The entries will be judged by John Dunning and Nikhil Singh. The competition is running until 1 April 2010 – so get started drawing, and send your entry to Fiona MacDonald at Walker Books now! Details on how to enter here
Good Luck!
‘They killed your father.
They’ll kill you.
You must survive the next 365 days!’
Callum Ormond has been warned.
He has 365 days.
The countdown has begun …
Conspiracy 365 is a new and explosive new series by Gabrielle Lord -12 books in 12 months!
With an innovative website and 365 prizes to be won it will take no effort to get teenagers reading this one!
Visit the website by clicking on the banner above.
Patrick Ness - The Ask and the Answer
"From the first word, we were gripped by this dazzlingly-imagined, morally complex, compulsively-plotted tale. We are convinced that this is a major achievement in the making." - Judge's comment.
The overall winner will be announced at a ceromony in London on 26th January.
January's titles are -
Henry’s House: Knights and Castles by Philip Ardagh
My Mum Has X-Ray Vision by Angela McAllister
Batpants! By Jeremy Strong
Edwin Spencer: Mission Improbable by J.D.Irwin
Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur
The Medusa Project: The Hostage by Sophie McKenzie
For more information visit www.readingagency.org.uk/children/spotlight/
Siobhan Dowd - Solace of the Road
Mary Hoffman - Troubadour
Patrick Ness - The Ask and the Answer
Anna Perera - Guantanamo Boy
One winner is selected in each of the five categories - Novel, First Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children's Book - and each category-winning author receives £5,000. This year's Category Award Winners will be announced early in January next year.
Michael Rosen has announces the winners of the Roald Dahl Funny Prize 2009!
For children aged six and under, the winning book was Mr Pusskins Best in Show by Sam Lloyd
For children aged seven to fourteen, the winning book was Grubtown Tales: Stinking Rich and Just Plain Stinky by Philip Ardagh, illustrated by Jim Paillot
The winners were presented with a cheque for £2,500 and a bottle of wine from Roald Dahl’s personal wine cellar.
Best Book With Facts
Usborne Lift-the-flap Picture Atlas – Alex Frith & Kate Leake
Tail-End Charlie – Mick Manning & Brita Granstrom
Why Eating Bogeys is Good for You – Mitchell Symons
Book I Couldn’t Put Down
Cosmic – Frank Cottrell Boyce
The Boy Who Fell Down Exit 43 – Harriet Goodwin
Frozen in Time – Ali Sparkes
Most Fun Story with Pictures
Peter the Penguin Pioneer – Daren King
Spells – Emily Gravett
Dinkin Dings and the Frightening Things – Guy Bass
The final nine books will now be judged by a selection of young Blue Peter viewers. They will decide both the winners in each category, and the overall winner of Blue Peter Book of the Year 2010. The Book Awards show will be broadcast on Blue Peter in March 2010 to coincide with World Book Day.
The winners of the 2009 Booktrust Early Years Awards have been announced.
Baby Book Award
Chick by Ed Vere
Pre-School Award
Oliver Who Travelled Far and Wide by Mara Bergman, illus. Nick Maland
Best Emerging Illustrator
Box of Tricks by Katie Cleminson
Each winner was presented with a cheque for £2,000 and a trophy. In addition, Katie Cleminson was presented with an original illustration by judge Neal Layton.
The Funniest Book for Children Aged Six and Under
Great Dog Bottom Swap by Peter Bently, illus. Mei Matsuoka
Octopus Socktopus by Nick Sharratt
Elephant Joe is a Spaceman! by David Wojtowycz
Crocodiles Are the Best Animals of All! by Sean Taylor, illus. Hannah Shaw
Mr Pusskins Best in Show by Sam Lloyd
The Pencil by Allan Ahlberg, illus. Bruce Ingman
The Funniest Book for Children Aged Seven to Fourteen
The Galloping Ghost by Hilda Offen
Eating Things on Sticks by Anne Fine, illus. Kate Aldous
Grubtown Tales: Stinking Rich and Just Plain Stinky by Philip Ardagh, illus. Jim Paillot
The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams, illus. Quentin Blake
Purple Class and the Half-Eaten Sweater by Sean Taylor, illus. Helen Bate
Ribblestrop by Andy Mulligan
The judging panel comprised the comedian Bill Bailey, author, founder and Chair Michael Rosen, author and illustrator Mini Grey, author Louise Rennison and author and winner of the Roald Dahl Funny Prize 2008 Andy Stanton.
The winner of each category will receive £2,500, which will be presented at an awards ceremony in London on 10 November.
Baby Book Award
Chick by Ed Vere
The Big Night-Night Book by Georgie Birkett
Baby Loves: Tiger by Claire Dowe
Five Little Ducks by Francesca Stich & Jemima Lumley, illus. Jason Chapman
Baby’s Very First Outdoors Book by Stella Baggott
That’s Not My Frog . . . by Fiona Watt, illus. Rachel Wells
Pre-School Award
If I Were You by Richard Hamilton, illus. Babette Cole
Oliver Who Travelled Far and Wide by Mara Bergman, illus. Nick Maland
Sylvia and Bird by Catherine Rayner
Wow! Said the Owl by Tim Hopgood
The Tail of the Whale by Ellie Patterson, illus. Christine Pym
Miaow Said the Cow by Emma Dodd
Best Emerging Illustrator
The Grump by Sarah Garson
Toot Toot Beep Beep by Emma Garcia
Box of Tricks by Katie Cleminson
Small Mouse Big City by Simon Prescott
The Haunted House by Kazuno Kohara
Peas! by Andy Cullen, illus. Simon Rickerty
The winner for each category will be announced at an awards ceremony on the 23rd September. Each winner will receive a cheque for £2,000.
The Leeds library project, in partnership with specialist autism teaching staff and health professionals specialising in speech and language therapy, have been helping families whose children have autism.
Jason Tutin, Learning Co-ordinator at Leeds Library and Information Service has said that "Winning this award is a fantastic achievement by all the library staff, partners and parents involved. It is great to be able to respond positively when a member of the public requests a new service. Kate Webber saw the potential of Leeds Library Service to support, not just her family, but other families who have children with autism."
The winner was announced by the 1999-2009 Poet Laureate and Chair of the Museums Libraries and Archives Council, Andrew Motion, on 15 July 2009 at CILIP's biennial Umbrella 2009 Conference.
“This is the greatest endorsement of the quality of Siobhan’s writing yet,” comments her editor and publisher, David Fickling.
Joy Court, Chair of the Judges, comments, “Harris is a triumph, from the way he moves and his expressions to his velvety fur. His relationship with his Grandad is beautifully evoked as are the textures of the exquisite landscapes around him, in a book which oozes charm and glows with colour.”
The 2009 winners were announced at a ceremony at BAFTA, Piccadilly, London.
