The news popped up this morning on a Whatsapp group in South Africa, my friends were geeking out about the news that Games Workshop and Big Light Productions had landed Frank”The Man in the High Castle” Spotnitz as show-runner and Executive Producer on a forthcoming live-action Warhammer 40K television series.
I have been a fan of the Warhammer 40K Universe for quite some time! Mostly thanks to picking up a copy of Necropolis by Dan Abnett in a charity shop on the Sidcup high street in 2003. After devouring that I hunted down the other Gaunt‘s Ghosts books that were in print back then and then discovered the Eisenhorntrilogy (also by Abnett).
It is around Eisenhorn that the live-action series is being planned.
Now if you don’t know anything about Warhammer, the first thing you should know is:
Eisenhorn is an Inquisitor – one of the people that goes out amongst the stars to meet new species and annihilate them as well as searching for traitors, heretics, mutants, psykers and anyone else who may be an enemy of humanity. It is a big universe and the place is just filled with enemies.
The Alliance of Radical Booksellers (ARB) is delighted to announce that the winner of this year’s Little Rebels Children’s Book Award for Radical Fiction is Catherine Johnson for her book, Freedom (Scholastic 2018).
A short historical novel, Freedom tells the story of Nat, a young boy enslaved on a Jamaican plantation, brought over to England in the late eighteenth century. Hopeful that, once on UK soil, he will finally be free from bondage, Nat instead witnesses the pivotal role Britain played in building the slavery industry. Praising the winning title, the award judges commented:
“Freedom is radical in a number of ways. It tells a story of a young enslaved man in Britain. It explores the humanity of those whose humanity was denied through chattel slavery. It subtly examines the similarities and the differences between class oppression and a system of slavery rooted in racism. It tells a story of Britain that continues to be neglected. Johnson’s writing is a masterclass in the maxim ‘show don’t tell’ – through the point of view of her protagonist we are brought into his world and yet we are afforded space to emotionally engage with the story she offers us.”
Darren Chetty, Teaching Fellow at UCL and contributor to The Good Immigrant.
“Catherine Johnson brings the horrific history of slavery to life in this important piece of historical fiction for a middle grade audience. A brilliant adventure story that shines a much-needed spotlight on the UK’s role [and which also introduces us to] real life people who should be more famous than they are, including former slave turned author and abolitionist Olaudah Equiano and Shadrack Furman, the first black army Pensioner. A well deserved win from one of the UK’s most fabulous storytellers.”
Emily Drabble, head of children’s books promotion and prizes at BookTrust
2018 winner Zanib Mian congratulates Catherine Johnson after the announcement
The winner of the Little Rebels Children’s Book Award 2019 was announced at an event held in the CLPE (Centre for Literacy in Primary Education) Literacy Library on Wednesday July 10th by Zanib Mian, the 2018 winner for The Muslims (now Planet Omar). This followed on from a panel discussion with the other shortlisted authors (all except Sarah MacIntyre) and a chance to have a look around the beautiful CLPE library.
16-year-old Mehreen Miah’s anxiety and depression, or ‘Chaos’, as she calls it, has taken over her life, to the point where she can’t bear it any more. So she joins MementoMori, a website that matches people with partners and allocates them a date and method of death, ‘the pact’. Mehreen is paired with Cara Saunders and Olivia Castleton, two strangers dealing with their own serious issues. As they secretly meet over the coming days, Mehreen develops a strong bond with Cara and Olivia, the only people who seem to understand what she’s going through. But ironically, the thing that brought them together to commit suicide has also created a mutually supportive friendship that makes them realise that, with the right help, life is worth living. It’s not long before all three want out of the pact. But in a terrifying twist of fate, the website won’t let them stop, and an increasingly sinister game begins, with MementoMori playing the girls off against each other. A pact is a pact, after all. In this powerful debut written in three points of view, Yasmin Rahman has created a moving, poignant novel celebrating life. ALL THE THINGS WE NEVER SAID is about friendship, strength and survival.
