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Author Frank Cottrell
Boyce talks about his new sequel

by Adam Williams

awilliams@thekmgroup.co.uk

Children at St Peter’s Methodist
Primary School were transported to a world of fun and fantasy on
Tuesday to celebrate the return of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Ian Fleming’s fanstasy creation is
back in a new guise, almost 50 years since it was first
published.

Author Frank Cottrell Boyce has
brought the story up to date by transforming the car into a camper
van with wings for a series of short stories.

The camper van paid a special visit
to the St Peter’s Grove school on Tuesday morning, as pupils and
the author enjoyed reading extracts from the new books.

Author Frank Cottrell
Boyce with St Peter's Methodist Primary School pupils Kitty
Midgeley, Poppy Rabenda, Jade Wongwain, Bradley Sampson, George
Goodenham, and Will Vant. Picture: Barry Duffield.

Frank, who has won awards for his
children’s books, Millions, Framed and Cosmic, was thrilled to give
the story a 21st Century spin.

He said: “It just seemed the
obvious idea to turn the famous old car into a camper van.
Fleming’s original had a lot of Kent references in it and these
stories are no different.”

In the new books, a family from
Tooting discover a massive ancient racing car engine and use it to
soup up their VW camper van. Before they know it, they are zooming
around the world as Chitty comes back to life again and is restored
to her former glory.

An exhibition of the original
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang books and pictures, inspired by the cars
owned by the eccentric Count Louis Zborowski from Higham Park, is
on display at the Canterbury Heritage Museum in Stour Street.

For more information, call
01227 475202.