Browne takes over from Michael Rosen and is the second illustrator to become the children's laureate since Quentin Blake took on the role when it was first launched ten years ago.
Talking to The Bookseller Browne said, "One of my main aims as laureate will be to raise the profile of, and respect and enthusiasm for, picture books."
Two other category winners were also announced. Allan Ahlberg's beautiful picture book The Pencil, illustrated by Bruce Ingman, has taken the younger children category, while Kes Gray's fun story, Daisy and the Trouble with Zoos has clinched the younger readers' category.
Sinead Kromer, national co-ordinator for the RHCBA, said: “If you look back over the winners of the past 28 years most of them have become bestsellers and even modern classics.
The children know what they like and know what they want to read. And it is children who have chosen the winners.”
Red House Children's Book Award is the only award voted by the young readers themselves, so is regarded as one of the most important children’s prizes.
It has been introduced so the fun and closeness of reading out loud can be shared by the whole family.
To support the week, Booktrust has provided:
- A specially designed website providing tips and ideas on sharing stories and rhymes
- Advice on how to organise a Bedtime Reading Week event
- Recommended books to read aloud
- Downloadable Bedtime Reading posters and resources
- Games, songs and rhymes to enjoy at bedtime
- Advice for parents of children who are starting to read and for those who are already independent readers
- Information about events at libraries, children's centres, health clinics and schools where you can get together with other families to celebrate reading
For more information visit the Booktrust website by clicking the title above.
For more information on "An unforgettable theatrical experience" (The Guardian), click here.
The promotion features six titles selected by children's librarians for promotion through public libraries.
The six titles for May are:
Giddy-up, Winnie! - Laura Owen
Box of Tricks - Katie Cleminson
Stinking Rich and Just Plain Stinky - Philip Ardagh
Percy Jackson and the Last Olympians - Rick Riordan
Fever Crumb - Philip Reeve
The Witching Hour - Elizabeth Laird
Spotlight aims to introduce children to the best new writing and expand their reading horizons, help parents make informed reading choices for their children, and enhance libraries’ promotion of current children’s literature.
The Spotlight list can also provide inspiration for further promotion of library book stock and publisher lists, including other books written by the featured authors, and ‘if you liked this, you’ll like these’ themed displays.
If you would like get a free starter pack containing posters and headers to accompany your displays, please contact Christine Stedman at christine.stedman@holtjackson.co.uk
The awards will be made in three categories, the best book for babies under one year old, the best picture book for pre-school children up to five years of age and the best emerging illustrator of a book for pre-school children up to five years of age.
The winners of each category will receive a cheque for £2,000. In addition, the best emerging illustrator will receive a specially commissioned award by a leading illustrator.
Edith has said to be ‘over the moon to be involved’ and commented ‘I love nothing better than getting home from work and reading my little boy a bedtime story before bed. I can see the importance of words and pictures, colours and story already in him and the reaction you get is quite mesmerising.’
Early Years (0-7 years)
Manfred the Baddie by John Fardell
Pink! by Lynne Rickards and Margaret Chamberlain
Stick Man by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
Younger Readers (8-11 years)
Dino Eggs by Charlie James
The Eleventh Orphan by Joan Lingard
First Aid for Fairies and Other Fabled Beasts by Lari Don
Older Readers (12-16 years)
Crash by J A Henderson
Ostrich Boys by Keith Gray
The Reckoning by James Jauncey
The winning books were announced on Tuesday 18th November
You can view the COTW list here.
This year’s shortlist is
The traitor game by B. R. Collins
Reavers' ransom by Emily Diamand
Between two seas by Marie-Louise Jensen
Bloodline by Katy Moran
The knife of never letting go by Patrick Ness
Ways to live forever by Sally Nicholls
The toymaker by Jeremy de Quidt
The winner will be announced on 9th July 2009 at an award ceremony to be held at Walker Books in London.
You can view the COTW list here.
The most popular authors with two picks each are E. Nesbit for Five Children and It and The Railway Children and Robert Louis Stevenson for A Child’s Garden of Verses and Treasure Island .
Sarah Clarke, Waterstone’s children’s buying manager, said: "I’m sure it will be a surprise to many that the list does not include more recent bestsellers like J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter. But it’s great to see the Laureates choosing some timeless greats like The Railway Children and Just So Stories and introducing them to a new generation of readers – that’s what the laureates are all about’."
To view the full list of titles on the Waterstones website, click on the title image above.
The CILIP Carnegie Medal Shortlist 2009
Frank Cottrell Boyce - Cosmic
Kevin Brooks - Black Rabbit Summer
Eoin Colfer - Airman
Siobhan Dowd - Bog Child
Keith Gray - Ostrich Boys
Patrick Ness - The Knife of Never Letting Go
Kate Thompson - Creature of the Night
The CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal Shortlist 2009
Angela Barrett - The Snow Goose
Marc Craste - Varmints
Thomas Docherty - Little Boat
Bob Graham - How To Heal A Broken Wing
Oliver Jeffers - The Way Back Home
Dave Mckean - The Savage
Catherine Rayner - Harris Finds His Feet
Chris Wormell - Molly And The Night Monster
The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on 26th June.
The competition asks entrants to express how they make reading social. The first prize is a cheque for £1000 plus two tickets to the Orange Prize for Fiction awards ceremony in June and two runners up will receive a set of the 2009 Orange Prize shortlisted books.
A shortlist of three groups will be selected by the Orange Prize shadow youth panel members and a winner will be announced at the end of May.
For more information visit –
www.spinebreakers.co.uk
www.orangeprize.co.uk
www.readersgroupprize.com
http://readers.penguin.co.uk/
Paul has spent 19 years as an illustrator and has worked on some of Egmont Press's best known picture books. His new Superfly series follow the escapades of a super-hero insect who’s fighting to save Bugsville from Electro Slug and his gang.
The first Superfly title is scheduled to be published in January 2011 and the second in August of the same year and will be aimed at both boys and girls aged 7+.
Power of the imagination is this year’s theme, taking readers on a mystical enchanting journey to a land of discovery and anticipation. Your library will become a place of wonder and excitement as the children meet Cadmus the gatekeeper, the start of the quest!
Children can sign up at their local library from 17 July (from 3 June in Scotland) and all materials are absolutely free.
For more information visit the Reading Agency’s website or click on the Quest Seekers image above.
The shortlist for this year’s Awards will be released on April 24th and again you get the chance to pre-order your set now!
Simply email Jillian Connolly on jconnolly@holtjackson.co.uk stating how many sets you require, and we’ll order them as soon as the titles are confirmed, ensuring you have them as close to the publication as possible.
This year we also have a promotional pack, but these are limited so order now!
Please have your orders in by Tuesday 31st March.
