Interesting intro to a piece about Shakespeare & Company, the famous Paris bookstore, by Michael Lawrence for Writers Review:
Between 1995 and 2015 I published a number of stories and forty-something books for children and teenagers. One of the books – Young Dracula – inspired five CBBC-TV series of that name; a series I didn’t like and which earned me little more than a fleeting ‘originator’ end credit and a handful of beans. While I enjoyed writing many of my books, others were such a tussle with editors and their various chippers-in that frustration and out-and-out rage became the order of many a day. When the new head of a certain publishing house informed me that my new ideas were ‘very funny with strong narrative voices but a little quirky and out-there at a time when we are looking for something a lot more obvious’ I knew it was time to move on. I’m still moving. Still writing too (it’s hard to give up), but not for children.
Recommend reading the rest of the piece…
>>>>http://reviewsbywriters.blogspot.com/2018/07/guest-review-by-michael-lawrence.html
Barnes & Noble Launches Kids Book Hangouts In Its US Stores
Barnes & Noble has launched a nationwide program, “Kids’ Book Hangout,” intended to give young readers ages 6–12 a space to talk about books in its stores while playing games and activities.
The bookseller has teamed up with Penguin Random House for its first Kids’ Book Hangout, to be held in all Barnes & Noble stores on Saturday, July 28, at 2 p.m. The four featured books are: Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson; More Scrawny Than Brawny by Aaron Reynolds; The Basque Dragon by Adam Gidwitz; and She Loves You (Yeah, Yeah, Yeah) by Ann Hood.
10th UKLA Book Awards – The Winners
The unique UKLA Book Awards are the only awards to be judged entirely by teachers. In their 10th Anniversary year, their choice of winning books which, according to the criteria, can “enhance all aspects of literacy learning” clearly demonstrates that teachers’ judgements are soundly based on pupil response. They are able to share the books with their classes and discover what genuinely works with young readers in each of the three age categories. The 9 teachers nominated from the 45 involved in the shortlisting, who came from around Cardiff and from Gloucestershire, formed the final judging panel and had the challenging task of reading all the shortlisted books in all three age categories, which meant nursery teachers reading fiction for teenagers and secondary teachers reading picturebooks!
For the first time there are joint winners in the 7-11 category. The judges found it impossible to choose between the powerful refugee story Welcome to Nowhere by Elizabeth Laird and the remarkable information text Lesser Spotted Animals by Martin Brown. Colin & Lee: Carrot and Pea, one of the first four books to be published on the brand new Two Hoots list has won the 3-6 category for debut author Morag Hood and proved unexpectedly effective in all school sectors. Carnegie medal winning Sarah Crossan’s writing partnership with Costa Award winning Brian Conaghan in the verse novel We Come Apart also received universal acclaim to scoop the 12-16 category.
The 2018 awards were presented at a special ceremony on July 6th at the UKLA International Conference, The Mercure Cardiff Holland House Hotel which began with a celebration of the first 10 years of the award with past winners including Frances Hardinge, Jason Wallace, Gill Lewis, Philp Reeve, Sarah McIntyre and Ross Collins being presented with Emeritus Awards. Other past winners sent messages of support including this from A.F Harrold:
‘Congratulations on the first ten years of brilliance in highlighting and promoting the finest children’s literature and here’s to another ten years… Me and Emily Gravett’s book ‘The Imaginary’ winning the 7-11 prize a few years ago was a delight. It was a book we were both proud of and pleased with and to have our belief in the story confirmed by not only the judging panel, but also the shadowing trainee teachers, was a lovely feeling. Thank you so much, for that and for all your hard work waving books around, and I hope we cross paths with another book of ours further down the path…’
Student teachers from 19 universities around the UK took part in Shadowing the awards and read and use the shortlisted books on teaching practice in schools before having their own online vote to select their own winners. The 2018 Carnegie Medal winner Where the World Ends by Geraldine McCaughrean took the 12-16 category and Rob Biddulph‘s Odd Dog Out was the 3-6 winner. The National Education Union sponsors 5 student shadowers to attend the conference and they announced and presented certificates for the student votes to the authors at the ceremony.
