This week marks Children's Mental Health Week, which aims to empower children and young people and raise awareness around struggles with mental health. Joining us on the blog is bestselling author Helen Rutter, whose touching and funny novel Me and My Brian provides a great starting point for discussion around worries and overactive 'Brian's!
Can you tell us about the moment you first thought, “I want to write a book about a boy with a brain called Brian”? What sparked that idea?
Yes! I was sitting on a train and I misread the word brain and thought it said Brian! It made me smile, the idea of a little Brian inside my head countering away and I thought it would make a good story.
Writing about mental health can be challenging. How did you find a balance between writing about difficult topics and keeping the story accessible for children?
I think everyone sometimes feels like their ‘Brian’ can get a little bit loud and it doesn't matter how old you are, it is something that is useful to notice and try and understand. I think the younger you think about these things the better. It’s no good avoiding tricky topics for kids because they are dealing with this stuff whether we like it or not so why not give them some characters and ideas who help them to express what they are feeling?
What advice would you give to young writers who want to share their own personal experiences or emotions through storytelling?
Writing is such a great way to figure out how you feel about something. I would highly recommend writing down your thoughts about anything you are struggling with, as it gives you a different perspective and can help you to process complicated things. Living through the characters we create on the page gives us greater empathy and allows us to experience things that we never would. It’s like a magical power to transport us elsewhere.
Could you share one of your favourite scenes from Me and My Brian? What makes that moment stand out to you?
The train journey with Josh and Grandma really moved me when I wrote it, so I will pick that one.
In your own life, who has been a key person or role model, like Grandma is for Josh, helping you through tough moments?
My mum was the inspiration for Grandma. She is complicated and has struggled a lot in her life but she also has wisdom and is patient and sensitive like Grandma is in the story.
What do you hope young readers will take away from this book and Josh’s journey with his brain, Brian?
I hope it will help them to tune into their own ‘Brian’s’ and maybe make some decisions about when they need to listen to them and when they can let the thoughts go.
How can schools or teachers get in touch with you if they want to discuss using Me and My Brian in their classrooms?
You can get in touch via my website www.helenrutter.com or follow me on insta @helenrutteruk
For teachers who might feel unsure about discussing mental health with children, especially during Children’s Mental Health Week, how would you encourage them to approach it using this book?
I guess I would just say read it and let the children then lead the conversation. See what it brings up for them.
Thinking of using Me and My Brian in the classroom? Find out more about the book here and download our FREE discussion guide, packed with comprehension questions and fun activities to help get the conversation started. For more resources and information around Children's Mental Health Week, visit Place2Be's official website.
This Q&A has been extracted from our teaching resources for Me and My Brian, kindly compiled and created by Scott Evans.
Helen Rutter is an acclaimed author and comedian. Her debut novel, The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh, was a Waterstones Children’s Book of the Month, in addition to being nominated for the Carnegie, shortlisted for the Costa, Blue Peter and Branford Boase Awards, and winning the Teach Primary Book Award. She has written two books for Barrington Stoke: The Piano at the Station and Me and My Brian.