The celebrities will be joined by Bookaboo, the "world famous rock puppy" and will share their story. The program is aimed at children aged 3 – 6 years in the hope it will encourage the pleasure and fun of sharing a book.
The celebrities taking part and the books they’ll be sharing are –
Meatloaf - The Lamb Who Came for Dinner
Amanda Holden That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown
A L Murray Pooh! Is That You Bertie?
Mel C No Matter What
Kym Marsh The Cow That Laid An Egg
Alesha Dixon More Pants
Ben Shepherd Splat the Cat
Fern Britton A Mummy For Owen
Kelly Holmes Norma Snows
Julian Clary The Hairy Toe
Robson Green Class Two at the Zoo
Michael Rosen The Night Pirates
David Seaman Whatever
The program will start on March 2nd and will run 13 weeks.
For more information on all the titles, click here.
This was Magorian's first title in ten years and has received great reviews since being published last May.
The Costa Book Awards honour a number of authors through various categories awarding each of these winners £5,000. They also get the opportunity to be considered for the Costa Book of the Year which is announced on 27th January.
Magorian fought off stiff competition from Keith Gray, Jenny Valentine and Saci Lloyd to receive the accolade.
Just Henry is a wonderful tale of family drama and self discovery that was a firm favourite here at Holt Junior. Fingers crossed Magorian goes on to take the deserved title of Book of the Year!
The answer was of course, Darkest Peru.
But there's good news! We have another set to give away!
To win, simply answer this question –
What is Paddington's favourite food?
Simply send your answers to gfiorello@holtjackson.co.uk by Friday 19th December to be in with a chance of winning.
The winner will be chosen at random on Monday 22nd December 2008.
Good Luck!
To win one of the two sets, simply answer the following question –
Paddington now lives in London, but which country is he originally from?
Simply send your answers to gfiorello@holtjackson.co.uk by Monday 8th December to be in with a chance of winning.
Two winners will be chosen at random on Tuesday 9th December 2008.
Good Luck!
Keith Gray - Ostrich Boys
Saci Lloyd - The Carbon Diaries 2015
Michelle Magorian - Just Henry
Jenny Valentine - Broken Soup
One winner will be chosen 6th January 2009 and will win £5,000 prize. An overall winner will then be decided between all the categories on 27th January collecting the title and £25,000 in prize money!
With these new ‘flip’ books you can read from Mr Gum to Beast Quest and indulge in the adventures at Hive and The Spooks Tale. This collection also includes a one off Tyrannosaurus Drip songbook.
To order your set, please complete this form and return to Chris Stedman by Friday 19th December 2008. ANY ORDERS RECEIVED AFTER THIS DATE WILL BE TREATED AS STANDARD.
To see a what titles you will receive, click here.
Click here to take a look - if you dare!
Tested by children and their carers, the books are marked on their appeal to children, durability, adaptability, educational value, play value and value for money.
For a full list of all the winners, click here.
Simply click here to download the pdf and print as many copies as you need for your library or school!
Paddington Bear is a children’s literary classic and his books have been translated into thirty languages across seventy titles and sold more than 30 million copies world-wide.
Visit Paddington Bear’s official website http://www.paddingtonbear.com/ to see what he’s up to for his birthday year!
An Oxfordshire museum is launching a competition for young writers to create a 21st century version to reflect the way in which we live 100 years on.
But does energy saving and state of the art technology have it’s place in Toad Hall, and can the mysticism, adventure, morality, and camaraderie of the tales be retained with a modern backdrop?
Holt Junior would like to wish everyone a happy Children’s Book Week! We hope all your events are a great success!
For more information visit the booktrust website at http://www.booktrust.org.uk/Home
Ness said he was "genuinely astonished" to win. "I think it was a super-strong shortlist. Before I Die is a huge hit, Frank is a great writer, and I'm reading Siobhan Dowd now, it's really great and I kind of thought she would win."
Winner of the Baby Book Award
Is This My Nose? by Georgie Birkett
Winner of the Pre-School Award
The Bog Baby by Jeanne Willis , illustrated by Gwen Millward
Winner for Best Emerging Illustrator
Here Comes Frankie! By Tim Hopgood
The winners each claimed a £2,000 cheque and a customised trophy. A specially commissioned piece of original artwork was presented to best emerging illustrator Tim Hopgood, donated by children's illustrator and judge Annie Kubler.
Viv Bird, Director of Booktrust commented that “the imagination, dedication and creativity of the winning authors and illustrators delighted the judges and will captivate and encourage young readers."
Holt Junior and Walker books have worked together to create a wonderful collection of 15 new picture book titles and a whole host of free goodies. All this, and a dumpbin to showcase your books!
For more information on this exclusive offer, view the flyer here, and to see the subject list on COTW, click here.
The Funniest Book for Children Aged Six and Under
Stick Man - Julia Donaldson,
(illus. Axel Scheffler)
Elephant Wellyphant - Nick Sharratt
The Great Paper Caper - Oliver Jeffers
The Witch’s Children Go to School - Ursula Jones,
(illus. Russell Ayto)
There’s an Ouch in My Pouch! - Jeanne Willis,
(illus. Garry Parsons)
Manfred the Baddie - John Fardell
The Funniest Book for Children Aged Seven to Fourteen
Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear - Andy Stanton,
(illus. David Tazzyman)
Paddington Here and Now - Michael Bond,
(illus. RW Alley)
Stop in the Name of Pants! - Louise Rennison
Cosmic - Frank Cottrell Boyce
Aliens Don’t Eat Dog Food - Dinah Capparucci
Urgum and the Goo Goo Bah! - Kjartan Poskitt,
(illus. Philip Reeve)
The winner of each category will receive £2,500, which will be presented at an awards ceremony in London on 13 November 2008.
You can view both lists on COTW by clicking here for the 6 and unders list, and here for the 7 - 14 years.
This years Booktrust Teenage Prize shortlist has been announced!
The titles are -
Creature of the Night - Kate Thompson
The Knife That Killed Me - Anthony McGowan
The Red Necklace - Sally Gardner
Snakehead - Anthony Horowitz
Apache - Tanya Landman
The Knife of Never Letting Go - Patrick Ness
The winning author will receive a cheque for £2,500 and a trophy.
For more details on all the titles, take a look at the subject list on COTW or click here
Templar’s Spyology has already been hit and has increased £2 to £19.99. But Templar has said that this is due to an increase in its novelties and has not pasted on increases in production costs.
Others struggling are Walker, with future titles such as The Foggy Foggy Forest, printed partly on ‘tracing’ paper, Toby Alone printed using soya ink and The Mystery of the Fool and the Vanisher jacket, printed using four-colour UV ink printed over a silver aluminium foil paper.
They are trying to combat the problem by “looking at larger print deals and building larger volumes of work to keep down costs."
