children's & YA recommendations on the go
Christopher Little, the agent who signed J. K. Rowling, died earlier this month. The opening paragraphs of this Times obituary describe how his office received three chapters of the first Harry Potter book, Rowling having picked “his name from a list of literary agents in an Edinburgh library, thinking that he sounded like a character from a children’s story”.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/christopher-little-obituary-03s3l3tgs
New signings reported in The Bookseller since the turn of the year include:
To PRH: An ‘explosive’ YA debut, Lies Like Wildfire, from US author Jennifer Lynn Alvarez, previously author of two middle-grade fantasy series, Riders Of The Realm and The Guardian Herd.
To Puffin: An ‘eye-opening’ true story about growing up autistic. A Different Sort of Normal by Abigail Balfe, an illustrator as well as a writer (she is a graduate of Cambridge School of Art’s MA Children’s Book Illustration).
To Penguin: What Beauty There Is by Cory Anderson, a YA debut set in Idaho described as ‘a masterpiece of a thriller’.
“A resounding success.” KIRKUS
With his King Lord dad in prison and his mom working two jobs, seventeen-year-old Maverick Carter helps the only way he knows how: slinging drugs. Life’s not perfect, but he’s got everything under control. Until he finds out he’s a father…
US cover
Suddenly it’s not so easy to deal drugs and finish school with a baby dependent on him for everything. So when he’s offered the chance to go straight, he takes it. But when King Lord blood runs through your veins, you don’t get to just walk away.
ACHUKA Book of the Day 13 Jan 2021
Based on a true story…
When he inherits a special football badge, German teenager Adi sets off on a mission to fulfil his grandfather’s dying wish and return the badge to its rightful owner, former England footballer, Edgar Kail. After tracking Edgar down, Adi gets the chance to learn more about the achievements of his grandfather, Adolf Jager, and the story unfolds of a special friendship that spanned twenty years and survived the horror of the Second World War. Edgar Kail and Adolf Jager played for their respective clubs in the early twentieth century and they remain folk heroes even now. Perfect for less-confident readers, this is a fictional tale of two real-life footballing heroes, and the moving story of a friendship forged by the beautiful game.
The cover illustrator is Tom Clohosy Cole, also responsible for the excellent covers on Tom Palmer’s Armistice Runner and D-Day Dog.
Follow Tom Clohosy Cole on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomclohosycole/
Super-Readable Rollercoasters is a new series of titles resulting from a collaboration between Oxford University Press and specialist publisher Barrington Stoke, expertly edited to remove barriers of comprehension and printed in Barrington Stoke’s dyslexia-friendly font, designed to build reading confidence and stamina.
Other titles in the series”
Rat by Patrice Lawrence
I Am The Minotaur by Anthony McGowan
ACHUKA Book of the Day 12 Jan 2021
Cover design by Fernando Juarez, inside illustrations by David Wyatt (both artists are amazing).
The fifth title in a a high-quality animal fantasy series handsomely published in hardback by Faber. Kirkus described the first book, Podkin One-Ear (a Bluie Peter Book of the Year), as “an original fantasy with warrior rabbits, fierce foes, sibling loyalty, riveting adventure, and genuine storytelling.”
Uki and the Swamp Spirit is set in the world of Podkin One-Ear. Uki had the sensation of a sickly green light, spreading out through the networks of water. Of tendrils connecting all the creatures of the marsh in a web . . . Linking itself so it could poison it all and destroy it. Uki and his friends have two more spirits to find and capture. After defeating Valkus, they make for Charice, who is spreading disease through the swamps. Can Uki and his friends outwit him – all whilst they themselves are being chased by the Endwatch and Jori’s clan of assassins?
Book 6 in this highly collectible series is publishing in October 2021.
ACHUKA Book of the Day 11 Jan 2021
Waterstones
Amazon
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“A rich, compelling read that is emotive and expressive without forcing empathy from the reader. Both brightly funny and darkly tragic, it is fresh in its honest portrayal of difficult themes.Readers will fall into this narrative of succeeding against overwhelming odds amid deep trauma.” KIRKUS
“Beautifully written, Paulsen’s memoir demonstrates that good can triumph over bad beginnings.” BOOKLIST
“Read like a wolf eats. Read when they tell you not to read, and read what they tell you not to read.” Gary Paulsen
If not for his six-hundred-mile journey from the busy Chicago city to a captivating Minnesotan farm aged five, there never would have been a Hatchet. Without the encouragement of the librarian who handed him his first book aged thirteen, he may never have become a reader. And without his daring teenage enlistment in the army, he might not have discovered his true calling as a storyteller.
Gone to the Woods: A True Story of Growing Up in the Wild is the true story of Gary Paulsen’s childhood, of grit and growing up, and is Paulsen at his rawest and most real.
self-portrait © Jim Field
We’re delighted to have Jim Field as the first subject of our new Meet An Illustrator feature.
