hearts content. It was brilliant fun but enough playing around was enough. After a while it was time to have my book signed…We all hustled and bustled into what seemed like a never ending queue. It seemed like decades before I finally reached Eoin Colfer’s table. I felt like singing with joy when he signed his name in my copy of “Airman” and wrote “to my photo buddy”.

As we piled back into the hanger, the sorry news sank in. It was time to go. We gave Eoin one last wave as we climbed into the waiting coach. My face ached from smiling. What a magical day we had.

Charlotte Davies, Year 6, William Westley School, Whittlesford