About the Book
Irish Author and Poet, Greg McVicker, brings us on three, true life adventures from his childhood while growing up in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
These hilarious, heartwarming stories will have readers laughing continuously, all the while reflecting on their own memories of yesterday. This book is suitable for all ages!
Every character within The Adventures of Silly Billy are Greg's family, friends, and people that he knew within his community of Newtownabbey. The street names are also all real. The main character - Silly Billy - is fully based upon Greg himself.
Silly Billy and the Postage Stamp...
In this first adventure, and since his father is away at sea, Billy wants to be like his older brother who assumes the role of being the "Man of the House", and bosses his siblings around. Given a simple task of posting a letter to their father, this comical true-life story captures the childhood experiences of Irish Author and Poet, Greg McVicker, in how one young boy can take a simple task and make a complete mess of it. The moral of this story is to not try covering up ones' countless mistakes and mishaps along the way as eventually they will be found out.
Silly Billy and the Good Deed...
In this second adventure, and since the tuck shop at his primary school is all sold out, Billy is asked to help his teacher get her favourite sweets along with his own reward. However, what should have taken only a few moments becomes an amusing escapade that is filled with numerous misfortunes due to Billy not following very specific directions. This hilarious true-life story which takes place in Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland, captures the childhood experiences of Irish Author and Poet, Greg McVicker, and his memories from years gone by. The moral of this story is to try your best, but to also do as one is told to do in the first place.
Silly Billy and the Escape from Carrick Castle...
In this third adventure, Billy is offered a chance to go fishing with his older brother and his mates alongside of the marina beside a Norman castle built in 1177 on the northern shores of Belfast Lough in Carrickfergus. Once there, however, fishing seems to be the last thing on their minds and leads to a troublesome chase within the confines of this mighty structure. This hysterical true-life reflection captures the childhood experiences of Irish Author and Poet, Greg McVicker. The moral of this story is that your freedom might not quite be your fate, especially when your father comes home.
About the Author :
Greg McVicker is an Irish Author, Poet, and Story Teller who was born and raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland, during a period of sectarian hatred and a violent, political war known as 'The Troubles'. A Social Worker as his career choice and through his other published works, Greg is unwavering in his efforts to shed light on various world experiences that people have in their daily lives, both individually and collectively, but are often left to suffer in silence. Although Greg obtained his Social Work at the University of Manitoba, along with his minor degree in Native Studies, much of his work focuses on advocating for and improving the lives of Canada's Indigenous population, specifically the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe), within the province of Manitoba. Greg currently works as a Supervisor in Child and Family Services. In his Silly Billy series, Greg casts his mind back to his happier childhood days of growing up within his community of Knockview and the surrounding areas within Newtownabbey. He has carefully brought those cherished memories and extremely wonderful experiences back to life between the pages of the three stories that are captured within this book. Greg does several speaking engagements within the United States of America based on his experiences and memories of growing up during 'The Troubles' within Northern Ireland's dark history, but is including his Silly Billy series of stories in sharing with children at primary schools in Belfast, Northern Ireland and in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Next up, is that Greg will be working with two fellow Irish authors on a collaboration of their own crafted, emotionally written poetry and should be releasing those within the new year. Greg is also branching out in that he is currently narrating and producing the audio versions of his books which should be available soon. Once that is complete, he will turn his attention and will scribe the true life story of a friend and life which has not only been experienced by herself, but thousands of others who have walked in her shoes. Lastly, Greg has written and produced awareness videos for both Pandemic Preparedness and HIV Prevention.
Review :
"Brilliant. Loved the book and the memories it brought back. We were very lucky to live where we did in such a terrible time in the history of Northern Ireland. We were known as the children of the troubles now we are the adults of peace". - Linda Donnelly 9nee Stanley), Knockview Road, Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland.
"In his writings, he perfectly encapsulates all that childhood is; the innocence of the matter and the countless blunders which follow close behind. What I find truly admirable about McVicker's style, though, is his ability to make of his childhood a comedic story as well as a tale of warning." - Riham Abdullah, (age 15). Winnipeg, Canada.
"Greg (aka Silly Billy) cleverly uses his family and school friend as his base for his childhood stories, entwining their characters. He uses vivid descriptions of the surrounding streets and countryside near his childhood home. You laugh and cry with him as he takes us on the journey." - Jean Camp. Plymouth, England, UK.
"Your book made me laugh a whole lot! It was a very fresh kind of story because I rarely read stories based on true events, and I really love it! It's a book full of adventures that everybody can relate to!" - Anastacia Hernandez (age 15). Winnipeg, Canada.
Greg uses his personal experience of being a child with subtle differences in Northern Ireland. Combining humour, 'Norn Ireland' dialect and creativity, Greg gives us an insight and reminder of being a child. Young or old, you will enjoy this unique insight into children in 1970's Norn Ireland." - Gráinne Clancy. Dublin, Ireland.
"Enjoyed the book immensely! Lots of laughs and conversation about not giving up and learning from our mistakes. Billy teaches us to always try our best and not give up - wise words learned from a wee lad. Thanks for sharing your stories with us." - Shannon Ivsek. Winnipeg, Canada.
"Greg McVicker skillfully tells his childhood adventures with vivid descriptions and heartfelt sincerity. You really do feel that you are right there beside him and experiencing what is going to happen to this loveable, yet accident prone young boy." - Kristine Parkhurst Howser. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA.
"After we were done, Zoe was still laughing and said she thought it was all really funny and gave it a perfect 5 stars! Scarlet added she thought it was worth 8 stars out of 5 it was THAT good! I thought it was fun to read it as a family!" - Zoe Penner (age 13), Scarlet Penner (age 11), and Dale Doucette. Winnipeg, Canada.