I read this book in one big gulp all the way back in April when the proof was sent to me, and it has stayed with me because of the strength of the voices, the originality of the plot, and the honesty of the writing. One of my favourite things about it is that one of the three protagonists is a devout Muslim that isn’t doubting her faith, and in fact her depression and anxiety just is, for no “reason” (not abused, not grieving, no family drama), it just exists. The other two have more obvious issues, but again their POVs are so nuanced and not simply “I’m sad because of what happened to me”.
It treads some very dark ground, definitely for a YA+ audience, but (slight spoiler) it is ultimately hopeful. Helpful resources for support regarding the issues included are listed in the back of the book.
I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to ask Yasmin some questions…
Hi
Yasmin, welcome to TeenLibrarian and thank you for giving up your
time to undergo the third degree!
Thank
you so much for having me!
Your
debut published work was a short story in the Stripes ‘A Change is
Gonna Come’ anthology, had you already started writing ‘All the
Things We Never Said’ at that point, or was it still just a simmering
idea?
‘Fortune
Favours the Bold’, my short story in ‘A Change is Gonna Come’
was actually a ridiculously early version of what eventually became
‘All The Things We Never Said’. I was trying to write a book
about mental health with a Muslim protagonist, but was finding my way
into HOW to tell the story at the time. I’d written about 5000
words of this original idea when I realised it wasn’t working and
moved on. When I saw the call out for Changebook, I realised that
beginning fit so well that I just turned it into a short story.
What
has been the best thing so far about being published?
There
have been so so many amazing things that have happened during this
journey – from seeing an 8ft poster of my cover at London Book Fair
to being able to record the author note for the audiobook. The best
thing for me though is how it’s touching readers, particularly
teenagers. I’ve had some lovely reviews where people have connected
with my characters so much and that’s always lovely. I remember
this one encounter I had with two young Muslim girls who said to me
“you’re an inspiration”…and then I burst into tears of
course. When I was a teen, there weren’t many people who were so
visibly Muslim writing books, or on TV or whatever, so to be able to
provide that to young people in a tiny way now is truly the best
thing.
You’ve
been so honest, in the publicity for the book, about your own mental
health in your teen years. How has that been?
It
was something I was really scared of at the beginning, baring myself
to strangers. But it seems to be somehow a lot easier to talk about
it to strangers than people you know! I think being open about it is
important to me personally as it echoes the mentality of the book.
Also, the fact that so many people can relate makes it a lot more
manageable. It wasn’t too long ago that I felt scared of telling
people “I struggle with anxiety and depression”, but now I feel
less wary of talking about it as I’ve met so many people who have
had the same or similar experiences, and if me talking about it
openly can maybe help someone else understand their own mental
health, then I feel it’s completely worth it.
Of
the three girls, which story was hardest to write?
I
had trouble at some point or another with each girl, but I think
Olivia and Mehreen nudged ahead of Cara in terms of difficulty. I was
drawing on a lot of my own emotions when writing Mehreen, which is
always tough, and Olivia’s story just had some really really hard
scenes to write. Her voice also took a long time to figure out.
Have
you talked to many teenagers about the book? What kind of reaction
have you had?
I
haven’t yet had many readers of the book, since it’s not
officially out as I’m writing this, but the brief conversations
I’ve had with teens where I’ve spoken about it in vague terms
have been very positive! I spoke to a few teenagers when doing
research for the book, and received such lovely feedback about how
exciting the story sounded, and what an important topic it was – I
got very emotional!
What
kind of event would you like to do if invited into schools?
There’s
so many things covered in the book that would be great for discussion
with students – mental health and the benefits of talking about
it/seeking help, internet danger, grief, etc. But I think what I’d
personally love to do is to talk about craft. When I was young I
could never imagine that being an author was attainable, so would
love to let teenagers know that it’s a viable career! Having
studied two Masters degrees on Creative Writing, it would be great to
be able to put those skills into a workshop format and teach students
how to go about writing a novel.
What
are you reading at the moment and who would you recommend it to?
I
am in such a reading slump! And have been for a REALLY long time! The
last thing I remember reading was an extract of Sarah Juckes’ WIP.
Sarah wrote the YA novel ‘Outside’ which was published by Penguin
in January 2019, and I just know her next book is going to be just as
amazing. We have very similar brains, and a love for dark YA, so I
think anyone who enjoys All The Things We Never Said would probably
like her writing!
