Kids' Books UK

Please stop leaving unwanted comments

2010-07-21T05:59:00.000-07:00

Would the person who insists on sending unwanted and unreadable comments in Chinese to my blog please stop doing so. All comments are moderated by me and so do not appear on the blog. You are wasting my time and yours.

Message from Dorothy

2010-06-24T06:31:00.000-07:00

Hi! Thanks for visiting and supporting Kids Books UK. For various reasons I have decided not to continue posting to this blog. I will remove or update posts with out of date information, but leave posts which are still relevant. You will still be able to access Kids Books UK to read previous posts.
I am in the process of setting up a new blog, Storyadore for anyone who loves reading and/or writing stories The blog will provide regular information, tips, prompts, competitions and more. I'll post a link to this here and on social networks, to my groups etc once it's live. I hope you'll adore Storyadore!

Lancashire Book Awards

2010-05-18T01:21:00.000-07:00

Apologies for not posting to my blog for such a long time. I've been very busy, writing and reading children's fiction. I have written two pieces of children's fiction for the Writing for Children module of the MA and two traditional animal folk tales in verse for the Letters to Africa book.

I've also read all ten booksshortlisted for the Lancashire Book Award. This shortlist was drawn up by children from schools across Lancashire. The winner will be announced on 28th May during a special event at which children will discuss the books and vote for their favourite. I was part of a group of adults who shadowed the event. We met at the University of Central Lancashire last week to discuss the books and vote for our own favourite. I'm not allowed to say which book won the vote until the winner of the award is announced, but will reveal all then.

The shortlisted books are:

Bloodchild by Tim Bowler (OUP Oxford)

Stolen by Lucy Christopher (Chicken House)

The Spook’s Sacrifice by Joseph Delaney (Bodley Head)

Grass by Cathy MacPhail (Bloomsbury)

Bang Bang You’re Dead by Narinder Dhami (Corgi Children’s)

Guantanamo Boy by Anna Perera (Puffin)

Are These My Basoomas I See Before Me? by Louise Rennison (Harper Collins)

Out of the Blue by Val Rutt (Piccadilly Press)

Numbers by Rachel Ward (Chicken House)

Saving Rafael by Leslie Wilson (Anderson Press)

My personal top five are: Bloodchild, Saving Rafael, Stolen, Grass and Numbers.

Letters to Africa

2010-03-28T02:04:00.000-07:00

Writing this from Kabwe where I'm with the Sport in Action Students getting letters for The letters to Africa project. I've made lots of contacts and will be going to my first school tomorrow. Yesterday I saw the Sports In Action team in action for the first time, playing sports and traditional games with well over a hundred children from on eof the poorest areas of Zambia. It was an amazing experience and I got some fabulous photographs. Paulka, the photographer has taken about four or five hundred.

Letters to Africa

2010-03-21T05:32:00.000-07:00

Next week I am going to Zambia to research and write material for a book produced by students of the MA in Writing for Children and MA in Publishing at the University of Central Lancashire. My visit is in conjunction with an Education through Sport project, whose aim is to educate on health issues through sport and games.
Other members of the writing/publishing team will be visiting Kenya next month. On both visits, we will take letters written by primary children across Lancashire, to which African children will write replies. We will also aim to get answers to the many interesting questions the children asked in their letters.
The book, Letters to Africa, will include some of those letters between English and African children as well as facts and fiction on Africa, a glossary of the Maa language and photographs and illustrations by university students. All profits from sales of the book will go to provide educational resources in Africa. I will produce both fact and fiction for the book, so will be keeping a journal and conducting interviews as part of my research while I'm in Zambia. If I have access to a computer/web I'll post updates on my blog while I'm away, otherwise I'll do so when I return.

David Almond shortlisted for Hans Christian Andersen Prize

2010-03-19T11:45:00.000-07:00

David Almond up for double honours

Once again, congratulations are due to multi-award-winning author David Almond, who has been shortlisted for the Hans Christian Andersen prize, awarded biennially since 1956 to an author “whose complete works have made lasting contributions to children’s literature”. An impressive line-up of past winners includes Eleanor Farjeon, Tove Jansson and Astrid Lindgren. This year's winner will be announced on 23 March.

As we announced in an earlier newsletter, David is also nominated for The Astrid Lindgren award, which is presented a day later, on 24 March, at Lindgren’s birth place in Vimmerby, Sweden. The award is worth SEK5m (£460,000) and is given to a body of work “in the spirit of Astrid Lindgren, with a focus on a profound respect for democratic values and human rights”.

(March 19th New WritingNorth Newsletter)

As regular blog readers know, David is my favourite children's author. In fact he's my favourite author all round. His nominations are well deserved as anyone who's read his books will agree.

Read to a Million Kids

2010-03-14T05:21:00.000-07:00

Did you know that you can listen to the stories featured in this year's World Book Day books read by famous authors and actors online. This is available through a project called, Read to a Million Kids. Click on the link: http://www.readtoamillionkids.co.uk/ Then click on the red videos tab at the top of the home page. Scroll down the page and choose the books you want to hear. You might like to read about the authors too. If so click on the blue tab.
The books themselves are still available for just a pound. They're especially good value this year as they contain two books in one. Children: If you've still got your token don't forget to trade it in by the end of March for one of the free books or use it to get a pound off a book or audio book of your choice. Adults: check out the fabulous books and recordings which cover the full age range of children's books from pre-school to teenage. Let me know which you read or listen to and what you thought.

Revealing Article from The Independent on Children's Reading

2010-03-06T09:12:00.000-08:00

Don't miss this research-based article from the Independent. It's extremely interesting to anyone interested in children's reading.

Boys read as much as girls, but prefer the simpler books

At all ages, girls score more highly on reading tests, survey shows

By Richard Garner, Education Editor

The Independent: Monday, 1 March 2010

Girls are reading Stephanie Meyer's 'Twilight' saga, while boys are turning to Peter Lancett's 'Dark Man' series

First the good news: boys are reading as much as girls. Now the bad: the books they choose are far less challenging and easier to comprehend than those selected by girls, and this gets worse as they grow older.

