If you Still Recognise Me by Cynthia So

I have had countless crushes on people I’ve met through fandom, on the Internet. In some cases, I didn’t—and still don’t—know what they look like. I fell in love with them through their words. All of them wrote fanfiction, and I would be completely mesmerised by their prose. The way they wrote about love. This […]

Black girl magic in Georgian Britain: could mystery be the key to unlocking hidden histories?

By JT Williams, author of The Lizzie and Belle Mysteries: Drama and Danger As a young reader, I lost myself daily between the pages of my beloved books. I stepped into new worlds and adopted new identities. I was Lucy, crunching through Narnian snow; Darrell, bounding around Malory Towers; Margaret, sharing secrets with God in […]

The Tale of the Whale introduced by illustrator Padmacandra

The Tale of the Whale introduced by illustrator Padmacandra Padmacandra is one of six illustrators shortlisted for the Klaus Flugge Prize, which recognises the most exciting and talented new picture book illustrators. ‘I am trying to keep the whale’s eye out of the gutter and the tail out of the trim. I have had to […]

Get Reluctant Readers Raring to Go by Ria Grover

Get Reluctant Readers Raring To Go – Ria Grover Reading is a relatively simple pastime. But, in today’s digital world, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to encourage children to swap their console for a book. Those of us that enjoy reading, recognise it’s a pleasure that can be enjoyed wherever you are. A great book has […]

The Odd Fish by Naomi Jones

The Odd Fish – World Oceans Day By Naomi Jones My two boys now aged 5 and 7 are a huge source of inspiration for all of my picture books. Seeing the world through their eyes as they’ve grown up has been fascinating. When my youngest son was two, we were watching Blue Planet 2 […]

Q&A with Polly Ho-Yen

We were so thrilled to be given the opportunity to ask Polly Ho-Yen a few questions about her newest book, The Boy Who Grew a Tree.  Her answers are just perfect!   This is a book that immediately sings to any nature and book loving person! Are you an advocate for libraries and reading? What […]

The Highs and Lows of Co-Writing by Catherine Doyle and Katherine Webber

THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF CO-WRITING Catherine Doyle & Katherine Webber, authors of Twin Crowns, May 2022   Back in 2020, when the pandemic was just getting into full swing, we decided to write a YA fantasy together. Something fun and swoony and pacy. A book that would make us laugh, and ultimately – cheer […]

Read for Empathy

Books build empathy. Research shows that well–written narratives work in an amazing way to transport the reader into the story. When we read, we believe we know the characters and we respond almost as if they were real. We can step outside ourselves to see the world from their perspective, and we understand what they […]