Welcome to this latest round up of what has been happening in the world of children’s books over the last month. It is impossible to include everything as this would be the most enormous article for you to read so I’ve tried to provide a snapshot of a busy month for you. There are book award announcements, research, resources and some Christmas related items too. I do hope something here is helpful to you.
Over the last month my reading has been quite varied. It has included Christmas picture books, a humorous retelling of a festive favourite, four brave children tackling a wicked Fairy Queen, Irish folklore and magic, a graphic novel memoir and a gothic mystery. You can read my reviews of this selection here and there is something for quite an age range included to tempt you.
Usually children’s books that have been sent to me by publishers, authors and publicity agents have to go to the top of the pile but I am trying to find time to read those titles that I’ve been tempted to buy myself but then have languished on my bookshelves for far too long. This week I finally read A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicol. Yes, I know I’m shamefully late to this one! This debut novel created a stir when it was published by Knights Of in 2020 and I can understand why. Told as a first person narrative this affecting story gives a voice to an autistic child, eleven year old Addie. When she learns about the witch trials that took place in her home town in Scotland she is horrified and campaigns for a memorial in their memory to be created. Her experiences as she tries to achieve this, both in school and in her community, show that prejudice against those who are ‘different’ in any way is not confined to history. The story challenges stereotypes and portrays the many ways in which both adults and children can be unpleasant through either ignorance or lack of understanding. Addie’s strength and the support shown by her family, a new friend and a kind teacher balance this well.
THE POWER OF POETRY FOR EMPATHY, WELLBEING & LITERACY: FREE CPD AUTHOR EVENT WITH MATT GOODFELLOW – Flagging this free online event which takes place next week. Hays Education, in collaboration with partners All Around Reading, are delighted to invite you to join them for their FREE online Author-led CPD event which will take place on Wednesday 6th December 2023 from 4.30-6pm. This should be a treat for all the fans Matt Goodfellow’s latest book, The Final Year which has created quite a buzz online!
Virtual School Visit with Katherine Rundell – Schools are invited to join Waterstones (free of charge) online for a very special virtual event with author Katherine Rundell as she presents her spellbinding new novel, Impossible Creatures. Recommended for years 5, 6 and 7. Wednesday 6th December 2023 10:30 – 11:15am.
Yoto Carnegie Nominations Announced – A grand total of 129 books have been nominated for the 2024 Medals. 69 books are in contention for the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing which is awarded to a book written in English for children and young people that sparks an outstanding reading experience and 60 books for the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration, which celebrates an outstanding reading experience through illustration. This includes 6 titles that have received nominations in both Medal categories. It is interesting to note that several of the nominated titles in both categories are suitable for the primary age group and I will be fascinated to see how many make it on to the long and shortlists.
Malorie Blackman and Krystyna Budzynska to be honoured in Action for Children’s Arts J.M. Barrie Awards 2023 – The annual J.M. Barrie Awards celebrate people and organisations doing outstanding work within children’s arts and whose work, in the view of Action for Children’s Arts will stand the test of time. This year the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to author Malorie Blackman OBE, in a ceremony on 8th November in recognition of her profound contribution to children’s literature.
The Missing Teen Category by Rebecca Rouillard, Kingston Educational Trust – read all about the reasoning behind the new 11+ category in the Spark! Book Awards and the need for more books to excite, engage and encourage KS3 pupils to keep reading.
Books Are My Bag Readers Awards 2023 Winners Announced – Each year, booksellers nominate their favourite books, and shortlists across six categories are curated by a panel from both chain and independent bookshops. Voting is then handed over to the book loving public, with a seventh and final category – Readers’ Choice – chosen entirely by readers. The Children’s Fiction winner is Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell published by Bloomsbury and the Young Adult Fiction winner is Gwen and Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher also published by Bloomsbury.
The Libraries for Primaries Campaign – Founded in November 2021 by the National Literacy Trust and Penguin Random House UK, the Libraries for Primaries campaign (formerly the Primary School Library Alliance) is a group of organisations who work to address the lack of investment in primary school libraries. Every primary school deserves a school library. But a shocking 1 in 7 state primary schools in the UK do not have one. The campaign’s recent publication “Unlocking the Power of Reading: How Can Every Child Have Access to a Library at School?” is an important read and can be found here. More information about the campaign can be found on the website above.
Graphic Novels Padlet – Richard Ruddick has recently updated his Padlet which is an excellent resource for those hunting for recommendations for both home and school reading for primary and secondary age. It also includes links to Bookshop.uk.org to enable speedy purchases should something catch your eye!
