Category Archives: Books

Diverse Book Awards Longlist Officially Announced

Introducing the ultimate must-read list of diverse & inclusive children’s, YA and adult fiction books in the UK

London, United Kingdom, 27th July 2021: More than 100 submissions were received for the second year of The Diverse Book Awards, created by writing community The Author School (www.theauthorschool.com). Today, the longlist is officially unveiled, revealing the outstanding diverse and inclusive books published by British/UK-based authors/publishers in the hugely challenging year of 2020. The shortlist will be revealed on 20th September and the winners in each category announced on October 21st 2021.

Abiola Bello, co-founder of The Author School and award-winning author: Through The Diverse Book Awards I have discovered new diverse books and authors that I hadn’t previously been aware of. I hope that the longlist inspires others to discover new talent too. The conversation around diversity in publishing has stepped up a level over recent months, at a time when we were shouting out for submissions to The Diverse Book Awards. The longlist represents the work that has been done already within publishing and showcases that it is truly is possible for diverse and inclusive books to be the ‘norm’ rather than ‘exception’. We hope that encouraging publishers and authors to write more diverse and inclusive books – and enter them into next year’s awards – will be a positive step forward for the publishing industry in this country. Massive thank you to the judges!

The three winners from each category will receive a bundle of prizes including a trophy, a six-month PR and marketing membership of Literally PR’s ‘100 Club’, a feature and virtual event with Back To Books, editorial content in Bad Form and Pen&Inc, the opportunity to be part of two author panel events – hosted by The Author School and the other with Simon & Schuster.

The Children’s winner will have their book featured as part of World Book Day Book Club and a school visit organised by World of Diversity.

The YA winner will be part of Wigtown YA Literary Festival and a school visit organised by World of Diversity.

The Children’s and YA winner will be featured on Tiny Revolution’s website and included in their catalogue of books.

Our YA headline sponsor is Book Clubs In Schools and the YA winner will be part of the National Teen Book Club, a UK wide virtual book club for teens.

The Diverse Book Awards Longlist 2021

Adult Longlist 2021

The First Woman by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi (Oneworld)

If I Don’t Have You by Sareeta Domingo (Jacaranda)

A More Perfect Union by Tammye Huf (Myriad Editions)

Broadwater by Jac Shreeves-Lee (Fairlight Books)

Ugly Dogs Don’t Cry by DD Armstrong (Jacaranda)

Love After Love by Ingrid Persaud (Faber)

The Street Hawker’s Apprentice by Kabir Kareem-Bello (Jacaranda)

The Cat and the City by Nick Bradley (Atlantic Books)

The Family Tree by Sairish Hussain (HQ)

Truth Be Told by Kia Abdullah (HQ)

Young Adult Longlist 2021

Eight Pieces of Silva by Patrice Lawrence (Hodder Children’s Books (Hachette)

Run, Rebel by Manjeet Mann (Penguin Random House Children’s)

Cane Warriors by Alex Wheatle (Andersen Press)

And The Stars Were Shining Brightly by Danielle Jawando (Simon & Schuster Children’s Books)

Boy, Everywhere by A. M. Dassu (Old Barn Books)

Wonderland by Juno Dawson (Quercus Children’s Books (Hachette)

Hideous Beauty by William Hussey (Usborne)

Hijab and Red Lipstick by Yousra Imran (Hashtag Press)

Crown of Crowns by Clara Loveman (Clara Loveman)

Love Frankie by Jacqueline Wilson (Penguin Random House Children’s)

Children’s Longlist 2021

Windrush Child by Benjamin Zephaniah (Scholastic Children’s Books)

Too Small Tola by Atinuke, Onyinye Iwu (Walker Books)

Do You Know Me? by Rebecca Westcott, Libby Scott (Scholastic Children’s Books)

Nothing Ever Happens Here by Sarah Hagger-Holt (Usborne)

Baller Boys by Venessa Taylor, Kenneth Ghann (Hashtag Press)

Zombierella: Fairy Tales Gone Bad by Joseph Coelho, Freya Hartas (Walker Books)

Dragon Mountain by Katie & Kevin Tsang (Simon & Schuster Children’s Books)

Clean Up by Nathan Bryon and Dapo Adeola, Nathan Bryon (Penguin Random House Children’s)

A Secret of Birds & Bone by Kiran Millwood Hargrave (Chicken House)

Little Badman and the Time-Travelling Teacher of Doom by Humza Arshad and Henry White, Aleksei Bitskoff (Penguin Random House Children’s)

