The Youth Libraries Group are delighted to be part of Zanib Mian's blog tour to celebrate the publication of Planet Omar: Incredible Rescue Mission, the third book in the award-winning series. We were pleased to have the opportunity to chat with Zanib about reading, writing and all things Planet Omar!

 What books did you enjoy reading as a child?

I enjoyed all of Dr Seuss’ books as well as Roald Dahl. One of my most favourite books was Chicken Licken, again perhaps because of the rhymes. I remember not quite wanting to move on from picture books, and always choosing them in favour of chapter books, secretly feeling disappointed in myself that I wasn’t reading longer books, like my friends. I was just drawn to them! But I did move on when I was ready. When I had my own children, I rediscovered why I find a good picture book so magical and now that my children have outgrown them, I still buy lots to read to my nieces!

When did you realise you wanted to be a writer?

This is an interesting question, because I fell head over heels with writing at primary school. I especially loved writing rhyming poems (all that Dr Seuss!), but I didn’t realise I could be a writer until I had my own children. I immersed them in books since they were 6 months old, but I found that books were still not representative of all the people in their world, so I decided to write!

Can you tell us a little about Sweet Apple – how and why you set this up- what challenges and high points were there?

When I began writing stories for my own child, which included people like him and his family, and watched him delight in them, I thought I should perhaps share them with others who couldn’t find inclusive books. Though I wanted to, it wasn’t until 2009 that I set about publishing my first book, Adam and the Tummy Monsters under Sweet Apple, with the highly ambitious vision to publish children’s books to represent people from all backgrounds, not just my own. I felt that larger publishers simply weren’t doing it at the time.

Coming from a Science background, with no knowledge of publishing and no contacts in the publishing industry, I threw myself into the deep-end and faced many challenges – mostly to do with getting my books on the shelves of stores, or marketing them well enough for people to know they were out there! The only thing that kept me going through those difficult times was when something wonderfully positive happened that reassured me that the work was good enough! One such example was Cbeebies Bedtime Stories featuring Oddsockosaurus and signing contracts for a further two Sweet Apple books!

The Muslims won the Little Rebels award – what do you think is special about the award and what did it mean to win it?

Ah, the Little Rebels Award is very close to my heart. It is the award that ‘made’ me. I had published Planet Omar under Sweet Apple initially, but was facing the usual problems of getting the book noticed. This award did just that for me. It recognises children’s books on social justice, books which are tackling important issues – radical fiction! Writers of these books have spoken from the heart about issues dear to them, and it’s just wonderful for there to be an award that puts these works in the spotlight.

 Can you tell us a little about how the deal with Hachette came about?

This was all linked to winning the Little Rebels Award, after which larger publishers discovered the book, which was first published as The Muslims and later rebranded as Planet Omar. After the award, there was much interest in the book, both at home and internationally. I signed my wonderful agent, Jessica Craig, who handled everything perfectly. The three-book deal with Hachette was a dream come true, something I had always wanted, but never thought I would achieve. I absolutely love working with my editor, Kate Agar, and the rest of the team. Each and every person involved with publishing Planet Omar does it straight from the heart, with an enthusiasm and passion that is just heart-warming beyond words.

 Were there different expectations for the series when working with Hachette?

To be honest, I was wary of them wishing to heavily edit the story, and perhaps remove a lot of the religious references which I included in the book to help readers understand Islamic practices better, and therefore invoke empathy and build bridges. However, they wanted to do no such thing, Omar and his family are exactly as I always intended them to be. The book was completely rebranded with a new title and brand new illustrations, by a professional this time! I love the new series title Planet Omar, and the zingy eye-catching covers!

What can readers expect in book three, Planet Omar: Incredible Rescue Mission?

I’m having a lot of fun writing Omar’s adventures! In Incredible Rescue Mission, Omar’s teacher Mrs Hutchinson goes missing and is unfortunately replaced with a teacher of every kid’s nightmares. So Omar, Daniel and Charlie launch a rescue mission, looking for clues and going out on their bikes to uncover the mystery. Of course, Omar gets carried away with his imagination, concluding that their teacher had swallowed an alien and has therefore been abducted by them! The mystery is finally solved during Omar’s first ever trip to Pakistan, where he is attending a cousin’s wedding and what they find is very surprising!

 Humour does not always get the recognition it deserves, what are the challenges of writing a comedy series and do we need to take humour more seriously?!

I am someone who loves to laugh and loves to make people laugh. I also adore people who can make me laugh! So I guess giggles are a big part of my life, and it therefore comes naturally to me to write a comedy series. I also believe that laughter is the best remedy, so yes, we should take it more seriously, especially during these times when children’s mental and emotional health should not be overlooked.

Do you have any direct contact with the illustrator Nasaya Mafaridik? 

I haven’t yet had the pleasure of meeting Nasaya, though we have been in touch via social media. I think the book wouldn’t be what it is without the illustrations – they are extremely important to the reader’s experience. I would love for Nasaya to join me on the next book tour so our readers can get the complete Planet Omar creators experience and I just can’t wait to meet her in person!

What is next for you?

Oh, I am sure you will be reading a fourth Planet Omar book, wink, wink! I’d also love to write a female character in another middle-grade book. So watch this space to see if that transpires!

A massive thank you to Zanib for being involved with the interview and for Hachette for their support in setting this up.