Thursday, 21 December 2017
What is the Best Book you Have Ever Read?
I asked a class of 9 year olds to name the best book they ever read. This is what they said:
Wednesday, 7 June 2017
Blog Tour: Defender of the Ream: Dark Age by Mark Huckerby and Nick Ostler
Today on Middle Grade Strikes Back we are pleased to host a stop on the Defender of the Realm: Dark Age blog tour
For those of you who are yet to start the series we have an extract of the the first chapter from the first book here you can read
Defender of the Realm: Dark Age by Mark Huckerby and Nick Ostler published by Scholastic is out now.
For those of you who are yet to start the series we have an extract of the the first chapter from the first book here you can read
Defender of the Realm: Dark Age by Mark Huckerby and Nick Ostler published by Scholastic is out now.
Thursday, 11 May 2017
Jackie Marchant's Five Favourite MG Books
We're really pleased to welcome Jackie Marchant, author of the hilarious Dougal Daley: It's Not My Fault to MG Strikes Back today to talk about her five favourite MG books.
My Five Favourite MG
Books
By Jackie Marchant
Picking out five favourite books from my MG shelf at home is
an impossible task – my bookshelves are my treasure-trove and I love every
single one. Plus all the books I’ve ever borrowed from the
library – and I spend a lot of time there.
How do I pick five? No choice but to close my eyes, run my fingers
along my shelves and stop at five random moments. I can’t wait to see what they come up with . .
.
And here they are, in no particular order – and I can
honestly say each one is a favourite of mine:
Liar and Spy by
Rebecca Stead.
There’s something about Georges (with a silent S) that I
Iove. He’s an ordinary kid playing
ordinary kid spy games with a quirky kid from the flat upstairs. But the way Rebecca Stead writes her
characters brings them bouncing to life, allowing you to sink right into their
stories. Loved it.
Journey to the River
Sea by Eva Ibbotson
One of my go-back-to comfort reads. I love Eva Ibbotson’s style of writing, how
she manages to be page-turningly exciting yet gentle with the reader at the
same time. Her books are for curling up
with, for going on journeys with characters you grow to love. This
one takes orphan Maia from her familiar life in London and sends her to the
Amazon to live with relatives she’s never heard of. I love Maia’s optimism, even though you know
things will not turn out well – yet it is Maia’s unfailing cheerfulness that
not only keeps her going but saves the day.
Holes by Louis Sachar
This is the writing tutor’s dream. It has everything - superb plot, characters that bounce off the
page whether they are good or bad, writing so clean that not a word is wasted –
an opening line that people quote as soon as you mention the title, the whole
check-list of what makes a stand-out book.
The Diamond of Drury
Lane by Julia Golding
I love this book.
It’s late-eighteenths century setting is so well realised it’s like
going back in time to run the cobbled alleyways with its heroine, Cat
Royal. What’s no to like about an orphan
girl abandoned on the steps of the Theatre Royal in Covent Garden as a baby,
who as maid-cum-mascot enjoys a life of exploring every nook and cranny of her
unconventional home? And the adventure
she uncovers keeps those pages turning.
The Invention of Hugo
Cabret by Brian Selznick
This is what I call a book with a capital ‘B’. It’s what reading is all about, a pleasure
simply to hold – big, heavy, pages black-edged so that each one sits in its own
frame. Told in both gorgeous
illustrations and text, this is a book you don’t just read, but experience. It’s a book that has to be read in hardback,
for the sheer weight of it, the pleasure of turning each thick page. And on top of all that, there is the wonderful
story it holds between its lovely covers.
Summary:
I, Dougal Daley, am dead! Ok I’m not actually dead.
But if I’m not careful I soon will be.
In this first book, football-loving Dougal
Daley finds himself at risk from the mysterious creature living in the garden
shed. Nobody believes him but as a precaution, he sets upon writing his will -
rewarding those who help him and disinheriting those who get on his bad side.
Meanwhile, as limbs and windows alike are broken by rogue footballs and
unhinged canines, Dougal finds himself in all sorts of trouble. . .and NONE of
it is his fault!
Information
about the Book
Title: Dougal Daley:
It’s Not My Fault
Author: Jackie
Marchant
Illustrator: Loretta
Shauer
Release Date: 4th
April 2017
Genre: MG
Publisher: Wacky Bee
Books
Format: Paperback
Author
Information
Dougal Daley was inspired by a messy
bedroom and a random question from my son about writing a will. Dougal Daley
has been huge fun to write about – you wouldn’t believe the disasters that
happen around him (none of which are his fault of course)! When I’m not writing
I love doing school visits and creative writing workshops. I also take time
away from the writing world looking after guide dogs while their owners are
away.
Illustrator
Information
I originally studied performing arts and
have a degree in Dance Performance – well you never know when you need a quick
pirouette! I also worked in practical conservation for a long time, and spent
many years battling balsam, identifying lichen, and searching for creepy
crawlies before I picked up my pencils and paints and began exploring
illustrating and writing for children. In 2011 I won the Waterstone’s ‘Picture
This’ competition and I now illlustrate full time. However I am still happiest
noodling around for fossils and shells on the beach!