The Archibald Lox series

Fans of master storyteller, Darren Shan, will be delighted to hear that the second volume in
his major new fantasy series is coming this summer. Comprised of three novels, the second
volume in the Archibald Lox series takes readers further into the Merge and the adventures
of locksmith, Archie.
Shan, known for his globally successful series The Saga of Darren Shan, The Demonata and
Zom-B, published the first volume in the Archibald Lox series as three ebooks in April 2020,
earlier than originally planned to bring some relief to fans during the first national Covid-19
lockdown. Paperback editions followed, along with a combined paperback of the first three
books entitled The Missing Princess. As with the first volume, the three novels comprising
Volume Two are designed to be read in quick succession as a trilogy.
Readers should prepare to pick up the pace as book 4 continues the action. Archibald Lox
and the Forgotten Crypt sees a couple of assassins catch up with Archie, and he’s forced to
flee to the Merge in search of friendship and safety. As his skills develop, he opens a
gateway to a long-forgotten crypt, where ancient secrets are revealed. In a city of ice, the
greatest gropsters of the six realms have assembled for a legendary Tourney, but a small
group of plotters are more interested in kidnapping…
Travel with Archie through books 5, Archibald Lox and the Slides of Bon Repell, and six,
Archibald Lox and the Rubicon Dictate, as he faces further challenges and grave danger,
including a fight for his freedom – and his sanity. What will the fates have in store, and can
Archie defeat some of the most powerful and merciless rulers of the realms…?

Darren Shan

I read the first of the Archibald Fox trilogy last summer and really enjoyed it, I can’t believe book 4 is already here! Here’s an interview with Darren Shan by Catherine Ward, in anticipation:

For those who haven’t started this new series yet, can you give us a quick overview?

A boy called Archie spotted a girl on a bridge in London, being chased by a pair of killers. She pulled some strange faces and opened a doorway to another dimension, called the Merge. When the killers had departed, Archie found he had the power to reopen the door, and followed the girl to the universe of the Merge, where he got involved in a quest to save a realm from falling under the control of the villainous SubMerged.

Why did you structure this series as Volumes comprising 3 books each? Is that something you planned from the beginning?

I actually planned the Volumes as very long single books, and wrote them that way. But I’d been considering breaking them down into shorter books and serialising them from the start, as that’s the way I’ve released all my other lengthy series. (The Saga of Darren Shan, The Demonata, Zom-B.) I hummed and hawed over the decision for ages, and still wasn’t 100% sure when it came time to release them! In the end I decided that I would break the volumes down into trilogies, but also then do omnibus edition bind-ups several months after the release of the shorter books, offering people the chance to read the stories as they were originally composed, if that was their preference.

Your Zom-B series was designed as a serial, with shorter books being released more often. What is it you like about this formula?

I’ve always loved a good cliff-hanger! I grew up as an avid reader of comics – for many years I never missed an issue of The Eagle and 2000AD – and I loved how stories would unreel over the space of several weeks or months. The gap between instalments added to the pleasure of the reading experience. It’s how books used to be published in the past — for instance, Charles Dickens released all of his books in serialised chunks. It was largely a forgotten art for many decades, but I was interested in reviving it almost from the very beginning of my career, and internet publishing has seen serial books enjoy a real surge since the turn of the millennium — I guess I was just a few steps ahead of the curve!

Although your main character, Archie comes from our world – known as the Born – most of Volume 1 takes place in the ‘other’ world he accesses via a hidden portal. Will we revisit the Born in Volume 2? Will we learn more about how the two worlds coexist? 

Oh yes! Some of the action takes place in our world – there are important scenes set in London, Moscow and New York – but the bulk of the story is set in the Merge. I don’t think there’s much point in creating a huge fantastical universe and not spending most of your story time there. Readers would quite rightly be up in arms if I told them “I’ve created this really cool parallel universe, but I’m not going to show much of it to you!” We’ll learn more about the Merge in this Volume, as well as in the third set of books next year. As a fish out of water, Archie is learning new things each time round — and discovering new things about himself each time as well.

 We first meet Archie when he’s in a bad place but we see him gain self-belief and confidence and intuition as he gets to grips with his locksmith abilities and the ways of the Merge. I would say he’s a pretty relatable and inspiring character for children & young adults, especially at a time when a lot of us are feeling a bit derailed by the pandemic – was that intentional?

I can’t say it was, as I started this series several years before most of us had ever even heard of a coronavirus! But I think childhood and our teens can be a confusing, alienating time for many of us, even when the world is operating as normal, and I’ve always tried to use my YA books to give readers hope that all obstacles in life can be overcome. The world can often seem like a weird, hostile place when you’re growing up, and I think fantasy and horror books can help kids come to understand that they can triumph no matter how weird and dark things get.

We journey through a variety of incredible realms and zones in the Merge, featuring all manner of societies and dwellings and inhabitants. Did these evolve in your imagination as you were writing, or did you develop much of the Merge in the planning stages of this series?

I spent a lot of time planning the books before I started writing them, far more than I ever did on any of my other series. Most of the action in my other long series took place on our world, so I was able to pretty much dive straight into them and flesh things out as I went along. With the Merge, I knew most of the story would take place in these parallel worlds, so I had to put a lot of thought and work into what those worlds would be like, and how they’d function. I also wrote far more than I needed in my first drafts, especially Volume 1, packing in loads of extraneous details that I would go on to cut as I edited the books, but which I needed to inform myself about the Merge. The first drafts were almost like travelogues, which I then set about converting into action-packed stories.