The findings of a major study of 100,000 children's reading habits coincide with national curriculum test results which show that – at all ages – girls score more highly on reading tests. "Boys are clearly reading nearly as much as girls, a finding that may surprise some onlookers," said Professor Keith Topping, of the University of Dundee's school of education, who headed the study. "But boys are tending to read easier books than girls. The general picture was of girls reading books of a consistently more difficult level than boys in the same year."

The gap in the standard of their reading habits becomes most marked between the ages of 13 and 16, the report says. The favourite girl's book in this age group is Twilight, by Stephanie Meyer, the first in the vampire romance series that has sold 85 million copies worldwide. This was ranked far more difficult to read than the boys' favourite, The Dark Never Hides, from the British novelist Peter Lancett's Dark Man series, illustrated fantasy novels aimed at reluctant teens and young adults struggling to read.

The study notes that both sexes tend to choose books that are easier to read once they reach the age of 11 and transfer to secondary school. Compared with a similar study two years ago, the Harry Potter author JK Rowling has tumbled down the top 10 most popular children's authors, from second to ninth place.

Boys, in particular, chose not to read her books, which are considered more challenging than many other children's titles. "Perhaps the lapse in popularity of the Harry Potter books ... has left boys with few high difficulty books they have the urge to attack," Professor Topping added.

One author to shoot into the top 10 for the first time - at number two - is Roderick Hunt, whose 300 The Magic Key books, following the lives of three children and their dog, Floppy, are used in 80 per cent of British schools to teach people how to read. Roald Dahl still tops the chart.

The report, commissioned by Renaissance Learning, which pioneers online reading tests widely in use in US schools to determine the reading age of children, recommends that teachers should closely monitor the reading habits of their pupils, particularly the boys. "As with adult reading, kids will not always read to the limit of their ability," Professor Topping said. "Even high-achieving readers do not challenge themselves enough as they grow older."

The report recommends an expansion of the school library service, with schools encouraged to stock every book which appears in the top 10 favourites for each age group. The children's reading habits were confirmed by taking online quizzes on the books they had read.

The findings reverse the conclusions of a similar survey two years ago when boys were found to be opting for harder-to-read books than girls.

WOW! Women On Writing Issue 37: Fall in Love with Romance Writing

2010-02-26T08:25:00.000-08:00

WOW! Women On Writing Issue 37: Fall in Love with Romance Writing

Book Review: The White Giraffe by Lauren St John

2010-01-17T14:56:00.000-08:00

The White Giraffe by Lauren St John was so good I read it in one go. Eleven-year old Martine loses both parents in a house fire. She goes to live with her grandmother on a game reserve in South Africa, but this is a mixed blessing as her grandmother makes her feel unwelcome and the reserve is out of bounds. Martine uncovers secrets about her past and that of her family and befriends the mysterious white giraffe she calls Jeremiah. Shunned by her classmates, who call her a witch, Martine finds solace in her special friendship with the giraffe. But Jeremiah's life is in danger and Martine doesn't know who, if anyone, she can trust. The White Giraffe tackles difficult subjects including death, prejudice and animal cruelty through sensitive storytelling combined with compelling plot and realistic characters. David Dean's illustrations are as beautiful as Lauren St John's writing!

Costa Book Awards Children's Book Winner

2010-01-06T03:44:00.000-08:00

The winner of this year's Costa Book Awards Children's Book Category is Patrick Ness for The Ask and the Answer, the second book in his Chaos Walking trilogy in which Todd and Viola are separated and forced to make seemingly impossible choices.

Shortlisted books were: Troubadour by Mary Hoffman, an historical story of love and war set in 13th century France, Guantanamo Boy by Anna Perera, in which a fifteen year old Muslim boy is abducted and taken to Guantanamo Bay while on holiday in Pakistan and Solace of the Road by Siobhan Dowd a novel described as both heartbreaking and hilarious in which unhappy heroine, Holly, transforms her character when she discovers a blond wig. The shortlist offers something for all tastes for teenager readers upwards. So choose one or two and get reading!

The Gruffalo, Bridge to Terabithia and The Hunger Games on film

2009-12-26T10:12:00.000-08:00

Did you watch the Gruffalo film on TV? I did and I really enjoyed it. The animation and voices were fabulous.

I also watched The Bridge to Terabithia today. Christmas is a great time to watch children's books which have been made into film, isn't it?

Talking of which, does anyone know when the film of The Hunger Games is going to be released? I learned from the web that its in production. It's one of the best children's books I've read and I can't wait to see the film version. I bought my son the second book for Christmas. Apparently you can pre-order the third book, so look out for that too!

Rhyme for Pudsey

2009-11-20T03:33:00.000-08:00

Check out this show, all in rhyme.
It's really good, you'll have a fun time.
There's poems and limericks;
one was written by me,
a little love poem to my hero, Pudsey!

(Well it is for Children in Need!)

www.bbc.co.uk/lancashire Ted Robbins Show Fri 20th Nov

www.juliadonaldson.co.uk

2009-11-07T11:57:00.000-08:00

The Gruffalo was revealed yesterday as the nation's favourite bedtime story in a poll by Radio 2. Find out more about the Gruffalo's author Julia Donaldson at http://www.juliadonaldson.co.uk/. Julia's official website is a delight. It's worth setting aside an hour or so to have a good browse and find out more about Julia, her amazing career as a children's writer and the books, plays and songs she has written. The home page opens to reveal a gorgeous picture of Julia surrounded by some of her characters. You can click on the strapline to find out about her latest picture books, The Troll and Tabby McTat. There's a list of clickable page links down the left hand side of the home page. My favourite section was About Me, where I discovered lots of fun and amazing facts about Julia and her writing. If you read all the way down to the bottom of the page, or scroll down the beanstalk, you will find a link to a podcast in which Julia talks about her life and work. It's worth browsing the other sections too. You might discover some inside information such as the fact that The Giants and the Jonses is going to be made into a Warner Brothers' film. The beatiful website is very easy to navigate so take a tour today. You'll meet some amazing characters along the way.

