Ateneo Law professor’s book wins Kids’ Choice Award at 8th National Children’s Book Awards

On 8 September 2024, the National Book Development Board (NBDB) and the Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY) announced the winners of the 8th National Children’s Book Awards.

Atty Mickey Ingles’ book, Alinam 2: Diego Domingo and the Three Thieves, was one of the recipients of the Kids’ Choice Award. The book, published in 2023 by Summit Publishing Company, Inc, continues the story of Diego Domingo, who returns to the magical city of Alinam, only to find it in a state of chaos.

Atty Ingles is an alumnus of Ateneo de Manila and the Ateneo de Manila School of Law where he also teaches Constitutional Law, Taxation Law, Emerging Issues in Sports Law, and Robots, Artificial Intelligence, and the Law. 

We got to speak with him about his award-winning book, the second installment of the Alinam Trilogy. 

Why did you write this book?
I love stories like Harry Potter, Neverwhere, the Bartimaeus Trilogy, and the Secrets of Nicolas Flamel—and I’ve always wanted something like that, but set in the Philippines, using our own mythos and beliefs and hopefully share it with a both a local and international audience. So that was really the main motivation in writing the Alinam series, to get readers in touch with our own culture.

What was the process like? 
It’s been a long process! I started Alinam 1 in 2009 when I was in law school and finished the first draft in 2015. It was published only in 2020. Alinam 2 began in 2016 and was published in 2023. I’m writing the final book in the trilogy now, and hopefully it gets published sooner than the last two books. Haha! 

What were the challenges, if any; what was most satisfying or fulfilling about it? 
The main challenge is finding the time to write, given my day jobs as a lawyer and law professor. But it’s always satisfying when I get to find time and get to write a few pages in my notebook. It always puts me in a good mood when I get to finish my writing quota early in the day. And of course, hearing from people that they’ve read the books and loved the story is one of the best feelings in the world.

How do you feel about the recognition?
The recognition was a great surprise! I didn’t even know Alinam Dos was nominated for anything, so it really came as a great surprise!

Are there any similar projects or endeavors you have planned? 
I’m writing Alinam Tres at the moment. I’m really excited about that. I already have the ending in mind, it’s just a matter of getting there and tying loose plot threads up. But of course, that’s the real challenge. Looking forward to it though!

Alinam Dos is one of the books written by members of the Ateneo community that received a Kids’ Choice Award from the National Children’s Book Awards. Another winner is Blueplate, written by Didith T Rodrigo, PhD, illustrated by Marianne Salvania, and translated by Joseph G Dela Cruz, PhD.

The book, co-published by the Ateneo Center for Educational Development (ACED) and The Bookmark, Inc, was written by Ateneo faculty and alumni—Dr Rodrigo, Professor at the Department of Information Systems and Computer Science (DISCS) and Head of the Ateneo Laboratory for the Learning Sciences, Ms Salvania (AB COM, Minor in Development Management ’23), and Dr dela Cruz, Filipino Subject Area Coordinator at the Senior High School.