Monthly Archives: October 2023

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Only This Beautiful Moment

October 29, 2023 11:15 am ,

2019 – Moud is an out gay teen living in Los Angeles with his distant father, Saeed. When Moud gets the news that his grandfather in Iran is dying, he accompanies his dad to Tehran, where the revelation of family secrets will force Moud into a new understanding of his history, his culture, and himself.
1978 – Saeed is an engineering student with a promising future ahead of him in Tehran. But when his parents discover his involvement in the country’s burgeoning revolution, they send him to safety in America, a country Saeed despises. And even worse – he’s forced to live with the American grandmother he never knew existed.
1939 – Bobby, the son of a calculating Hollywood stage mother, lands a coveted MGM studio contract. But the fairy-tale world of glamour he’s thrust into has a dark side…

Set against the backdrop of Tehran and Los Angeles, this tale of intergenerational trauma and love is an ode to the fragile bonds of family, the hidden secrets of history and all the beautiful moments that make us who we are today.

Little Tiger
Cover illustration by Safiya Zerrougui

Abdi Nazemian has won numerous awards for his writing in America but this is the first of his books to be published in the UK, so when Little Tiger offered me a review copy I thought it would be worth giving it a go! The story is heartbreaking and soul-mending all at the same time, as intergenerational relationships are shattered, openly discussed, and repaired. I found Saeed’s story the hardest to read, full of emotional gut punches, but they all have moments of happiness and sadness (and realisations about how unfair the world is). It is a thoughtful and thought provoking look at how badly “ordinary people” are let down by their governments and that it is too easy to judge someone (or a group of people) for something we know little about. Moud’s “Peak White Gay” boyfriend is a brilliant foil for a lot of reflection about culture and family. The voices are wonderful and I loved the use of Iranian poetry and references to Persian food. I hope more of Abdi’s work is picked up by UK publishers because this one is well worth a read.

Photo credit: Mandy Vahabzadeh

Only This Beautiful Moment is published in the UK by Little Tiger on the 9th November.

Thank you for the review copy!

Posted in: BAME, Reviews, YA

What You Need To Be Warm

October 19, 2023 1:04 pm ,

Sometimes it only takes a stranger in a dark place… to say we have the right to be here,
to make us warm in the coldest season.

In 2019, Neil Gaiman asked his Twitter followers: What reminds you of warmth? From the thousands of replies he received, he composed an extraordinary poem in aid of UNHCR’s 2019 winter appeal. This poem will now be available in a beautiful hardback edition, featuring contributions from 13 extraordinary illustrators. Every copy sold will be supporting the work of UNHCR.

What You Need to Be Warm is an exploration of displacement and flight from conflict through the objects and memories that represent warmth in cold times. It is about our right to feel safe, whoever we are and wherever we are from, and about welcoming those who find themselves far from home.

Click here for a message from Neil Gaiman.

I was lucky enough to be sent a copy of this book and it is so beautiful, the notes from the illustrators (*so* many talented creators) about how they approached their page are very moving. It, unfortunately, remains very pertinent.

There is a celebration at Waterstones Piccadilly on the evening of the 2nd November, I’m sure it will be a wonderful event.

The book publishes on the 26th October

Posted in: Illustrator, non-fiction, Recommended by a Librarian

Pushback against the renaming of the Kate Greenaway Medal continues

October 16, 2023 8:14 pm ,

Ahead of the upcoming CILIP AGM, creators of the petition to return Kate Greenaway’s name to the award Dr. Rose Roberto & Tamsin Rosewell issued a statement urging members of the organization to speak up about the removal of the Kate Greenaway name from what is now the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration.

We’re delighted that this petition has attracted so much attention, interest and, above all, support. We’re disappointed with what we feel is a brush-off response from CILIP, which we feel is unnecessarily dismissive to more than 3200 people who signed a petition that was constructively worded, and behind which was genuine industry knowledge.

You can read the full statement (& sign the petition if so inclined) here: https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/bring-back-the-kate-greenaway-medal

If any CILIP Members reading this are interested in attending and raising this issue, you should have an opportunity to do so during the any other business section of the meeting.

You can find information about the upcoming AGM here.

Having read the recent Minutes of the July 20th CILIP Board Meeting it appears as if CILIP does not have the appetite to revisit their decision:

11. A.O.B.

NP alerted the Board to a petition that had been launched by people dissatisfied with the change of name from ‘Greenaway Award’ to ‘Carnegie Award for Illustration’. This change happened in 2022 and we do not intend to change it further.

However, if enough members make their voices hard then it may give them pause.

You can read more coverage about the Kate Greenaway Medal here: https://teenlibrarian.co.uk/category/kate-greenaway/

Posted in: Kate Greenaway, News

Girls

October 15, 2023 8:09 pm ,

A determined girl gives up on kissing a frog.
A fearless heroine comes face-to-face with a not-so Big Bad Wolf.
A monstrous princess, held captive on a deserted island, yearns to break free.

Within this book are seven famous fairy tales turned into enchanting, inspiring and sometimes hair-raising stories for today’s world, about girls with their own dreams and desires. These are no damsels in distress, but real young women of flesh and blood – who certainly don’t need rescuing.

Pushkin Press

Annet Schaap writes in Dutch but Laura Watkinson has done a brilliant job of translating her work into English for Pushkin Press: I’ve read and loved both the Carnegie shortlisted LAMPIE in 2020 and this, her self illustrated collection of short retellings of fairy tales. I loved the sketches, they suit the text perfectly and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it on the [was Kate Greenaway] awards list for illustration next year, so I am pleased to be able to share an extract (click here) and accompanying illustration.

Rumpelstiltskin

The stories are almost instantly recognisable and put a brilliant spin on how the girls could/would/should behave in the various situations. The book was over far too soon!

Annet Schaap

Thank you Pushkin Press for sending me a copy for review, GIRLS is out now.

Posted in: Reviews, YA

Black History Month UK 2023

October 3, 2023 10:53 am ,

I said on twitter (‘X’) that I wasn’t going to do a thread of favourite books for Black History Month this year because I’m trying to wean myself off it (but also it may well have imploded by the end of October…) but then I felt bad because there have been some real gems this year! So I decided to put a month’s worth in a blog post (each picture should have a link to more details)…

The eagle eyed amongst you might notice that there are only 30 books there and 31 days in the month of October…that’s because my last recommendation is in recognition of this year’s official theme of SALUTING OUR SISTERS…that you simply must read (and push on younger readers) everything by the inimitable Catherine Johnson, Patrice Lawrence, Nadia Shireen, and Malorie Blackman (even if they are all terrible at updating their websites 😅)!

There are loads of resources on the Black History Month UK website, including a reading list of books for grownups.

While it is still accessible, have a look through my old lists for some more faves!

But also, Matt and I have both moved over to Bluesky for some fresh air, so come find us.

Posted in: BAME, MG, non-fiction, Picture Books, Recommended by a Librarian, Reflecting Realities, Resources, YA