But with all these new and exciting initiatives, how long can children’s publishers keep spiralling costs from effecting the price of the books we buy?
But his main concern is the effect these forms of testing are having on literacy. The love and enjoyment of books and reading has been lost and replaced with an obsession “with getting the SATs scores and with satisfying Ofsted”
“Love books, and school will be a cinch; over-test children, sterilise the English language, and you only make it harder.”
With his support of the National Year of Reading, Rosen hopes that his infectious enthusiasm for books will re-inject life and love back into the study of literature in schools.
To view the full story, please click here.
Customers can vote at these independent booksellers using voting postcards
The Children’s shortlist is as follows –
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J K Rowling (9780747595830)
Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman - Francesca Simon (9781842550700)
Hurricane Gold: Young Bond - Charlie Higson (9780141322049)
I'm Really Ever So Not Well: Charlie & Lola - Lauren Child (9780141500812)
The Invention of Hugo Cabret - Brian Selznick (9781407103488)
Mr Gum and the Power Crystals - Andy Stanton/David Tazzyman (9781405228176)
Paddington Here and Now - Michael Bond (9780007269402)
Skulduggery Pleasant: Playing with Fire - Derek Landy(9780007241620)
The Sleepwalker: (CHERUB) - Robert Muchamore (9780340931837)
Snakehead - Anthony Horowitz (9781406310399)
The deadline for vote entries is 24th October and the winner will be announced on 31st October.
For the adult list please visit the HJ Blog on the homepage.
We have free posters to give away to help your day look the part! Just tell us how many you’d like and we’ll post them straight to you!
And why not take a look here at the Dahl Day subject list on COTW for all the classic titles!
Click here for more details on how to claim your free poster, and don’t forget to visit their website at http://www.roalddahlday.info/
Stephenie Meyer's Breaking Dawn (9781905654284), part of her Twilight series, tells the story of Bella, a teenager who’s torn between her love for Edward, a vampire, and Jacob, a werewolf.
On selling such a phenomenal amount of copies on its first day, Meyer said, “It’s amazing. I’m sort of stunned beyond the capacity to really process it”. Publishers Little, Brown have estimated it sold 1.3m copies of Breaking Dawn when it was released on August 2.
To take advantage of this service, email gfiorello@holtjackson.co.uk stating how many sets you'll require. Your standard terms and conditions and servicing apply.
The Tales of Beedle the Bard
First mentioned in The Deathly Hallows, the book contains 'The Tale of the Three Brothers'; plus four more tales — 'The Fountain of Fair Fortune', 'The Warlock's Hairy Heart', 'The Wizard and the Hopping Pot', and 'Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump'. Each tale has its own magical character and will variously bring delight, laughter and the thrill of mortal peril.
The Children’s High Level Group, co-founded by Rowling will publish the book and all net proceeds from the sales will be used to help de-institutionalise vulnerable children.
The Tales of Beedle the Bard (9780747599876) will go on sale on December 4th.
The shortlists are as follows:
Baby Book Award
Angela Brooksbank - Baby’s Very First Book: Day (9780230528499)
Dawn Sirett, designer Rachael Parfitt - Baby Loves Peekaboo! (9781405329156)
Tim Warnes, illus. Jane Chapman - Daddy Hug (9780007249091)
Justine Smith, illus. Fiona Land - Baby Touch: Playtime (9781846468025)
illus. Georgie Birkett - Is This My Nose? (9781862303973)
Emily Hawkins, illus. Emma Dodd - Amazing Baby: Rainbow Fun! (9781904513605)
Pre-School Award
David Bedford, illus. Russell Julian - It’s a George Thing! (9781405228053)
Joanna Harrison - Grizzly Dad (9780385610193)
Andy Cutbill, illus. Russell Ayto - The Cow That Laid an Egg (9780007179688)
Chris Riddell - Wendel’s Workshop (9780230016170)
Jeanne Willis, illus. Gwen Millward - The Bog Baby (9780141500300)
Jeanne Willis, illus. Garry Parsons - There’s An Ouch in My Pouch! (9780141500034)
Best Emerging Illustrator
Michael Catchpool, illus. Victoria Ball - That Yucky Love Thing (9781862336643)
Tim Hopgood - Here Comes Frankie! (9781405092715)
Anne Cottringer, illus. Alex T. Smith - Eliot Jones, Midnight Superhero (9781407105284)
Joe Berger - Bridget Fidget (9780141501802)
Jeanne Willis, illus. Gwen Millward - The Bog Baby(9780141500300)
Martin Jenkins, illus. Vicky White - Ape (9781406303766)
Booktrust believes the shortlist will “exemplify the remarkable creativity in words, design and illustration necessary to encourage young children to read".
The winners, each receiving a £2,000 prize, will be announced on September 23rd.
The manifesto contains a number of action points aimed at various organisations such as: political bodies, schools, local authorities and the media. The Government has also been called on to adopt "consistent, long-term policies with regard to Article 31". Beverley Hughes MP, Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families supported the launch and reminded people of Jim Rose's review of the Primary Curriculum and the forthcoming requirement that every child experience five hours of culture every week.
There’s plenty for everyone to do, from an interactive website to library run creative activities. And of course, there’s the Challenge itself – children are encouraged to read 6 or more books of their choice and there are rewards and incentives to help them along the way, including a certificate or medal for everyone who completes!
This is a great way to encourage a new generation to libraries, gets children reading and talking about the books they love AND keeps them entertained over the holidays!
Look out for our special sports books subject list coming next week on Choice on the Web.
Visit the Team Read website at http://www.teamread.co.uk/
Following a meeting taken place last week, this joint statement has been released:
"At a meeting involving the Publishers Association, the Society of Authors, and Philip Pullman (on behalf of the signatories of the online statement), the publishers were happy to confirm that there has been, and remains, no question of age guidance being added to a book without full consultation with the author. The remaining point of difference, which is to be considered further, was that those speaking for authors feel strongly that authors should have the right to refuse to have age guidance on their books."
More information from the meeting is expected soon.
Rowling joins a long list of famous writers including Terry Practhett, Alan Garner and Anthony Horowitz, all of who have signed an on-line petition, set up by author Philip Pullman. It is reporting over 2,500 signatures. The opposition believes that a move to age banding is “ill- conceived, damaging to the interests of young readers and highly unlikely to make the slightest difference to sales.” But supporters, such as Rebecca McNally, publishing director of Macmillan's children's division, believe that it is ‘aimed at increasing consumer confidence and sales’.
The debate goes on……………
For more information, visit http://notoagebanding.org/
We are offering a collection of 21 superb children’s poetry titles with a selection of free promotional gifts.
But hurry, it’s while stocks last, so order now to avoid being disappointed!
For more information, please click here.
