Benice - Karayaka, Metin

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Résumé :
You can't ask for true friendship, because it's not something anyone can just give. It grows over time. You share experiences, you play together, you help each other through the hard times. Then, one day, you're looking back on those memories and you realize you have it, and that you wouldn't trade it for anything. Levend is just twelve when he meets Mr. Ben Ice, a gruff fisherman whose peg leg, eyepatch and hook hand all but prove a lifetime of piracy. But life in Yalova is hard, and if this intimidating figure can help Levend support his family, then he'll gladly accompany him on the fishing trip of a lifetime - even if it's packed with more danger, adventure and friendship than either of them could ever have expected. As Levend discovers more and more about his would-be captain, he becomes embroiled in a dangerous pirate feud, a hunt for sunken treasure, and the chance to forge friendships that will last a lifetime - even if that only means the next few minutes. Confronted by timeless love and shocking betrayal, Levend must decide who he can trust and who'll make him walk the plank. Starring sharks, pirates, parrots, parents, lobster-popsters, Seabubbles, Giant Yang Yang, Little Fan Fan, aunties, sisters, brothers and friends, Benice will take you on a journey that's as heartwarming as it is hair-raising. Thrill to a swashbuckling adventure, wonder at the hidden truth, and cherish the kind of friends that will stay with you for life. Perfect for young readers starting to learn life's most important lessons, Benice is a classic adventure suitable for all the family - the sort of story that will inspire nights reading under the covers and days sailing the high seas of imagination.

Biographie:
My children are going to experience a very different life to mine, and that both worries and inspires me. My wife and I are immigrants to the US, raising a multicultural family in our new home without the immediate presence of the extended family so vital to my own upbringing. I grew up in a huge family, and I cherish my childhood memories of playing with my cousins, watching our favorite soccer team with my uncle, and defending my brother in street fights. My wife, on the other hand, had only one sister and her mother. Our kids are experiencing very different childhoods, and while this is the life we hoped to provide for them, we also wanted them to understand the life experiences that brought our family to this point. My greatest challenge, or perhaps fear, is to prepare them for a world without their extended family close by. While my wife's concern is more raw as she remembers raising her sister alone after their mother left them when she was just twelve. The start of my journey as a writer is similar to that of other parent-authors. I loved to tell stories to our son and daughter. I would tell them a story almost every night. I pulled events from my childhood, fascinating a new generation with tales of my brother, sisters, uncles, cousins, and hometown that always focused on the importance of family and friendship. It took me a while, but after writing Benice I realized that I was subconsciously using bedtime stories to compensate for the lack of family members in our kids' lives. I wanted my kids to know that they will be okay on their own, as long as they have love and friendship in their lives. To that end, my stories also included our longtime family friends and their kids. We are lucky enough to have a tight-knit group of friends from varied cultures and backgrounds, and our kids have all grown up together. Part of that growing up was a period where the demand for stories lessened, followed by a growing insistence that I write my old stories down for them to keep and pass on. It was in the process of doing so that many small stories naturally coalesced into a larger narrative. When I told the kids (now between five and twelve years old) that I was writing a book about them, they were so excited! It turned into a project, with them drawing illustrations and choosing photographs to create the first, very exclusive 'Family Edition' of Benice, and I printed a copy for each child to keep. My goal was accomplished: I was a storyteller for my kids, and I had created a perfect keepsake for them to cherish, but I'd also written a story that they enjoyed beyond its application to our family. Reworking the story, engaging professional editors, and searching out a gifted illustrator, I set to work creating the 'Public Edition' of Benice, a story that will resonate with those parents who have travelled far from their childhood homes - and, of course, with any child who has a taste for adventure.