Will we visit new realms in Volume 2?

Absolutely! We’ll revisit some familiar places in Volume 2 and Volume 3, but each time round we’ll also venture into new realms and settings. I want to show readers as many different facets of the Merge as I can before Archie’s story concludes, so each time round we’re going to be hitting for pastures new.

In Volume 1 we have a few brushes with dangerous locations and beings in the Merge – will we see more of that in Volume 2?

I think, given my track record, that’s a safe assumption to make! I left the horror genre behind with these books, to focus on the fantasy elements, but I don’t think it would be a proper Darren Shan series if it didn’t have a strong dark strain to it.

You’ve mentioned in a previous interview that you have planned three volumes of Archibald Lox at least… any more news on that?!

Yes, there will be three Volumes in total. My plan is to release the final Volume (again, made up of three books) in 2022, and I’m looking good to hit that target. Touch wood!

Are you working on anything else besides this Archibald Lox series?

Bizarrely enough, I’m currently trying my hand at a few picture books! I have two young children, so I’ve been reading a lot of picture books over the last several years, and I started having ideas for some of my own. I don’t know if those ideas will ultimately lead to anything, but watch this space…

Have you missed being able to do live events over this past 18 months? Do you miss touring?

I’d actually stepped back from touring since I finished my Zom-B series. After many years on the road, I wanted to spend more time at home, especially since Mrs Shan and I had decided to go into the baby-making business! So I wouldn’t have been out on the road regardless of the lockdowns. That said, I have started to miss that side of things now — I’ve always enjoyed a close relationship with my fans, and I love meeting them at events, chatting with them and signing their books. Hopefully, over the next few years, I’ll be able to get back out on tour.

Were you a keen reader throughout your teen years, or did your interest wane at all? Were you drawn to fantasy worlds as a young reader?

I actually read more in my teens than I’ve read at any other time of my life. I was a voracious reader, ploughing through a couple of books a week in my prime, as well as reading loads of comics and graphic novels. And yes, I was always a big fan of fantasy, horror and sci-fi. I read all sorts of other genres too, but those were my favourites as a child and teenager.

Did you have a library and/or school librarian at Secondary School? If so, did it/they influence your reading habits at all?

Sadly, no. But I’ve visited loads of schools and libraries on tour, and been amazed by the knowledge and enthusiasm of the librarians I’ve met. I thought I knew a lot about books until I started talking to those guys and gals — then I quickly came to realise I was an amateur! I think a good librarian is a real treasure, especially in a library that is either part of a school or closely linked with schools. I got really angry when I was on tour with Zom-B, because it was during the time when the Conservatives in the UK were shutting a lot of libraries, and telling full-time librarians in those that survived the cull that they were going to be replaced with well-meaning part-timers, as basically anyone could run a library, right? Their ignorance of what a librarian does, and how important they can be – especially where children are involved – astonished and disgusted me. And still does.

What are you reading at the moment?

I’m currently working my way through a book called Harbour, by John Ajvide Lindqvist, the guy who wrote a brilliant vampire book called Let The Right One In.

As you conjure such vivid and original worlds in your books, I wondered if you have vivid dreams in strange worlds?! Do you ever dream that you’re inhabiting one of your own worlds or characters?

Short answer — nope! My ideas tend to be fairly mundane affairs. I guess I spend so much time in weird worlds in my waking hours, that my brain enjoys some boring down time when I sleep!

The three books comprising Volume 2 of the Archibald Lox series will be released this summer, in ebook and paperback:

Book 4: Archibald Lox and the Forgotten Crypt – 1st July 2021

Book 5: Archibald Lox and the Slides of Bon Repell – 3rd August 2021

Book 6: Archibald Lox and the Rubicon Dictate – 1st September 2021

For more information visit www.darrenshan.com

The Curie Society

The Curie Society

From the amazing nerds at MIT (well MIT Press actually) comes a phenomenal graphic novel celebrating Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, teamwork and foiling the plots of evildoers with science!!

In 1903, Marie Curie founded a clandestine society where brilliant women could pursue the furthest reaches of their intellect. The Curie Society still covertly exists today in secret chapters at dozens of universities worldwide!

When Simone, Maya, and Taj arrive at Edmonds University, they think they’re simply starting their coursework, but after a strange night of puzzles and coded communications, they are introduced to The Curie Society. Almost immediately, they are deployed on their first urgent mission! A mysterious criminal network has stolen research data from a top-secret Curie de-extinction lab, and if no one intervenes, it will soon be sold to some of the world’s worst elements.

These new recruits will have to use all their specialized scientific skills to protect the Curie Society and save the world – or their first mission may be their last!