Hugh Lupton, Storyteller

2009-10-31T02:38:00.000-07:00

Hugh Lupton is a well known British Storyteller. He co-founded the Company of Storytellers with Ben Haggarty and Pomme Clayton in 1985. Lupton tells a wide variety of stories, including Epics such as the Iliad and the Odyssey, but also collections of shorter stories such as fables and folk tales from Britain and around the world.
The following books are published by Barefoot Books and can be purchased by clicking on the link at the top right of my toolbar. Most of them are accompanied by CDs of Hugh himself telling the stories and the illustrations are fabulous. They would make perfect Christmas presents as there's something for everyone from toddlers upwards, including those hard to please boys looking for excitement and adventure.

The Story Tree: Tales to Read Aloud

Delight in reading these quirky tales aloud to the under-five crowd. Each of the seven stories imparts an important lesson while using humour and loveable characters to keep listeners engaged. Book with CD editions include stories read by Hugh Lupton.

Ages 3 to 4 years

Retold By: Hugh Lupton

Illustrated By: Sophie Fatus

Tales of Wisdom and Wonder
Prepare to be amazed, intrigued and enchanted by these astonishing tales. The seven stories gathered from sources around the world are full of magic, mystery and transformations. Book with CD editions include stories read by Hugh Lupton.

Ages 5 to 11 years

Retold By: Hugh Lupton

Illustrated By: Niamh Sharkey

The Adventures of Odysseus
Travel back in time to experience one of the greatest epic stories of all time. Once the Trojan war ended, Odysseus thought his journey home would begin. But what he assumed was the end of his adventure was truly only the beginning.

Also available in full-length story CD read by Hugh Lupton.

Ages 8 and up

Retold By: Daniel Morden, Hugh Lupton

Illustrated By: Christina Balit

Pirican Pic and Pirican Mor

Meet two rascally boys who have a disagreement beneath the walnut tree, and set off to find revenge. This retelling of a Scottish folk tale gathers pace as the cumulative items build page after page, with lessons that are both humorous and thought provoking.

Ages 4 to 9 years

Retold By: Hugh Lupton

Illustrated By: Yumi Heo

Book Review: Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd

2009-10-25T00:42:00.000-07:00

The double story line and rather challenging language make this a book I'd recommend for teenagers and adults rather than children. It's very much a coming of age novel, but there's much more to it than that.

Seventeen-year old Fergus discovers the body of a girl in a peat bog on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic. The author uncovers the historical account of the girl's tragic life alongside the present drama of Fergus' own life. Fergus' brother is on hunger strike in the Maze prison and the family's loyalties are divided. When asked by a friend to ferry parcels with an unknown content across the border, Fergus agrees in the hope it will help save his brother's life. But every day his brother is getting close to death.

The plot of the book is compelling and has all the ingredients of a page-turner: suspense, humour, red-herrings and unexpected revelations. Add to this the dual historical backgrounds and well developed characters and you have a book well worth reading. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
You can read excellent reviews of this book on amazon UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/ and USA http://www.amazon.com/ .

Don't forget to vote for your favourite UK Children's Author Site

2009-10-23T06:36:00.000-07:00

Please vote for your favourite author site by the end of October. So far only one person has done so! The sites I've listed are well worth a visit. They are fun and informative and tell you about authors, books, tips on writing and so much more. You can play games, watch videos, listen to and read interviews and maybe even contact your favourite author. Each one has been specially chosen because it has a lot to offer.

The Secret Seed Society: Let You in on their Secret

2009-09-22T10:17:00.000-07:00

On the 10th July 2009 the Secret Seed Society launched the first in a series of adventure packs that make growing and eating your own food simple and so much fun that it is quite literally child’s play!
Each pack in the series contains an illustrated storybook, seeds, growing instructions and a recipe so children can follow their food on a journey from plant to plate. The books tell the stories of the inhabitants of Seed City; an urban environment populated by vegetable beings.
The first pack comes with a membership card for children to sign up online to become Seed Agents. Seed Agents get emailed missions that involve growing and eating, as well as being supported and encouraged with prompts and tips on the website. Growing isn’t always easy and it requires a lot of patience in the early stages.
The Secret Seed Society will engage children - and through them their families and communities - in a move towards fresh, local, organic food that they have grown themselves, perhaps on an urban balcony or a rural allotment.
Who's behind the project? The Secret Seed Society is a social enterprise. The founding team brings together a teacher, an anthropologist, a filmmaker, a sustainability strategist and an illustrator. In March 2009, they decided to independently finance, publish and distribute these adventure packs.
“There aren’t many things that I’d launch in a recession but this pack makes so much sense right now. Growing your own food saves cash, reduces carbon and tastes delicious.” Shena Cooper, co-founder of the Secret Seed Society.
They have had huge amounts of support for the project - photographers, lawyers and designers have all pitched in and given their time, they have received a Millenium Grant from UnLtd, discounts from suppliers and the enthusiasm of a bunch of friends who worked through the night assembling 2,500 packs by hand.
More info
Visit www.secretseedsociety.com.
Contact Menka for more information, photos and a pack.
press@secretseedsociety.com
mobile: +44 (0) 797 070 6516
Let Peter Parsnip keep you up to date
twitter.com/peterparsnip
facebook.com/peterparsnip

Secret Seed Society is running its 3rd story writing competition, for a storybook starring a personified Onion!

If you’ve always wanted to be a published children’s author, put it on your to-do list: 700 words, for £700, by 5th October.
The stories are set in Seed City and are full of the challenge, adventure, the wonder of active urban living, and a sprinkle of fantasy.
Full details here: http://secretseedsociety.com/writing-competition/
Good luck!

Vote for Your Favourite UK Children's Author Website

2009-09-14T07:50:00.000-07:00

At the bottom of this post are links to my top ten favourite UK children's author websites:

I'd like you to roam all the sites using the links below then vote for your favourite. To vote, just send me a comment with the name of the author whose site you like best and why. Don't forget it's the site you're voting for, not the author.

I will announce the winner at the end of October and post a blog featuring the winning site the first week of November. I'll also let you know which site or sites are my favourites and why. Please also let me know if you have any favourite author sites not included on my list.
Have fun and don't forget to vote!

