The Federation of Children’s Book Groups Blog

Alison Sage on Satoshi Kitamura

We have a special guest post introduced by Sarah Pakenham, Publisher at Scallywag Press and written by Alison Sage. A very special East-West meeting from which sprang a life-long friendship and two classic children’s picture books. Lily Takes a Walk and Captain Toby are two vintage Satoshi Kitamura picture books now viewed as modern classics. […]

The Five Clues by Anthony Kessel

A thrilling and dramatic tale of Edie who is coming to terms with the loss of her mother. Author Anthony Kessel has written a piece about writing The Five Clues. I have always loved reading and have always loved writing – from as long ago as I can remember to the present day. As a […]

Piers Torday on Writing a Prequel

Photo by James Betts The Wild Before by Piers Torday Why write a prequel? It is a very reasonable question. Why return to a complete fictional world, with a finished narrative arc, to all intents and purposes, closed in the mind of readers? The form has a complex history. The Magician’s Nephew (1955) is for […]

Jaz Santos vs. The World- Q&A with Priscilla Mante

Jaz Santos vs. The World has taken the Middle grade fiction world by storm with rave reviews and praise. Priscilla Mante was kind enough to answer a few questions for us recently! Jaz Santos is the first in the Dream Team series- what can we hope to see from the rest of the series? The Dream Team […]

Zanna Davidson- In House Editor and Writer

We are endlessly fascinated by all aspects of children’s publishing and when we were given the chance of Zanna Davidson writing a piece for the blog, we jumped at it. As in house writer and editor, her books have sold over 2 million copies worldwide- an impressive achievement. Read on for her blog post- it […]

No Ordinary Joe- Q&A with Siobhan Daffy

No Ordinary Joe is a humorous tale based on author Siobhan Daffy’s real life experiences. We asked her a few questions about writing such a personal story. No Ordinary Joe is inspired by your own experiences with your brother- was this story a challenge to write? Yes and no! It wasn’t a challenge to write […]

Seven Sisters- Q&A with Ayisha Malik

Ayisha Malik and Erica Meza have created a beautiful book about seven unique sisters! We asked Ayisha a few questions about this tale of sisters and their talents and skills. Where did the inspiration for Seven Sisters come from? I was actually approached by the publisher who wanted to tell the story of seven very […]

Battle for Roar- Q&A with Jenny McLachlan

The Roar trilogy is now complete with The Battle for Roar published in July. Fans are rejoicing over this trilogy and we were so excited to chat to Jenny McLachlan about her books and characters. Photo Credit: Lee Thompson Written by Jenny McLachlan, Illustrations by Ben Mantle, Published by FarShore How has the reaction been […]

Cruel Castle by Bryony Pearce

Escape or die trying is the tag line on Bryony Pearce’s latest book, Cruel Castle. Just how did she design her story and keep it fresh and terrifying? Read down to read a special guest post from Bryony about designing an escape room. Designing an escape room by Bryony Pearce Cruel Castle, the sequel to […]

The Memory Thieves Blog Tour

Darren Simpson attended our last conference and was there to represent and promote his book Scavengers. There was then a mad rush to meet him and read the book. We are pleased to help him shout about his newest book, The Memory Thieves. Please read on for a moving blog post from Darren! For Anyone […]

The Very Dangerous Sisters of Indigo McCloud by John Hearne

Where would our favourite stories be without the well loved places they are set within? John Hearne has written a thoughtful piece about places and his story taking place in the fictional Blunt. How Place Fuels Creativity by John Hearne You can get away without a strong sense of place in some stories, but most […]

The Raven Heir- Guest Post

Author Stephanie Burgis has written an incredible guest post for the FCBG about finding inspiration from The War of the Roses. The Raven Heir by Stephanie Burgis Whenever I find myself lost for new fictional ideas, the best thing I can ever do is immerse myself in history. I’m a fantasy writer, so many of […]

Ruffles- Guest Post by David Melling

Ruffles is a much loved pup, created by David Melling. This guest post from David Melling is brilliant and filled with wonderful illustrations of Ruffles! RUFFLES by David Melling Ruffles began life in my sketchbook as a bewildered looking pup in a ruff. I admit I thought little more of him and, sorry to say, […]

The Royal Rebel by Bali Rai

Bringing to life the story of a refugee who deserves more recognition, Bali Rai introduces new readers to the Sufragette Princess Sophia Duleep Singh. Read on for a guest post from Bali Rai about his latest book. For most people of my heritage, the Duleep Singh story is widely known. They are a core element […]

The Cat and the Rat and the Hat by Em Lynas

We have a fantastic guest post from Em Lynas about writing funny books! A fascinating look at where the ideas for her newest picture book came from! fbt Someone recently asked me – How do you write funny books? That’s a big question and I couldn’t answer because I wasn’t sure but it started me […]

Q&A with Manjeet Mann

The Crossing is the latest verse novel to be written by Manjeet Mann. Her first, Run Rebel, has just been shortlisted for CLPE’s CLiPPA Award. Check out our Q&A with Manjeet Mann below! The refugee crisis is highlighted from two very different perspectives in this novel- were they difficult to write? Well, I researched the […]

Why Laughing Matters by Beth Garrod

Sister Switch is the latest book, her debut MG, from Beth Garrod and it is a funny body swap tale! Read on for her guest post about Why Laughing Matters! Patches on her face, problem dark circles under the eyes; Shutterstock ID 653747509; ISBN: – Why Laughing Matters I love dark crime books. I love […]

The Race by Roy Peachey- Q&A

With so many inspiring sporting events taking place this year, it is a great time to read books featuring sporting heroes and past events. The Race by Roy Peachey is published by Cranachan Publishing and is available now. We were recently given the opportunity to ask author Roy Peachey a few questions. The Race is […]