Friday Reads – Moley and the Mysterious Sea Turtles by Julia B. Grantham

Welcome to another Friday Reads post. My featured book this week is the delightful children’s book, Moley and the Mysterious Sea Turtles by Julia. B. Grantham.

The eagerly anticipated second instalment in the enchanting series ‘A Mole Like No Other’ is here – ‘Moley and the Mysterious Sea Turtles’ by Julia B. Grantham. This delightfully illustrated chapter book, perfect for young readers, follows the adventures of Moley, a lovable toy mole, as he embarks on a holiday to Tortuga Key near Florida with his adoptive family.

Moley takes young readers on a journey filled with excitement, humour, and valuable life lessons. The story begins when Moley, initially nervous about his first plane ride, lands in Florida and discovers that the sandy shores are teeming with adventures and unexpected challenges.

While on holiday, Moley encounters a group of people on a Turtle Watch, dedicated to protecting endangered species and preserving our fragile ecosystem. Through captivating storytelling, Julia B. Grantham weaves a narrative that not only entertains but also educates young minds about the importance of environmental conservation.

The book is beautifully illustrated with original pencil drawings in the best British tradition of children’s book artwork. Julia B. Grantham, an Ambassador for the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation, skilfully incorporates descriptive language, humour, and wise life lessons throughout the story. The book can be enjoyed as a read-aloud for younger children or independently by more confident readers.

‘Moley and the Mysterious Sea Turtles’ offers an engaging tale exploring friendship, courage, and adapting to new challenges. Children of all ages will find themselves captivated by the characters and adventures, while adults will appreciate the rich language, literary references, and tongue-in-cheek humour.

The book also provides young readers with the opportunity to express their creativity, as there is space for them to draw their favourite characters from the story.

Don’t miss out on this heartwarming and educational journey! ‘Moley and the Mysterious Sea Turtles’ is now available online.

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Moley-Mysterious-Turtles-Mole-Other/dp/B0CQ6TC58R/

Praise for ‘A Mole Like No Other’: 

The beautifully illustrated #1 Amazon bestseller in the Light Novels Category, delivers messages of hope, friendship, and the importance of helping each other.

Reviews from readers all verified purchasers of ‘A Mole Like No Other’ on Amazon:

“A superbly written story as well as a fantastic resource that everyone should have on their bookshelf!  It is a book to treasure.”  Carolyn Handel.

“Gentle, thoughtful and heartwarming”. Hazel Mills.

“A delightful tale and one that would make a fantastic bedtime story,” Whispering Stories. 

Both Moley books are available here:

Book 1: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mole-Like-No-Other/dp/B08TFSQWLB/

Book 2: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Moley-Mysterious-Turtles-Mole-Other/dp/B0CQ6TC58R/

Welcome to my blog, Julia. Have you always wanted to be a writer?

When I was young I wanted to be a film director, but was planning to write the scripts for my films myself, so, a bit of a writer too. 😊

To be serious, yes, I wanted to write as long as I remember, but it only came to me in the last 10 years that what I want to write most were books for children.

My first book, A Mole Like No Other, took me seven years. And it wasn’t this long because I didn’t know what to write – the book was finished quite quickly. It was my struggle with Impostor Syndrome and fear of rejection. These two culprits extended my writing spell ten-fold!

That’s so common amongst us authors. Julia. Has any author inspired you?

I moved to Britain 25 years ago and quickly realised that all the best children’s authors were British. I apologise to all other nations, they also have outstanding children’s writers, but the sheer number of classics for kids that have come from this country is overwhelming… Winnie-the-Pooh, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Mary Poppins, Mowgli, Paddington Bear and Harry Potter. Need I continue?

I live within easy distance from A. A. Milne’s Hundred Acre Wood and Kipling’s Batemans, I go every year to Tolkien’s and Lewis’ Oxford and search from London to Scotland for Harry Potter’s places. I think the very air of this land inspires me. Have a been a little too pompous? I apologise. 😊

Not at all! Is your writing ever inspired by your family or real life incidents?

Funnily enough, yes! I am writing about a toy Mole, called Moley, and his friends – other toys and real animals, and yet – practically everything I am describing happened in real life. All Moley’s friends are the toys we have at home. The ducks, Ludwig and Alexis, are wild ducks that come to our garden every year and the animals Moley meets on his trip to Florida are real too. I watch the things that happen around me every day and put them into my books. It is very simple, really. Just notice.   

What are you writing at the moment?

I’ve just finished the second book about Moley: Moley and the Mysterious Sea Turtles. And I have two more in my head. Hopefully, they will not take as long as the first book.

What inspired you to write this book?

After much procrastination and hesitation about the first book, I shared my doubts with an amazing woman, Alison Larkin, an actress and an audiobook narrator. And Alison wrote on a napkin: “Just Do It!” I still keep that napkin in my study. And – believe it or not – Alison recorded my first Moley book as an audiobook that is available worldwide on Audible!

What advice would you give to other writers?

If you have a book in you – let it out! I stopped procrastinating and hesitating about my first book when COVID struck the world. Suddenly, the perspective of never finishing and publishing it became real. And I knew, I had to do it. At the end of the day we all regret more things that we didn’t do than things that we did. So, like Alison said to me: Just Do It!

That’s great advice, Julia, and Moley is such a cute character. I hope your books soar!

Meet Julia

Julia B. Grantham lives in the South of England with her husband, son, two cats, Moley, Owlie, Shelly and all the other toys that make their appearance in her books: with ducks and pigeons in the garden, chickens across the road, as well as rabbits, squirrels, pheasants and deer, who visit often and hope also to make it into a book one day. Julia is a medical doctor and a training consultant, but books are her passion. She is a Harry Potter fanatic, an Ambassador for the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation, a writer and illustrator of Jane Austen-inspired travel fiction, and an author of two books for children.

Contact Julia

Julia’s Facebook profile: https://www.facebook.com/J.B.Grantham.Author/

Amazon Author Page

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