The Curie Society takes the adventure tropes of a group of brilliant individuals that seem not to like each other much at the beginning and then get molded together into a kick-ass team under the guidance of a jaded mentor that has suffered betrayal and loss! This may be a work of fiction but the history and science wrapped up in the story is all too real! Honestly I spent hours reading up on everything referenced in the story (and I am not even half way done learning!) This is my favourite type of story, one that you can read again and again and discover something new each time you pick it up!

My enjoyment of this story was heightened by the short biographies of several scientists at the end as well as the glossary explaining the facts and scientific concepts behind many important parts of the story.

Created by: Heather Einhorn & Adam Staffaroni; written by Janet Harvey; with art by Sonia Liao & edited by Joan Hilty The Curie Society was published by MIT Press and is available now!

You can discover amazing scientific facts and more at thecuriesociety.com and use the STEM guides to create science experiments at home!

Legendary Comics Forms New Young Adult Imprint

Launching with a slate of five original graphic novels created for the young adult space, Legendary Comics announced a new imprint, Legendary Comics YA, dedicated to telling original and character-driven stories across a wide array of genres. With a commitment to amplify new voices, spotlight diverse perspectives, and seek out passionate talent telling authentic stories, the imprint gives emerging and veteran artists a platform to share stories never told before and retell classics from a new point of view, in hopes to transport readers to other worlds that span a range of genres, from fantasy to historical fiction, and beyond.

“We’ve identified the young adult genre as an opportunity to expand and invest in our audience growth. Legendary Comics YA is the beginning of our long term commitment to this category and the diverse stories we want to tell,” said Robert Napton, Senior Vice President of Legendary Comics.

“The YA genre is known for telling groundbreaking, innovative, and unique stories. By working with exciting new talent and comic book veterans in the YA space, we have been able to acquire books where emotional and personal journeys are at the forefront. Legendary Comics YA is our chance to focus on fresh character-driven stories that reflect the diverse voices of young adults all over the world,” said Nikita Kannekanti, Senior Editor at Legendary Comics.

The Legendary Comics YA slate includes:

  • Championess (in stores now) – based on the true story of Elizabeth Wilkinson, a female bare-knuckle boxer in 18th century London. Elizabeth, reimagined as half-Indian, and her sister Tess struggle to make ends meet and cover Tess’s debts. While Elizabeth works odd jobs at the local newspaper, the only way she knows how to make enough money to help them survive is her true passion, bareknuckle boxing. With Tess’s support, Elizabeth trains at the boxing facility of one of the most famous retired boxers and the only real fight promoter of any notoriety, James Figg. As Elizabeth trains with Figg and James Stokes, she confronts her personal demons of what destroyed her family and comes to terms with being the first half-Indian female boxer in a white male world. Writers: Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas. Arist: Amanda Perez Puentes.
  • The Heart Hunter (August 3, 2021) – set on the cursed island of Envecor, where everyone is doomed to wear their heart outside their body and are immortal—unable to die, to change, to have children — until they find their soul mate. Paired soul mates are then turned mortal, freed from the curse, and able to leave. But all fairy tales have a dark side: those who don’t want to lose their immortality pay “Heart Hunters” to find their soul mates and kill them so they may remain immortal. Psyche, a Heart Hunter, is hired by the king to kill his soulmate. As she sets out on her quest, she begins her own journey of mending her broken heart and learning to trust again. Writer: Mickey George. Artist: V. Gagnon.
  • Lupina (September 9, 2021) – a six-part captivating saga about a young girl on a journey of revenge with her wolf companion. In the coastal town of Kote, recently brought under the yoke of the Addalian Empire, four-year-old Lupa spends her days getting bullied by her older sister and hiding behind her mother’s skirts. But when tragedy strikes, Lupa finds herself alone in a new world… alone until she’s found by the she-wolf, Coras, and sets off on a journey of discovery… and revenge. Writer: Eisner Award-nominated writer James F. Wright. Arist: Li Buszka.
  • The Witches of Silverlake (October 1, 2022) – the story of Elliot Green, who moves across country to start high school in one of Los Angeles’ most prestigious private schools. He’s quickly taken in by the school’s outcasts: the scholarship kids; the queer kids; and the ones who just don’t really fit in with the glossy trust fund babies of SJTBA. They quickly let him in on their little secret…they are witches. Elliot joins them in their world among the crystal stores and occult shops of Silverlake and ends up joining his new friends’ coven. During one of their magical experiments, they accidentally release a bloodthirsty demon that starts murdering their classmates and teachers. Elliot and his coven realize that the fun and games of playing with crystals and candles is over, that magic is powerful, real, and that it might be more dangerous than they’d ever imagined. Writer: Simon Curtis. Arist: Stephanie Son.
  • Tragic (April 18, 2022) – a retelling of Shakespeare’s Hamlet from a queer lens and told through the eyes of 17-year-old Harper Hayes. After her father Hamilton dies a mysterious and tragic death, Harper is convinced that he was murdered, and her first suspect is her uncle, who has been sleeping with her mother. With the help of her ex-girlfriend Talia and her best friend (sometimes with benefits) Holden, Harper is determined to find her father’s killer. But when Caius, Talia’s father and Hamilton’s business partner, is also found dead, Harper realizes the answer to Hamilton’s murder is more complicated than she had initially realized. As Harper begins to see her father’s ghost in the form of a teenage Hamlet everywhere and starts slipping into hallucinations of his murder that end with blood on her hands, one thing becomes clear—in order to uncover the truth about what happened to her father, Harper has to confront her own demons and ones that haunt the Hayes family. Writer: Dana Mele. Artist: Valentina Pinti. Colorist: Chiara Di Francia.

