Manuel Novelo, a Belizean author hailing from Orange Walk, is thrilled to announce the release of his latest book, “A Belizean Story.” Novelo first made waves in 2012, with his debut, “The Sacred Maya: Smoke Shell.” Now, over a decade later, he’s back with a fresh tale set in Belize. He visited our office today to give us a sneak peek at what readers can look forward to in this exciting new read.
Manuel Novelo
Manuel Novelo, Belizean Author
“I always love writing, creative writing. I’ve done that since I was a child. I have my first book was written while, back in the 1980s, actually, and I call it La Milpa. Never got it published. I still have it. The manuscript, I also wrote several other stories, many short stories, but the ones that I really had the opportunity to publish, this one that I published many years ago. I actually published it in the United States and I published it here in Belize. And now recently I just finished another one, which I call a Belize Story. Right, so this is my new book I would like to present to our Belizean public, our Belizean readers, hoping that not only children, but not only children going to school, but like everybody, adults, everybody will enjoy this book. So it’s real, real characters that happened in 1960s, 1970s, but again, I put a story. A story about three young boys and a pot licka, the adventures they had, and then I relate the story or the real history of The village of Palmar, the uniqueness of this village, when they used to live. In a village known as San Jose Yalbac and San Pedro City that’s near Gallon Jug the western part of the Orange Walk district. And then how they were forced out of their lands by the British Empire, by the B. E. C., the Great British Giants.”
Belizean author and illustrator Ian Gibson has launched an exciting fantasy-adventure series inspired by Maya culture in Belize. This three-part children’s book follows the journey of a Maya girl grieving the loss of her grandmother. She embarks on an adventure through the Maya underworld, encountering various Maya gods along the way. But it’s not just a cultural tale, says Gibson. The books are packed with humor for kids and vibrant illustrations. Today, Gibson introduced his captivating work to the children of Saint Peter’s Anglican Primary School. News Five’s Paul Lopez has the story.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Join Itzel on an enchanting journey into the Mayan underworld as she searches for her grandmother in ‘The Land of the Night Sun,’ the first book in the fantasy-adventure series ‘The Jade Necklace.’ Itzel stumbles upon a mysterious necklace from her late grandmother that opens the door to the underworld. Today, author and illustrator Ian Gibson hosted a book launch for eager students from Saint Peter’s Anglican Primary School in Belize City.
Ian Gibson
Ian Gibson, Author
“It is a fantasy book about a Maya girl who goes to visit her grandma who lives in this remote village in the highlands and the grandmother passes away. She leaves her this special mysterious necklace that grants her access to this mysterious underworld. She falls into the underworld while looking for her grandmother. Along the way she meets all these Maya gods and folklore character like Tata Duende.”
Gibson has been a passionate reader of fantasy books since he was a child. This love for fantasy grew into a desire to write his own magical tales. Over the years, he has created numerous illustrations for children’s books. His talent truly shines in this fantasy-adventure trilogy, bringing the story to life with vibrant, detailed, and relatable illustrations.
Ian Gibson
“I feel like there a lot of books out there for teenagers and a lot of books for really young kids. But there is not a lot for pre teens, from ten to thirteen. But really there is no upper age limit. You can enjoy as a teenager, an adult. I try to make it as entertaining as possible. I guess it is a serious story because it is about a girl who is cooperating with the death of her grandmother, but there is a lot of jokes in it. It is a really funny story and I hope the illustrations give it a lot of extra character and grab their addition.”
And the children today were well engaged and highly interested in today’s presentations on the book. Standard six student Kaylie Castillo shared that she has already fallen in love with the book just from what she’s heard so far.
Kaylie Castillo
Kaylie Castillo, Student, St. Mary’s Anglican Primary
“I actually love the book, especially how they describe it, because I like writing and reading, especially comics and this books actually inspire me to save up and go buy one of the book.”
Paul Lopez
“What stands out to you about this book?”
Kaylie Castillo
“I actually like the adventures that the girl went on. It is very inspiring, because me myself, I like going on adventures, myself. So, it is very good. I like the book.”
Gibson even created a detailed map of the underworld that Itzel explores, where she encounters numerous Maya gods. Some are already saying that this trilogy has the potential to be turned into a motion picture.
Paul Lopez
“Any plans to put this into some sort of motion picture?”
Ian Gibson
“No plans of my own, but if I am approached by some animation studio, I would definitely be up for that.”
