Bookworm Club
The Bookworm Club was a Singaporean organisation devoted to publishing, import, and distribution of children's literature.
History
The Bookworm Club was founded in the mid-to-late 1980s, by David Chong.
The Club had a subsidiary publishing house, also under the Bookworm brand, that was responsible for publishing books under the Bookworm brand, listed below. Their best-known and best-selling product is probably the Bookworm Short Stories series, which was a favourite of school-children in the 1990s.
The Bookworm Club was also involved in marketing and distribution of children's books. They had a particular interest in children's encyclopaedias, and were responsible for distribution of Macmillan's Encyclopaedia in Singapore.
The Club quietly folded sometime in late 2007 or early 2008, after purported declining readership.
Characters
Bookworm publications featured these recurring characters, also known as the Bookworm Gang.
Main characters
- Ani - Better known as Fat Ani, she is a rational and calm-headed Malay girl, who aspires to be a reporter.
- Dollah - Introduced in 1997. He is an avid soccer player.
- Edison - The twin brother of Mimi. He has a passion for science. His name is derived from American inventor Thomas Edison, and his messy, mop-esque hairstyle is derived from Albert Einstein.
- Kokku - An Indian basketball player. Muddle-headed.
- Mimi - The vain twin sister of Edison.
- Porky - An overweight student who is an epicurean.
- Smarty - A stereotypical nerd.
- Sam Seng - Also known as Sam Song, he was the joker of the gang. His name is derived from the Hokkien term for gangster.
Products
- Bookworm Annual Comics
- Bookworm Adventures
- Bookworm Funny Bone
- Bookworm Jokes
- Bookworm Investigators
- Bookworm Magic Crazy
- Bookworm Picture Reader
- Bookworm Science Crazy
- Bookworm Short Stories (series)
- Easy Reader (series)
- Freddie the Dragon (series)
- Smarty Magazine