Tour Schedule
Monday 1st May
Tuesday 2nd May
Wednesday 3rd May
Thursday 4th May
Friday 5th May
Saturday 6th May
Sunday 7th May
Monday 8th May
Tuesday 9th May
Wednesday 10th May
Thursday 11th May
Friday 12th May
Saturday 13th May
Sunday 14th May
Wednesday, 29 March 2017
Cover reveals: Defender of the Realm series by Mark Huckerby and Nick Ostler
Today we are very excited to be hosting not one but two cover reveals celebrating the new edition of Defender of the Realm out in April and the new book Defender of the Realm: Dark Age out in June
First up we have the new cover for the new edition of Defender of the Realm (published 6th April)
Alfie thought he knew his destiny. He didn't know the half of it. Fourteen-year-old heir to the throne, Alfie, didn't expect to be King so soon. He DEFINITELY did not expect to be DEFENDER OF THE REALM, a legendary superhero, fighting a secret, centuries-long battle to protect the nation from monsters and super-villains. An ordinary girl, Hayley Hicks, finds herself fighting alongside Alfie in a desperate struggle to stop a fearsome new enemy, the Black Dragon.
and next we have the cover for Defender of The Realm: Dark Age (out on 1st June)
After the great battle at King Alfie’s coronation, the nation thinks it’s seen the last of the Black Dragon, and Alfie gets busy learning what it means to fill his father’s shoes. But when a band of undead Vikings appears, Alfie, Hayley and the rest of the Yeoman Warders fear that Professor Lock is back to finish what he’s started. For the epic battle that’s brewing, Alfie will need to enlist help from abroad, as well as from a mysterious new friend who seems to be watching over him…
First up we have the new cover for the new edition of Defender of the Realm (published 6th April)
Alfie thought he knew his destiny. He didn't know the half of it. Fourteen-year-old heir to the throne, Alfie, didn't expect to be King so soon. He DEFINITELY did not expect to be DEFENDER OF THE REALM, a legendary superhero, fighting a secret, centuries-long battle to protect the nation from monsters and super-villains. An ordinary girl, Hayley Hicks, finds herself fighting alongside Alfie in a desperate struggle to stop a fearsome new enemy, the Black Dragon.
and next we have the cover for Defender of The Realm: Dark Age (out on 1st June)
After the great battle at King Alfie’s coronation, the nation thinks it’s seen the last of the Black Dragon, and Alfie gets busy learning what it means to fill his father’s shoes. But when a band of undead Vikings appears, Alfie, Hayley and the rest of the Yeoman Warders fear that Professor Lock is back to finish what he’s started. For the epic battle that’s brewing, Alfie will need to enlist help from abroad, as well as from a mysterious new friend who seems to be watching over him…
Monday, 27 February 2017
#CoverKidsBooks – One Year On
One year ago, #CoverKidsBooks launched a campaign to get
more media coverage for children's books.
We presented research that showed children's books were getting just 3% of all book review space in national newspapers, despite accounting for over
30% of the UK book market.
Since then, their market share has continued to grow. Children's literature – by which we mean the
entire range of books for young readers, from the youngest picture book to the
oldest YA, including fiction, non-fiction and poetry – now accounts for 34% of all print books sold in the UK, according to The Bookseller.
What about media coverage?
One year on, has that grown too?
For our first #CoverKidsBooks blog, Imogen Russell Williams
counted the number of reviews and column inches given to children's books in UK
national newspapers in August 2015. Isabel Popple and Naomi Burt have done the same for August 2016. Here are their findings.
Weekend
Newspapers, August 2016
Newspaper
|
All Book reviews
|
Children's Book Reviews
|
Percentage Children's Book Reviews
|
All Book Reviews (inches)
|
Children's Book Reviews (inches)
|
Percentage Children's Book Inches
|
Times
|
79
|
4
|
5
|
909
|
31.5
|
3.7
|
Sunday Times
|
57
|
5
|
8.8
|
725.5
|
18
|
2.5
|
Guardian
|
70
|
14
|
20
|
954.5
|
37.5
|
4
|
Observer
|
44
|
0
|
0
|
627
|
0
|
0
|
FT
|
38
|
2
|
5.2
|
601
|
8.5
|
1.4
|
Telegraph
|
44
|
5
|
11.4
|
630
|
48.5
|
7.7
|
Sunday Telegraph
|
33
|
3
|
9.1
|
210
|
6
|
2.9
|
Sunday Express
|
29
|
0
|
0
|
110
|
0
|
0
|
Mail On Sunday
|
36
|
1
|
2.8
|
250
|
11.5
|
4.6
|
Sunday Mirror
|
12
|
0
|
0
|
18
|
0
|
0
|
TOTAL
|
442
|
34
|
7.7
|
5035
|
161.5
|
3.2
|
For comparison, here is the bottom line of the August 2015
data; the full table can be seen in the original blog:
TOTAL
|
752
|
37
|
4.9
|
8034.2
|
250.5
|
3.1
|
The good news is that children's books now account for 7.7% of all
book reviews, an increase on 4.9% last year.