Any
hints of what we can expect from you next?
I don’t want to mention anything specific about book 2, because anything can change at this point! But one thing I’m sure about is that there will be a Muslim protagonist – that’s something I’d like to carry on in everything I write.
Yasmin Rahman, author of All the Things We Never Said
All the Things We Never Said is OUT NOW! Thanks to Hot Key Books for sending me a proof copy all those months ago.
Not content to just take up the reins, she has hit the ground running, with the announcement of the Children’s Laureate Charter.
This ambitious list forms the blueprint for her two years as Laureate, and is one that sees her drawing from Pennac’s Rights of the Reader, the campaign to save libraries and from further afield – calling for creative subjects to be retained as well as fighting to save our increasingly imperilled planet.
Championing the rights of young people in literature and beyond is no small task and I am sure that like me you will be supporting and amplifying her efforts in encouraging young people to read and gain agency in their literaery choices and beyond!
Congratulations on becoming Children’s Laureate Cressida! I will support you in any way that I can!
Books are transformative because of their unique ability to develop three key magical powers: intelligence, creativity and, most important of all, empathy. Words are power; let’s take magic seriously.
Tuesday 9 July, London: Cressida Cowell, the international bestselling author and illustrator of theHow to Train Your Dragon and The Wizards of Once series and the author of the Emily Brown picture books all published by Hachette Children’s Group has today been crowned the Waterstones Children’s Laureate 2019–2021.
Cowell was presented with the iconic silver Laureate medal by the outgoing Waterstones Children’s Laureate, Lauren Child, at a ceremony at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, London.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Waterstones Children’s Laureate, awarded once every two years to an eminent children’s author or illustrator to honour outstanding achievement in their field. The ‘League of Laureates’ – including Quentin Blake, Malorie Blackman and Jacqueline Wilson – are the foremost representatives of children’s literature, showcasing the extraordinary and dynamic art form and its rich contribution to UK culture.
Managed by BookTrust, the UK’s largest children’s reading charity, and sponsored by Waterstones, each Laureate brings their own passion to the prestigious role to create a unique legacy. Today, the new Laureate unveiled the Cressida Cowell Waterstones Children’s Laureate Charter, a ‘giant to-do list’ to help ensure that books and reading are available to absolutely everyone. The charter asserts that every child has the right to:
Read for the joy of it
Access NEW books in schools, libraries and bookshops
Have advice from a trained librarian or bookseller
Own their OWN book
See themselves reflected in a book
Be read aloud to
Have some choice in what they read
Be creative for at least 15 minutes a week
See an author event at least ONCE
Have a planet to read on
At the ceremony, Cowell spoke about the importance of school libraries and her plans to campaign for these to be made statutory, and, along with public libraries and librarians, funded properly. Cowell also spoke about helping to develop children’s creative intelligence in the context of the cultural industries and the value they add to the UK economy and beyond, arguing for creative space on the curriculum.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a trilogy of books containing a mixture of urban myths and folklore that were compiled by author Alvin Schwartz and illustrated by Caldecott-winning illustrator Stephen Gammell.
Scary Stories to tell in the Dark
The stories and artwork terrified a generation of readers from 1981 to 1991. The books also muscled their way to the front of the ALA’s 100 most frequently challenged books for 1990-1991 and hit seventh place in the 2000-2009 frequently challenged list. The challenges were often down to the violence of the stories as well as the ” surreal, nightmarish illustrations” in the original books.
On August 9th, a film adaptation produced by horror-maestro Guillermo del Toro will be released by Lionsgate and CBS Films.
The movie and books release in August will be a perfect centre for a display along the lines of Tales to Chill the Warmest Months… featuring urban myths and horror stories for younger readers.
If you have never heard of or read Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark then now is the perfect time to change that. These books are phenomenal and the stories are sure to chill the blood of all who read them!
A group of Library Workers have written an open letter to CILIP‘s Board of Trustees regarding concerns about CILIP’s Employer Partnership Scheme, particularly their recent announcements of partnerships with GLL and the Ministry of Defence.