Book Trust Autumn Term Virtual Author Event with SF Said – if you missed this live event with award winning author SF Said in November you can catch up with the video recording on the Book Trust website linked above. Suitable for: Year groups 5, 6 and 7.
We Wonder: Journey into Space reading challenge – The National Literacy Trust are launching a new reading challenge in January 2024, The We Wonder: Journey into Space STEM reading challenge is aimed at students across the UK aged 7-14 years. Following the framework of read, launch, navigate, students will be tasked with designing their own rocket and planning a journey into space. Exploring a range of fun ideas, this challenge will not only encourage reading for pleasure and reading diversely, it will support disciplinary literacy by increased engagement with non-fiction texts. More information and details of how to register are available on the National Literacy Trust website above.
Books for Keeps Winter Special – Highlights include the Authorgraph interview with Sophie Anderson, Helen Cooper’s Windows into Illustration feature, a guided tour of the British Library’s new fantasy exhibition, and an important new ‘Beyond the Secret Garden’. Plus, discover the books of the year, chosen by a panel of experts and your essential Christmas Gift Guides. All this and reviews of the best new children’s books.
BBC Radio4: Analysis – Can Reading Really Improve Your Life – What can schools, government, the media and parents do to help foster a love of reading that could help children throughout their lives? Author and former Children’s Laureate Julia Donaldson investigates. With contributions from Frank Cottrell Boyce, Joseph Coelho, Teresa Cremin, Joanna Prior, Laura Patel, Leia Sands, Ben Lawrence and Sonia Thompson this is excellent and well worth a listen.
Nero Book Awards 2023 – Shortlists Announced – Launched in May 2023, the Nero Book Awards celebrate the outstanding books of the past 12 months across four award categories: Children’s Fiction, Debut Fiction, Fiction and Non-Fiction.The Children’s Fiction category covers books aimed at young readers aged 9-15 and the shortlist of four titles was chosen by a panel of judges made up of authors, booksellers and journalists.
The Portable Magic Dispenser: Ideas for your Library & Classroom – the latest newsletter from school librarian Lucas Maxwell includes tips for library lessons, how Dungeons and Dragons can help you and book chat. It’s definitely worth signing up for this regular resource.
Children’s and teens roundup – the best new picture books and novels –
A poetic Advent calendar, warming words from Neil Gaiman, a magnificent menagerie and a sinister secret Santa feature in Imogen Russell Williams latest selection for the Guardian. Imogen’s reviews always tempt me!
Malorie Blackman’s career honoured in British Library exhibition – Show dedicated to the prolific children’s and young adult novelist includes 82 rejection letters alongside her children’s laureate medal and runs from 24 November 2023 to 25 February 2024. It is free to visit.
School Library Association Announces Winners of 2023 Information Book Award – the winners of this year’s SLA Information Book Award were announced recently at a ceremony held at the central London offices of award sponsors Hachette Children’s Group. A panel of judges choose the winners for each of the three age categories and from these an Overall Winner is selected. It is great to see children and teens given the opportunity to have their say by voting in the Children’s Choice Award. Many congratulations to all the winners and you can find out which books won each category on the SLA website above.
BooksForTopics has partnered with Support Your School to help schools fund book packs – Books for Topics has shared news of a new fundraising initiative to help schools fund packs of their books to boost reading for pleasure. They have found that their Year Group Recommended Reading lists are among the most popular booklists on their website. Whilst schools can already purchase full sets of these books via Peters at 20% discount, not all schools are in the financial position to be able to afford to purchase new books. By registering with Support Your School a free fundraising platform, schools can raise money through donations from the local community to support their literacy and reading for pleasure mission. You can read more about this initiative via the link above.
The Reader Teacher Christmas Gift Giving Guides – Scott Evans has compiled helpful lists for different ages from 3+ to 9+ including a range of classic titles, new books, poetry, picturebooks and information books for people looking for ideas for Christmas presents. All the lists are downloadable in poster format too.
Books for Topics Christmas Book Gift Guide 2023 – Another helpful guide. Books make a superb choice of Christmas gifts for children. From timeless bedtime stories and curious information books to festive favourites and glorious gift books, Books for Topics have selected their top recommendations for book gifts for children in their primary years. Each of the guides includes purchasing links and a printable PDF version to share.