Mermaid Life: The Joy of Making Waves by Christine De Carvalho

Ah, salty breezes, beach hair, the feeling of bare feet (or fins) in warm sand. And dreams of that mer-mazing world under the sea. An ode to the joys of making waves, this sweet celebration is filled with mermaids, merman, purrmaids, and other underwater lovelies- complete with quotes, folklore, and mantras.

Mermaid Life is a celebration of all things aquatic as tied to Merfolk. The illustration style is reminiscent of old-style sailor tattoos but modern and somehow timeless.

This little book has a ton of aquatic facts, definitions, inspirational quotes (that are dying to be turned into posters) as well as some really hilarious puns and and will no doubt inspire readers to go and get themselves inked (if they have not already done so!)

Inspirational Quotes
Puns!

This book is pretty and fun to read or flip through at random and has a page of really shiny stickers at the back!

Highly recommended for fans of Merfolk, beautiful art and puns!

Mermaid Life: The Joy of Making Waves by Christine De Carvalho is published by Workman Publishing and will be available on April 6th

Silence is Not an Option

Silence is Not an Option is the first book by Stuart Lawrence – the younger brother of Stephen Lawrence who tragically died in an unprovoked attack on 22 April 1993. The book is interspersed with reflections on his brother Stephen’s life and murder as well as the tools that have helped him live positively and kept him moving forwards when times have been tough. An inspiring read directed at younger readers (aged 10 +) Stuart’s aim is to use his
own experience to help young people – to help all people – find their own voice, stand up for change, and contribute towards creating a more positive society.
Stuart is determined to ensure that children today understand the impact of their actions against others and the importance of inclusion through teaching tolerance and celebrating difference. He has a background in education – working as a teacher for over 15 years – and is now a motivational speaker and youth engagement specialist. Stuart is also a mentor for several young people in the South London area.
Since his brother’s death, Stuart and his family have had a huge impact on the change of attitude towards racism within British society. Their story is still as impactful and important today.

Scholastic

This is a great book to read slowly. It gives the reader practical activities in each chapter, to really think about themselves and how they can impact those around them, before moving onto the next chapter. It is for independent reading and reflection, but could also prompt some brilliant discussions between young people if shared with a group. Chapters range from the influence of role models (Stuart discusses meeting Nelson Mandela) to championing yourself and others. Stuart is incredibly busy, but I just asked him to quickly recommend some books for teenagers to help them understand their place in the world and how to contribute positively:

– Black and British by David Olusoga (I’ve read the abridged “short history” version for younger readers and it is brilliantly fascinating)

– This Book is Anti-Racist by Tiffany  Jewell (another full of practical advice)

– Everyone Versus Racism by Patrick Hutchinson

– No Win Race: A Story of Belonging, Britishness and Sport by Derek A Bardowell

Scholastic also allowed me to share this excerpt from chapter 3: YOU ARE IN CONTROL:

SELF-CONTROL

After losing my brother Stephen, I really had to learn self-control. Suddenly, my family and I were in the newspapers and on the TV. A lot of the time, the public were being misinformed about our story. I was so angry that my brother was being portrayed as a gang member and a drug dealer, when he was an A-level student aspiring to become an architect.

However, I had to control myself, because lashing out would only affect my family and my brother’s case negatively. It didn’t mean I didn’t speak out, but I had to exercise self-control in the way I handled the situation. I had to be calm and composed, even though I didn’t feel like it.

What is Self-control? Having self-control means being able to manage your decisions, emotions and behaviours so that you can achieve your goals. This skill is what separates humans from the rest of the animal kingdom!

Self-control is rooted in the front part of our brains, in an area called the prefrontal cortex. This is the planning, problem-solving and decision-making centre of the brain. Did you know that this part of the brain is much larger in humans than it is in other mammals? This area of our brain acts differently at different stages of our lives. For example, teenagers are more likely to act on impulse or to misunderstand their emotions than older people. As much as you might not want to believe us adults and feel like you are an exception to the rule, these are scientific facts!

You can only control yourself. For example, let’s say you are trying out to become the captain of the school netball team and, unfortunately, you aren’t picked for the role. Instead of sulking, getting angry or upset, you show good sportsmanship and shake the hand of your competitor. In doing this, you use your self-control. You are unable to control the situation but you are able to control your reaction and that is what is important. Don’t forget, it’s always useful to get feedback so that you can improve and win next time.