For UKLA, giving classroom practitioners the opportunity to read a number of new quality children’s books is as important as finding an overall winner. Research carried out by members of UKLA (Cremin et al 2008) clearly demonstrated the links between teachers’ knowledge of children’s books and the likelihood of pupils becoming successful readers. Despite this evidence, teachers are seldom given time to read new books or funding to purchase them when they do. As Awards Chair Lynda Graham said: “Over the last 10 years it has been a joy to involve more than 500 teachers from across the UK as teacher judges in the UKLA Book awards. In common with past teacher judges, teachers this year loved the opportunity to read and discuss quality, newly published books for children and young people, and delighted in opportunities to discuss their reading with group leader tutors from Cardiff Met, Bath Spa, UWE, librarians from Penarth library, and to share these books in their classrooms”.
This makes them particularly useful as co-sponsor Deborah McLaren, Director of Lovereading4kids said: “LoveReading4Schools and its sister site LoveReading4Kids are delighted to again support the UKLA Book Awards in 2018. Under new ownership the brand has been re-launched and the sites are being re-designed to bring them bang up-to-date and will continue to develop further to further support our mission to promote a love of books and reading by offering the tools, advice and information needed to help our members and browsers to find their next favourite book.
The fact that the teacher judges reflect on their students’ responses to the books gives these Awards huge credibility and trust so that schools know the books will be in turn loved by their own pupils. The awards are equally valuable for parents looking to support the school environment and further engender a love of reading at home.”
Tracey Parvin, President of UKLA said ‘We know that literature broadens the reader’s experience of the world and sense of the possible and thus should have a central place in classrooms and educational contexts. Children need access to a rich range of high quality literature and our awards over the past ten years have highlighted some of the very best literature available to children and young people in the UK. We are proud to be celebrating all these truly outstanding winners at our International Conference ‘
The winning book in the 12 to 16+ category is We Come Apart written by Sarah Crossan and Brian Conaghan. Published by Bloomsbury
Jess and Nicu meet when they are both doing community service. Nicu is expecting to return to Romania and an unwanted arranged marriage; Jess lives in an abusive household. Their love brings them together, everything is pulling them apart. Written in the voices of the main characters in very accessible verse, this poignant story is unforgettable. Judges were impressed by the ‘free verse which allowed the characters to come alive’ and enabled the ‘dialogue to read convincingly’
Joint winner in the 7-11 category is Welcome to Nowhere written by Elizabeth Laird and illustrated by Lucy Eldridge. Published by Macmillan
All twelve-year-old Omar wants is for his happy life in Bosra to continue. When the bombs start to fall, the family has no choice but to try to reach the safety of Jordan. Elizabeth Laird writes about important events with a passion and immediacy which will communicate to all readers. This is not always a comfortable book, nor should it be. This world is not always a comfortable place. Judges were impressed by the way it showed children how very ordinary lives can be affected by extraordinary circumstances ‘a tale that needs to be told’
Joint winner in the 7-11 category is Lesser Spotted Animals written and illustrated by Martin Brown Published by David Fickling Books
There are some animals that don’t appear in most animal books. Martin Brown has brought together some of the strangest and interesting of these ‘lesser spotted animals’ here. Written in a witty engaging way which children will love, this book offers a great deal of information and celebrates the range of the natural world. Judges celebrated the ‘deep learning by stealth’ which this ‘superb model of an informational text’ encouraged.