Michael Morpurgo     http://www.michaelmorpurgo.org/

Jaqueline Wilson        http://www.jacquelinewilson.co.uk/

Malorie Blackman      http://www.malorieblackman.co.uk/

Anne Fine                   http://www.annefine.co.uk/

Philip Pullman             http://www.philip-pullman.com/

JK Rowling                 http://www.jkrowling.com/

Darren Shan               http://www.darrenshan.com/

Eric Carle                  http://www.eric-carle.com/

Terry Deary\              http://www.terry-deary.com/

Julia Donaldson           http://www.juliadonaldson.co.uk/

North East author David Almond is chosen as Liverpool Read

2009-09-13T10:21:00.000-07:00

Graphic novel The Savage, written by David Almond and illustrated by Dave McKean, has been chosen as the Liverpool Reads book for 2009. The city-wide initiative, coordinated by The Reader Organisation at the University of Liverpool, encourages the reading and sharing of one book each year. 20,000 copies of The Savage (published by Walker Books) will be given away across the fomer City of Culture from 15 September.

(New Writing North, September Newsletter)

David is my favourite children's author and my 12 year old son Ben has become a fan too. He particularly loved The Savage and Skellig. Congratulations David!

Inspirational video

2009-08-13T04:46:00.000-07:00

Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see an inspirational video with quotes from lots of famous people including children's authors Philip Pulman and Ursula le Guin. If you love stories, (and who doesn't?) you'll love this You Tube video. The video is one of several by Chris Cade, author of Inscribe Your Life. I've just subscribed to the Inscribe Your Life Programme, so look out for more information on that later or discover it for yourself at www.inscribeyourlife.com I might even post some of the stories I write here later.

Eleven year old girl self publishes children's book

2009-08-10T06:13:00.000-07:00

Sasha Pryce, an eleven year-old girl from Kent, has self-published her first novel and will donate all revenues from the sales of Labby's Adventures to the RSPCA and Batttersea Dogs and Cats Home. Sasha told Writers' News magazine: "My ambition and dream was to become an author and this was made possible by journalist Deborah Durbin who runs long distance courses for children eleven years and upwards.

After I decided what my novel was going to be about and who my characters were I started writing the chapters. Each week I would write a little and then go back to it the following week. Once I had written a chapter I would send it to Deborah and she would discuss the next step and if I needed to change anything. The chapters would go to and fro until finally in February this year I had finished the final chapter and sent it off to Deborah. She confirmed that it was now ready for the final bits; the illustrations, contents page, the blurb and then the front cover. By the end of April I was ready to upload my book onto Lulu and publish it. It was so surreal I couldn't believe that within a few weeks my novel would be in book form.

I would like to say to any child of any age; if you have a dream, follow it, work hard and persevere. Do not give up, dreams do come true - look at me!"
website: www.lulu.com/labbysadventures/6951174 (Writer's News: September 09)

SCPSW Annual Children's Short Story Competition

2009-07-15T06:59:00.000-07:00

The Society of Civil and Public Service Writers is pleased to announce
THE W.F. and F.G. FROUD ANNUAL CHILDREN’S STORY COMPETITION 2009
SHORT STORY OF UP TO 2000 WORDS FOR CHILDREN OF ANY AGE

OPEN TO ALL
Prize: £150 (£100, £30 and £20) and publication in our magazine ‘Civil Service Author’ Entry fee £5 (£3 for members of SCPSW and refund of £2 for entrants who join now)
Results will be posted to website: www.scpsw.co.uk
No entry form required; enclose SAE for return of entry and copy of results
Closing date 31 October 2009
(One entry per person)
Entries in type, double spaced, on one side of A4 only Only pen name, word count and page numbers on manuscript.
Name, address and pen name should be attached on separate sheet and sent to:
Competition Secretary Nina Matter, 4 Redruth House, Grange Road, Sutton SM6 6RT
Cheques should be made payable to SCPSW. Competition is open to all but those interested in and eligible for membership i.e. serving or retired members of Civil Service, Armed Forces, National Health Service, Local Government or any Public Service, should send, please, an SAE to
Joan Lewis, 17 The Green, Corby Glen, Grantham NG33 4NP for details or email joan@lewis5634.fsnet.co.uk

Bog Child wins Bisto Children's Book of the Year

2009-07-15T06:34:00.000-07:00

The late author, Siobhan Dowd, has won the Bisto Children's Book of the Year for Bog Child. This is the second year running that she has received the prize. In 2008 she won with The London Eye Mystery.

Siobhan, who died aged 47 in August 2007, was announced as the winner at a ceremony in Dublin, where her sister accepted the honour on her behalf. She was presented with the Bisto Children's Book of the Year trophy. The prize money will go to the Siobhan Dowd Trust, set up by the author before she died, to help disadvantaged children to improve their reading skills and experience the joys of reading.

Four other awards were presented at the ceremony:

Eilis Dillon Award: Mary Finn for Anila's Journey

Bisto Honour Award for Writing: Kate Thompson for Creature of the Night

Bisto Honour Award for Illustration: Oliver Jeffers for The Great Paper Caper

Judges' Special Recognition Award: Kate Thompson for Highway Robbery

(Writer's News: August 2009 edition)

Meet author Neil Gaiman on the web.

2009-06-07T04:20:00.000-07:00

I've recently discovered a host of websites on one of my favourite authors, Neil Gaiman, and would like to share their delights with you. The official publisher's website is http://www.neilgaiman.co.uk/. A great introduction to the prolific author Neil and his publications, this is exciting from the moment you log in. Be sure to click the "stuff you won't find anywhere else" link for exclusive editions, extra materials, interviews etc. There's a further link on this website to the author's own website: http://www.neilgaiman.com/ where you can follow Neil's blog journal, listen to interviews and excerpts and even see pages from Neil's notebooks. Yet another link takes you to http://www.mousecircus.com/. Don't miss the video tour. You can hear Neil read the Graveyard book, chapter by chapter. These are sites to return to again and again. Like Neil's books, once you've dipped into one, you'll be hooked and need more and more. Let me know if you discover any hidden gems. I'm sure you will.

Rebel Books seek Stories for Upcoming Anthologies

2009-06-07T03:26:00.000-07:00

Currently Seeking Submissions:-

Rebel Books LLP is currently seeking the following. So get writing! They look forward to reading your stories in due course.