About the author: Stuart Lawrence is the younger brother of Stephen Lawrence, the young man who, on 22 April 1993, at the age of just 18, was murdered in an unprovoked racist attack. Stuart is an educator and motivational speaker, dedicated to helping to transform the life chances of young people.

Stephen Lawrence Day is held on 22 April each year to commemorate Stephen’s life.
Follow the journey: #SilenceIsNotAnOption Insta @hon_stuartlawrence Twitter @sal2nd

SILENCE IS NOT AN OPTION is published today by Scholastic.

With thanks for sending me a review copy

Donations and Books in Libraries

There has been a big go-round on library twitter over the past little while about a tweet about book donations and patrons getting upset at the thought of library workers selling or recycling donated items rather than putting them in to the library collection.

I know that as library workers we are usually inured to the thought that books have a finite lifespan before they are moved on to being sold or sent off to be pulped, but I think a majority of the library-going public are not as hardened to these realities as we are. It is so easy to write our library users off as being precious or over-sensitive about the fate of beloved books that they wish to donate to us, they have loved the stories and wish to share them with others.

The belief that books are precious and need to be looked after is one that is instilled in people from a very young age – usually beginning at library story-times, I can remember my librarian who showed us how to look after books, not tear pages, turn the page from the top right-hand corner and be respectful of library books, as others need the chance to read them too. This is passed down from adult to child in families that have been brought up using libraries and often they may have had the same librarian showing them how to be look after books.

These kinds of interactions are often the most that a lot of people have with library staff, they grow up believing that library workers love books and want library users to look after them and treat them gently (and we do want that – we know how many times books have to be loaned to recoup their expense). When they come up against the harsh reality that often we are unable to use donations except as fund-raising items for book sales they can get upset because their idealized image of library workers seldom matches up with the harsh reality of what we do.

We do not need to be harsh when confronted with library donations, most times people’s hearts are in the right place when they bring in things that they think we can use, it may be that they have heard that library budgets are constantly under thread and donating books is the only thing that they can do (if it helps them clear space in their homes then it is a double bonus).

It is so easy to poke fun of people on social media, especially those whom we can be judgey about (like people who get upset when they find out that their donations are not wanted) at the moment most people support libraries and library workers but if they see more and more of us act like entitled a-holes online that may change.

We work in libraries to serve our users and educate them, and that includes education on how libraries work and how we maintain our loan materials and everything else!

No, physical books are not eternal items of wonder and magic, but to most people (myself included) some can be, and we would do well to remember that.

The Fountains of Silence

A haunting and romantic novel set in post-war Spain by Ruta Sepetys – winner of the Carnegie Medal 2017.

Madrid, 1957.

Daniel, young, wealthy and unsure of his place in the world, views the city through the lens of his camera.

Ana, a hotel maid whose family is suffering under the fascist dictatorship of General Franco.

Lives and hearts collide as they unite to uncover the hidden darkness within the city.

A darkness that could engulf them all . . .

Master storyteller Ruta Sepetys once again shines light into one of history’s darkest corners in this epic, heart-wrenching novel about identity, unforgettable love and the hidden violence of silence.

Penguin

I was lucky enough to be invited to join a small Q&A session with Ruta Sepetys on zoom last month, to discuss her latest title THE FOUNTAINS OF SILENCE. It was an absolutely fascinating conversation between her and Carmen McCullough (editorial director at Puffin), followed by some questions from the invited bloggers. Do read all the other blogs to discover her answers to some really interesting questions about the research behind her writing as well as the writing itself and its reception.

Ruta talked about building narratives from what you know (and assume) about a person, and how important it is to give a voice to unheard stories to maybe change opinions and open up minds. It was amazing hearing about the lengths she went to in researching details to include that would immerse the readers in a sensory experience – to the extent that she owns a key to a room in the hotel that her American family stayed in, brochures they would have seen in the foyer, a spoon they would have used!

When it was my turn to ask some questions, mine weren’t really about FOUNTAINS at all (although it was relevant as it had recently been announced that it had been longlisted for this year’s Carnegie AND NOW SHORTLISTED!!!), but rather about her experience being nominated for and winning the Carnegie medal:

On your website it says your “books have won or been shortlisted for over forty book prizes”, but the Carnegie is the only one specifically mentioned, why is the medal so special?

Ruta’s answer to this question blew me away:

One of the oldest, most enduring prizes that is recognised world-wide…When I began writing…many of the true witnesses would say “don’t bother, no one’s interested, the world has forgotten us”, and to be recognised on a longlist for an award like this…is restoring a bit of dignity to these people…The true survivors feel honoured by the award, and that is really powerful. It brings history out of the dark.

Is it just a nice thing to win an award, or do you think they are important for bigger reasons?

