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The Federation of Children’s Book Groups Blog
Twitch by M.G. Leonard
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogTwitch is the latest middle grade novel from author extraordinaire, M.G. Leonard. Featuring a young boy with impressive twitching skills and a mystery to solve, readers will find themselves completely hooked! We were so pleased to be able to ask M.G. Leonard a few questions and her answers are fantastic! There is a new website […]
Llama on a Mission- Q&A with Annabelle Sami
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogAnnabelle Sami has such a fantastic style of writing and her two books featuring Yasmin and Levi are sure to delight readers! We asked Annabelle Sami some questions and we love her answers! Can you tell us about Llama on a Mission in a couple of sentences? Yasmin has finally found her voice but is […]
Q&A with Jim Beckett
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogThe Caravan at the Edge of Doom is a funny book with a fantastic opening page. We are so pleased to have been given the opportunity to ask author Jim Beckett a few questions! His answers are of course, brilliant! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions! We thoroughly enjoyed […]
Diving into the Blue
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogWritten by Charlotte Guillain, Illustrations by Lou Baker Smith, Published by Quarto Kids Charlotte Guillain is a marvel of writing books about the world around us and these inspire readers to take action and learn about our surroundings. Her latest book, The Deep Blue, is an in-depth look at our oceans and waterways, and every […]
All Our Hidden Gifts
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogWe are so pleased to bring you an interview with Caroline O’Donoghue, author of All Our Hidden Gifts. What made you decide to write a book for young adults following the success of Promising Young Women and Scenes of a Graphic Nature? It was always my plan to write Young Adult eventually. When I first […]
Happy Elmer Day!
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogToday we celebrate the world’s most famous patchwork elephant! Elmer Day is Today and we hope you are wearing your brightest clothing, reading and re-reading your favourite Elmer stories! Brilliant links, resources and activities are all available from the Elmer Day website! Share your celebrations with us via social media and be sure to tag […]
Myths, Magic and Mayhem
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogDragons are a superb example of myths…and of magic and perhaps mayhem as well. Read on for more dragon love from Tamara MacFarlane! Written by Tamara MacFarlane, Illustrated by Alessandra Fusi, Published by DK Books I am standing in the recently re-opened Tales on Moon Lane bookshop, thinking about the wonderful theme of Myths, Magic […]
Grandma’s House of Rules by Henry Blackshaw
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogWhen I look at the list of ideas for kids books that I keep on my phone, right at the top are the words “House of Rules”. I’d always wanted to write a book about the funny rules that families have, and I knew that my own experiences would provide rich pickings. I grew up […]
Myths, Magic and Mayhem in The Life and Time of Lonny Quicke
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogBy Kirsty Applebaum Cover llustration by Matt Saunders, Lettering by David Dean Almost wherever we live in the world, an abundance of myth, legend and folklore can be found on our doorstep – and it can make for a wonderful source of writing inspiration. I live in Winchester, Hampshire, and a quick internet search for […]
Moonchild by Aisha Bushby
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogThe seed of my MOONCHILD duology was sewn in Boscastle, Cornwall, in the summer of 2017. I remember it well because I was visiting on holiday and had taken part in a tour of the local area. One thing I learned stuck in my mind above all else: years and years ago, sea witches, with […]
On Mayhem… by Barry Falls
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogBarry Falls is an author and illustrator living in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He graduated from Ulster University in 2005 and now works there as a visiting lecturer in illustration. His debut children’s book, It’s Your World Now! was published in 2019. Barry’s striking, unusual Illustration style carries echoes of Peter Blake and Oliver Jeffers, coupled […]
Ancient Greek Myths: Magic or Mayhem?
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogPerfectly in tune with our theme, Jean Menzies has written a fantastic guest post for National Share a Story Month! By Jean Menzies Do you know any ancient Greek myths? Maybe a friend or family member has shared one with you, maybe you have read about some in a book or even watched them come […]
Myths, Magic and Mayhem
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogBy Liz Flanagan, Rise of the Shadow Dragons Photo Credit: Sarah Mason The theme of this month’s blog chimed loud and clear for me: ‘myths, magic and mayhem’ might even sum up my entire approach in the Legends of the Sky series. I love mythical and magical creatures and use them as a focus both […]
Mystery Writing
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogby Adam Baron All good books have a mystery at their heart, even ones that don’t seem to. The best way to think about mysteries in your own stories is to come up with something that you would be intrigued by. For instance, I loved Stig of the Dump when I was a child because […]
The Magic of Creating Worlds
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogWith tips to have a go yourself! by Vashti Hardy For me, one of the things that makes writing the best job in the world is the wondrous feeling that anything is possible. Creating fantasy landscapes allows you to abandon the rules of planet Earth and set down new world rules without limits. This makes […]
Being yourself by Eloise Williams
/0 Comments/by FCBG blog‘Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.’ Oscar Wilde. I’ve always had problems with fitting in, whatever that means. Throughout my early life I bent myself this way and that to try to be interesting, likeable, the person everyone wanted as their friend. I’d do my best to be confident, outgoing and funny whilst really […]
We Were Wolves: Combining story-telling and illustration
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogBy Jason Cockcroft I grew up reading comics. They were my biggest influence until I was around fourteen. This was before modern sophisticated colour printing became affordable to publishers, but I found something particularly emotional and dynamic in black and white work created in pen and ink that I didn’t recognise in colour illustration. Wonderful […]
Q&A with Simon Farnaby
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogA fantastic set of questions posed by the lovely folk at Hachette to hilarious writer, Simon Farnaby! What is The Wizard in My Shed about? It’s about a wizard- well, he’s actually a Warlock, which is a bad wizard- called Merdyn the Wild. When we first meet him in the story, he’s on trial in the Dark […]