FOR PUBLICATION 2010

YOUNG ADULT
The first publication by Rebel Books LLP will be an anthology of stories with a supernatural theme aimed at young adults. We are looking for submissions for this anthology covering all manner or supernatural creatures, including vampires, witches, shape-shifters - so let your imagination run wild. For more information on how to submit please see our submissions criteria page.

CLOSING DATE FOR SUBMISSIONS: 30th November 2009
ANTICIPATED PUBLICATION DATE: Early 2010

YOUNG ADULT
We are looking to produce an anthology of Faerie Stories for young adults. We are open for submissions now although we are aiming to publish this anthology mid-2010. Your stories must be modern, original stories about or including faeries with an edgy teen focus. Please see our submissions page for details of how to submit.

CLOSING DATE FOR SUBMISSIONS: 28th February 2010

ANTICPATED PUBLICATION DATE: Mid 2010

CHILDREN
Our first publication for children is to have a magical theme. This will again be an anthology of stories but aimed at the ages 7+. Your stories should have a magical, fantastical theme to capture and hold the reader's attention but should still be original and modern. Please see our submissions page for details of how to submit.

CLOSING DATE FOR SUBMISSIONS: 31st May 2010

ANTICIPATED PUBLICATION DATE: Late 2010

Writers: Click onto the follow link to find more details of Rebel Books and specific guidelines for submission: http://www.rebelbookspublishing.co.uk/

Readers: Keep an eye open for these anthologies next year. They'd make great presents!

Hero or anti-hero competition

2009-05-27T03:55:00.000-07:00

Winter Witch Books have launched an exciting new competition, 'Hero or Anti-hero?' which is suitable for writers of both adult or children's fiction.

All entrants will receive a free week of the publisher's creative writing course on receipt of their entry.
The prizes are:
1st Prize: GBP250, publication of your full book & 12 week creative writing course with feedback
2nd Prize: GBP50, first chapter of your book published in the back of the winning book & online, 12 week creative writing course with feedback
5 Runners Up will receive a 4 week creative writing course with feedback
Closing date: 30th September, 2009

Competition details from the website are given below:

What does it take to be a hero? Do you have to battle against a terrible foe to rescue the love of your life, do you need to be kind to kittens or gentle with the weak? Do you need to be able to ride without a saddle and fight aliens with your eyes closed?
Is this why anti-heroes have such a bad press? Your average anti-hero is not interested in saving the world, the world should be able to save itself. If a damsel is in distress, she probably brought it on herself. As for the weak, well, you can imagine how the anti-hero feels about them. and aliens might just make life more exciting.
Kittens though, might be different, as anti-heroes are more likely to favour animals than humans. You know where you are with an animal.
For our new competition, we want you to focus on personality, in particular your hero or anti-hero. With a strong emphasis on your main character or characters, give us a good storyline, inhabited by believable and vibrant people. They don't need to leap off the page screaming and waving their cutlasses, but they should make you feel you know them by the time you've read their story.
Decide whether your main character is a hero or an anti-hero. Can a fictional character who gains a life of their own ever be one thing or the other? If they are a true villain, with no redeeming qualities, what is it about them that makes us love them so much?
Please note that we have used the male form of hero and anti-hero for ease only, feel free to have as many strong, scary, wonderful, kind and world-saving women as you want for your main characters!
Your work should be fiction but the genre and audience is up to you.
Please see our creative writing courses page for more details of the courses we have available.
For enquiries, please contact us on office@winterwitch.co.uk as we have had some issues with the Contact Us forms.
International entries are welcome.
Entries are GBP4.00 per entry, you may enter more than once. Please see below for full guidelines.
Enter Now! GBP 4.00
If you wish to pay by cheque, please make it payable to J. Findlay.

Guidelines
Entries cost GBP4.00 per entry, you may enter as many times as you like but there is only one free week of coursework per entrant.
Please note, there is no feedback available with the one week of free coursework.
The free coursework can either be sent to yourself or as a gift to someone else - please specify at the time of entry. Children's courses are available.
All coursework sent will be from our advanced courses, unless otherwise requested.
We would appreciate being able to send all coursework by email but if this is not possible, please provide a stamped address envelope of A5 size or above for your coursework to be posted to you. The coursework will be no heavier than 60g.
The coursework will be sent as a PDF attachment by email.
Please enter the first 1-3 chapters of your work, depending on the stage reached in your project. Your project does not have to be completed for you to enter. We would also like a synopsis and/or character biographies.
The length of your finished project is flexible, though we would prefer your final book length to be less than 150,000 words. Please contact us if this is likely to be an issue.
If your work is unfinished, please state the estimated final length of your book - this will not affect your chance of winning. If it is complete, the approximate word count should be included.
Please submit your entries in 12point font size or above and ansure all pages are numbered and labelled, in case they become separated.
If submitting by email, please send your work in the body of the email or as an attachment in MS Word, MS Works or as a PDF.
If submitting by post, please send to:
Winter Witch Books,
3 Stoneybeck Cottages,
Broughton Cross,
Cockermouth,
Cumbria.
CA13 0TX.
If you wish to pay by cheque, please make it payable to J. Findlay.

(The photo is my son Ben, my own little hero, playing the part of the Grinch)

Patrick Ness: Virtual Writer in Residence

2009-05-10T06:20:00.000-07:00

Booktrust have a new online writer in residence scheme, which will run for two years, with a different author every six months. The first writer in residence is children's author and award winning author, Patrick Ness. Click on the following link: www.booktrust.org/Writer-in-residence-blog to find out more about Patrick, and about his writing. Read Patrick's latest post on the release day his latest book, The Ask and the Answer, sequel to The Knife of Never Letting Go. And don't miss his tips on writing series, which is down-to-earth, sound advice for all would-be published authors. Patrick's enthusiasm for reading, writing and living is contagious and I for one, will be a frequent visitor to the blog. Well done to Booktrust and Patrick for a great parnership. I can't wait to find out who the other writers in residence are going to be, but will be sad to see Patrick leave.

