By Lisa Ramsden
There are not many eight-year-olds who can say they are a published author – but Michael Tate from Downpatrick can.
Michael, a pupil at Our Lady and St Patrick’s Primary School, has just achieved what many adults only dream of: he has written a book and seen it published. His children’s adventure, In Search of the Golden Banana, is now available as a paperback and eBook on Amazon. Already, he is plotting the next installment in what he hopes will become a series.
“I have a lot of ideas,” Michael said, shy yet matter-of-fact. “I’m trying to sort through what to do next.”
The story follows Kito the monkey on a jungle quest, encountering misadventures along the way, all in pursuit of one very particular piece of fruit. Michael explained, “It was just something that came into my head,” but turning that idea into a full story was a deliberate, weeks-long process that began at his kitchen table and ended online.
Michael’s inspiration comes from his grandfather, Joe McCoubrey, a local best-selling novelist about to publish his 11th action thriller. “I wanted to be like my Granda Joe – he’s written so many books and is always writing,” Michael said. “He showed me how he sets out his stories and how to research an idea.”
Joe is understandably proud of his grandson. “He’s a humble, hardworking boy who always wants to learn,” he said. “He’s like a sponge – once he picks something up, he’s off and running, spending hours on his tasks until he’s satisfied with the final product. I can easily see him overtaking my output at some point in the future!”
Michael’s journey to publication began with a school assignment. Tasked with an individual project on the Second World War, he created an eight-page mock newspaper showing the war’s impact on Downpatrick. “It was great fun, but a lot of hard work,” Michael said. The experience of researching, drafting, and laying out the paper gave him the confidence to take on a longer writing project – and eventually, a published book.