Ruta made some great points about the Carnegie promoting a culture of reading, being a reading community, and bringing people together around one story. Reading is a creative partnership between the author and the reader:

…the author provides the text and the reader brings the character to life, the setting, amplifies the emotion…walks by their side for 300pages feeling their fear…Awards acknowledge that empathy, I think that’s the most important part.

Thank you so much to Ruta for the really thoughtful answers.

THE FOUNTAINS OF SILENCE is out in paperback now!

The Deep-Sea Duke

When Hugo and Ada travel to their friend Dorian’s planet for the holidays, Hugo is anxious about being accepted by Dorian’s powerful family. But when they arrive on Hydrox, there are more pressing things to worry about, as the planet has become a temporary home for refugee butterflies. Displaced from their home by climate change, the butterflies have been offered sanctuary by Dorian’s parents, but they’re quickly running out of space. Meanwhile, beneath the seas, a strange creature is wreaking all kinds of havoc … Can Hugo, Dorian and Ada step in before the crisis gets out of control?

Barrington Stoke
cover design: Helen Crawford-White

You all know how much I love the extra-readable YA from Barrington Stoke (and everything else they publish, but anyway…) so I’m always excited when I get the chance to review one of their titles. I was especially excited to see The Deep Sea Duke arrive, as The Starlight Watchmaker introduced some utterly amazing characters and I wanted to join them in another adventure. I also got a chance to follow up with the author, Lauren James:

When I interviewed you for TeenLibrarian around the publication of The Starlight Watchmaker, you mentioned that you had plans to write a sequel on Dorian’s planet because there was still a lot more story to tell about Dorian and Hugo’s relationship. I’ve loved to see that come true (and was really pleased to see my favourite character, Ada, still plays a large part – pun intended). Is the final version much different to what you had planned 18 months ago?

Not much, really! I’ve always had a really clear vision for these books, and one of the joys of writing short novellas (each book is around 20,000 words long) is that the edits tend to be quite low-key. Not much changes, unlike my novels, which are torn to bits before I’m through with them. But I’ve always been able to see exactly where Hugo and Dorian’s story is going, and it’s so nice to see it come together. 

There is a definite focus on climate change (and the causes) in this novella, did you find yourself doing a lot of research before (or during) the world building?

I’m very interested in climate politics in general, so a lot of the content in the book was stuff I was already aware of. I read a lot of newsletters about climate change, and reading articles helped me establish what I wanted to say with the novella.

What is your main piece of advice for a teen concerned about climate change, and how they can do anything about it?

So many of the climate fiction books I read focus on the effect that individuals can have on the planet, with the message that we all need to be more responsible, greener consumers. I wanted to look at how industry and businesses are causing pollution, to make it clear to my young, scared readers that it’s not their responsibility to fix climate change. No amount of careful consumption can fix an industry-wide problem.

However, there are some things people can do to help! My biggest tips are: 

  • Vote in all political elections you are able to, and make sure your representatives are aware that your vote is based on their climate policy views
  • Replace garden lawns with wildflower meadows
  • Switch to LED lightbulbs
  • Don’t fly – and pay for carbon offsetting for any flights you are required to take
  • Make sure your savings and pensions schemes are not invested in companies contributing to climate change. Ask your company to divest from their harmful default options
  • Avoid eating beef, and transition to dairy alternatives
  • Buy in-season food, grown locally (avoiding hot-house produce grown out of season)
  • Change to a renewable energy utility supplier
  • Buy electric cars – but only once your current car is absolutely unable to be fixed. Keep current cars on the road for as long as possible, to keep manufacturing emissions low
  • Install solar panels or solar roof tiles
  • Air dry clothing instead of tumble drying
  • Avoid disposable, cheap fashion and invest in long-term, quality pieces that can be worn for many years

And, of course, plant trees wherever you can. They truly are the lungs of our planet. Depleted forests, savannahs, peatlands, mangroves and wetlands have the ability to grow back quickly, but we need to give them the opportunity to do that. 

How did the Climate Fiction Writers League come about?

The idea was inspired by a similar writing collective, the Women Writers Suffrage League, formed in 1908 by activists, who said, “A body of writers working for a common cause cannot fail to influence public opinion.” They encouraged professional writers to create work about the suffrage movement working to give women the vote. These books were written and published before women got the vote – when they had no idea whether their activism would be successful. 

The comparison between the suffragettes and modern Extinction Rebellion activists is something I’d been thinking about a lot while writing my own climate fiction novel – it’s one of the big questions of our time, I think. Is political protest enough for something as urgent as the climate crisis? Should activists be taking direct action, similar to those taken by the suffragettes? 

I’ve been trying to answer that question for myself while writing my novel, and the Women Writers Suffrage League was mentioned in some non-fiction about the suffragettes. Immediately, I wanted to join a similar movement for climate fiction writers – but I couldn’t find any when I googled it. In fact, I couldn’t really find any comprehensive resources about climate fiction at all. It seemed like something that would be really useful to a lot of people, so I decided to set one up. 