CLPE Survey of Ethnic Representation within UK Children’s Literature (November 2023) – the 6th annual Reflecting Realities report was published this week. For context, this survey should not be read in isolation, but in conjunction with the previous five publications however there is welcome news in that there has been 26% rise from the first report indicating that there are significantly more representative titles available to young readers now than 6 years ago. The report suggests areas for improvement & celebrates exemplary titles making this an important read for anyone interested in children’s books in any capacity.
The Poetry By Heart Festive Showcase – Every winter Poetry By Heart, the national poetry speaking competition for schools, creates a special gift of poetry. The Poetry By Heart Festive Poetry Showcase is a digital anthology of poems – classic and contemporary, perfect to read, share and learn by heart at Christmas. With twenty-four featured poems, it’s a complete poetry advent calendar. There are much loved classics and contemporary poems too each supported by information about the poet and tips to help you learn them by heart. Find out more on the website above.
Waterstones Book of the Year – Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell was announced as the Waterstones Book of the Year 2023 this week . Alice Winn’s In Memoriam scooped Novel of the Year, whilst Murdle by G.T. Karber is named Gift of the Year. It’s exciting to a children’s book recognised in this way. There is a video interview with Katherine Rundell available on the link above.
Peace On Earth Free e-book – The simply beautiful picture book ‘Peace On Earth’ has been released as a FREE ebook to be read online up until Dec 22nd. David Lichfield, Smriti Halls and Walker Books want to share the book’s hopeful message as far and wide as possible. Huge thanks for their generosity. You can read the book via the link above.
Do You Remember? By Sydney Smith – in my last Reading Matters round up I mentioned Nikki Gamble’s wonderful Audience With this award wining author and illustrator and I now have a copy of the book itself. It is, I think, a book that stirs up complex emotions and somehow Martin Galway has captured this aspect in his wonderful review for Just Imagine.
Tiffany Aching’s Guide to Being A Witch by Rhianna Pratchett and Gabrielle Kent illustrated by Paul Kirby – this is a visually stunning book and in his excellent review experienced book reviewer, Gordon Askew says, “this sumptuous volume is is a fitting tribute to the much-missed Terry Pratchett, and to Tiffany Aching, possibly his loveliest creation.”
That’s all for this month and for 2023. I hope that Reading Matters has been useful and enjoyable for you over the year and thank you to regular readers who provide welcome encouragement and occasional book chat.
What I’m reading…
Over the last month my reading has been quite varied. It has included Christmas picture books, a humorous retelling of a festive favourite, four brave children tackling a wicked Fairy Queen, Irish folklore and magic, a graphic novel memoir and a gothic mystery. You can read my reviews of this selection here and there is something for quite an age range included to tempt you.
Usually children’s books that have been sent to me by publishers, authors and publicity agents have to go to the top of the pile but I am trying to find time to read those titles that I’ve been tempted to buy myself but then have languished on my bookshelves for far too long. This week I finally read A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicol. Yes, I know I’m shamefully late to this one! This debut novel created a stir when it was published by Knights Of in 2020 and I can understand why. Told as a first person narrative this affecting story gives a voice to an autistic child, eleven year old Addie. When she learns about the witch trials that took place in her home town in Scotland she is horrified and campaigns for a memorial in their memory to be created. Her experiences as she tries to achieve this, both in school and in her community, show that prejudice against those who are ‘different’ in any way is not confined to history. The story challenges stereotypes and portrays the many ways in which both adults and children can be unpleasant through either ignorance or lack of understanding. Addie’s strength and the support shown by her family, a new friend and a kind teacher balance this well.
News, articles and resources…
THE POWER OF POETRY FOR EMPATHY, WELLBEING & LITERACY: FREE CPD AUTHOR EVENT WITH MATT GOODFELLOW – Flagging this free online event which takes place next week. Hays Education, in collaboration with partners All Around Reading, are delighted to invite you to join them for their FREE online Author-led CPD event which will take place on Wednesday 6th December 2023 from 4.30-6pm. This should be a treat for all the fans Matt Goodfellow’s latest book, The Final Year which has created quite a buzz online!
Virtual School Visit with Katherine Rundell – Schools are invited to join Waterstones (free of charge) online for a very special virtual event with author Katherine Rundell as she presents her spellbinding new novel, Impossible Creatures. Recommended for years 5, 6 and 7. Wednesday 6th December 2023 10:30 – 11:15am.