British Author, Neil Gamain, wins Newberry Medal

2009-03-27T05:05:00.000-07:00

British-born author Neil Gamain has been named the winner of the Newberry Medal, America's most prestigious children's fiction prize. Neil was awarded the medal for The Graveyard Book, the story of a boy named Bod who lives in a graveyard and is brought up by ghosts.The annual Newberry Medal was founded in 1992 in honour of John Newberry, a British bookseller, and is awarded by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author who makes 'the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children."

Newberry committee chair Rose V Trevino said of The Graveyard Book: 'A child named Nobody, an assassin, a graveyard and the dead are the perfect combination in this delicious creepy tale, which is sometimes humourous, sometimes haunting and sometimes surprising."

The Newberry is the latest in a long list of awards for Neil, who is a recepient of a number of prizes, including four Bram Stoker Awards, a British Fantasy Award, two Nebulas and an International Horror Guild Award. He writes prose, poetry, comics, song lyrics and drama. Website: http://www.ala.org/

Article from Writer's News, April 2009, http://www.writersnews.co.uk Photo by Kimberley Butler from the website www.neilgamain.com

Download the Munch Bunch stories

2009-03-03T04:35:00.000-08:00

The six winning entries in the Munch Bunch Storytelling competition are now available on the Munch Bunch website. You can download each story as a podcast to listen to and print it off to read. The stories are:

Munch and the Missing Moo by Julie Hanratty

Munch and the Ghost of Davy Jones by William Adams

Munch Visits the Moon by Caroline Jones

Munch and the Disappearing Lettuce by Michael Murphy

Munch goes on an Adventure by Alex Dixon

and my own story,

Munch the Storyteller by Dorothy Massey

All six stories are narrated by celebrity mum Gail Porter. Go to http://www.munchbunch.co.uk/parents to download the six winning stories for free. Please let me know what you and/or your children think of them.
You can also watch the two Behind the Scenes videos in which my son, Ben and I are featured.

Story Website for Deaf Children

2009-03-03T02:13:00.000-08:00

A website that teaches deaf children classic stories has won its North-East inventor an honour. Malcolm Wright, from Darlington, was named a 'Reading Hero' by the Prime Minister's wife, Sarah Brown.

Mr Wright caught the attention of judges for his new website, which makes reading more accessible to deaf children. The site, at http://www.signedstories.com/, features stories brought to life with sign language, sound, text and vision.

The service, launched by ITV, is expected to grow into an online library of more than 300 children's books.

Mr Wright said: "Being acknowledged at Downing Street for helping children to enjoy and benefit from reading is an unexpected honour. Through no fault of their own, deaf children in the UK have been disadvantaged by poor levels of literacy. We hope our website will make a real difference to their lives.

It's a place where all the family can share the fun of stories together. I hope signed stories.com will encourage thousands of children to get pleasure from reading some brilliant books."

The Northern Echo: Tues 3rd March

Interview on Book Bites for Kids

2009-02-24T11:08:00.000-08:00

Recently I was invited by Children's Writing Coach Suzanne Lieurance to be interviewed for Book Bites for Kids on Blogtalk Radio. Suzanne and I talked about my prize winning children's stories and discussed the benefits of entering short story competitions. If you'd like to hear more about my exciting competition wins and get tips on how to win competitions yourself, click the arrow on the Blogtalk radio box on the right.

One World One Heart Promotion: Win a signed copy of Mini Mysteries and Kooky Spookies

2009-02-02T04:51:00.000-08:00

As part of this year's One World One Heart event I'm offering readers of my blog the chance to win a signed copy of Mini Mysteries and Kooky Spookies, an anthology of twelve stories for children including my three Ghost Twin Tales. All you have to do is leave a comment on my post. Make sure you leave a link to your blog or an e-mail address so I can notify you if you are a winner. The winner will be announced here on my blog on Thursday February 12th. For more details of the One World One Heart event, in which you can enter to win lots more freebies and/or generate traffic to your own blog, click on the badge in the column on the right hand side.

My story recorded by Gail Porter

2009-02-02T04:03:00.000-08:00

Last Friday my son, Ben, and I visited a recording studio in London, where my story, Munch the Storyteller was recorded by Gail Porter. Gail really brought the story to life and it was an experience Ben and I will never forget. I especially loved the high-pitched voice used by Gail as Munch the Cow. We were videoed before, during and after the recording, which was a little daunting, but fun nonetheless. While I was being interviewed after the recording, Gail took Ben over the road to Hamley's toy shop where, he tells me, they toured the ground floor and played with remote control cars. Ben was even given the chance to go into the studio to read part of the story himself which was recorded on a souvenir CD. I can't wait to see the podcast of my story and those of the other winners when they go live in March.

Recommended sci-fi and children's book authors

2009-01-28T06:09:00.000-08:00

The Yahoo Group, Wordpool Writers have recently been recommending sci-fi and children's books they rate. The dozen authors below all featured on the list:

Julia Golding
Jasper Fforde
Garth Nix
Philip Reaves
Holly Black
Michele Paver
Katherine Roberts
Joseph Delaney
Kate Thompson
Philip Pulman
Angie Sage
Steve Augarde

I'm off to the library to borrow some of their books!

I'm a Munch Bunch Winner

2009-01-20T10:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I received an e-mail telling me that I am one of the winners of The Munch Bunch Storytelling competition. My short story, Once Upon a Munchtime, will be recorded as a podcast by TV presenter Gail Porter and will be available to download later on the Munch Bunch website. Next week I'll be travelling to London to attend the recording. I've also won a day trip to Lapland to meet Santa and his elves and take a husky-led sleigh ride on a frozen lake, so I've got that to look forward to at the end of the year. Next weekend I'll blog about my podcast recording experience and let you know who the other winners are.

Patrick Ness wins Booktrust Teenage Prize

2009-01-18T03:27:00.000-08:00

Patrick Ness rounded off a successful 2008 by winning the Booktrust Teenage Prize for his novel, The Knife of Never Letting Go.

The announcement was made at a prizegiving ceremony in London, where Patrick was presented with a trophy and a cheque for £2,500.

The Knife of Never Letting Go is Patrick's first novel for teenagers and has been widely acclaimed, winning him the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, a longlisting for the Carnegie Medal and a placing as one of Amazon's top 100 books for 2008.

