Mr Agasvari Goes to School

Mr Agasvari Goes to School

One winter morning when Christopher was collecting twigs for the fire, he found a piece of bark shaped like a little foot beneath the old willow the locals called The Spooky Tree.

The hermit who lived in an abandoned quarry told him it was magic and it would grant one wish, but after the wish it must be returned to the Spooky Tree or the tree would come looking for it. Christopher didn't believe him and gave it to his younger brother Mitchell for Show and Tell.

What was Mitchell's wish? What happened when the little bark foot was stolen by the school bullies? And who is the mysterious Mr Agasvari and where did he come from?

From the very first page to the last, the mysterious events in Mr Agasvari Goes to School will keep children of all ages enchanted and entertained.

Jenifer Part (writing as J.J. Part) was born and raised in Adelaide and has lived in several states around Australia throughout her life. She was working with the Anglican Aboriginal Missions in Darwin when Cyclone Tracy struck the city and stayed there for over four years during the rebuilding stage. Jenifer studied at the Adelaide School of Arts and later whilst working at the University of Adelaide attended writing classes, pursuing this further when she moved to QLD and took a course in writing for children. She reads widely and has had a poem published by the Bush Poets Society of Queensland. Jenifer currently runs a dog friendly guest cottage on the outskirts of Armidale, NSW where she resides.


Mr Agasvari Goes to School
Short Stop Press
Author: J.J. Part
ISBN: 9780987453952
RRP: $19.99

Interview with Jenifer Part

Question: What inspired the concept of Mr Agasvari Goes to School?

Jenifer Part

Question: Are the characters based on anyone you know?

Jenifer Part: Mitchell and Christopher are of course real children (surname changed), I am myself as the Lady Next Door. The hermit is based on a real hermit who lived years ago in an abandoned quarry in the Adelaide Hills but I have made him to be Irish to give his character more colour. The Podgers are fictitional but bullies and pompous people always exist somewhere.

The name Honey Bonny came from two female doggy friends of Oggy (both blondes).


Question: How much of your inspiration comes from real life and real people?

Jenifer Part: I would say that half of my inspiration has come from the area where I live in the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales so the town of Wombat Hollow resembles Armidale as does the bush where Christopher found the little bark foot and the characters both real and imaginary. I did actually find a little bark foot and one of the willows by the local creek looks very 'Spooky".


Question: Why was it important for you to address bullying in the book?

Jenifer Part: Bullying at schools and elsewhere needs to be confronted.


Question: What do you hope children learn from reading Mr Agasvari Goes to School?

Jenifer Part: I hope that it will encourage children to read, to learn new words, to appreciate animals, to develop their imagination, and encourage in them a sense of fair play and at the same time give them a few laughs along the way.


Interview by Brooke Hunter