Meet kids’ author of ‘Airborn,’ ‘Boundless,’ at Davis library
Kenneth Oppel, author of "The Boundless" and other books, gives a free lecture May 3 at the Davis County Library in Farmington.
Kenneth Oppel, author of such popular children's books as "Airborn" and "The Nest," speaks May 3 at the Davis County Library in Farmington.
Author Kenneth Oppel speaks on May 3 at the Davis County Library in Farmington.
Kenneth Oppel, author of "The Nest," "The Boundless" and other children's books, speaks May 3 at the Davis County Library in Farmington.
FARMINGTON — What began as a hobby turned into a full-time profession for Kenneth Oppel.
When Oppel was just a youngster in elementary school, he started writing. By the time he was 14 years old, his first book was published. To date, he’s written a total of 30 books.
“Writing was always something I enjoyed doing in my spare time and it grew into a hobby,” Oppel said in an telephone interview from his home in Canada. “I wrote about things I was interested and excited about, like ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Dungeons and Dragons.'”
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When he was 14, he wrote a book about a boy addicted to video games entitled ”Colin’s Fantastic Video Adventure.” It would serve as a pathway to success.
“We had a family friend who knew Roald Dahl. He wrote ’Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' and was one of my favorite authors,” Oppel said. “He showed my book to Dahl and Dahl took it to his publishing company. They liked it and wanted to publish it. It was pure luck that that happened.”
Oppel, 48, and now a New York Times bestselling author, husband and father of three children, will speak at the Davis County Library on Tuesday, May 3.
PREVIEW
• WHAT: Author Kenneth Oppel
• WHEN: 7 p.m. May 3; doors open at 6:30 p.m.
• WHERE: Davis County Library, 133 S. Main St., Farmington
• ADMISSION: Free
“I hope my visit will be wildly entertaining,” Oppel said. “I will give a presentation and I may do a short reading, but I will be showing a PowerPoint, so there will be plenty of things to see for kids of all ages.”
Oppel said he has written books geared for children of all ages, from pictures books for 3- to 8-year-olds to early-reader books and novels for pre-teens and teenagers. Two of his own favorites are ”The Nest” and ”Airborn.”
“It takes about a year and a half to write a novel. You just have to write about your interests and not edit yourself on the first draft,” he said. “Sometimes you write different sections of the book and it comes together like a patchwork quilt.”
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Kim Valeika, author coordinator for the Davis County Library, said she is thrilled she was able to get Oppel to come to Utah.
“My kids have read a lot of his books and they are always talking about him. He’s written so many great books like ’The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein,’ ‘The Nest,'” she said.
“I read ‘The Nest’ and was really intrigued by it, so I went to his website and sent an email requesting a visit. He emailed me right back and said he would be happy to come. He had actually been to Provo for a workshop once, but has never been further north (in Utah).”
Valeika said while Oppel’s books are geared for the young, any ages will enjoy some of his writing.
“He has a lot of really good books and has won so many awards,” she said. “’The Boundless' is about a train. My dad worked for the railroad company, so for me the book is really fascinating. We are so excited for him to come and visit. We don’t know how lucky we are to have this opportunity.”