I feel like I should have a tag just for Barrington Stoke reviews, because they are some of my very favourite books. The Starlight Watchmaker by Lauren James is no exception (so huge thanks for sending me a proof)!
Wealthy students from across the galaxy come to learn at the prestigious academy where Hugo toils as a watchmaker. But he is one of the lucky ones. Many androids like him are jobless and homeless. Someone like Dorian could never understand their struggle – or so Hugo thinks when the pompous duke comes banging at his door. But when Dorian’s broken time-travel watch leads them to discover a sinister scheme, the pair must reconcile their differences if they are to find the culprit in time. A wildly imaginative sci-fi adventure from YA star Lauren James, particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant or dyslexic readers aged 13+
I love sci-fi that makes you think without taking itself too seriously, and this fit the bill perfectly. The characters and their backgrounds are so imaginative and well rounded considering the length of the book, fitting such world building into such a short novella takes real craft! I was very excited to be given the opportunity to ask Lauren some questions, about the book and more…
Hi Lauren, welcome to
Teen Librarian!
This is your first
book for Barrington Stoke, was writing a novella a very different process to
writing a longer novel?
It was a lot faster and more fun, and it gave me the freedom
to experiment in ways I wouldn’t for a full-length novel.
Was it a longer
editing process to fit the “readability” criteria of a Barrington
Stoke book?
It was the most intensive editing process I’ve ever
undertaken. There are usually several rounds of edits for a book – the first
focussing on wide-ranging plot points, then focussing in scene-by-scene, then
line to line, then finally looking at each word. With a readable novella, that
process is then continued again for several more rounds of edits that make sure
that every single word fits with the words around it, that everything is
explained, and that the words only have one possible interpretation. They work
to make sure that sentence structure is chronological and easy to understand,
there are plenty of dialogue markers to make the speaker obvious, and there
isn’t any complicated formatting. It was like watching masters at work.
My favourite
character was Ada, how did you get the idea for (basically) a living volcano?
I really love Calcifer in Howl’s Moving Castle, who is a
fire demon/burning ember. He expresses emotions through burning fire, which I
always thought was excellent. I wanted to do something similar.
Might you revisit the
characters in another story?
Yes! I want to write a sequel set on Dorian’s underwater
planet – I have a plot already planned out, so fingers crossed I get chance to
write it! Hugo and Dorian’s relationship still has a lot more story to tell.
What books/films/TV
shows are your main source of inspiration?
I wanted to write a more readable story that still uses all
of my favourite sci-fi elements – there are hints of Binti, Jeeves &
Wooster, Starfleet Academy from Star Trek, Saga, Howl’s Moving Castle and The
Watchmaker of Filigree Street.
This novella is designed to be a jumping-off point to help
readers explore the whole canon of sci-fi, hopefully while feeling like there
might be a place for them in the genre, after all.
If you go into
schools, do you prefer writing workshops or author talks?
Great question! I love both, but I think workshops are a lot
more fun because I can talk to individual students rather than speaking to a
whole hall. Plus, students always have such great writing imaginations. They
come up with ideas that I would never dream up.
What are you
currently reading and who would you recommend it to?
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid – A
fictional take on a spoke history of a seventies rock band feud. A great look
at unreliable narrators and biased storytelling.
The True Queen by Zen Cho – This series is a Malaysian take
on Regency romances, with magic and dragons and fairies. So wonderfully unique.
What are you working
on now?
My next book hasn’t been announced yet, but I can tell you
it’s about ghosts and murder and university life.
Lauren James (photo credit Pete Bedwell)
Lauren James is the author of Young Adult science fiction, including The Quiet at the End of the World, The Loneliest Girl in the Universe, The Starlight Watchmaker and The Next Together series. She teaches creative writing for the University of Cambridge, Coventry University and Writing West Midlands, and has written articles for numerous publications, including the Guardian, Buzzfeed, The Toast, and the Children’s Writers and Artist’s Yearbook. You can find her on Twitter at @Lauren_E_James or her website http://www.laurenejames.co.uk, where you can subscribe to her newsletter to be kept up to date with her new releases and receive bonus content.
