Where does the inspiration for writing a mystery come from? Author Niyla Farook shares her inspiration with us in today’s blog. I read Agatha Christie books and watched Murder, She Wrote when I was much too young. As a child – specifically in the middle grade age range – I was always interested in mysteries […]
We have a fascinating blog today from Sujin Witherspoon about tropes in young adult fiction. Tropes in YA Fiction: Trash or Treasure? In an era where #BookTok dominates both bookstore shelves and social media feeds, selling a book by its tropes is becoming more commonplace. From slow burns to chosen ones, now books can be […]
Author Isabella Strambio offers suggestions about building mindfulness into daily life, especially useful tips for parents. As a mother of two daughters, aged 10 and 12, I’ve always aimed to teach them mindfulness through macrame and crafting. Advocating for a creative lifestyle, I’ve witnessed firsthand how art is a healing and powerful tool for mindfulness […]
We have a fantastic blog from author, Eric Huang, about the books and stories he grew up with. This blog may just inspire you to read books from around the world! When I was six, Father Christmas left a copy of D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths under the Christmas tree for me. I already […]
Our first blog of 2025 is about the inspiration behind The Nightmares of Finnegan Quick from author Larry Hayes. The Nightmares of Finnegan Quick – Inspired by Fear The Nightmares of Finnegan Quick is dedicated to my brother. When I was young, sharing a bedroom, I woke one night and saw a goblin […]
We have a touching blog from Martin Impey today all about Blitz, One Family’s War. Martin explains why this is a deeply personal and incredibly relevant book to share with younger readers. The Beginning To say that creating BLITZ – One Family’s War was a ‘journey’ is a bit of an understatement. It began after […]
Coram Beanstalk have written a post for us about why being a reading helper is such a gift for teachers and students. Why having a Coram Beanstalk reading helper is a gift for teachers Working as a class teacher and literacy lead in an inner-London primary school for many years, I witnessed a consistently […]
National Non-Fiction November Competition The theme of this year’s National Non-Fiction November certainly highlighted the wealth of creativity and diverse range of interests being pursued by children up and down the country! From hair braiding to fishing, model making to gymnastics, badminton to reading, real tennis to animation, the joy these activities bring made judging […]
We have a brilliant blog from author Lucy Ann Unwin all about her book, How to be a Revolutionary! It will certainly make you pause to consider your family circumstances. Growing up I was utterly obsessed with Disney’s version of The Little Mermaid. If you’d asked me then what I loved about it I […]
Readers of all ages seem to be reading more scary stories and we are so pleased to share a guest post from Rachel Burge about exactly writing and reading scary stories. Reading and Writing Scary Stories for Children It’s widely known that reading helps children develop empathy. But did you know that fiction does more […]
