Play Value's JAMES BOND 007 Adventure Storybooks

Here are two of the more obscure James Bond book adventures. In 1985 Play Value Books released two original "James Bond 007 Adventure Storybooks" in the U.S. Blackclaw’s Doomsday Plot was written by John Albano with illustrations by Rudy Nebres. Storm Bringer was written by Roger McKenzie and illustrated by Nestor Redondo and Del Barras. Coloring for both was done by Judith Fast.

The plots included a hearty helping of the fantastic, with Bond thwarting an Arctic weather machine in Storm Bringer. In Blackclaw's Doomsday Plot, 007 tangles with a mad SMERSH scientist who has an island lair and a laser that would be the envy of Dr. No and Scaramanga. For the record, the Bond Girls are named Yvete LaRue and Dr. Margaret Manfield.

The Play Value Books were licensed by both Danjaq and Glidrose and published by Grosset & Dunlap, a member of The Putnam Group, which was Bond U.S. publisher at that time. Maybe it was just a coincidence that these were released in the year that there was no official James Bond continuation novel from John Gardner.

The back of the Play Value books advertised a total of four James Bond storybooks. However, as far as I know, Operation Big Brain and Target: 007 were never released.

Second CHITTY sequel published today in the UK

The second sequel to Ian Fleming's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is released today in the UK.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang And The Race Against Time by Frank Cottrell Boyce is the follow up to his Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again released last year. The book is again illustrated by Joe Berger and picks up with the Tooting family stranded in the Cretaceous period.

Warning: May contain dinosaurs!

From the cover art, it appears the traditional Chitty car is back. In the first book the engine of Chitty inhabited a magical VW Bus.

Purchase Chitty Chitty Bang Bang And The Race Against Time at Amazon.co.uk.

It isn't due for release in the U.S. until March 2013.

JAMES BOND JR. UK hardcovers

Last month I did a post about the six James Bond Jr. paperbacks published in the U.S. in 1992. Now our friend Bazeer Flumore, who runs the terrific website PizGloria.com, has sent over cover art for four hardcovers by Caryn Jenner that were published just in the UK. These books adapt different episodes from what was released in the U.S. Curiously, they were released in 1993, a year after the series went off the air.

Produced by EON Productions/Danjaq, James Bond Jr. featured the adventures of 007's nephew and his friends at Warfield Academy. It debuted on September 30, 1991 and ran for a total of 65 episodes.

Thank you, Bazeer.

It's JAMES BOND JR. time!

Okay, you know I had to go here eventually. One of the lessor known chapters of the official James Bond story was the short-lived animated cartoon, James Bond Jr. Produced by EON/Danjaq under the name Warfield Productions in 1991-92, the series filled the "six year gap" when no official film could be produced because of the legal wrangling between Danjaq and MGM/Pathe. The half-hour series featured the adventures of 007's nephew and his friends at Warfield Academy. It debuted on September 30, 1991 and ran for a total of 65 episodes.

The James Bond Jr. concept came complete with lots of official merchandise, including these six paperback books by John Vincent. Interestingly, the copyright pages reads "Copyright © EON Productions and Mac B Inc 1992", but also adds, "The use of M and James Bond Sr. is by agreement with Glidrose Publications, Ltd." It's also worth noting that the publisher, Puffin, would later release the successful Young Bond series by Charlie Higson.

The cover art and titles are pretty fun, but I admit I've never read them. But they are official and, like it or not, a part of the Book Bond legacy.

Check out the opening credits with the official James Bond Jr. theme song, which really isn't half bad. Maybe I do need to read these.

Oxford Literary Festival presents CHITTY AND BOND this Saturday

Young Bond author Charlie Higson and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again author Frank Cottrell Boyce will participate in a special celebration of Ian Fleming this Saturday at the Oxford Literary Festival.

Chitty and Bond; An Ian Fleming Celebration will be chaired by Paul Blezard and held at 4:00pm at Christ Church: Hall. Higson and Boyce will discuss Fleming’s original novels along with their own sequels in this hour long talk.