Yoto Carnegie Nominations Announced – A grand total of 129 books have been nominated for the 2024 Medals. 69 books are in contention for the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing which is awarded to a book written in English for children and young people that sparks an outstanding reading experience and 60 books for the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration, which celebrates an outstanding reading experience through illustration. This includes 6 titles that have received nominations in both Medal categories. It is interesting to note that several of the nominated titles in both categories are suitable for the primary age group and I will be fascinated to see how many make it on to the long and shortlists.
Malorie Blackman and Krystyna Budzynska to be honoured in Action for Children’s Arts J.M. Barrie Awards 2023 – The annual J.M. Barrie Awards celebrate people and organisations doing outstanding work within children’s arts and whose work, in the view of Action for Children’s Arts will stand the test of time. This year the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to author Malorie Blackman OBE, in a ceremony on 8th November in recognition of her profound contribution to children’s literature.
The Missing Teen Category by Rebecca Rouillard, Kingston Educational Trust – read all about the reasoning behind the new 11+ category in the Spark! Book Awards and the need for more books to excite, engage and encourage KS3 pupils to keep reading.
Books Are My Bag Readers Awards 2023 Winners Announced – Each year, booksellers nominate their favourite books, and shortlists across six categories are curated by a panel from both chain and independent bookshops. Voting is then handed over to the book loving public, with a seventh and final category – Readers’ Choice – chosen entirely by readers. The Children’s Fiction winner is Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell published by Bloomsbury and the Young Adult Fiction winner is Gwen and Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher also published by Bloomsbury.
The Libraries for Primaries Campaign – Founded in November 2021 by the National Literacy Trust and Penguin Random House UK, the Libraries for Primaries campaign (formerly the Primary School Library Alliance) is a group of organisations who work to address the lack of investment in primary school libraries. Every primary school deserves a school library. But a shocking 1 in 7 state primary schools in the UK do not have one. The campaign’s recent publication “Unlocking the Power of Reading: How Can Every Child Have Access to a Library at School?” is an important read and can be found here. More information about the campaign can be found on the website above.
Graphic Novels Padlet – Richard Ruddick has recently updated his Padlet which is an excellent resource for those hunting for recommendations for both home and school reading for primary and secondary age. It also includes links to Bookshop.uk.org to enable speedy purchases should something catch your eye!
Book Trust Autumn Term Virtual Author Event with SF Said – if you missed this live event with award winning author SF Said in November you can catch up with the video recording on the Book Trust website linked above. Suitable for: Year groups 5, 6 and 7.
We Wonder: Journey into Space reading challenge – The National Literacy Trust are launching a new reading challenge in January 2024, The We Wonder: Journey into Space STEM reading challenge is aimed at students across the UK aged 7-14 years. Following the framework of read, launch, navigate, students will be tasked with designing their own rocket and planning a journey into space. Exploring a range of fun ideas, this challenge will not only encourage reading for pleasure and reading diversely, it will support disciplinary literacy by increased engagement with non-fiction texts. More information and details of how to register are available on the National Literacy Trust website above.
Books for Keeps Winter Special – Highlights include the Authorgraph interview with Sophie Anderson, Helen Cooper’s Windows into Illustration feature, a guided tour of the British Library’s new fantasy exhibition, and an important new ‘Beyond the Secret Garden’. Plus, discover the books of the year, chosen by a panel of experts and your essential Christmas Gift Guides. All this and reviews of the best new children’s books.
BBC Radio4: Analysis – Can Reading Really Improve Your Life – What can schools, government, the media and parents do to help foster a love of reading that could help children throughout their lives? Author and former Children’s Laureate Julia Donaldson investigates. With contributions from Frank Cottrell Boyce, Joseph Coelho, Teresa Cremin, Joanna Prior, Laura Patel, Leia Sands, Ben Lawrence and Sonia Thompson this is excellent and well worth a listen.
Nero Book Awards 2023 – Shortlists Announced – Launched in May 2023, the Nero Book Awards celebrate the outstanding books of the past 12 months across four award categories: Children’s Fiction, Debut Fiction, Fiction and Non-Fiction.The Children’s Fiction category covers books aimed at young readers aged 9-15 and the shortlist of four titles was chosen by a panel of judges made up of authors, booksellers and journalists.
The Portable Magic Dispenser: Ideas for your Library & Classroom – the latest newsletter from school librarian Lucas Maxwell includes tips for library lessons, how Dungeons and Dragons can help you and book chat. It’s definitely worth signing up for this regular resource.
