The Federation of Children’s Book Groups Blog
This Feast of a Life by Cynthia So
We have a brilliant Q&A with author Cynthia So, author of This Feast of a Life. We owe a thank you to Jacqui Sydney for creating the questions sent to Cynthia. When the book opens, Auden has just made the New Year’s resolution to become the person I want to be. What advice would […]
Honeysuckle and Bone by Trisha Tobias
On the blog today, we have a personal piece from author Trisha Tobias about her novel, Honeysuckle and Bone. It is a moving piece about the grief and stories she grew up with. Honeysuckle and Bone follows the story of eighteen year old Carina who escapes her own dark past by nabbing a job in […]
Murder for Two by Niyla Farook
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 […]
Bingsu for Two by Sujin Witherspoon
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 […]
Mindful Macrame by Isabella Strambio
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 […]
Guardians of the New Moon by Eric Huang
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 […]
The Nightmares of Finnegan Quick by Larry Hayes
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 […]
Blitz One Family’s War by Martin Impey
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 Reading Helpers
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- Winners Announcement
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 […]
How to be a Revolutionary by Lucy Ann Unwin
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 […]
Writing scary stories for children by Rachel Burge
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 […]
Faedom by Agnes Monod-Gayraud and Lorna White
So many stories and films feature fae, fairies and whimsical creatures and if you love those, then this is the book for you! Check out the blog from the authors below all about Faedom! When we set out to write Faedom, our goal was to share our love and admiration for the natural world and […]
The River Thief by Hannah Peck
Hannah Peck is writing for a variety of audiences and in today’s blog, she tells us a bit more about how she does this! Writing The River Thief Things nobody tells you about writing for an older age group when you’ve previously only written for five to nine-year-olds: you will probably be bad at it. […]
Fantastically Festive Children’s Books
Kate Thompson and Loretta Schauer, creators of Yetis Don’t Exist have collaborated to bring us some “fantastically festive books” just in time for December! Our Favourite Fantastically Festive Children’s Books By Kate Thompson and Loretta Schauer Christmas time is coming! Even now, as an alleged ‘grownup’, these four words make me bubbly with excitement! And […]
The CLPE Reflecting Realities survey of ethnic representation within UK children’s literature 2024
The CLPE Reflecting Realities survey of ethnic representation within UK children’s literature 2024 Yesterday the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) have released the 7th annual Reflecting Realities Survey of Ethnic Representation within UK Children’s Literature – we will be sharing some of the key findings and comments here. Using the detailed methodology established […]
National Non-Fiction November 2024
As National Non-Fiction November draws to a close, it is worth remembering that information books are not just for November! In this year’s NNFN booklet, some themed weeks and awards dedicated to information books are suggested, but this is just the tip of the iceberg! In this final post for National Non-Fiction November 2024, it […]
Open Wide by Letizia Diamante
Letizia Diamante’s passion for science is infectious and this interest has led her to write fun, informative books. Here, she shares her thoughts about the power of information texts. Taking the fear out of things with non-fiction books While I was writing “Open wide!” – a scientific book for children about the teeth, tongues […]