Blog Tour: The Big Breakout
Burhana Islam is a secondary school teacher and the author of Muslims Who Changed the World and the My Laugh-Out-Loud Life series of chapter books. She is a storyteller who is passionate about exploring themes of heritage, belonging, identity and faith in her work. This side-splitting illustrated trilogy for readers aged 7+ has been featured in the Read for Empathy collection and the first title, Mayhem Mission, won the Tower Hamlets Book Award. Burhana joins us as part of the blog tour celebrating publication of the third and final book, The Big Breakout.
Can you tell us a bit about the series overall?
The My Laugh-Out-Loud Life series is, in essence, a collection of stories with a much-needed dose of humour and heart. It follows the life of 10 year old Yusuf Ali Khan, a typical Bangladeshi Muslim lad who seems to have chaos following him wherever he goes. His intentions might be in the right place, but his antics are always landing him in trouble (with hilarious consequences to match). Yusuf, his family and his friends all come together as a celebration of culture, laughter and unconditional love. He’s a typical Northern lad dealing with the both timely and universal themes of sibling rivalry, fake news and big feelings. Despite it being heavily influenced by my own experiences, it’s definitely inspired by the students I’ve taught and loved.
… And a bit about this new third book?
Yusuf is back in all his glory as both ‘man-of-the-house’ and Form Captain. Just when he thinks he has all the power he can possibly wield, his sister announces that she’s having a baby, changing his life forever. Determined to prove his uncle-status once and for all, Yusuf enlists the help of his friends, the school chameleon Chompy, and the infamous Masked Trickster. With an inspection at school going completely awry, a runaway Nanu on the loose, and the ultimate school/prison-break attempt, Yusuf must find a way to fix his mess before he gets himself in the biggest trouble he’s ever been in.
At the heart of it, this one’s ultimately about Yusuf dealing (not so well, may I add) with new changes in his family and what that really means for him. Growing up wasn’t exactly easy and he’s got to come face-to-face with some pretty big feelings to figure himself out.
What or who inspired the characters and the dynamics between them?
A lot of people assume that Yusuf was inspired by a real person, and I may have borrowed his name from my nephew, but I think it’s safe to say that nobody causes that much trouble in my personal life - thank God! Yusuf is actually a culmination of a few of my most memorable and erm ‘lively’ students. I genuinely knew they had the best of intentions and they just wanted to be understood, but sometimes their behaviour got the better of them. I guess Yusuf’s version of events is just more fun! His dynamics with Affa (Yusuf’s older sister) is just the typical sibling relationship I’m familiar with, particularly at Parents Evenings when the older sibling came as the surrogate parent. It’s funny because when I look back on my teaching career, a lot of the students in my community and I (as their teacher) had some form of watered-down version of this relationship. I love Yusuf and Affa’s pairing even more so because, like our family and so many others, it’s the perfect combination of chaos and love.
Nanu is based on a real person. She’s inspired by my paternal grandma who was very much Nanu-like in her prime. Growing up in our community, we all tended to have a Nanu of some sort in our lives. She’s a reflection of the typical south-Asian matriarch - again, the perfect combination of chaos and love (with a lot of fear to match!).
How did you feel when you first saw the illustrations for this series?
Like it had really come to life. I remember first seeing the characters and feeling like Farah had truly captured the essence of these characters. I think the latest book is the best version of them all. Just like my storytelling, I feel like it got better over time and now we’re at a stage where the illustrations and words tell the story perfectly. One certainly could not be without the success of the other. There are actually audiobooks now by Audible and Ali Shahalom (more widely known as Ali Official) has truly added his voice to the mix (literally) and made it even better.
What is your typical writing day like?
Typically and honestly, I stare at the screen for days on end. I snack, I procrastinate, I read books in the same genre, I discuss ideas with my nearest and dearest and the likes.
The thing is that when I’m in the ‘writing zone’, the story itself just falls out of me. It really does have a life of its own. I don’t feel like I’m constructing the plot consciously - I feel like my characters have lives of their own and dictate the words on my screen. In that sense, once I have a plan, I can put together a book within weeks. The planning side of things has been taking a lot of science lately - I used to teach Comedy at A Level, which has really helped craft my ideas. Planning is the stage where I’d consciously get across the themes I want to explore. This side is laborious and takes a lot of time. Like, a LOT of time.
The writing itself is a different experience. When I have it (whatever ‘it’ is), I get up early and finish late. I tend to shut myself up with my Jaffa cakes and the likes, and essentially ‘bash it out’. I know that this is a privilege afforded to very few people. Sometimes I’m writing until the early hours of the morning when everyone else is asleep. However, to get to that stage is a mission and a half and it’s certainly not very glamorous. Writing, for me, really does entail a lot of blank screen time with a regular dose of day-dreaming and distraction.
My Laugh-out-Loud Life: The Big Breakout by Burhana Islam, illustrated by Farah Khandaker, is published 6th April by Knights Of, £6.99 paperback.
Many thanks to Burhana for sharing this today. ‘The Big Breakout’ breaks out TODAY!