In 2015, I took part in a Youth Libraries Group (SE) conference in Winchester. The keynote speaker, Julia Eccleshare, began by asking the audience comprised of librarians and participating authors to turn to each other and name the book or books that turned us from someone who read into a reader. With the others at our […]

This is a superb blog post from author Gemma Fowler on world building, and how notebooks and scribbled notes may not make it into the book but shape the characters, the setting and the story. Fantastically written blog post for a fantastically written book, City of Rust! When I was thirteen I realised that magic […]

A guest post from Ally Sherrick Award-winning children’s author Ally Sherrick reveals the inspiration behind her new middle grade historical adventure, ‘The Queen’s Fool’ … ‘Where do you get your ideas from?’ As you might guess, it’s probably the question authors get asked the most when they visit schools. And of course the answer is […]

The Federation of Children’s Book Groups has its AGM this coming weekend on the 17th of April. As a celebration, and a nod to the missed conference this year, we are pleased to be offering members a chance to take part in a brilliant quiz with the exceptional Christopher Lloyd. Read on for more information […]

The Supreme Lie is an emotional, twisting and intense book- worthy of a dozen prizes! Well thought, well written and brilliantly thrilling, this is one to savour! We were thrilled to be given the opportunity to ask author Geraldine McCaughrean a few questions! A crisis in a book with a supreme ruler running away- an […]

Guest post by Jonathon Stroud It’s always odd holding a new book in your hands, and looking back at the process by which you came to write it. Very rarely is it a simple, clearly identifiable journey – a broad path curving back neatly to the original idea. More often it resembles an archaeological dig […]

Guest post by Amy McCaw Although I think of Mina and the Undead as more of a murder mystery than pure horror, there are horror touches and references throughout the narrative.  A combination of things got me into horror. The first was my dad’s video shop. I spent a lot of time there in the […]

We were thrilled to be able to read What Happened to YOU? and then pose some questions to author James Catchpole. This is a wonderful book which features Joe, a young boy with one leg, who is happily playing and attempting to answer the inevitable question, What Happened to you? by those around him. Delving […]

Guest Post by Peter Bunzl The spark of inspiration for Featherlight came one day when I was flicking through one of my old notebooks. and a few lines of an unfinished poem caught my eye: ‘I am the lighthouse keeper’s daughter, And I keep the lighthouse by the water. Keep the oil lamps burning bright, […]

Written by Hannah Groves, SLA While some associate ‘reading for pleasure’ with reading fiction, school library staff are well aware that many children also enjoy an array of non-fiction and eagerly engage with books about sport, celebrities, world records and more. But what about science? How many young people do you think read science books […]