Ramzee
About Author
Author and comic creator Ramzee joins ReadingZone to tell us about his school days, a 'cheat book', and making readers laugh!
Ramzee has written comic books for 2000ad and Marvel and designs and runs his own comics and illustration workshops. He was nominated for a British Comics Award in 2016, won the Second Prize in the Faber Children's FAB Prize in 2017 and was recently was chosen for the BBC's London Voices Writer's Room Programme. He lives in London.
You can find him on Twitter @ramzeerawkz or at www.ramseyhassan.com
Interview
The Cheat Book (Hodder Children's Books)
June 2024
Kamal has just found the Cheat Book - can it help him become the most popular boy in the school? It's a big ask - he's currently at zero - but when he follows the life hacks in the Cheat Book, things do start to change for the better.... But at what cost?
Review: This hilarious guide to being 'too cool for school' (or just cool enough) from author-illustrator Ramzee is full of heart and humour!
We spoke with Ramzee to find out what inspired The Cheat Book, how much he draws on his own childhood for Kamal's adventures, and what he would have done with a 'cheat book' when he was at school....
Q&A with Ramzee
'If life is a video game, who has the cheat codes?'
1. Can you tell us about yourself and your career as comic creator? What have been your career highlights to date?
I'm Ramzee. I made comics for 2000ad (which is a sci-fi action comic magazine) and Marvel before I entered the world of middle grade fiction.
My career highlights for sure were being nominated for a British Comic Award way back in 2016 and co-creating Spider-UK for Marvel Comics and being able to put my Muslim heritage into the character in a fun way (as I did in The Cheat Book).
"If I had found a cheat book at school I'd definitely would've used it
to help me be the King of Maths."
2. What inspired the idea for Cheat Book, and what happens in the story?
I had the concept of 'If life is a video game, who has the cheat codes?' as a joke, then later thought that a story about the least cool and academically gifted kid finding a book packed with cheats that helped him shoot up to the top of the class and the cool chain would make for a fun book. If I had found a cheat book at school I'd definitely would've used it to help me be the King of Maths.
3. As you're both a writer and illustrator, do your books start with the plots and characters, or with doodles? How important are the illustrations in Cheat Book in helping tell the story?
I start with a hook and a character or three, then I draw them. I read a bunch of books and watch a small list of movies that have a similar tone, then I go on a long walk or do the laundry and imagine places the story can go until I have a rough outline to then start writing.
Illustrations are important to pay off or subvert what is in the text with a hilarious drawing. They can also work as a way to imbue poignancy in serious moments.
"The feeling of being an outsider and wanting to fit in, and the thoughts on being a refugee and being bored
in mosque school, are definitely autobiographical."
4. Can you tell us a little about Kamal and how you found his voice? Are you drawing on your own school days and childhood experiences for his adventures?!
Kamal's voice was a mash-up between the typical snarky middle grade boy protagonist and myself when I was a kid. None of the things that happen to Kamal in the book happened to me IRL but the feeling of being an outsider and wanting to fit in, and the thoughts on being a refugee and being bored in mosque school, are definitely autobiographical.
5. Kamal's family are Muslim refugees. Is it important for you to be able to portray diverse lives in your stories, and how do you ensure Kamal's experiences feel authentic to readers?
Well, writing this story not knowing any 12-year-olds, I decided to base the lead character of my story on myself. My family were Muslim refugees (we're U.K. citizens now), so if Kamal's experiences feel authentic to readers it's because they were my actual own.
"It's cooler to be yourself rather than changing everything about yourself - even ditching your friends - to become
this ideal model of what a person should be."
6. Kamal isn't always a good friend - how do you make sure we're still on his side? What would you like your readers to take from Kamal's experiences?
I think even though we don't agree with Kamal's choices, we do understand why he makes them and hopes he sees the light, so to speak. I guess readers can take away that it's cooler to be yourself rather than changing everything about yourself - even ditching your friends - to become this ideal model of what a person should be.
7. We love the good and bad angels on Kamal's shoulders - Raqib and Atid. What's their role in Cheat Book?
They're sort of moral commentators .... but mostly there for the lolz!
8. Although Kamal finds (and creates!) many challenges in his day-to-day life, he's a joyous character to follow. Is it important to you to make your readers laugh?
I think comedy is a great tool for connection. If people can laugh at Kamal's mishaps they might start warming to him as a person and care about the issues he faces more than they would if there were no jokes in the book. The funniest moment in the book for me is probably his encounter with The Ogre who's the bully of the school.
9. Where and when do you create your books - is being an author / illustrator a 9-5 job?
Being a creator is technically a 24 hour job because you can be in a queue at the supermarket or overhear something on the bus that triggers an idea. I do a lot of my writing and drawing at home and at my local library. I'm currently in edits for book two - I'm about to start the art very soon.
10. What are your favourite things to do when you're away from your desk, and what helps inspire the creative in you?
I'm a big movie and theatregoer and play 5-a-side football every Sunday.
The Cheat Book (1): Can Kamal cheat his way on to the cool table?