The winning book for the 3 to 6 category Colin and Lee Carrot and Pea written and illustrated by Morag Hood. Published by Two Hoots
Just because you happen to be a pea, is that any reason why you can’t be friends with a carrot? Lee doesn’t think so. This clever book explores the idea that diversity enriches our lives in a very simple way which children will understand. Illustration and text work together perfectly to offer a story which can be enjoyed in different ways. Judges commented ‘Very simple, very funny yet with pathos, very cleverly written to develop empathy and show the key values of friendship’
The Shortlists in full
3-6
The Night Gardener written and illustrated by Eric and Terry Fan (Frances Lincoln)
Odd Dog Out written and illustrated by Rob Biddulph (HarperCollins Children’s Books)
Oi Dog written by Kes and Claire Gray and illustrated by Jim Field (Hodder)
The Darkest Dark written by Chris Hadfield and Kate Fillon and illustrated by The Fan Brothers (Macmillan)
Colin and Lee, Carrot and Pea written and illustrated by Morag Hood (Two Hoots)
It Starts with a Seed written by Laura Knowles and illustrated by Jennie Webber (Words & Pictures)
7-11
The White Fox written and illustrated by Jackie Morris (Barrington Stoke)
Lesser Spotted Animals written and illustrated by Martin Brown (David Fickling Books)
Yours Sincerely, Giraffe Written by Megumi Iwasa, translated by Cathy Hirano and Illustrated by Jun Takabatake (Gecko Press)
Welcome to Nowhere written by Elizabeth Laird and illustrated by Lucy Eldridge (Macmillan)
Me and Mister P written by Maria Farrer and illustrated by Daniel Rieley (OUP)
The Street Beneath My Feet written by Charlotte Gullian and illustrated by Yuval Zommer (Words and Pictures)
12-16
Encounters written by Jason Wallace (Andersen Press)
Come Apart written by Sarah Crossan and Brian Conaghan (Bloomsbury)
Alpha: Abidjan to Gare du Nord written Bessora, translated by sarah Ardizzone and illustrated by Barroux (The Bucket List)
Saint Death written by Marcus Sedgwick (Orion)
Frogkisser! written by Garth Nix (Piccadilly Press)
Where the World Ends written by Geraldine McCaughrean (Usborne)
Children’s Bookshow 2018 Tour Dates
The Children’s Bookshow, an arts charity that aims to inspire children with a love of reading, introduces children to world-class authors and illustrators through a programme of theatre events and in-school workshops. The artists selected are chosen from a wide variety of countries and cultures to give young people access to the very best stories, poems and illustrations from all over the world. We help teachers to provide their students with a rich and exciting experience of literature.
This year’s Autumn Children’s Bookshow tour starts on Monday 17th September with Michael Rosen at the Curve, Leicester and will take in 15 theatres all around England – ranging from large scale, iconic theatres such as The Old Vic in London, to smaller scale theatres such as the New Wolsey in Ipswich – with the last event on 22nd November at Institut Français with Aurélia Fronty and Franck Prévot.
Highlights of the tour include CLiPPA Poetry Award winners Rachel Rooney and Valerie Bloom, Little Rebels Children’s Book Award winner Vivian Schwarz, Gold Smarties Award winner Neal Layton, UKLA Children’s Book Award winner Catherine Rayner and acclaimed picture book author and illustrator Alexis Deacon. Satoshi Kitamura joins us from Japan.
Tour – dates and venues
Monday 17th September. Michael Rosen The Curve, Leicester
11.00 am (Approx 1 hour) Years 3,4,5 and 6. £5 per child, teachers free
Monday 24th September Viviane Schwarz and Gitte Spee. Museum of Natural History, Parks Road, Oxford
11.00 am (Approx 1 hour) Years 2 and 3. £5 per child, teachers free
Wednesday 26th September Neal Layton The Stafford Gatehouse, Stafford
10.30 am (Approx 1 hour) Years 1, 2 and 3. £5 per child, teachers free
Tuesday 2nd October Victoria Semykina King’s Hall Ilkley
1.30 pm (Approx 1 hour) Years 1, 2 and 3. £5 per child, teachers free
Monday 8th October Satoshi Kitamura Warwick Arts Centre, University of Warwick Coventry
11.00 am (Approx 1 hour) Years 2, 3 and 4. £5 per child, teachers free
Tuesday 11th October Rachel Rooney Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton
10.30 am (Approx 1 hour) Years 4, 5 and 6. £5 per child, teachers free
Thursday 18th October. Alexis Deacon Royal Exchange Manchester
10.30 am (Approx 1 hour) Years 1, 2 and 3. £5 per child, teachers free
Friday 19th October Valerie Bloom Bristol Hipodrome, St Augustine’s Parade, Bristol
11.00 am (Approx 1 hour) Years 4, 5 and 6. £5 per child, teachers free
Thursday 1st November Guo Yue and Clare Farrow. Marina Theatre Lowestoft
11.00 am (Approx 1 hour) Years 4, 5 and 6. £5 per child, teachers free
Tuesday 6th November Patrick Benson Theatre Royal Newcastle
11.00 am (Approx 1 hour) Years 5 and 6. £5 per child, teachers free
Thursday 8th November. Catherine Rayner New Wolsey Theatre Ipswich
11.00 am (Approx 1 hour) Years 1 and 2. £5 per child, teachers free
Monday 12th November Michael Rosen Storyhouse, Hunter St, Chester
11.00 am (Approx 1 hour) Years 3,4,5 and 6. £5 per child, teachers free
Thursday 22nd November Aurélia Fronty and Franck Prévot Institut Francais
11.00 am (Approx 1 hour) Years 5 and 6. £5 per child, teachers free
Kick Wins Branford Boase Award For Author Mitch Johnson & Editors Rebecca Hill & Becky Walker
Mitch Johnson and editors Rebecca Hill and Becky Walker of Usborne have won the 2018 Branford Boase Award for Kick.