Philip Reeve already has three major book prizes to his name, but feels "it is very special to win the CILIP Carnegie Medal", and is "totally honoured".
Emily Gravett wins the Kate Greenaway Medal for the second time in three years, with this, her forth book.
For more information about the awards and the winners visit:
www.ckg.org.uk/2008awards
The schemes aim to encourage reading for pleasure, and the books are provided free to all participating schools. Public libraries and school library services are also being offered the opportunity to receive a free set of the titles to help enhance the presence of the schemes.
Booktime is the reception year scheme, aimed at four to five-year olds, while the high school equivalent, aimed at 11 to 12-year olds, is called Booked Up.
As part of Booktime, pupils will receive a free copy of Ian Whybrow's Harry and the Dinosaurs Go to School, while Booked Up offers a list of 12 titles for new high school pupils to select from.
In a move sure to please current Children's Laureate Michael Rosen; this year every pupil, across both schemes, will receive a free poetry anthology too. Rosen's laureate campaign has been heavily centred around poetry and increasing its role in the classroom.
The books have been selected by a Booktrust panel of library professionals, booksellers, teachers, journalists and children's book reviewers.
For more information on either of the schemes, visit their respective websites at:
www.booktime.org.uk
www.bookedup.org.uk
If you think your readers will have the answers, we have the perfect giveaway for you.
To celebrate the paperback release of the latest Young Bond novel Hurricane Gold, we have 30 activity packs to give away to help you host your very own Young Bond Quiz Night.
Why stop there? Encourage fancy dress, book club discussions and Bond-inspired activities and make a night of it!
To claim your free Young Bond quiz pack, simply email khowarth@holtjackson.co.uk, stating your name and a delivery address - and enjoy another great giveaway from Junior.
Holt Junior.
Awarded at a special ceremony, as part of the Hay Festival, the Red House Awards are the only national prizes to be chosen exclusively by children.
The Red House Awards were established 28 years ago and work with local education authorities, schools and library services to generate reviews and votes on all submitted books. This year 837 books were entered.
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Peter Book Awards
The awards, established in 2000, are split into three categories: Book I Couldn't Put Down, Best Book With Facts and Most Fun Story with Pictures. Adult judges select the shortlisted titles, from which a panel of young viewers pick the winners. They also decide upon their overall favourite - resulting in the prestigious Blue Peter Book of the Year Award.
The next awards will be announced in spring 2009, to coincide with World Book Day.
The awards, in their 18th year, are administered by Children's Books Ireland and presented annually in recognition of excellence in writing and/or illustration of young people's books.
Siobhan sadly died last year, at the age of 47, after a long battle with breast cancer. Her friend and publisher David Fickling accepted the Bisto Book of the Year Award trophy on her behalf. The €10,000 prize will be donated to The Siobhan Dowd Trust to help disadvantaged children to improve their reading skills and experience the joys of reading.
The London Eye Mystery tells of brother and sister Ted and Kate's attempt to solve the mystery of their cousin Salim's disappearance after a turn on the London Eye.
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After several months of debate and decision across eight Angus high schools, five shortlisted authors arrived to speak to pupils.
Appearing alongside Kate Cann were:
Sherry Ashworth for Close-Up
J.A. Henderson for Bunker 10
Graham Marks for Omega 10
Anthony McGowan for Henry Tumour.
Receiving the prize, Cann commented: "The Angus Book Award was an absolute blast! It more than deserves its formidable reputation."
She added, "The kids ran the show and they did it brilliantly. I am so proud and happy to have won."
Angus Council Angus Council launched the Angus Book Award in 1996 to encourage pupils to read and enjoy quality teenage fiction. At its heart is the principle that pupils not only exercise democracy through voting for the winner but actively engage with all aspects of the award, from the selection of the shortlist to the award ceremony.
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Children's Reading Partners will be a partnership scheme between children's publishers and librarians - 12 publishers have signed up, along with the Publishers Association and the main children's library bodies.
The ultimate aim of the programme is to encourage more children to read more. It will allow for the development of relationships between publishers and librarians and will also help publishers to connect to young readers through library initiatives such as Chatterbooks.
Reading Agency Director Miranda McKearney said: "We've been building up to this for two years, so it's brilliant to get this scheme off the ground. It has huge potential to harness new publisher input so that children using libraries have really contemporary reading experiences. And equally huge potential to inject user innovation by helping publishers talk direct to young readers."
For more information on how the scheme will work, please click here to read about the adult scheme Reading Partners.
Roald Dahl Funny Prize
The Roald Dahl Funny Prize, administered by Booktrust, will celebrate the funniest children's books and will be split into two categories; the first for books written for children aged 6 years and under, the second for readers aged 7 - 14.
Rosen said: "If there had been a prize for funny books when Roald Dahl was writing, he would have won it with every book he wrote! That’s why this award was named in his honour.
"Children love funny books but when adults draw up lists of the best books they nearly always leave the funny ones out. When I became the Children’s Laureate, I said that my job should be as an ambassador for fun. That's why I came up with the idea of this funny prize, all part of the job!"
The prize aims to:
- 'promote laughter and humour as a feel-good factor when reading, by encouraging families to read together and discover the pleasure of humorous (funny) books.
- 'draw attention to funny books as readable and enjoyable books.
- 'reward and encourage authors (and illustrators) who write and illustrate books using humour in their stories, poetry and fiction.'
The shortlist for the first award will be announced on the 3rd annual Roald Dahl Day on 13th September.
This year's shortlist comprises:
Anna Hibiscus - Atinuke - edited by Averil Whitehouse
Nathan Fox - Dangerous Times - L Brittney - edited by Rachel Denwood
Waves - Sharon Dogar- edited by Barry Cunningham
Before I Die - Jenny Downham - edited by David Fickling
Door of No Return - Sarah Mussi - edited by Beverley Birch
Finding Violet Park - Jenny Valentine - edited by Stella Paskins
Bookselling consultant Trish Beswick, on this year's judging panel, said: "We were delighted to find a spread of intelligent fiction submitted, eliciting spirited discussion amid the good humour and agreements. One-size-fits-all cannot and does not belong in the world of writing for children, and the complacent and bland were quickly cast aside."
The winner will be announced on 9th July.
Carnegie Medal
Gatty's Tale - Kevin Crossley-Holland
Ruby Red - Linzi Glass
Crusade - Elizabeth Laird
Apache - Tanya Landman
Here Lies Arthur - Philip Reeve
What I Was - Meg Rosoff
Finding Violet Park - Jenny Valentine
Greenaway Medal
Silly Billy - Anthony Browne
The Lost Happy Endings - Jane Ray
Penguin - Polly Dunbar
Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears - Emily Gravett
Monkey and Me - Emily Gravett
Ottoline and the Yellow Cat - Chris Riddell
Banana! - Ed Vere
The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on 26th June.