For more information and to buy tickets, visit the official Oxford Literary Festival website.

CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG FLIES AGAIN in the U.S.

The sequel to the classic Ian Fleming children's novel, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, is released today in the U.S. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again is the first of three new Chitty books by children's author Frank Cottrell Boyce.

"I went back to the [original] book for the first time since I was a boy and was delighted to discover that, first of all, it's really good and, secondly, it's crying out for a sequel," says Boyce. "I've had a lot of fun writing these books, but somewhere amongst all the fun I found it strangely emotional to revisit myself as a boy and ask if he could help me restore an old-fashioned contraption and make it fly again."

Purchase Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again on Amazon.com.

David Tennant chosen to read CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG FLIES AGAIN audiobook

PRESS RELEASE: The British actor David Tennant has been chosen by the family of Ian Fleming as the voice of fiction’s most famous flying car, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. David has recorded the audiobook of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again, by Frank Cottrell Boyce, which will be available to download in time for Christmas.

The original Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was written by James Bond creator Ian Fleming and Frank Cottrell Boyce’s version, published in October by Macmillan Children’s Books, is the first official sequel to the original tale of a magical flying car.

Lucy Fleming, niece of Ian Flemings, says: "We are thrilled that David agreed to read the audiobook. He is such a talented actor and his voice brings Frank Cottrell Boyce’s story to life with a wry humour and great characterisation. Chitty could not have been in safer hands with him behind the wheel! We hope that this audio book will add some extra sparkle as families embark on their own magical adventure this Christmas."

The audio download will be accompanied by an interview between Lucy Fleming, and David Tennant. In the interview he said: "The idea of a flying car is hard to better. I think we would all love to have a car that would take off, escape the traffic, and fly you to any country in the world."

Also in the interview Lucy Fleming and David Tennant pick up on the James Bond connections cleverly woven in to the story by Frank Cottrell Boyce. However neither reveal where they can be found, with Lucy adding how much fun it is for people to find them themselves. When asked if he could sum up Chitty in three words, David said it was "very clever, slightly surreal and hugely readable."

The audiobook will be available from the online retailers Audible and iTunes just in time for Christmas as an exclusive download from 21 December 2011 priced £10.99.

Since the publication of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again readers of all ages have been entranced by the family story, filled with wonderful characters, terrifying villains and exotic far-flung lands.

CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG FLIES AGAIN - TODAY!

Author Frank Cottrell Boyce with his new Chitty in London.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again, the first sequel to the classic Ian Fleming children's novel, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, is released today by Macmillan Children’s Books in the UK.

Flies Again is the first of three new Chitty books by children's author Frank Cottrell Boyce.

"I went back to the [original] book for the first time since I was a boy and was delighted to discover that, first of all, it's really good and, secondly, it's crying out for a sequel," says Boyce. "I've had a lot of fun writing these books, but somewhere amongst all the fun I found it strangely emotional to revisit myself as a boy and ask if he could help me restore an old-fashioned contraption and make it fly again."

Visit the official website for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again website at http://uk.chittyfliesagain.com. Purchase on Amazon.co.uk.

CHITTY UK website takes flight & U.S. edition revealed

The official website for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again by Frank Cottrell Boyce is now live at http://uk.chittyfliesagain.com.

The book is a sequel to the classic Ian Fleming children's novel, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car, first published in 1964.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again is the first of three Chitty new books by Boyce. It will be published in hardback and ebook on October 7, 2011, by Macmillan Children’s Books in the UK, Republic of Ireland and Commonwealth, excluding Canada, and can be pre-ordered now on Amazon.co.uk.

In other Chitty news, looks like the book will be published in the U.S. by Candlewick on March 13, 2012. Below is the cover art. It can be pre-ordered on Amazon.com.

