Jacques Cousteau is watching nervously on the bridge of his ship Calypso as it slowly makes it way through a maze of razor-sharp coral tow
You are here
Blog
Perilous Passage through the Coral Maze
Jacques Cousteau is watching nervously on the bridge of his ship Calypso as it slowly makes it way through a maze of razor-sharp coral towards the mysterious Blue Hole. One wrong move and the coral could slice open the hull.
In Mountainous Seas
Francis Chichester is sailing in Gipsy Moth IV in the pitch black of night towards the dreaded Cape Horn.
Tumbling in Orbit
Neil Armstrong and his fellow astronaut, Dave Scott, are in big trouble. Their Gemini spacecraft is tumbling and rolling, spinning once every second.
Trapped Outside the Spacecraft
Alexei Leonov has completed the first ever spacewalk. But as he reaches the airlock he realises his suit has expanded in the vacuum of space. He cannot fit inside. He is trapped outside the spacecraft.
Inferno in the Desert
Red Adair is in a converted caterpillar truck inching towards a towering fire at an exploded gas well in the Sahara Desert. He intends to extinguish it by placing high explosive at its base.
Cracking Under Pressure
Jacques Piccard is thousands of metres below the sea in his tiny deep-sea submersible heading towards the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean. Then he and his companion, Don Walsh, hear an ominous crack and feel their craft shudder.
Attacked by a Lioness
George Adamson is hunting for a man-eating lion which had been attacking villagers in the plains of Africa. Then, a lioness leaps out of nowhere and charges towards a fellow game warden. It seems certain he will not survive.
Vertical Climb in the Death Zone
The first ascent of Everest in 1953 by Hillary and Tenzing was an epochal moment in mountaineering history.
Man Overboard
The dramatic voyage of Thor Heyerdahl’s Kon-Tiki is a story all children should know about. It was full of danger and adventure, but none more so than when a man fell overboard into the shark-infested waters of the Pacific … To find out
Visbility Zero
Alone in his tiny plane, the Spirit of St Louis, Charles Lindbergh is flying solo above the Atlantic en route from New York to Paris.
Stranded on the Ice
Today sees the publication of the second story in the exciting weekly serial, Into Danger with the Adventurers - Twelve Epic Lives of the Twentieth Century.
Into Danger with the Adventurers
Today sees the launch of an exciting weekly serial, Into Danger with the Adventurers - Twelve Epic Lives of the Twentieth Century.
Dog Blogs
I have had a change from writing books in the past few months - I have been writing some Dog Blogs!
The Diary as a Story Format
It is helpful after time has gone by to reflect on the process gone through in arriving at the final form of a book. Take for example, my book, The Osprey Enigma.
'Hi-Tech Kid' back cover summary
The publication of the new Charlie Lupton adventure, Charlie Lupton and the Hi-Tech Kid, is fast approaching! The back cover summary can now be revealed:
Libraries Week at Pembroke Dock
I had a great time at Pembroke Dock Library on Wednesday afternoon, 11th October, 2017.
Swallows And Amazons
Swallows And Amazons1 was written by Arthur Ransome and first published in 1930. It was the first of what proved to be a series of twelve books.
Charlie Lupton and the Hi-Tech Kid
Stop Press: I have now started writing the next Charlie Lupton book! The proposed title is: Charlie Lupton and the Hi-Tech Kid. More news to follow …
My Visit to Stivichall Primary School
I had a great visit to Stivichall Primary School, Coventry last week. I went on Thursday to join in with their World Book Day activities.
World Book Day at Stivichall Primary School
I am very much looking forward to visiting Stivichall Primary School in Coventry on Thursday to help with their World Book Day activities.
Going to School as Mickey Dewhurst
Top marks to Elisha, an avid Charlie Lupton reader. As part of the upcoming World Book Day he went to school dressed as a character from a book.
'Charlie Lupton' is in the National Library of Wales
It was a pleasure to recently comply with a request from the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth to provide it with a copy of
The Bridge of Terror
Following the success of Last Flight to Lukla another short story has now been written about Sherpa Pemba.
Project Sky Canvas
In Charlie Lupton and the Secret Satellite, a research satellite fires meteorites which are supposed to land in a remote area of Norway.
The Railway Children
The Railway Children* by Edith Nesbit was first published as a book in 1906, having been serialized in The London Magazine the previous year.
Roald Dahl on writing for children
This month sees the centenary of the birth, on September 13th, 1916, of Roald Dahl, the master children’s storyteller. What can writers learn from Dahl about writing for children?
Making Books at Golden Manor
I had a great time last week on Tuesday morning making books with the 7-12 year olds at the holiday club at Golden Manor Nursery in Pembroke.
100 things to do at school before the age of 11
When writing a story for children that includes a school context, what kind of things should be included? Or better, what kind of things would children like to be included?
The Secret Garden
The Secret Garden* by Frances Hodgson Burnett was first published as a book in 1911, having previously been serialized from Autumn 1910 onwards in The American Magazine.
All aboard the Story Liner!
I’m busy developing a series of programmes called Story Liner with the local internet TV station, Showboat TV.
Jet on the school field
Truth can be stranger than fiction. Imagine a passage in a Charlie Lupton book which went something like this:
The Osprey Enigma - Special Offer
To mark World Osprey Week, from 11th to 15th April, 2016, The Osprey Enigma can be purchased from
![By Gareth Rasberry (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://nigelbernard.com/sites/default/files/images/blog/Osprey_in_flight_min.jpg "By Gareth Rasberry (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons")
A wow week in April
It’s going to be a wow week from 11th to 15th April 2016 because that is World Osprey Week (WOW). It’s organized by Rutland Osprey Project.
The 'Secret Satellite' has been launched
We have liftoff! Charlie Lupton and the Secret Satellite has been successfully launched! It’s another adventure full of excitement and humour.
Secret Satellite Launch Approaches
The countdown to the launch of Charlie Lupton and the Secret Satellite is now entering its final phase. We have been busy in the past few days with pre-flight checks on thousands of components - i.e. proofreading thousands of words.
Secret Satellite back cover summary
The all-important back-cover summary for the upcoming Charlie Lupton and the Secret Satellite can now be revealed:
New story by Beatrix Potter
Exciting news has been released today for all Beatrix Potter fans.
The Silver Sword
The Silver Sword* was written by Ian Serraillier and published in 1956.
BBC's 500 Words 2016
The BBC writing competition for children, 500 Words 2016, is up and running. It’s for ages 5 to 13 years and the closing date is 25th February.
Last Flight to Lukla
One of the most popular characters so far in the Charlie Lupton books has been Sherpa Pemba, who appeared in Charlie Lupton’s Sherpa Adventure.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was first published in 1865 and written by C
Charlie Lupton and the Secret Satellite
The draft for the next Charlie Lupton adventure has been written! It will be entitled Charlie Lupton and the Secret Satellite.
The Viewpoint of the Narrator
A key decision which the author must make from the outset is what viewpoint or viewpoints to adopt. Is the story going to be being written from only one character’s perspective, or that of several characters?
Words Used by Children
It is important that children’s speech in stories sounds authentic. Children will soon notice if it is not.
Little House on the Prairie
Little house on the prairie* was written by Laura Ingalls Wilder with the help of her daughter Rose.