As part of the National Year of Reading's library recruitment campaign, libraries throughout England can expect a variety of new members as a universal joining form appears in the Daily Mirror.
Children's newspaper First News and local press nationwide will also offer their support to the campaign which will hopefully see thousands of people flocking to their libraries, where they will receive a 'Welcome to Your Library' joining pack. (350,000 have been produced.)
There is also an added incentive for young people to join as the first 235,000 new young members will receive a free copy of the NYR's Ultimate Book Guide, outlining the best children's and teen reads.
The National Year of Reading runs until December and aims to "help build a greater national passion for reading in England - for children, families and adult learners alike."
Rowling received the award for Outstanding Achievement, bringing her total to five Nibbies since we were introduced to boy wizard Harry Potter back in 1997.
Presenting Rowling with the award, PM Gordon Brown said, "She has joined a distinguished line of British authors whose work has got the whole country reading, and whose books will be read for many years to come by successive generations."
Francesca Simon's popular Horrid Henry series was also recognised, with bestselling title Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman (9781842550700) winning the award for Children's Book of the Year.
To find out all the winners, be sure to tune in to Channel 4 this Sunday when the awards ceremony will be shown from 4.40pm.
The summit, which was attended by 20 librarians, was scheduled after a Booktrust survey revealed just 42 per cent of secondary school libraries in England are managed by full time chartered librarians.
Guy Daniels, from CILIP, said, "The emphasis of the summit was to provide school librarians with the skills to influence employers and head teachers."
A microsite has been launched for school librarians to help combat the rise in non-professionals. Visit www.cilip.org.uk/schoolsummit for more information.
The names were announced by Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen at the Bologna Book Fair today. They are:
Alexis Deacon
Polly Dunbar
Lisa Evans
Emily Gravett
Mini Grey
Oliver Jeffers
David Lucas
Catherine Rayner
Joel Stewart
and
Vicky White.
Rosen said: "This is a great time for the picture book. A new generation of artists in command of all the new technologies and with an up-to-the-minute view of the world has arrived. Every one of these makers of picture books deserves a place on a child's bookshelf with the inventiveness, wit and wonder they have given us."
Tying in with the launch of the National Year of Reading 2008, the programme is aimed at getting schools and libraries to work more closely together.
Enjoying Reading has its own dedicated website at www.enjoyingreading.org.uk . This is an excellent resource for showing schools and libraries how they can best collaborate. Other available resources include booklets for schools and practical materials linked to the Summer Reading Challenge.
Schools minister Jim Knight said, “The DCSF believes more joined up working between schools and libraries can make a big difference and is funding the Enjoying Reading initiative to provide inspiration, ideas and practical support. The National Year of Reading is the perfect time to start to strengthen this alliance.”
We'd like to wish everyone lots of fun and every success in any activities you may have planned to celebrate this special day!!
CS Lewis's classic title beat off the likes of Harry Potter to take the top spot in a survey of 4000 people.
In second place was The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle and Enid Blyton's Famous Five series came third.
Booktrust director Viv Bird said:
"It's wonderful to see the enduring popularity of these books which are loved by generation after generation. At Booktrust we want everyone to enjoy reading, whether it be returning to old favourites or encouraging people to try something new. The final 50 are a fascinating mix of classic and contemporary titles which offers something for everyone."
To view the top 50 in full, please click here.
Oh and, in case you're wondering, Harry made it in at sixth place!
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We've found a great way for you to do just that...for more information and the chance to win a fantastic prize, please click here.
Throughout February, we are showcasing a fantastic selection of manga titles, from Viz Media. With introductions to some of the most popular manga series for both male and female readers.
What's more - order now and you will receive a specially branded dumpbin absolutely free - but hurry, stocks are limited...
For more information, please click here.
The story tells of 11 year-old Sam who, diagnosed with Leukaemia, sets on a mission to find answers to all his many questions; about UFOs, ghosts - and death...
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Darkside - Tom Becker
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne
Sundae Girl - Cathy Cassidy
Worse Than Boys - Catherine MacPhail
Girl, Missing - Sophie McKenzie
Alone On a Wide Wide Sea - Michael Morpurgo
A Thief in the House of Memory - Tim Wynne-Jones
The winner will be announced on 15th May.
Ten winners will be announced on 31st March at the Bologna Children's Book Fair and will go on to take part in promotional activties as part of Booktrust's campaign to raise the profile of picture books.
For further information, visit the Booktrust website.
Where's Wally? is a featured title in this year's children's Quick Reads and, with his distinctive appearance, is sure to brighten up any activities you may have planned.
What's more, Walker have a whole range of stickers, activity sheets and posters available for your event - there's even Where's Wally? costumes if you're feeling brave!!
For more information, please contact Juliet Miles on 020 7396 2454 or email: marketing@walker.co.uk
on Honours List
2008 has started with great recognition for children's literature, as best-selling author Jacqueline Wilson has been made a dame on the New Year's Honours List.
She said: "I think it's a great honour, not just for me, but for all the many children's writers who care passionately about their work and try hard to introduce children to the joys of reading".
The award was made as a tribute to Wilson's outstanding contributions to the world of literature.
Eric Hill, creator of lovable children's character Spot the dog, has also been awarded an OBE in recognition of his work.
Read our exclusive interview now and discover the source of Mary's inspiration...
Sophie Dahl, Nick Hornby, Ian Rankin and Jackie Collins are among the best-selling writers who have called on Gordon Brown to combat illiteracy in children.
More than 500 authors have signed a letter expressing 'deep concern' over reading standards in pupils.
Prize Winner
Ex-Manumission bartender Matt Haig has won the 2007 Nestlé Children's Book Prize for his first children's novel, Shadow Forest.
Nominated in the 9 - 11 years category, the book is described as "an atmospheric tale of one-eyed trolls, murderous truth pixies, witches and humans who turn into rabbits".
Other category winners included Chris Riddell for his title Ottoline and the Yellow Cat, nominated in the 6 - 8 years category; and Sean Taylor and Nick Sharratt's When a Monster is Born, in the under-5s.
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Best of the Rest...
Check out our Author Events page for a look at some of the highlights from our exclusive monthly interviews with best-selling children's authors...
Entirely voted for by children and young people throughout Scotland, these awards best reflect the opinions of those that matter - the readers!
The winners for 2007 have now been announced and details are as follows....
Early Years Winner
Katie's Moose by James Robertson, Matthew Fitt and Karen Sutherland (ISBN:9781845020965)
Younger Readers Winner
Chill by Alex Nye (ISBN:9780863155468)
Older Readers Winner
Scarlett by Cathy Cassidy (ISBN:9780141320229)
All these titles are available to order now on Choice on the Web!!
Best-selling children's author Malorie Blackman is to extend her popular trilogy with a fourth book, Double Cross.
