9:27am Thursday 11th March 2010
TWO brothers from Edgware have published their first book, which features a variety of puzzles aimed at testing young minds.
Brothers Joel and Samuel Ucko, aged nine and seven respectively, helped to create All Clued Up! Junior, a pocket book that features cerebral challenges including hangman, word wheels and word searches.
The book is published by Elstree firm The Happy Puzzle Company, which was started 17 years ago by managing director Gavin Ucko, the boys’ father. The junior version follows on from the original All Clued Up!, which is aimed at ages nine to adult.
Gavin explains: “We thought it would be a great idea to write a version for young children, so I suggested that the boys should do it, and they did, obviously with a lot of help and guidance, but they can feel very proud of what they have achieved. They’d never done anything like this before.”
Gavin says it is the company’s second fastest selling book so far this year, and his sons have been very pleased with the result.
“They’re over the moon,” he says. “They’ve had a massive amount of attention. They were called up in assembly to talk about it, and we allowed them to take 60 copies into school to give to members of their class. It’s not common for children of that age to see the development of a book right through.”
The brothers are now hoping to help write another puzzle book in the near future.
“When your father’s like the Willy Wonka of the puzzle world, it’s difficult not to be inspired,” says Gavin. “They’re already gearing up, but there’s a limit to what you can do when you’re seven years old.”
So does Gavin have any plans for Joel and Samuel to take over the firm one day?
“That’s the general idea,” he adds.
All Clued Up! Junior is available from www.happypuzzle.co.uk and will be on sale through retailers later in the year.
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