Children’s and teens roundup – the best new picture books and novels –
A poetic Advent calendar, warming words from Neil Gaiman, a magnificent menagerie and a sinister secret Santa feature in Imogen Russell Williams latest selection for the Guardian. Imogen’s reviews always tempt me!
Malorie Blackman’s career honoured in British Library exhibition – Show dedicated to the prolific children’s and young adult novelist includes 82 rejection letters alongside her children’s laureate medal and runs from 24 November 2023 to 25 February 2024. It is free to visit.
School Library Association Announces Winners of 2023 Information Book Award – the winners of this year’s SLA Information Book Award were announced recently at a ceremony held at the central London offices of award sponsors Hachette Children’s Group. A panel of judges choose the winners for each of the three age categories and from these an Overall Winner is selected. It is great to see children and teens given the opportunity to have their say by voting in the Children’s Choice Award. Many congratulations to all the winners and you can find out which books won each category on the SLA website above.
BooksForTopics has partnered with Support Your School to help schools fund book packs – Books for Topics has shared news of a new fundraising initiative to help schools fund packs of their books to boost reading for pleasure. They have found that their Year Group Recommended Reading lists are among the most popular booklists on their website. Whilst schools can already purchase full sets of these books via Peters at 20% discount, not all schools are in the financial position to be able to afford to purchase new books. By registering with Support Your School a free fundraising platform, schools can raise money through donations from the local community to support their literacy and reading for pleasure mission. You can read more about this initiative via the link above.
The Reader Teacher Christmas Gift Giving Guides – Scott Evans has compiled helpful lists for different ages from 3+ to 9+ including a range of classic titles, new books, poetry, picturebooks and information books for people looking for ideas for Christmas presents. All the lists are downloadable in poster format too.
Books for Topics Christmas Book Gift Guide 2023 – Another helpful guide. Books make a superb choice of Christmas gifts for children. From timeless bedtime stories and curious information books to festive favourites and glorious gift books, Books for Topics have selected their top recommendations for book gifts for children in their primary years. Each of the guides includes purchasing links and a printable PDF version to share.
CLPE Survey of Ethnic Representation within UK Children’s Literature (November 2023) – the 6th annual Reflecting Realities report was published this week. For context, this survey should not be read in isolation, but in conjunction with the previous five publications however there is welcome news in that there has been 26% rise from the first report indicating that there are significantly more representative titles available to young readers now than 6 years ago. The report suggests areas for improvement & celebrates exemplary titles making this an important read for anyone interested in children’s books in any capacity.
The Poetry By Heart Festive Showcase – Every winter Poetry By Heart, the national poetry speaking competition for schools, creates a special gift of poetry. The Poetry By Heart Festive Poetry Showcase is a digital anthology of poems – classic and contemporary, perfect to read, share and learn by heart at Christmas. With twenty-four featured poems, it’s a complete poetry advent calendar. There are much loved classics and contemporary poems too each supported by information about the poet and tips to help you learn them by heart. Find out more on the website above.
Waterstones Book of the Year – Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell was announced as the Waterstones Book of the Year 2023 this week . Alice Winn’s In Memoriam scooped Novel of the Year, whilst Murdle by G.T. Karber is named Gift of the Year. It’s exciting to a children’s book recognised in this way. There is a video interview with Katherine Rundell available on the link above.
Peace On Earth Free e-book – The simply beautiful picture book ‘Peace On Earth’ has been released as a FREE ebook to be read online up until Dec 22nd. David Lichfield, Smriti Halls and Walker Books want to share the book’s hopeful message as far and wide as possible. Huge thanks for their generosity. You can read the book via the link above.
Finally, some book reviews that caught my eye recently…
Do You Remember? By Sydney Smith – in my last Reading Matters round up I mentioned Nikki Gamble’s wonderful Audience With this award wining author and illustrator and I now have a copy of the book itself. It is, I think, a book that stirs up complex emotions and somehow Martin Galway has captured this aspect in his wonderful review for Just Imagine.
Tiffany Aching’s Guide to Being A Witch by Rhianna Pratchett and Gabrielle Kent illustrated by Paul Kirby – this is a visually stunning book and in his excellent review experienced book reviewer, Gordon Askew says, “this sumptuous volume is is a fitting tribute to the much-missed Terry Pratchett, and to Tiffany Aching, possibly his loveliest creation.”
That’s all for this month and for 2023. I hope that Reading Matters has been useful and enjoyable for you over the year and thank you to regular readers who provide welcome encouragement and occasional book chat.