Speaking at the ceremony, Chair of Judges, Amanda Craig said, "In a strong year for Young Adult fiction, the judges of the Booktrust Teenage Prize selected six novels that we all felt were outstanding for the scope of their imagination, their originality, their writing and their appeal.

The Knife of Never Letting Go made the judges laugh, cry and debate its contents with passion; a striking mixture of thriller, science fiction and literary tour de force, it's influenced by writers as diverse as Laurence Sterne and Ursula le Guin and should appeal to a large readership."

The Booktrsust Teenage Prize judges included five children who won their places on the judging panel by submitting the best entries to a Booktrust competition. (Writers' News Feb 2009)

Jaqueline Wilson's Cookie is age-banded!

2008-10-03T07:55:00.000-07:00

Jacqueline Wilson's latest hardback children's book has been age-banded by her publisher despite the author signing the "No to Age Banding" pledge. The hardback of Cookie, which is published this week (2nd October) by Doubleday, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, includes the age band 9+, as does the back of the special edition tin that contains the book.
The development first came to light when a bookseller left a comment on theBookseller.com. It read: "We received stock of Jacqueline Wilson's new book Cookie at work today.

She's signed the statement at www.notoagebanding.org and yet the back of the tin that the book is inside (and therefore I'm guessing the back of the book itself) has an age banding stamp on it of 9+. I've seen stamps on quite a few other books recently (including the new Puffin Classics edition of What Katie Did) but this is the first time I've seen one on a book by one of the signed up authors."
In a statement Random House said Wilson had agreed to the banding on the back of the hardback after "close discussion" with the author. The statement read: "Jacqueline can see the arguments both for and against printed age guidance on books but does retain some reservations about the subject. She has agreed for age guidance to be put on the cover of Cookie but RHCB will maintain the discussion with her and her agent over the matter and will review the situation on a book by book basis."

Wilson told The Guardian that her future titles would not be age-banded, but that as this one had been produced "ages ago" with special "cookie tin" packaging she had decided against making a fuss over the inclusion of the 9+ graphic.

(TheBookseller.com 3rd October 08)

My Top Ten Picture Books

2008-08-19T07:59:00.000-07:00

By special request here are my top ten picture books for children. Some I discovered as a family learning teacher and some were in my son's collection when he was younger. I have to admit, some of them are so well loved my son and I have kept them. The list features most of my favourite children's picture book authors, but there are many more. Look out for further features on picture books later.

So here they are, in no particular order:

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr

Where's my Teddy by Jez Alborough

Winnie the Witch by Korky Paul

Q Pootle 5 by Nick Butterworth

The Green Queen by Nick Sharratt

Handa's Surprise by Eileen Browne

The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear by Audrey and Don Wood

Mrs Honey's Hat by Pam Adams

Rumble in the Jungle by Giles Andreae

Fairy Tales and Folklore

2008-08-07T05:37:00.000-07:00

Fairy tales traditional stories and are a passion of mine, so I was delighted to discover a website which is dedicated to ...'fairy tales, folklore, and everything in between.' The link is http://www.les-bonnes-fees.com/ and the site is well worth a visit. The second issue of their free e-zine has just been published and contains poetry, stories, non-fiction and artwork of exceptional quality. The editors are looking for submissions of flash and longer length fiction up to 3000 words. Both new, modern tales as well as retellings of traditional tales are welcome. Also needed are poems, book and movie reviews and commentaries. Excellent guidelines are provided and payment is offered. See you in fairytale cyberspace!

2008 Gateshead Children's Book Award Winners

2008-07-20T12:07:00.000-07:00

The 2008 Gateshead Children's Book Award goes to Jeremy Strong for, Beware Killer Tomatoes. Second prize goes to Tommy Dobavand writing as B Strange for Too Ghoul For School:Terror in Cubicle Four. Red House Award Winner, Derek Landy came third with Skullduggery Pleasant.

The award not only recognises excellent children's fiction, but enhances reading, writing and I.T. skills in young people across Gateshead. A number of publishers send multiple copies to participating schools. Children read the books, and, after discussing them, they write reviews. The books are then rated the children post their comments online. In my opinion this beats Graded Readers and Reading Logs any day.

I Wish Someone Had Told Me That.

2008-07-17T00:47:00.000-07:00

Would you like to pick the brains of successful children's writers on mistakes they've made and lessons they've learned? How about what inspires them and keeps them going? Check out the fabulous e-book, I Wish Someone had Told Me That published by The Children's Book Insider. In this e-boook over 60 authors share their inspirations, their thoughts and experiences. My own contribution begins on page 32. Get your copy now from http://www.write4kids.com/

Skullduggery Pleasant wins Red House Children's Book Award

2008-07-14T09:22:00.000-07:00

This Year's Children's Book Award winners are:

Older Readers Category: Derek Landy's Skullduggery Pleasant

Younger Children Category: Penguin by Polly Dunbar

Younger Readers: Ottoline and the Yellow Cat by Chris Riddell.

Skullduggery Pleasant also won the overall award.

The Award was founded in 1980 and has been sponsored by Red House since 2001. What sets this award apart from other children's book awards is that the award winning books are chosen by children. Hundreds of books are read each year by children from all over the UK. A shortlist is compiled and the children then vote for their favourites. The Award Ceremony is held at the annual Guardian Hay Festival in June For more about the awards, including other shortlisted entries and previous winners, visit w ww.redhousechildrensbookaward.co.uk

The Children's Writer's Wordbook

2008-07-07T09:57:00.000-07:00

I bought The Children's Writer's Wordbook by Alijandra Mogilner a few year's ago when I was on holiday in Florida. I would strongly recommend it to anyone interested in writing for children.

I refer to it all the time when I need to find a suitable word or want to make sure a word I'm about to use is suitable to the age of my intended reader. The book is a comprehensive guide to vocabulary for children's writers and includes:

an alphabetical word list of all the words used

secondary lists which relate to school grades

a thesaurus of the words listed, with reading levels for each synonym

useful tips and advice on the best words to use

samples of writing at different reading levels

Don't miss the extras in the back of the book. Under the Heading, 'Some Things You'll Need to Know' the author offers expert advice and insight on unusual words, being politically correct, tags and word count. Theme and Content, Age Groups and Reading Levels, and even Other Types of Writing are also dealt with in an expert but friendly manner. A Bibliography and list of other books for writers are included too.

