Entries by FCBG blog

The Secret of Golden Island by Natasha Farrant

Those of us with a passion for books and reading for pleasure will take solace in the blog from Natasha Farrant. We need to promote reading for pleasure more than ever- we couldn’t agree more. Usually, when I write posts around publication of a new book, I want to be upbeat -confident, enthusiastic. But at […]

The Importance of Writing Eco-Adventures by Hannah Gold

Hannah Gold writes powerful eco- adventures for middle grade readers. Winning awards and capturing imaginations, she recently wrote a lovely blog for us about writing eco-adventures. The Importance of Writing Eco-Adventures Hannah Gold My first book, The Last Bear, was never intended to be an eco-adventure. As an animal lover, my initial aim was to […]

Pizza Pete and the Missing Magic by Carrie Sellon

Carrie Sellon’s debut middle grade novel, Pizza Pete and the Perilous Potions (2023) was a Times Children’s Book of the Week, won the InspiREAD Book Awards (shorter book category), was longlisted for the SPARK Book Award, and is currently shortlisted for The Week Junior Book Awards. This September Pizza Pete is back in his second […]

The Skeleton in the Cupboard by Lilija Berzinska

Featuring a community of strange creatures who live along the Livonian coast, in the north of Latvia, these interconnected stories follow the anxieties and existential crises of the creatures, gently satirising their preoccupations and suggesting solutions with empathy and wisdom. These are tales with shades of Tove Jansson’s Moomins and The Summer Book, as well […]

Klaus Flugge Winner- Guest Blog

Congratulations to Kate Winter for winning the Klaus Flugge Prize 2024.  We have a wonderful guest blog from Kate to celebrate The Fossil Hunter!   Following in the Footsteps of a Fossil Hunter by Kate Winter As an author and illustrator, I always try to find a way to inhabit the characters in my books […]

Celebrating SAIL Fest – the new South Asian Children’s Illustration and Literature Festival

Discover more about the inaugural SAIL Fest that took place recently at The British Library.   Celebrating SAIL Fest – the new South Asian Children’s Illustration and Literature Festival by co-founder, Sinéad Gosai SAIL Festival is the exciting new South Asian illustration and literature festival that’s dedicated to celebrating, connecting and empowering South Asian children’s […]

Anticipation by Neil Taylor

AI is certainly no longer a hype but something that both intrigues and concerns the world. Author, Neil Taylor offers some insight into AI as it features in his novel, Anticipation.   Myth Busting AI My name is Neil Taylor, and I recently wrote a fictional novel called Anticipation in which Artificial Intelligence (AI) plays […]

Calm by SJ Baker

This is a brilliant guest blog from author S.J. Baker about dystopian fiction for teens. There is certainly a large appetite for this type of book! The power and popularity of dystopian fiction among young adult readers. “You write well,” said the literary agent in response to my submission, “but YA dystopias are a crowded […]

The Final Year by Matt Goodfellow

Matt Goodfellow’s verse novel The Final Year (Otter-Barry Books) is one of the books of the year, winning its category in the Children’s Book Award as well as this year’s CLiPPA, CLPE Children’s Poetry Award. The Final Year draws on Matt’s experience as a primary school teacher but in this special article, he explains that […]

Pernickety-Boo by Sally Gardner

Sally Gardner has written a lovely and honest blog for us about Pernickety-Boo, her latest book. It comes from wanting a place to call home and to feel that sense of belonging. Thank you Sally for your words. The idea of Pernickety-Boo came to me when I was in the middle of writing another book. […]