Search The Blog
Blog by Month
- July 2024 (9)
- June 2024 (20)
- May 2024 (15)
- April 2024 (14)
- March 2024 (15)
- February 2024 (14)
- January 2024 (8)
- December 2023 (13)
- November 2023 (20)
- October 2023 (17)
- September 2023 (13)
- August 2023 (12)
- July 2023 (12)
- June 2023 (15)
- May 2023 (16)
- April 2023 (16)
- March 2023 (16)
- February 2023 (12)
- January 2023 (14)
- December 2022 (10)
- November 2022 (20)
- October 2022 (15)
- September 2022 (19)
- August 2022 (13)
- July 2022 (18)
- June 2022 (18)
- May 2022 (27)
- April 2022 (11)
- March 2022 (19)
- February 2022 (13)
- January 2022 (18)
- December 2021 (10)
- November 2021 (10)
- October 2021 (22)
- September 2021 (18)
- August 2021 (16)
- July 2021 (22)
- June 2021 (16)
- May 2021 (29)
- April 2021 (13)
- March 2021 (11)
- February 2021 (10)
- January 2021 (11)
- December 2020 (9)
- November 2020 (13)
- October 2020 (13)
- September 2020 (11)
- August 2020 (14)
- July 2020 (8)
- June 2020 (4)
- May 2020 (14)
- April 2020 (7)
- March 2020 (7)
- February 2020 (6)
- January 2020 (6)
The Federation of Children’s Book Groups Blog
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 […]
Q&A with Sara Holland
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogA huge thank you to Sara Holland for answering our questions about HavenFall and the newly published Phoenix Flame! Her answers are fantastic and we are so thrilled to feature them as part of our Myths, Magic and Mayhem celebrations. Written by Sara Holland, Cover by Peter Strain The atmosphere and imagery involved with your […]
Myth and the Masquerading Magic of the Mechanism
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogby Anneliese Avery When I set about building the world of The Celestial Mechanism, for The Nightsilver Promise, I knew that I wanted to create a world full of wonder. A world where destiny was set in the stars of the Celestial Mechanism and, just like the planets and stars of this clockwork universe, every person […]
Oobleck, Nunu, and Magic Pebbles
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogBy Jon Agee Jon Agee, perhaps needs no introduction, especially for those with a keen interest in word play and picture books. His latest book, The Incredible Painting of Felix Clousseau, was originally published in 1988 but is making a comeback for a new generation of reader. Read on for a fantastic piece from Jon! […]
Magic, Myth and Mayhem
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogBy Tim Tilley Myths and magic have inspired Tim Tilley to add these elements to his own book, Harklights. Currently Waterstones Children’s Book of the Month, this is an enchanting story filled with wonderfully magical moments. Growing up, I have always loved stories with myths and magic, so it was inevitable that myths and magic […]
Welcome to the imagination-where myths, magic and mayhem collide
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogby Shauna Darling Robertson The Federation’s National Share a Story Month theme of myths, magic and mayhem is right up my street, and my poetry collection, Saturdays at the Imaginarium, is full of all three! The book explores and celebrates the power of the human imagination, which has fascinated me since I was a child. […]
Mystery Writing with Sophie Cleverly
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogA wonderful guest blog from mystery writer Sophie Cleverly!! The Violet Veil Mysteries began on a dark and stormy night… I know, we’ve all heard that one before. But in this case, it was about a decade ago, and I was lying in bed trying to think of ideas for new stories. For some reason, […]
Paris Cat
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogA Joint Blog with Author Dianne Hofmeyr and Illustrator Piet Grobler MYTH, MAGIC AND MAYHEM – PARIS CAT by Dianne Hofmeyr Story encompasses all three… so what a delight FCBG have chosen to celebrate National Share a Story Month under this banner. Every story ever written is part MYTH, part MAGIC, part MAYHEM. Modern stories […]
Myths, Magic and Mayhem: A Dyslexic Author and the Fantasy World of Presadia
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogWelcome to a wonderfully written guest post from Luke Aylen, author of the Presadia series pictured below! I love the FCBG theme this year. I’ve always been mad for the mythical and marvellous worlds of fantasy books. There is something about magical realms that make us prepared to suspend our assumptions about the world and […]
A mythical, magical and mayhem filled interview!
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogRead on for a fantastic interview with Mikki Lish and Kelly Ngai, authors of The House on Hoarder Hill and The Magician’s Map. A special interview with the authors of The Magician’s Map and The House on Hoarder Hill! Written by Mikki Lish and Kelly Ngai, Cover Illustration by Maxine Lee-Mackie, Published by Chicken House […]
Lao Lao of Dragon Mountain
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogMyths, Magic and Mayhem by Margaret Bateson-Hill Written by Margaret Bateson-Hill, Illustrated by Francesca Pelizzoli, Published by Alanna Max Books. There is wildness and anarchy in a blank piece of paper. Anything can happen – a story, a drawing, a recipe, a letter! Over the years of working with my story, Lao Lao of Dragon […]
Circus Maximus by Annelise Gray
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogThe Need for Speed Annelise Grey’s Circus Maximus: Race to the Death transports us back to greatest sporting stage of the ancient Roman world with the thrill and mayhem of the real-life chariot races. The reader is right there amidst the action, hearing the thunder of hooves, the roar of the crowd, and the pulse-pounding race to […]
Mammoth by Anna Kemp
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogA fabulously written and illustrated tale of finding your herd! Read on for a special blog post from author Anna Kemp! I remember my first day at a new school: new uniform, new ‘Hello Kitty’ lunch-box, and the terrifying knowledge that I’d have to find new friends, and fast. Other children were pairing up, or […]
Gender Swapped Fairy Tales- Q&A
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogThis book is a huge hit for all fairy tale loving children and adults! This creative couple have created something special in this book and while the stories are familiar, the characters and illustrations are wonderfully unique. Do either of you have a favourite tale in the book? Well, they’re all like our babies but […]