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The Federation of Children’s Book Groups Blog
The Accidental Wizard
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogQ&A with Author Kimberly Pauley What inspired you to write The Accidental Wizard? Believe it or not, it was a bet. For almost 10 years, I’ve had a yearly bet with some fellow authors. Brian Farrey (The Vengekeep Prophecies, etc.), inspired by Stephen King, started it. Catherine Ryan Hyde (Pay it Forward, etc.) and I have participated […]
Willow Moss and the Forgotten Tale
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogQ&A with Author Dominique Valente 1. Willow Moss is the newest favourite magical star on the scene. How does it feel knowing readers have taken her into their hearts? Ah! Thank you so much. It’s honestly so incredibly humbling, strange and wonderful. I’m so surprised and delighted that readers have responded so well to her. She’s this character […]
The B on Your Thumb
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogGuest Post by Colette Hiller A bit about the B – what I set out to do The B on Your Thumb is a collection of learning rhymes to boost reading and spelling. Using rhythm, rhyme and wordplay, these playful ditties aim to help children navigate the strange territory of the English language. The letters […]
Little Tiger’s Picture Perfect Early Readers
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogby Katie Jennings and Joe Lillington The books in the Colour Fiction range from Little Tiger Group are perfect for newly independent readers aged 5 and up, especially those still struggling to find their feet. Those in search of both a meaty story and the vivid illustrations you find in a picture book. The illustrator […]
Dispelling the myth of ‘normal families’ for children
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogSamuel Langley-Swain, Founder of Owlet Press, speaks to their newest author Laura Gallagher about the myths around ‘normal families’ and the need to dispel them: Samuel Langley-Swain (SLS): Having never worked in publishing before, I set out on a huge journey as a new parent and self-published author to create an inclusive children’s book publisher in Owlet Press. The jump from author […]
Duck and Penguin Are NOT Friends & Duck and Penguin Do NOT Like Sleepovers
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogby Author/Illustrator Julia Woolf The Duck and Penguin stories are about best friends Betty and Maud and their favourite toys Duck and Penguin. The girls love each other but Duck and Penguin don’t really get on. ‘Duck and Penguin Are NOT Friends’ is based on my experience when my daughter first started at primary school. […]
Johnny Ball : Accidental Football Genius
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogby Matt Oldfield In my experience, football is a subject that often provokes extreme reactions, especially when it comes to reading. For big fans of “the beautiful game”, it can be like a password, helping to unlock an activity previously considered too boring and/or difficult. If I had a pound for every time I’ve seen […]
Storm
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogQ&A with Nicola Skinner Nicola Skinner has written two inventive and beguiling books for children, Bloom and Storm. They have been widely appreciated and recommended. We were fortunate to ask Nicola a few questions about Storm and the main character, Frankie and the answers are brilliant!! Tell us about Frances and Storm. Storm is the […]
Launching a book during a pandemic – an Author’s insight
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogby Emma Lazell Launching a book during the pandemic felt very different from releasing my debut picturebook Big Cat in Spring 2019. That Dog!, my second picturebook with Pavilion Children’s Books, was initially due to release in May of this year, and I began the year eagerly and optimistically planning a book launch, responding to […]
The Origins of The Royal Rabbits Series
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogBy author Santa Montefiore Having written twenty-one adult novels, it might come across as a total change in direction to have embarked on a series of children’s books about rabbits. However, I have always written for myself and at a very early age I was writing about hedgehogs and rabbits after school and in the […]
Impervious
/2 Comments/by FCBG blogBy author AJ Hartley As an undergraduate I read William Golding’s 1956 novel Pincher Martin, about a man trying to survive in the Atlantic after the ship he commanded was sunk by a Nazi torpedo. Martin, the protagonist, begins by kicking off his sea boots, then swims through the freezing ocean to a rock on which […]
The Inkberg Enigma Blog Tour – Top Five Graphic Novels for Kids
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogby Jonathan King, author of The Inkberg Enigma Graphic novels (comics, in book form) for kids have never been more popular — with authors such as Raina Telgemeier topping the New York Times bestseller list, and Dav Pilkey, creator of Captain Underpants, launching his new book with an initial print run in the millions. Some […]
The Reckless Afterlife of Harriet Stoker
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogQ&A with author Lauren James What can readers expect from The Reckless Afterlife of Harriet Stoker, and how is it similar or different to your other novels? It’s very different from my other books – it’s a horror, which I’ve written a bit of in The Loneliest Girl in the Universe, but not fully explored. […]
Ride the Wind
/1 Comment/by FCBG blogby Nicola Davies, I was a geeky shy kid and when I went to secondary school I didn’t fit in. I concentrated on keeping my head down to keep the teasing to a minimum. But sometime in that first term, everyone had to do a talk in front of the class. My chosen subject was […]
Never Show a T-Rex a Book
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogby author Rashmi Sirdeshpande Never Show a T-Rex a Book is about a T-Rex who discovers reading, falls in love with books and learning and finds that the world is her oyster. Does anyone know what expression actually means?! So bizarre! But it’s the basis of the whole story: books as a gateway into absolutely […]
Dangerous Remedy
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogby Kat Dunn The first time I came out, I turned to a friend and said ‘I think I’m kinda gay.’This is an exact quote from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, when Willow realises her feelings for fellow witch Tara. It was the only language I had for saying this thing. This unsure, fledgeling thing I […]
Eight Pieces of Silva – Blog Tour
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogPatrice Lawrence is known for her incredibly popular, brilliantly written YA titles such as her debut Orangeboy, Indigo donut, Rose Interrupted, and publishing on 6th August is Eight Pieces of Silva. Winning both the Waterstones Book Prize for Older Readers and the YA Book Prize (2017) for Orangeboy, Patrice has continued to win recognition for […]
Umbrella Mouse to the Rescue Blog Tour – Q&A with Author Anna Fargher
/0 Comments/by FCBG blogIt is incredibly exciting to be able to interview Anna Fargher, author of Umbrella Mouse to the Rescue, for the FCBG’s stop on the blog tour. This stop on the book blog tour sees me ask Anna a series of questions that benefit those that have either yet to familiarise themselves with the book as […]