This year we can look forward to:
As a child, what were the first illustrations you remember being pleased with?
A Summer Fair Poster I illustrated when I was 5 years old, it was picked as the winning illustration to be used for my School. The drawing is still somewhere at my parents’ house.
Who/what inspired you when you were young?
Characters were a big inspiration to me from a very young age – from cartoons and books, Tom and Jerry, Wile-E Coyote and Roadrunner, Richard Scarry’s Busy Town. My dream was to make animated cartoons as a child.
Who inspires you today?
Many things inspire me from music, my surroundings, my family, walks in nature, films, exhibitions, other illustrators (too many to name here).
Did you study art or illustration? If so, where?
I studied a BA in Animation at Hull School of Art and Design from 1999-2002.
What is your favourite artist tool/product?
A Jumbo Faber Castell 4B pencil.
Where do you buy your art supplies?
Rougier et Plé in Paris 11éme.
What software/apps do you use?
Photoshop. I’ve been using it for 20 years, we have a love/hate relationship.
What was your first commission?
I designed a logo of a super-hero character for a Carpet Company back in 2002.
What are you working on at the moment?
I am just starting work on my second self-authored/illustrated bilingual book, Monsieur Roscoe; Book 2 (title still to be confirmed!)
Twitter or Instagram? Instagram
Coffee or tea? Tea
Cat or dog? Dog
Grape or grain? Grain
Sunrise or sunset? Sunset
What do you listen to when you are working?
Oh I love to listen to many types of music while I work, such as Bill Callahan, Ravi Shankar, Eternal Tapestry, Brian Eno.
Where can we follow you on social media?
@_JimField on Twitter
@_JimField on Instagram
Andersen Press has announced acquisition of the 20th children’s novel by Phil Earle, marking 10 years since his first book was released.
When the Sky Falls will be Phil’s first book with Andersen, and is an emotionally charged, classic-in-the-making to be released in June. World rights for two books were won by Charlie Sheppard, Andersen Press’ Publishing Director, from Jodie Hodges at United Agents. A second book will be released in 2022.
Based on a true story, When the Sky Falls is set in 1941, as war rages. One angry boy has been sent to the city, where bombers rule the skies. There, Joseph will live with Mrs F, a gruff woman with no fondness for children. Her only loves are the rundown zoo she owns and its mighty silverback gorilla, Adonis. As the weeks pass, bonds deepen and secrets are revealed, but if the bombers set Adonis rampaging free, will Mrs F or Joseph be able to end the life of the one thing they truly love?
The book is already generating pre-release buzz from some big names in children’s books:
‘An extraordinary story with historical and family truth at its heart, that tells us as much about the present as the past. Deeply felt, movingly written, a remarkable achievement’ – Michael Morpurgo
‘Complex, dark, intense and mysterious. An astounding work of fiction’ – Anthony McGowan
‘A story about love and friendship and how animals can connect people in the darkest of times and allow them to heal’ – Gill Lewis
Speaking about the book Phil Earle has said, ‘Although it feels surreal to have been published for ten years now, I couldn’t be prouder that When the Sky Falls will be my twentieth book, or happier that it will be published by Andersen Press. The passion everyone there has shown for Joseph and Adonis’s story has been overwhelming, and although it’s always nerve-wracking when your book travels out in the world, I honestly couldn’t be more excited.’
available for pe-order
When the Sky Falls, written by Phil Earle and published by Andersen Press will be released 3/6/2021, paperback, £7.99.
ACHUKA Book of the Day 8 Jan 2020
“Emotionally resonant and stirring, this is a must-have title.”
KIRKUS
“Lucky the reader who would have this collection lying around for visiting and revisiting.”
HORN BOOK
Everything Comes Next is a treasure chest of Naomi Shihab Nye’s poems from the past 40 years, including several not previously published. From favourites such as “Famous” and “A Valentine for Ernest Mann,” to the widely shared “Kindness” and “Gate A-4,” this collection celebrates her term as Young People’s Poet Laureate in the US. The book is an introduction to her work for new readers as well as a comprehensive edition for classroom and family sharing. Writing prompts and tips by the award-winning poet make this an outstanding choice for aspiring poets of all ages.
Follow Naomi Shihab Nye on Twitter: https://www.instagram.com/naomishihabnye/
Follow the book’s illustrator, Rafael Lopez, on Twitter:
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ACHUKA Book of the Day 7 Jan 2020
What a sense of character illustrator Rachael Saunders has given Fidget! This is a book that combines humour and heart with a faultless read-aloud rhythm. One that will be requested and read over and over.
An epic tale of love, loss, reunion and adventure on the high seas told through the friendship of a girl and her beloved dog, Fidget.
This is Patricia Forde’s first picture book. The illustrator, Rachael Saunders is described as a rising star, and we can see why.
Follow the illustrator on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_rachaelsaunders/