Children's Books (ages 8-12) • Novels

Ayasofya Konuştu
Talking Hagia Sophia

Füsun Çetinel

Editor: Müren Beykan
Illustrator: Sadi Güran

A strange voyage inside Hagia Sophia Museum!

Best known for her short stories and her creative writing workshops, Füsun Çetinel brings forth an emotional adventure full of mysteries, in her first children’s novel telling the story of a small boy discovering secrets of Hagia Sophia Museum in İstanbul. The background of this adventure is highlighted by Hagia Sophia Museum’s fascinating past reflecting different Anatolian cultures which bypassed through İstanbul. The Museum itself, with its mystery, is a hero in this story, alongside Veli the little boy. The story offers a wonderful adventure based on the imagination power of a curious child and reminds the readers about the importance of cultural values.

Overview

Veli, the child of a poor family, spends all his free time aroundHagia Sophia, selling souvenirs to the visitors. No one, even thearcheologists, the tourists and the guards can think of Hagia Sophiawithout him. Especially the German archeologist Martha whoworks in the building’s renovations has become close friends withlittle Veli. Veli starts dreaming big when he hears that one studentfrom his school would win a trip to Germany for the best homeworkperformance. What is awaiting Veli to reach his dreams?

AUTHOR

Füsun Çetinel

She was born in İstanbul. Çetinel graduated from the English Language Teaching Department of Boğaziçi University. She works as an instructor and facilitator in writing workshops in Turkey and abroad. Her stories and articles are being published in various literary magazines and online platforms. Her first children’s novel Talking Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya Konuştu, 2015) is about a boy who witnessed the secrets of Hagia Sophia in İstanbul. Her second children’s novel Road of Secrets (Sırlar Yolu, 2016)  is a story written with a wide perspective from […]
 Go to the Author