'I did genuinely read to them at the end of each day what I'd written that day,' Boyce says.

Writing the book was also an adventure for Boyce's whole family - especially his 11-year-old and 5-year-old sons. 'I've really enjoyed writing the whole family for this one.' I loved that - it's so rare, it's so fresh,' Boyce says. 'What charmed me about Ian Fleming's book was that the whole family was on the adventure. One day in the scrapyard, he comes across an old engine, which turns out to be the engine of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.Ī full-family adventure ensues, which Boyce says is rare kids' fiction often casts parents and grown-ups aside in the first few pages. The next chapter of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang's life - as Boyce imagines it - starts with a father who's lost his job and is keeping himself busy by restoring an old Volkswagen camper van. I was really flattered - but confused, I have to say - but really, really thrilled.' 'The book has a place in their hearts,' Boyce says.

The Chitty Chitty estate is owned by Fleming's nieces Boyce says they remember the great British author as a sort of 'magical uncle' who was always full of great stories. So, Boyce got behind Chitty's wheel and created a new adventure: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again. Fleming, best known as the creator of James Bond, wrote Chitty Chitty Bang Bangin 1964 for his son Casper - and it was turned into a movie musical in 1968 starring Dick Van Dyke.īut that was nearly 40 years - isn't it time for a sequel? The family of the late Fleming asked Frank Cottrell Boyce, one of the U.K's best-selling children's authors, to pick up the story. The last time we heard about the adventurous car, it was flying into the distance. Ian Fleming's beloved Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is back for more adventures. Courtesy Candlewick Press Frank Cottrell Boyce is a British screenwriter, novelist and occasional actor.

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