Last year’s winner, M.G. Leonard, a judge for the 2018 award said: “Kick is a skillfully written and perfectly paced. Mitch Johnston has produced a fantastically original debut that champions hope, dogged optimism in the face of adversity, and friendship. This book needs to be on the bookshelf of every school library, not just because it will encourage empathy, but because it’s a great book. Mitch Johnston is definitely one to watch.”
Johnson the winning author said: “The Branford Boase Award has recognized many of my favourite authors over the years, and so to receive the award myself is a wonderfully surreal experience. Kick is a novel that I came close to abandoning on several occasions, but the thought that kept me going was that perhaps one day my book would get published, and perhaps if it got published someone might read it, and perhaps if someone read it they might question the way things are made. The plight of garment workers is a global issue affecting millions of people, and yet somehow it manages to remain largely out of sight. My hope is that Kick will make this problem more visible, and winning the Branford Boase will undoubtedly encourage more readers to find out about the subject for themselves, and for this I am extremely grateful.
I am very fortunate that Kick found two brilliant editors, Rebecca Hill and Becky Walker, who understood exactly what I was trying to achieve and shared my passion for telling Budi’s story. Their insight, expertise, and sensitivity improved Kick immeasurably, and I am thrilled that the Branford Boase acknowledges the crucial role they played in making this book a success.”
via Branford Boase Award Winners.
Inexplicably and highly annoyingly I missed being at this award, one of the most pleasurable to attend, owing to it disappearing from my online calendar.
Can recommend checking the set of photos taken at the event by its regular photographer Paul Carter:
http://www.branfordboaseaward.org.uk/BBA_Current/bbapartyphotos.html
Too Much Love Babe – Neil Beram in NYT On Popular Songs Made Into Picture Books
Like a song, a picture book is meant to be heard. Still, although a reader may happen to know the featured song, it’s only fair to expect the book to succeed, its text to flow, for someone who doesn’t. I’m familiar with Dylan’s glorious “If Not for You,” so I know to add a beat to “nowhere” in the line “Without your love I’d be nowhere at all” when I’m reading it on paper; otherwise I might be at sea, rhythm-wise, with the corresponding page’s parent-child doggy sailing duo.While a song’s repetitive elements may seem suited to picture books, they can also present problems. Some lyrics are pure poetry, but a poem seldom has a chorus — the thing that listeners eagerly anticipate but that, should it become tic-like, readers may wish they could fast-forward over. The adorable, near-pocket-size “What the World Needs Now Is Love,” last holiday season’s repackaging of the Burt Bacharach and Hal David charmer, with exuberant art by Mary Kate McDevitt, uses the line “What the world needs now is love, sweet love” seven times in 24 pages of text. That’s too much love, babe.
via Bob Dylan and Will Smith: Children’s Authors? – The New York Times.
Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Name Stripped From Award
According to the American Library Association, the derogatory language toward African Americans and Native Americans is what sparked the organization’s decision on Saturday to strip Wilder’s name from a prestigious children’s literature prize, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award. It will now be called the Children’s Literature Legacy Award.
via Readers split over decision to remove Laura Ingalls Wilder’s name from lit award | Leader-Telegram.
PenguinRandomHouse Summer Party 2018
Francesca Dow
I first began being invited to publisher events and parties when I was reviewing for The Scotsman (teenage fiction), Literary Review (adult biographies and general children’s books) and the TES, so my name label would read variously Michael Thorn TES, Michael Thorn The Scotsman or plain Michael Thorn reviewer. Once the website was established, it gradually became a toss-up as to whether my badge description would name TES or ACHUKA as my credential. Eventually ACHUKA took hold, and it is a long while since I reviewed for TES or anywhere else for that matter.