U.S. edition

Cover art for CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG FLIES AGAIN

Here is the cover art for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again, the upcoming sequel to the classic Ian Fleming children's novel by Frank Cottrell Boyce.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again is the first of three new books by Boyce. It will be published in hardback and ebook on October 7, 2011, by Macmillan Children’s Books in the UK, Republic of Ireland and Commonwealth, excluding Canada. It can be pre-ordered now on Amazon.co.uk.

Thanks to IFP and Coleman-Getty for the image.

Link: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Fails To Soar at Auction

A Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, said to be the only drivable example of the Chitty cars built for the 1968 movie, sold at auction this past weekend for $805,000 — far less than the $1-$2 million it was expected to command. (Click headline for full story.)

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang radio play

Lost in all the excitement of the John Gardner reprints announcement was this piece of news from Ian Fleming Publications that BBC Radio 4 Extra will be broadcasting a new dramatisation of Ian Fleming's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on Sunday 3rd and Monday 4th April 2011. The cast for the new, hour-long recording includes Imogen Stubbs and Alex Jennings. More information and broadcasting times can be found on the BBC's website.

First look at the new Chitty

Here's a first look at the new Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Joe Berger. Publisher Pan Macmillan has also launched an official website: chittyfliesagain.com. This first sequel book by Frank Cottrell Boyce is called Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again and will be released on November 4, 2011 in the UK.

Illustration © copyright Ian Fleming Will Trust 2011. Illustration by Joe Berger.

Thanks to Lucy Chavasse at Coleman-Getty.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to fly again in new books

First edition of Ian Fleming's Chitty
Chitty Bang Bang (1964)

(Reuters) - James Bond creator Ian Fleming's other famous invention, the magical car Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, is set to fly again with the publication of a new series of adventures by children's author Frank Cottrell Boyce.

Fleming's estate, which has already found success with authorised spinoffs of the James Bond series, has decided to re-launch Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with three new novels, the first of which is due for release on November 4.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again will be published in Britain by Macmillan Children's Books and set in the present day.

The plot will centre around the Tooting family, who discover an old racing car engine and use it to supe up their camper van.

"Before they know it they are zooming around the world as Chitty comes to life again and is restored to her former glory," the estate said in a statement.

The new books will be illustrated by Joe Berger.

Fleming's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car, a tale he originally made up as a bedtime story for his young son Caspar, was published in 1964, two months after the author died.

It was illustrated by John Burningham and dedicated to the real Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, built by the eccentric racing-car driver Count Zborowski.

The story is probably best known through the 1968 musical film adaptation in which Dick Van Dyke plays eccentric inventor Caractacus Potts.

"I have no idea what made the Flemings think of asking me to write the sequel. I haven't asked them in case it's all a case of mistaken identity," Boyce said.

"I went back to the book for the first time since I was a boy and was delighted to discover that, first of all, it's really good and, secondly, it's crying out for a sequel.

"I've had a lot of fun writing these books, but somewhere amongst all the fun I found it strangely emotional to revisit myself as a boy and ask if he could help me restore an old-fashioned contraption and make it fly again," Boyce said.

Boyce is a British children's novelist and scriptwriter who has worked with movie directors including Michael Winterbottom and Danny Boyle.

Author Frank Cottrell Boyce

UPDATE: Click here for a first look at the new Chitty. You can also pre-order the first book now at Amazon.co.uk.

New Chitty chugging into stores

Just in case Devil May Care, Final Fling, the SilverFin graphic novel, the Hurricane Gold paperback, James Bond Authorized Biography paperback, For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming & James Bond, and 14 new hardcover editions of the original Fleming novels isn't enough for you in May 2008...here comes Chitty!

According to the always vigilant CommanderBond.net, a lavish new collectible gift edition of Ian Fleming's classic children's novel will be released on May 1, 2008, and can be pre-ordered now on Amazon.co.uk.

For those of you who didn't realize Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was written by Ian Fleming, it may also surprise you to know that the 1968 film version was produced by Eon Productions, the only non-Bond film the company has ever made.