The English Language Needs a Detention! The Story Behind the Book

Hi, hello and welcome to this week’s Blog Post!

Why did I write a book called The English Language Needs a Detention? The answer takes me back to when I was working in a Year 3 class (shout out to Room 1 at Torrensville Primary School), while their lovely teacher was on her honeymoon. After I’d finished my little stint, my brain was full of crazy spelling rules and exceptions that I went home that night and started drafting the book. I love books that rhyme so it was important to weave that in but also keep the content factual. My husband got home after midnight from work, and I was still up, wide awake and energised (all he wanted to do was go to bed ha-ha!).

When teaching English, I always tell the students that it is hard, and your brain will hurt a bit, but we’ll get through it! Sometimes I get tongue-tied mid-lesson and then we go down the rabbit hole of where words came from or why they don’t fit a rule. Take the words though, through, cough and bough. They all share the same spelling pattern, yet none of them rhyme! If that’s not enough to earn the English language a detention, I’m not sure what is.

Imagine learning English as a second language. I am always in awe of anyone who speaks more than one language. I think I’ll pop it on my to-do list when I’m older. Anyway, I wanted to create a fun and engaging story that explores some of the quirks and challenges of the English language while helping children understand that learning to read and spell takes time, practise, and perseverance. Rather than being frustrated by tricky words, I hope children will learn to see them as part of the adventure and learn to laugh.

I’m extremely excited to share – The English Language Needs a Detention! I’m really proud of this book. It absolutely reeks of my sarcasm, but it also has educational value—what more could you want?

I’ve also got some free printable activities that will be available on the Foxy Knox Press website to support learning at home and in the classroom.

And I haven’t touched on the illustrations! Debraj Saha was an absolute legend to work with. He would send me rough sketches, ask questions and make any changes before we finalised a page. I love his style of illustration so much that he’s already working on the next Foxy Knox Press book!

The English Language Needs a Detention! is available for pre-order through Foxy Knox Press, where every order is wrapped with care and ready to enjoy. It is also available through Amazon.

Foxy Knox Press Updates

Giveaway Winner Announced!

A huge thank you to everyone who subscribed to the Foxy Knox Press newsletter. Congratulations to Danni Baker, who has won a free copy of The English Language Needs a Detention! I’ll be in touch soon.

Thank you to everyone who has joined the Foxy Knox Press community. More giveaways will be coming.

Book Week Visit

I’m looking forward to visiting Hewett Primary School during Book Week later this year to share my journey from teacher to author and inspire young writers. It feels surreal that I get to be the special guest at a school when I’m the person who used to invite and organise the special guests! I cannot wait to work with the students and read some of their narratives they’ve been working on. I might even scout some future Foxy Knox press employees!

New Merchandise Sneak Peek

Exciting things are happening behind the scenes! Foxy Knox Press pens, tote bags and plush toys are currently in development. Keep an eye on our social media channels for sneak peeks and updates.

Hardcovers are happening!

We asked and you voted—the hardcovers are coming! I must say, they look and feel wonderful. Keep an eye on our social media channels for updates on when they will be available through Foxy Knox Press. (Pre-orders are live) They are currently available through Amazon.

Subscriber Reminder

Don’t forget to use discount code SHIP1 when ordering through the Foxy Knox Press website to receive discounted shipping.

If you’ve enjoyed following the Foxy Knox Press journey, I’d love it if you followed us on social media, shared our books with family and friends, or left a review. Every bit of support helps our small family-run business (me doing ‘the stuff’, Dave managing the accounting and Oscar on sticker duty ha-ha!) continue creating stories that spark wonder.

Stay foxy,

Carlee xx