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The Federation of Children’s Book Groups Blog
Q&A with Steve Tomecek, author of The Greatest Stuff on Earth
We love a Q&A with authors and illustrators- it gives us great insight into where their book began and how it came to be! Check out today’s with Steve Tomecek, author of The Greatest Stuff on Earth. Q&A with Steve Tomecek, author of The Greatest Stuff on Earth The Greatest Stuff on Earth is a […]
Let’s Play Rugby by Paul Howard
Let’s Play Rugby was co-written by Paul Howard and Gordon D’Arcy. In our blog today, Paul shares how co-authoring worked for them. Co-authoring children’s books with Gordon D’Arcy has been one of the happiest twists that my career as a writer has taken. Gordon and I actually knew each other in a previous life, long […]
The Children’s Book Award shortlist for 2025
The Children’s Book Award shortlist for 2025 We’re delighted to announce the Children’s Book Award 2025 shortlist today. Children from the 10 FCBG testing groups read over 600 books submitted by the publishers and registered over 55,000 votes, from which the Top 10 has been selected. The full shortlist is as follows: Books for Younger […]
Kwesi and Nana Ruby Learn to Swim by Kobina Commeh
We have a lovely guest blog today from author Kobina Commeh, about his book, Kwesi and Nana Ruby learn to swim. It tells where the idea for the story came from! Kwesi and Nana Ruby Learn to Swim: From Water to Paper by Kobina Commeh My two heroes plopped into the deep end of […]
A judge’s eye view on the Branford Boase Award
Phoebe Demeger is the Librarian at the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) and she’s a judge on this year’s Branford Boase Award, which highlights the year’s outstanding debut novels for children and young people. She has also just joined the judging panel for the Little Rebels Prize and sits on the World Book […]
Calling All Young Writers! Enter the Stories for Change Competition!
Calling All Young Writers! Enter the Stories for Change Competition! Guppy Books and the Federation of Children’s Book Groups are thrilled to announce Stories for Change – a short story competition for children aged 7-12, inspired by the themes of National Share a Story Month 2025 and Maggie Blue and the Lost Child by Anna […]
Finding Tiny Dogs by Rose Lihou
We are delighted to share a blog from Rose Lihou about her new book series, Tiny Dogs. Read on to discover where this all began. Finding Tiny Dogs The idea for the Tiny Dogs series started from a picture I drew during lockdown. I made a sketch of a child low down in the grass discovering some […]
Inkbound by Philippa Leathley
Author, Philippa Leathley, introduces us to her book, Inkbound, and main character, Meticulous Jones. Imagine if a tattoo could predict your future… Inkbound by Philippa Leathley What if a tattoo could predict your future? In the world of Inkbound, every child gets a magical tattoo or “fate” on their tenth birthday that tells them something […]
The House on the Canal by Thomas Harding
A timely blog post today by author Thomas Harding about The House on the Canal, the house that hid Anne Frank. The blog post and the book are personal and well worth a read. THE HOUSE ON THE CANAL By Thomas Harding The Anne Frank House in Amsterdam is an incredibly special place. Each […]
This Feast of a Life by Cynthia So
We have a brilliant Q&A with author Cynthia So, author of This Feast of a Life. We owe a thank you to Jacqui Sydney for creating the questions sent to Cynthia. When the book opens, Auden has just made the New Year’s resolution to become the person I want to be. What advice would […]
Honeysuckle and Bone by Trisha Tobias
On the blog today, we have a personal piece from author Trisha Tobias about her novel, Honeysuckle and Bone. It is a moving piece about the grief and stories she grew up with. Honeysuckle and Bone follows the story of eighteen year old Carina who escapes her own dark past by nabbing a job in […]
Murder for Two by Niyla Farook
Where does the inspiration for writing a mystery come from? Author Niyla Farook shares her inspiration with us in today’s blog. I read Agatha Christie books and watched Murder, She Wrote when I was much too young. As a child – specifically in the middle grade age range – I was always interested in mysteries […]
Bingsu for Two by Sujin Witherspoon
We have a fascinating blog today from Sujin Witherspoon about tropes in young adult fiction. Tropes in YA Fiction: Trash or Treasure? In an era where #BookTok dominates both bookstore shelves and social media feeds, selling a book by its tropes is becoming more commonplace. From slow burns to chosen ones, now books can be […]
Mindful Macrame by Isabella Strambio
Author Isabella Strambio offers suggestions about building mindfulness into daily life, especially useful tips for parents. As a mother of two daughters, aged 10 and 12, I’ve always aimed to teach them mindfulness through macrame and crafting. Advocating for a creative lifestyle, I’ve witnessed firsthand how art is a healing and powerful tool for mindfulness […]
Guardians of the New Moon by Eric Huang
We have a fantastic blog from author, Eric Huang, about the books and stories he grew up with. This blog may just inspire you to read books from around the world! When I was six, Father Christmas left a copy of D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths under the Christmas tree for me. I already […]
The Nightmares of Finnegan Quick by Larry Hayes
Our first blog of 2025 is about the inspiration behind The Nightmares of Finnegan Quick from author Larry Hayes. The Nightmares of Finnegan Quick – Inspired by Fear The Nightmares of Finnegan Quick is dedicated to my brother. When I was young, sharing a bedroom, I woke one night and saw a goblin […]
Blitz One Family’s War by Martin Impey
We have a touching blog from Martin Impey today all about Blitz, One Family’s War. Martin explains why this is a deeply personal and incredibly relevant book to share with younger readers. The Beginning To say that creating BLITZ – One Family’s War was a ‘journey’ is a bit of an understatement. It began after […]
Coram Beanstalk Reading Helpers
Coram Beanstalk have written a post for us about why being a reading helper is such a gift for teachers and students. Why having a Coram Beanstalk reading helper is a gift for teachers Working as a class teacher and literacy lead in an inner-London primary school for many years, I witnessed a consistently […]