Last night was the first time I arrived to find my badge had been printed as Michael Thorn, Freelance Journalist. I have been wondering what that means. Certainly the number of people I meet at events who are aware of ACHUKA is diminishing year on year. For that reason it’s quite useful to have ACHUKA on my badge, as it prompts people to ask and allows me to explain.
Anyway, your ‘freelance journalist’ was delighted to be included on the guestlist once again for what is always one of the most pleasant events of the year. Last night’s was especially so and had something of the atmosphere of Puffin Summer Parties of old, in the time of Philippa Milnes-Smith (who can be spotted in the photogallery) when they were held on the Kensington Roof Gardens. Here, just as there, when the gathering crush diminished somewhat with the onset of the twilight hour, small groups of four or five found somewhere to sit together on the perimeter of the garden, or in one of the interior rooms.
As always when I go through the snaps (and very much just ‘snaps’ they are this year, taken with my tiny RX100) I see people I regret not having had the chance to speak with. It was a gloriously warm evening – this summer looks set to equal that of 1976 – so inevitably nearly everyone moved immediately to the outside courtyard, making it very difficult to move around. I was delighted early on to spot Anne Fine and determined to speak with her, but the opportunity didn’t arise. I’m embarrassed to admit my failure to have read a book sent to me especially by another of the guests last year limited me to a friendly acknowledgement but not the usual catch-up chat we generally have.
It was good to meet Kyoko Nemoto, author illustrator of How To Fly Like An Elephant, and to hear about her recent 25-day Camino de Santiago trek (a walk she plans to comnplete next year). Check out the photos on her Instagram @kyoko_nemoto_illustration
It’s always a joy to meet Natalia and Lauren Ohara and I can’t wait to see their second picture book due this autumn.
Just before leaving I spoke with a BBC writer who has been part of the team working with a YouTube star that PRH have high hopes for, so I’ll be watching that space with interest.
According to one agent I spoke with, publishers are not as excited as they have been for YA. They’re now mainly looking for younger fiction but placing it is really difficult as everyone wants something that’s going to have instant appeal, so representing new writers who may need a book or two to build a reputation is really tough.
The event was held at Home House, a Georgian property that once housed the Courtauld Collection (before its move to Somerset House), now a private members’ club.
Here’s a link to the Snaps Gallery https://goo.gl/w4dEt4
Guardian Review: Children’s and teens roundup
latest Guardian roundup from Imogen Russell Williams:
The stand-out title this month is a picture book, Julian Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love (Walker). When Julian sees three women dressed as mermaids, he wants to be one too; but how will his Nana react? In this bravura feat of understated storytelling, the richness of Julian’s day-to-day reality and free-floating imagination is caught in images layered with colour, movement, muscle and life, celebrating black and Latin experience. Julian invents a tail and flowing hair, and Nana’s acceptance, as she accompanies him on a wild parade of mermaids, will leave the reader filled with joy.
via Children’s and teens roundup: the best new picture books and novels | Books | The Guardian.
Shaun Tan’s Visual And Verbal Screenplays
[Shaun Tan] believes his books are a “visual and verbal screenplay” and “the real creative director” is the reader.“It’s not my job to animate the story or to invest it with meaning. That all happens in the mind of the reader and I like to allow space for that. People make the books their own.”Tan’s reference to screenplay is no surprise. In 2011 he won an Oscar for the animated adaptation of his 2000 book The Lost Thing, a dystopian story about a Melbourne boy named Shaun and a strange creature, part crab, part octopus, part robot.There are similarities between The Lost Thing and Cicada. There are links, too, with Tan’s award-winning, wordless 2013 book The Arrival.Cicada opens with an illustration of the titular character. His/her gender is not specified but I’m going with he, as he’s wearing a grey suit, white shirt and black tie. His office ID, pinned to his chest, has a barcode and his name: Cicada.
Shan Tan’s Cicada will be published in the UK this November (2018).
via Shaun Tan’s Cicada: only scary if you think it is.