Blackman says: "I always said I wouldn’t write another one unless I felt I had a really strong plot that I was enthusiastic to write. Well, with Double Cross that’s what happened, and some of the questions raised in Checkmate will finally be answered."
The title, which will be published by Random House next autumn, follows previous titles Noughts & Crosses, Knife Edge and Checkmate.
Marcus Sedgwick has been awarded the 2007 Booktrust Teenage Prize for his gothic novel My Swordhand is Singing.
The story is described as a 'sinister tale of a woodcutter and his son who fight the legendary undead in the wintry isolated forest of seventeenth-century Romania'. The judges said the book stood out for its 'utterly gripping narrative, its brilliantly created atmosphere of terror and suspense, and the subtle poetry of its language'.
Sedgwick beat authors including Kate Cann, Mal Peet and Meg Rosoff to win the £2500 prize. To view a selection of his other titles, visit subject lists on COTW.
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Grab a good ghost story, settle by the fire and enjoy all the delights of the spookiest time of the year! If you're stuck for inspiration, try the link above for some great titles.
Whatever you've got planned for Halloween, Holt Junior wishes you a truly spine-tingling time.........
The Nestle Short list 2007 has just been announced and includes a few regular faces from this years children's prizes. As always the award is divided into three categories, Books for five years and under, Books for 6 to 8 year olds and Books for 9 to 11 year olds. Authors nominated include, Philip Reeve for Here Lies Arthur, Anne Fine for Ivan the Terrible and Polly Dunbar for Penguin. To view a list of the titles go to the subject lists section on choice on the web.
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With worrying statistics showing that as many as one in five children leave primary school unable to read properly, next week sees the launch of a much needed campaign from Channel 4.
Lost For Words will feature a series of programmes highlighting the importance of getting kids into reading. Confirmed programmes include a Dispatches special, and Richard & Judy's Children's Book Club - which is set to air on Thursday 25th October at 8.00pm (please note this is different to the previously advertised date).
Visit their dedicated website for more information in the campaign for child literacy...
Holt Junior would like to wish all our customers and visitors to the site a Happy Children's Book Week. No doubt you will all be busy working on events which promote the wonderful activity of reading. We have a few things planned ourselves this week as it is also our birthday, so for the double celebration there will be an exclusive interview with David Almond, competitions featuring special prizes and some new subject lists and products being launched. Keep checking your email for all the latest information. Hope you all enjoy a successful and fun week!
The winner of this years Guardian Children's Fiction prize has gone to debut author Jenny Valentine for her novel Finding Violet Park. Valentine,37, scooped the prize for her story of friendship beyond the grave between a young boy and an old woman. The award which is now in its 40th year, is the only children's award to be judged by children's authors. Despite the success of the novel Valentine has pledged to continue with her day job of running a wholefood store in Hay on Wye.
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Across the country today Librarians, Schools, Children's Centres and Booksellers will be celebrating National Bookstart Day. The scheme which provides three free packs of books to children, is focusing on a jungle theme this year and Axel Scheffer has created an original image for the day. To find out what other libraries are doing for this special day please follow the above link.
It's that time of year again when the Blue Peter Awards reveal which titles they will be considering for the Blue Peter Book of the Year. This year there is a new category - The most fun story with pictures. The other two categories are best book with facts and The book I couldn't put down. Nominations for the awards include, You're a Bad Man Mr Gum by Andy Stanton, Why is Snot green by Glen Murphy and Framed by Frank Cottrell Boyce. The winner will be announced at the end of November.
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Nine brand new titles now in stock!
Our exclusive interview this month is with the much admired David Almond.Click on our Author Events page to read about the inspiration for his latest illustrated book, My Dad's a Birdman. David also tells us what it's like seeing his work performed on stage and what he thinks of ...dumplings?!
Polly Dunbar, Emily Gravett and Jess Stockham have all been announced winners at the Booktrust Early Years Awards. The celebrations took place last night at BAFTA Piccadilly. Jess Stockham was awarded the Baby Book award for Tucking In and Polly Dunbar's Penguin won The Pre School Award. Monkey and Me took the Best Emerging Illustrator award for Emily Gravett. This years decisions were made by a prestigious group of judges which included Axel Scheffer and Wendy Cooling.
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September's author of the month is the best selling teen horror writer, Darren Shan. In our exclusive interview Darren talks about what led to him writing for children, how horror writing has changed and what scares him! Go to our Author Events page to have a read.
For a limited period only, we are teaming up with leading children's publisher Walker Books to offer our customers an exclusive promotion.
Fifteen of the very latest children's picture books (some haven't even been published yet!) form a great autumn collection for any library and have been specially reviewed and recommended by our own children's department. To read the reviews and find out more about this exciting new offer, please click here.
Children's author, Siobhan Dowd passed away on Tuesday following her battle with Breast Cancer. The writer who came to prominence last year with her first novel A Swift Pure Cry was also a passionate Human Rights activist. Dowd's other publication, The London Eye Mystery was released earlier this year. Her untimely death will deprive the children's book world of a special talent.
This month's author is Fiona Dunbar, who has been talking to us about her new book Pink Chameleon, what authors she likes to read and what she thinks of series fiction. Go to our author events page for the full interview and check out Choice on the Web for the backlist of Fiona's titles.
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The shortlists for the Booktrust Early Years Awards have been announced, with the titles divided into three categories: Pre-School Award, Baby Book Award and Best Emerging Illustrator. Nominees include Emma Chichester Clarke and Emily Gravett. Ladybird's new Baby Touch collection has also been recognised with two titles featuring in the Baby Book category. The winners will be announced on 27th September at a ceremony in London after having been judged by Wendy Cooling the founder of Bookstart, illustrator Axel Scheffler, Elena Dalrymple editor of Mother & Baby magazine, businessman Duncan Bannatyne, Clive Barnes a children's librarian and Angela Lewis of East Riding Primary Care Trust. If you would like to receive these titles on standing order please email jconnolly@holtjackson.co.uk. To view the title on choice on the web, click on the above link or go to the subject lists page of the website.
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Walker Books have relaunched all of their Where's Wally titles and are now encouraging libraries to hold Wally events. They are able to provide costumes, stickers,posters and activity packs to ensure you are able to put on a fantastic event. If you are interested then please contact Juliet Miles at Walker books on 020 7396 2454 or email her at Juliet.miles@walker.co.uk The new edition Where's Wally Books can be purchased at Holt Junior.
Jill Murphy's wonderful characters, The Large Family will soon be hitting our screens in their own animated series. The various stories about life in the Large household will appear on CBeebies from September. The large family were first introduced to readers in the 1980s and received high acclaim then. Walker, who publish the books, are hoping the new series will bring delight to a new audience and in anticipation of this have launched a range of tie in titles.
