The Federation of Children’s Book Groups Blog

Klaus Flugge Winner- Guest Blog

Congratulations to Kate Winter for winning the Klaus Flugge Prize 2024.  We have a wonderful guest blog from Kate to celebrate The Fossil Hunter!   Following in the Footsteps of a Fossil Hunter by Kate Winter As an author and illustrator, I always try to find a way to inhabit the characters in my books […]

Celebrating SAIL Fest – the new South Asian Children’s Illustration and Literature Festival

Discover more about the inaugural SAIL Fest that took place recently at The British Library.   Celebrating SAIL Fest – the new South Asian Children’s Illustration and Literature Festival by co-founder, Sinéad Gosai SAIL Festival is the exciting new South Asian illustration and literature festival that’s dedicated to celebrating, connecting and empowering South Asian children’s […]

Anticipation by Neil Taylor

AI is certainly no longer a hype but something that both intrigues and concerns the world. Author, Neil Taylor offers some insight into AI as it features in his novel, Anticipation.   Myth Busting AI My name is Neil Taylor, and I recently wrote a fictional novel called Anticipation in which Artificial Intelligence (AI) plays […]

Calm by SJ Baker

This is a brilliant guest blog from author S.J. Baker about dystopian fiction for teens. There is certainly a large appetite for this type of book! The power and popularity of dystopian fiction among young adult readers. “You write well,” said the literary agent in response to my submission, “but YA dystopias are a crowded […]

The Final Year by Matt Goodfellow

Matt Goodfellow’s verse novel The Final Year (Otter-Barry Books) is one of the books of the year, winning its category in the Children’s Book Award as well as this year’s CLiPPA, CLPE Children’s Poetry Award. The Final Year draws on Matt’s experience as a primary school teacher but in this special article, he explains that […]

Pernickety-Boo by Sally Gardner

Sally Gardner has written a lovely and honest blog for us about Pernickety-Boo, her latest book. It comes from wanting a place to call home and to feel that sense of belonging. Thank you Sally for your words. The idea of Pernickety-Boo came to me when I was in the middle of writing another book. […]

Someone’s Been Messing with Reality by John Hearne

We are delighted to share a guest blog from John Hearne, author of Someone’s Been Messing with Reality. He writes about his main character and how to avoid the cliche’s around giving characters superpowers!   Characters with Special Abilities:  Make cliché-avoidance your super power The kid with superpowers is one of most popular tropes in […]

Poo Crew Adventures Q&A

We love a Q&A on the FCBG blog, especially when both author and illustrator get involved. James Turner and Steve May are the duo behind Poo Crew Adventures, a new graphic novel series and we are so pleased they found time to answer our questions. Why poo? Who came up with the initial idea to […]

The Love Dare by Abiola Bello

Author, Abiola Bello shares her inspirations for her books with us in today’s blog. She is surrounded by creativity and we look forward to reading more of her books! The question I get asked the most from readers is how do I seek inspiration for my YA books. A lot of it comes from my […]

The Wild Life of Dinosaurs by Mike Barfield

Mike Barfield has been wild about science and animals from an early age. He is the winner of the Blue Peter Children’s Book Award 2021 in the ‘Best Book with Facts’ category, and has also been shortlisted for the Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize, the Association for Science Education Children’s Book Prize (twice) and […]

Britfield by C.R. Stewart

Britfield is originally published in the US but has now made its way to where it is actually set, England.  Please see below for further details from the publicist and a Q&A with author, C.R. Stewart. This fast-paced adventure novel transports the reader from the smoldering crags of Yorkshire, through the heart of England, and […]

Dungeon Runners by Kieran Larwood and Joe Todd-Stanton

Kieran Larwood and Joe Todd Stanton chat all things Dungeon Runners as they launch this adventurous, fully illustrated new series for young readers with Nosy Crow. In celebration of the publication of Dungeon Runners; Hero Trial, we – Kieran Larwood, and Joe Todd Stanton, are here today to interview… each other! Joe: Let’s start with […]

Sherlock Bones Series by Tim Collins

Tim Collins is originally from Manchester but now lives in London. He is the author of over thirty books including Wimpy Vampire, Cosmic Colin and Dorkius Maximus. His books have been translated into over thirty languages and he has won awards in the UK and Germany, including the Manchester Fiction City award (2011 Winner) and […]

Storm Seal by Sarah Ann Juckes

We know the power that stories can have on the reader and author Sarah Ann Juckes shares her insights into writing about important topics using animals.   Using animals to write about mental health and environmentalism in children’s books Whether pets in our home, or wildlife around the world, there is something both calming and […]

Dream Hunters by Nazima Pathan

Many stories feature alternate worlds or the ability for characters to travel between them and that sense of magic and adventure is something that young readers adore. Check out our guest post from author Nazima Pathan about her book, Dream Hunters. Out of the Looking Glass: When characters step out of a hidden enclave into […]

Gina Kaminski Rescues the Giant by Craig Barr-Green

Gina Kaminski Rescues the Giant is the second book based around the character of Gina.  Author, Craig Barr-Green shares some insights into how he wrote these books and it is a fascinating read. Writers have different starting points. If they are talented enough to be able to draw (I am not), then they might start […]

Writing Tips from Mel Taylor-Bessent

Our blog today is ideal for sharing with budding young writers interested in creating a story. Mel Taylor-Bessent has shared her top five writing for pleasure tips with us and they are brilliant! Follow them and have fun writing.     FCBG 5 top Write for Pleasure tips 1) Don’t worry about making your writing […]

Summer Sleuthing Booklist

Every month we put together a booklist based around a theme or style of book for children. We want these to be used by parents, teachers and students so that new authors, genres and styles of book can be discovered and shared. August’s booklist is entitled Summer Sleuthing! Everybody loves a good mystery! There is […]