The bad news is that they still receive only 3.2% of all book
review space, virtually unchanged from 3.1% last year.
Quantity
Children's books now account for 7.7% of all book
reviews. This is heartening given the
shrinking number of book reviews as a whole.
Every newspaper we surveyed reviewed fewer books in 2016 than in 2015,
and in every newspaper we surveyed, the column inches given to books as a whole
shrank as well. Many newspapers
announced cuts to books staff and space, while The Independent and The
Independent On Sunday ceased to exist at all as physical entities. But while it is a step in the right direction,
7.7% remains a massive under-representation for over a field that accounts for
34% of the market.
Frequency
#CoverKidsBooks wrote an open letter to national newspapers
last year, printed in The Bookseller, calling on them to commit to covering at least one children's book a
week. Back in August 2015, only two
newspapers averaged one children's book review a week or more, and only one
actually published a children's book review every single week.
By August 2016, the numbers had doubled. Four newspapers now averaged one children's
book review a week or more (The Times, The Sunday Times, The Guardian and The
Daily Telegraph), while two of them (The Times and The Daily Telegraph) had a dependable
slot every single week. These are very welcome
developments, and the editors of those newspapers deserve great credit for them.
It should also be said that The Observer has just changed its
policy, introducing a new Children's Book Of The Week slot on January 29 2017 –
another hugely welcome development that should encourage all who care about
children's literature. #CoverKidsBooks would like to thank and applaud The Observer
New Review's editor Jane Ferguson, its literary editor Lisa O'Kelly, and its
arts editor Sarah Donaldson, and we urge all remaining national
newspapers who have yet to commit to covering at least one children's book a week to
follow their example.
Space
Despite these improvements, children's books are still receiving the
same proportion of space, getting just 3.2% of all book review column inches. Children's book reviews remain shorter than
other book reviews, which is why the figure for column inches is smaller than
that for the number of reviews. For example, look at The Guardian's figures across the two
years:
Year
|
All Book reviews
|
Children's Book reviews
|
Percentage Children's Book Reviews
|
All Book Reviews (inches)
|
Children's Book Reviews (inches)
|
Percentage Children's Book Inches
|
2015
|
104
|
4
|
3.8
|
1645.5
|
58
|
3.5
|
2016
|
70
|
14
|
20
|
954.5
|
37.5
|
4
|
14 children's books were reviewed in August 2016, a huge increase from 4
in 2015 – yet the space devoted to children's books has actually shrunk from 58
inches in 2015 to 37.5 inches in 2016. This
is because The Guardian has moved from printing a long review every week to just one long review a month, along with a monthly roundup. The roundup has greatly increased
the range of children's books covered by The Guardian. But 13 of the 14 books reviewed received a mention in the roundup,
rather than a full review of their own.
The
Guardian's current policy means that no more than 12 children's books can
receive a full review each year. Only 12
children's books are considered worthy of the space and critical attention given
to other kinds of books.
The field of children's literature is going from strength to strength, constantly expanding in size and increasing in quality. The
bestseller lists are full of children's books, with Harry Potter & The
Cursed Child topping the 2016 list.
Meanwhile, in libraries, the PLR figures are dominated by
children's books. 65% of the top 20 most borrowed authors are children's
authors. The success of the field is
snowballing, as more and more new writers are attracted to it, as the
Waterstones Children's Book Prize and Brandford Boase lists demonstrate each year.
There is every indication that the field will continue to
grow in commercial and cultural significance.
Philip Pullman has just announced that his long-awaited follow-up to His
Dark Materials, The Book Of Dust, will publish its first volume this year. James Daunt of Waterstones estimated that
this book alone would have a 2% impact on Waterstones' entire revenues, worth
around £8 million.
As Pullman himself told #CoverKidsBooks, in our
writers & illustrators blog: "There ought to be a space in the
mainstream media, in the book pages, for coverage of children's books. It's important that the general reader sees
children's books being discussed intelligently."
Books cannot be discussed
intelligently without space. 3% of space for over 30% of the market is simply not enough. There is of course a lot of excellent
children's books coverage online. But print
coverage remains vital. Huge numbers of
newspaper-reading adults need to know about children's
literature: parents, teachers, booksellers, librarians, and all the other
buyers and recommenders of children's books, as well as adults who read them
for their own enjoyment.
So while we are encouraged by the progress we've seen in the
last year, and while we understand that space for books coverage in print as a whole is
shrinking, we would like to see newspapers give children's books a fairer
proportion of whatever space there is.
#CoverKidsBooks calls on all national newspapers to make a clear statement that children's books matter as much as any other books. We urge them to give children's literature a proportion of space that reflects its significance as the most dynamic part of the publishing industry, and a vital part of the nation's cultural life.
#CoverKidsBooks calls on all national newspapers to make a clear statement that children's books matter as much as any other books. We urge them to give children's literature a proportion of space that reflects its significance as the most dynamic part of the publishing industry, and a vital part of the nation's cultural life.
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