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Michael Rosen has been announced as the new Children's Laureate. He will be taking over from Jaqueline Wilson, who spent her two years in the role encouraging the activity of Reading Aloud. Rosen, author of many books for children including the classic We're Going On A Bear Hunt,has pledged to make a love of Poetry top of his agenda; "I think poetry for children needs to be saved from the cold dissection table of right and wrong answers and put back into rooms and halls full of wonder, compassion, haunting, laughter, music and rhythm. This is about wide and diverse participation. Diverse Verse for all!"
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The above shortlist has recently been unveiled featuring a wonderful array of Scottish talent. The awards, which are broken up into three categories, will be presented in November. In the meantime children from schools libraries and bookclubs will be reading the shortlist and deciding on their favourites. This years nominees include Catherine Rayner for the Early Years category and Alex Nye for the Younger Readers. To view the full list check out the link below.
This month we have been chatting to Tim Lott about his new title Fearless. Published in June, the book tells the story of the girls from the city community faith school. Imprisoned and taken from their families, life is not worth living until Little Fearless decides to speak out.
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Kevin Brooks has won the Angus Book Award for his novel Candy. The announcement comes after the eight schools involved in the competition discussed the shortlist and decided that the dark obsession tale had the edge over the other nominees, whcih included Theresa Breslin and Alan Gibbons. The author attended the prize giving event and described his experience of winning as "invigourating"
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A list of top reads for teenage boys has been unveiled today. The list has been generated by the School Library Association and comes as the Education Secretary, Alan Johnson, aims to encourage Boys to read more for pleasure. Mr. Johnson said of the list "This will help boys reacquire the reading habit and try out a wider range of great books.” Titles featured on the list range from I Know you Got Soul by Jeremy Clarkson to Breathe by Cliff McNish. The list will be available shortly to view on Choice on the Web, so you can check your stock levels of the recommended reads!
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This month we are celebrating author Derek Landy, whose book Skullduggery Plesant is published this month. Go to our author events page to read our exclusive interview with him.
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Bookstart - the national programme which promotes family reading from an early age has just launched a new online campaign to increase the awareness of it's work. The website http://www.youbabybookmagic.org.uk/ provides parents and carers of young children with ideas to make reading a magical experience. Visitors to the website, which has been illustrated by Annie Kubler, are also able to send off for information and request their free Bookstart pack.
The shortlists for the Galaxy British Book Awards have been announced, with some exciting titles in the running for the WHSmith's Children's Book of the Year. Geraldine McCaughrean's Peter Pan in Scarlet is one of the titles being considered alongside World Book Day illustrator Oliver Jeffers and his fun picture book The Incredible Book Eating Boy. To view the complete shortlist please click on the above link.
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Holt Junior would like to wish all our customers a Happy World Book Day and good luck with all you book related events that will be going on over the next few days. Holt Junior is celebrating the occasion in a number of ways. Firstly we are pleased to announce that our author of the month is Francesca Simon; go to our author events page to read our great interview with this popular author. We have also been offering customers the chance to obtain Dr. Seuss activity packs to celebrate the birthday of the legendary author which takes place tomorrow. Later on in the month we will be making an exciting announcemnt regarding our Harry Potter promotion so keep visiting the site to check up on the latest information.
The shortlist for the Red House Children's Book Award has been announced with nominations for Michael Morpurgo and newcomer Andy Stanton. The winners will be announced later on in the year. The Red House Award is respected by many authors as it is voted for by the readers, with classes of school children getting involved in selecting and reviewing titles.
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This month we have been lucky to talk to, M.T. Anderson whose new book Ocatavian Nothing: Traitor to the Nation was published in January. The book tackles the difficult subjects of exploitation and betrayal; to find out about M.T.'s views on these and other issues in children's books visit our Author Events page.
The final Harry Potter book - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be published on 21st July. Publishers Bloomsbury are set to release a children's hardback edition, an adult hardback edition, a gift edition and an audio book
First time author, Tom Becker, has been awarded the Waterstones Children's Book Prize for his novel Darkside. The prize includes a cheque for £1,000 and front of store promotion by the retailer.
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This year a certain feline celebrates a 50th Birthday. March 2007 will become known as Dr. Seuss month as Harper Collins are launching a whole range of events to celebrate 50 years of Cat in the Hat. The publisher are encouraging Libraries, Schools and Retailers to use the popular children's story to promote literacy with their Project 236 (the number of primer words in the book). Events will be taking place across the country culminating in a nationwide read aloud of the story at the Emirates Stadium in London at 2.36pm on Friday 2nd March. Posters and other promotional material will be made available for those schools and libraries wishing to hold their own event.
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Linda Newbery has been announced as the winner of the Costa Children's Book Award for her novel Set in Stone; a novel about betrayal and revenge in the 19th Century.
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Following the successful relaunch of Jackanory before Christmas, Cbeebies will be showing a new series of the storytelling show aimed at younger readers. Jackanory Junior begins this Friday (12th January) with Roald Dahl's The Enormous Crocodile being read by Lenny Henry.
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Today sees the beginning of Family Reading Fortnight in conjunction with the BBC's RAW campaign. The National Literacy Trust is launching the scheme on the 15th January in Lambeth and hopes to encourage all organisations that work with parents to encourage them to begin reading to their families. The initiative is coinciding with the BBC's parenting strand of the RAW campaign and events will be taking place up and down the country to help promote it. Libraries in particular are playing a key role in spreading the message about the importance of families sharing a story.
Double or Die is the title of the eagerly awaited third instalment to the Young Bond series. The book was unveiled at a ceremony in Waterstones Piccadilly following a nationwide competition which saw fans of the book suggest suitable titles. The final decision was so top secret that Author Charlie Higson was kept in the dark until he announced the winning title after unwrapping the book.
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Here at Holt Junior we are getting the New Year off to a great start as we have interviewed the acclaimed and at times controversial writer Melvin Burgess, for our author of the month for January. Go to the Author Events page to read about how Melvin got into writing and the exciting projects he will be working on for 2007.
Holt Junior were delighted to attend the recent Carnegie and Greenaway meeting held by the North West's Youth Library's group. During the evening members were able to look over the shortlisted books the region had selected for next years Carnegie and Grenaway awards. Holt Junior was on hand with copies of the selected titles which could also be bought at the event. The evening also included a fabulous talk given by former Carnegie winner Frank Cottrell Boyce, who kept the audience entertained with his anecdotes about his family and his writing. At the end of the evening it was announced that John Boyne's Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and Sara's Face by Melvin Burgess would be put forward for the Carnegie longlist and Meerkat Mail by Emily Gravett and Margaret Mahy's Down the back of the chair would be suggested for the Greenaway longlist. If you would like Holt Junior to help with your events please contact us.
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