The group has really taken on its own life beyond what I ever imagined, with over 100 authors on board now, and lots of essays and interviews to read: https://climatefictionwritersleague.substack.com/ 

I will always ask: what are you reading at the moment and who would you recommend it to?

I just read an early copy of A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers, which is a really lovely far-future look at a world where humans have worked to stop climate change – and succeeded! I think there’s a desperate need for futures which aren’t dystopian, to encourage people to keep trying to save the planet and not give up – and this does that really well. I also really enjoyed Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell, a nice space opera romance.

What are you working on at the moment?

My next novel continues the climate change theme with Green Rising, set in a future where teenagers can grow plants, and use it to rewild the planet. I’m also working on the novel adaptation of my internet murder mystery An Unauthorised Fan Treatise, which I posted online at https://gottiewrites.wordpress.com/ So lots of stuff in the pipeline!

Huge thanks to Lauren for her wonderful answers and to Barrington Stoke for sending me a review copy. The Deep Sea Duke is out now!

Lauren James is the twice Carnegie-nominated British author of many Young Adult novels, including The Reckless Afterlife of Harriet Stoker, The Loneliest Girl in the Universe and The Quiet at the End of the World. She is also a Creative Writing lecturer, freelance editor, screenwriter, and the founder of the Climate Fiction Writers League. Her upcoming release is Green Rising, a climate change thriller.

Her books have sold over a hundred thousand copies worldwide, been translated into five languages and shortlisted for the YA Book Prize and STEAM Children’s Book Award.

Her other novels include The Next Together series, the dyslexia-friendly novella series The Watchmaker and the Duke and serialised online novel An Unauthorised Fan Treatise.

She was born in 1992, and has a Masters degree from the University of Nottingham, UK, where she studied Chemistry and Physics. Lauren is a passionate advocate of STEM further education, and many of her books feature female scientists in prominent roles. She sold the rights to her first novel when she was 21, whilst she was still at university.

Her writing has been described as ‘gripping romantic sci-fi’ by the Wall Street Journal and ‘a strange, witty, compulsively unpredictable read which blows most of its new YA-suspense brethren out of the water’ by Entertainment Weekly. The Last Beginning was named one of the best LGBT-inclusive works for young adults by the Independent.

Lauren lives in the West Midlands and is an Arts Council grant recipient.  She has written articles for numerous publications, including the Guardian, Buzzfeed, Den of Geek, The Toast, and the Children’s Writers and Artist’s Yearbook 2021. She teaches creative writing for Coventry University, WriteMentor, and Writing West Midlands, providing creative writing courses to children through the Spark Young Writers programme.

Proud of Me

Becky and Josh are almost-twins, with two mums and the same anonymous donor dad.

Josh can’t wait until he’s eighteen, the legal age when he can finally contact his donor, and he’ll do anything to find out more ­­­- even if it involves lying.

Becky can’t stop thinking about her new friend, Carli. Could her feelings for Carli be a sign of something more?

Becky and Josh both want their parents to be proud of them…but right now, they’re struggling to even accept themselves.

Usborne

I loved Sarah Hagger-Holt’s debut MG novel, NOTHING EVER HAPPENS HERE and was lucky enough to have the chance to interview her, read it here, so I was really pleased to be asked to be on the tour for PROUD OF ME.

A Pride group is being set up at school, run by older students but our protagonists get involved (if you like the group scenes, I’d recommend Alex Gino’s RICK as well, for an American version). Friendships play an important role in this story – both brilliant friendships and less satisfying ones – and the feelings Josh and Becky have about their friends are wonderfully described, everything feels very true. In the meantime, Josh and Becky both find themselves keeping very different secrets as he investigates their donor father and she realises she might have feelings for a new friend.

Becky’s best friend Archie is a great character. Openly gay, he (rather than their Mums) is why Becky and Josh both initially go along to the Pride group, and he has some very interesting things to say, for example:

“…Look, if someone else puts a label on you and uses that to define you or put you in a box or to treat you like dirt, then of course that’s bad. But when people say that they’re not into labels, it’s probably because they’ve bought the whole idea that being LGBTQ or whatever is bad, so they don’t want to be associated with it. But labels can be good if you reclaim them, then you can share who you are with other people and be stronger together.”

but he also got into my bad books with this one, which will have every librarian shaking their head in despair, hah:

“Wow, did you know he even has his books in height order? Is your brother for real? Perhaps he’s not really a teenager at all, but a librarian disguised in a teenager’s body?” 

Josh’s secret investigations show him trying to find his place, and his uncertainty around friendships is brilliantly portrayed. It is a really positive book. Their Mums’ fears for them are genuine, remembering how different and difficult it was to “come out” 30 years ago, with the reactions of adults and children in the story really shining a light on how inclusive and safe (hopefully) schools today can be. The children are supporting one another and turning around the attitudes of surrounding adults with positivity!

Do take a look at the other sites for the rest of the tour, and thanks to Usborne for the review copy!