If you write for children and haven't got The Children's Writer's Word Book already, it's well worth investing in and using.

My favourite book

2008-07-04T09:28:00.000-07:00

My favourite book is Skellig by David Almond. It’s a wonderful children's book, and I’ve read it two or three times. I’m reading it to my son at the moment and he seems to be loving it as much as I do. It’s realistic, but fantastical, harsh but tender. David Almond’s writing is powerful. Not one word is redundant. The character of Skellig is so different from any other I’ve encountered. He’s so mysterious. The book is set in the North East of England and the characters have North East speech mannerisms, which I can identify with, but it’s Almond's attention to detail which makes me marvel. What's your favourite book? What makes it special?

Seven Stories Collection

2008-07-03T10:02:00.000-07:00

This morning I visited the Seven Stories Collection in Gateshead. Seven Stories, the Centre for Children's Books in neighbouring Newcastle upon Tyne, is the only place in the UK which actively collects manuscripts, artwork and related materials by British writers and illustrators for children. The archives date from the 1930's and include work by over 50 writers and illustrators.
I learned how the paper-based materials are preserved in acid-free paper and painstakingly catalogued. Digital archives are kept on CD roms covered in real gold. Apparently they have a 300 year life span!
The highlight of the visit was examining materials by the author/illustrator, Judy Brook, which showed the process of picture book making step by step. First I saw black and white sketches with page numbers and margin rules. Next were the watercolour paintings which were used in the published book, followed by the proofs of these pictures sent back from the publisher to the artist. The colours were far more muted in the prints. Examples of dummy books in ring binders and photograph albums could then be compared with the actual printed book. It was fascinating to see the subtle changes that were made.
Finally I was shown how materials from the collection can be sourced and perused through the website. If you'd like to find out more about the Seven Storiescollection check out the fabulous website by clicking the link: www.sevenstories.org.uk/collection

How do you do? We are Wiggle and Woo.

2008-07-02T05:27:00.000-07:00

Wiggle and Woo are mischievous, but lovable, twin ghosts. Woo has a headful of bouncy ringlets and both brother and sister have sparkling emerald green eyes. The twin's favourite activity is haunting or spooking 'alives'. Wiggle and Woo don't walk as theydon't have legs, Instead, they float, speed-glide or fly.
The ghost twins used to live in Copper Tree Farm, but now inhabit the spooky world of ghosts. They return to the farm, searching for Wiggle's lost watch, and discover Wiggle's room and it's new owner are scary and purple.
Woo likes music and dancing, Wiggle just likes to have fun, usually at someone else's expense. As Wiggle is the most daring of the two so when they discover a flute-playing giant in the Mansion of Music, Wiggle does all he can to annoy him. His sister, Woo, tries to keep him under control, but her attempts to tame Wiggle's antics just lead them both into even more trouble.
Woo adores her little cousin, Tee Hee. When Uncle Fright and Aunty Scare ask the twins to babysit, she is overjoyed, but Wiggle is horrified.
Read about Wiggle and Woo's adventures in Mini Mysteries and Kooky Spookies, a complilation of children's stories for young readers published by Pinestein Press. The book is available online from major retailers including Amazon, Borders, Tesco and Waterstones.

Who is Artemis Fowl?

2008-06-27T07:25:00.000-07:00

Artemis Fowl is the main character of a series of books by Eoin Colfer, set in the 21st Century. Unlike most main characters, who tend to be virtuous and heroic, Artemis is villainous and ruthless.
He is a twelve year old genius who lives in Fowl Manor, Dublin, Northern Ireland. Although the Manor is traditional in appearance it is full of high-tech equipment. Artemis is a computer buff and loves technology.
His father, Artemis Fowl Senior, had been a billionaire until the Russian Mafia blew up one of his trading ships. Even though the family are still rich, young Artemis, or Arty as his mother calls him, is determined to replace their massive fortune. He intends to do this by stealing gold from the fairies. The incident with the ship has left Arty’s mother Angeline deeply disturbed, in fact more than a little batty. She lives in the attic.
Young Artemis doesn’t look like most twelve year old boys. He has dark hair and blue eyes, but his skin is vampire-white from spending so much time on the computer. As the family are rich he wears designer suits.
His intelligence is so amazing, he is what is often referred to as a child prodigy. This super intelligence, coupled with his determination makes him calculated and sinister.
His motto is ‘know thine enemy.’ He has several enemies and he loves playing mind games with them. He is prepared to lie to get what he wants and is cold hearted. The only thing known to upset him is his mother’s madness.

Ten Tips on Writing Stories Children and Editors will Love.

2008-06-25T15:19:00.000-07:00

1. Don’t patronize. Children are sophisticated, intelligent and like to be challenged. Don’t over simply or over explain. Don’t write for children because you think it’s the easy option. It’s not.
2. Don’t preach. It’s okay for your story to have a message or moral, but don’t bang on about it. If your story is well written the message will be apparent as your character will have learnt something and your reader will learn too as a result.
3. Do create interesting, realistic characters your reader can relate to and want to know better.
4. Don’t sit around waiting for inspiration. Find it by reading children’s books and stories, listening to them talk, watching their TV programmes and so on. Emerge yourself into their world as much as you can.
5. Do make sure your story and its language are age appropriate. Research what children of that age may be interested in before you write. Research what editors are looking for too. and write what they want
6. Do include dialogue that is realistic, true to the characters’ personalities and which helps move the story on.
7. Don’t jump into the story and tell it yourself– let your characters do that for you.
8. Don’t be miserable, morbid or melodramatic, even if your story has a serious message or sad content.
9. Do enjoy what you write. If you’re having fun your reader will too.
10. Don’t be afraid to try a new slant on an old story. Many successful modern stories are based on or inspired by fables and fairy stories writers enjoyed themselves.

Use the above tips as guidelines and add to it as you become experienced in writing stories for children.
Learn from your masters (the writers you admire), learn from your writing - from your mistakes and your successes. And one final tip to keep in mind – don’t expect your story to be perfect, just make it as good as you can.