Are you ready for a SuperQuest?

Armadillo Editor, Louise Ellis-Barrett, once again had an opportunity to ask SuperQuesters creator Paul Ian Cross, some questions about his SuperQuesters characters, their stories and their latest adventre - here is what he had to say... Thanks Paul!

Why is it important to you that your SuperQuesters stories are more than just stories but are in fact filled with aspects of STEM?

Research (sadly) shows that from an early age many children believe that Science and STEM is not for them. But STEM is for everyone! It’s all around us and impacts our lives and the world in so many ways. I bet if you think about something you love, it has some element of STEM involved. For example, if you like gaming, then tech was involved to develop it. If you love animals, then science and nature are part of that too. If you love baking, then science is involved in following the recipe and mixing the ingredients. When children see relatable characters, like the SuperQuesters, solving problems using science and technology, they can picture themselves doing the same.

Do you write the story and then decide where to place the puzzles or is there another system you use to ensure it all flows?

It all starts with a brainstorm and a team! I worked with Thomas Bernard, co-author of the SuperQuesters picture books and STEM education expert, to come up with ideas for the puzzles and challenges. Thomas plays a key role as he has a STEM background with degrees in Physics, Mathematics and Engineering along with a PhD in Computer Engineering. We also worked with UK educational experts to ensure the puzzles met the national curriculum. From there it was then an iterative and interactive process. We tested puzzles, challenges and activities with primary teachers, subject matter experts and children, and refined them. Once we had perfected them, I weave the puzzles/challenges/code breaking into the story.

Which takes longer – writing or puzzles creation. I imagine it can’t be easy to create puzzles that will appeal to children.

Absolutely, the puzzles are the challenging part, but that’s where the wider team come in. And something that people probably don’t think about is fitting the puzzles into the story. The puzzles are created alongside the story and then we need to fit it all together. That’s a puzzle in itself!

The story has a strong sense of magic about it, does the sense of magic and mystery help the story to flow smoothly and aid in explaining the location changes?

Yes it does! I can use magic to do whatever I need it to do ! Although  I have to balance this with keeping the story as believable as possible and making sure it works alongside the STEM skills and themes.

There is always a villain who is intent on destruction in these stories. Do you find that villains make plots even better and how?

When I feature a villain, as I have in this new book, they are a great way to represent how knowledge and power can be used for the wrong reasons. They are a shortcut to explain big ideas, they are fun to write, and they allow the SuperQuesters to use their STEM and problem-solving skills in exciting ways!

In SuperQuesters Mission: Desert Danger, Professor Vortec uses her training as an archaeologist to try to steal ancient treasure. She represents what happens when personal gain is thought about over the impact it will have to the environment. In SuperQuesters Mission: River Crest Rescue (the first book in the series), Mortifer, the evil goblin gardener, represents what happens when technology is used to destroy our world. He wants control over nature, but instead of working with it, he tries to dominate it with his inventions.

The characters in each story are unique, are you hoping readers will see them and realise that it’s perfectly okay to be yourself, be true to yourself?

Absolutely, this is a key message in the SuperQuesters books and also in my other stories. It’s important for children to be true to who they are!

I love stories with chapter headings, I always think of them as clues. Is this why you include them?

Yes, I find it makes the chapter feel more appealing as endless numbers can just put some readers off (me included!)

When the idea of the SuperQuesters first occurred to you did you imagine them having so many and such varied adventures?

The SuperQuesters were created by Thomas Bernard and Lisa Moss. They created four picture books before they approached me about writing the chapter book adventure series for older readers. I was a little nervous about writing a book involving characters that children already knew and loved! I had a lot to live up to as the SuperQuesters already has many fans. But it has been wonderful for my creativity. For example, brainstorming with other authors, editors, the publisher and STEM experts!

Do you hope that/intend for children to pick up on the facts sprinkled through the stories and then use them to take their learning further?

Definitely! By weaving the fun facts into an exciting adventure I hope that children naturally pick up on these as they read. The facts are linked to KS1/KS2 national curriculum so they will help them throughout school but more importantly throughout life. I also hope these facts spark children’s curiosity and inspire them to explore and learn more about the world around them. Alongside this, they develop skills as they help to solve the puzzles in the story.

If you could be a SuperQuester what would your character be like and what would your superpower be?

I identify very closely with Lilli and her love of nature! I would probably have some natural superpower like the ability to move water or create tornados like Arid (fans will know that Arid is not one of the SuperQuesters trio, but I love his magical powers nonetheless! You will have to read the book to find out who Arid is!)