Category Archives: Events

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!

First Story Young Writers virtual festival

The Young Writers festival, the highlight of the First Story Young Writers programme, kicks off on 24 March 2021. This festival provides a unique opportunity for hundreds of young people from less advantaged backgrounds to engage with a literature festival , often for the first time. Pre-pandemic, staged annually (at Cambridge University), the festival is an inspiring day-long event featuring acclaimed speakers, book signings, readings and writing workshopsFor 2021, the festival will become predominantly a free and open access festival online, in a pandemic-necessitated change. From hundreds of students previously attending the festival in Cambridge, this move enables thousands of young writers and readers to access the festival from across the UK and beyond.“We are amazed how many schools have welcomed the festival and registered this year; a day of stimulating creative activity is clearly very welcome at the end of a long challenging term’” said Antonia Byatt, CEO First Story.

First Story partner schools will all take part in live writing workshops with First Story Writers, streamed into their classrooms.

The festival events open to the public are as follows:

24 March Angie Thomas  – access will be open until 23 April 2021 

24  March Young Writers Showcase, chaired by Dean Atta

From 24 March, all Craft and Technique Resource short events will also be available to watch at any time.

All events can be accessed via the festival site here: https://firststory.org.uk/festival/

Sign up early as a school to the Angie Thomas event and receive free copies of THE HATE YOU GIVE:  https://firststory.org.uk/festival/#angie

A limited number of workshops, and a CPD event are for First Story members only. 

Margate Bookie Fireside Chats

Margate Bookie have been organising literary events around seaside town Margate since 2015, but this year they’ve gone online and everyone’s invited! They run festivals and workshops and creative courses for a range of audiences, and in November they’re hosting Fireside Chats with some fabulous guests lined up, follow that link to see all the booking details, but I wanted to highlight two events that TeenLibrarian readers might be particularly interested in:

I will be watching the New Voices panel – I had a great time reading the books longlisted for the Diverse Book Awards this year and am looking forward to hearing more from the team behind it! I’ve been given an extra ticket for both this and the ‘Love with Dean Atta and Richard Skinner’ event, so if you would like to be in with a chance of winning a free ticket for either, just follow the links:

Click here for a chance to win a ticket for the New Voices chat.

Click here for a chance to win a ticket to the Love chat.

Booking is also open for their fab sounding Christmas event!

Publisher Permission Details for Virtual Story-times during the Coronavirus Crisis

You can view 2021 Publisher permissions here: http://teenlibrarian.co.uk/2021/01/06/publisher-permissions-for-online-storytimes-in-2021/

This list will be updated as I find more publisher positions on virtual story-times

Scholastic: https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=scholastic-temporarily-revises-policy-for-online-read-alouds-coronavirus-copyright

Candlewick: https://twitter.com/Candlewick/status/1240645865301295107 (applies to Walker Books US as well)

Little Brown Young Readers: https://www.lbyr.com/little-brown-young-readers/lbyr-blog/lbyr-book-sharing-permission-statement/

Penguin Random House: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/penguin-random-house-temporary-open-license/

Simon & Schuster: https://www.simonandschuster.com/p/online-read-aloud-guidelines

Macmillan: https://us.macmillan.com/macmillan-content-use-guidelines/

Abrams: https://www.abramsbooks.com/abramskidspermission/

HarperCollins Childrens Books: https://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/?detailStory=harpercollins-childrens-books-outlines-online-reading-policy-coronavirus-covid19

Lerner Books: https://rights-permissions.lernerbooks.com/

Boyd Mills & Kane: https://boydsmillsandkane.com/permissions2020/

Lee & Low Books: https://blog.leeandlow.com/2020/03/20/lee-low-guidelines-for-virtual-book-read-alouds-during-covid-19/

Quirk Books: https://www.quirkbooks.com/post/want-read-quirk-books-kids-online-while-social-distancing-heres-how

Mo Willems: http://wernickpratt.com/covid-19-guidelines-for-online-enrichment/

UK Publishers

Hachette Children’s Books: https://twitter.com/PiersTorday/status/1241493636069670917

Walker Books UK: http://www.walker.co.uk/UserFiles/file/2020/Storytime,%20Reading%20and%20Virtual%20Book%20Promotion%20Guidelines_COVID-19.pdf

JK Rowling Harry Potter temporary open licence: https://www.jkrowling.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/TBP-Temporary-Open-Licence-Schools-2.pdf

Chicken House:

These are challenging times for all of us and we are particularly sensitive to the needs of children to continue their learning and to reap the many benefits that literature brings them. We at Chicken House and Scholastic are in full support of providing a wide range of online learning activities for kids during this time of school closures.
We have been moved by the numerous requests we’ve received from people across the country who are trying to address these needs by posting readings of books online for children to access. We want to support you in your efforts and ask that if you choose to read your book online to your students you follow these guidelines:
• At the beginning of your video, please state that you are presenting your reading “with permission from Chicken House books.”
• You post your reading through your school’s platform or another closed group or platform with limited access for your students. Should this not be possible please let me know.
• Since we view this as a way to compensate for the closure of schools, please delete your video or disable access no later than 5pm 30th April 2020.
By posting a reading, you are agreeing to abide by the above terms.

Usborne Books: https://faqs.usborne.com/article/83-id-like-to-make-a-recording-of-an-usborne-book

Faber Children’s: https://www.faber.co.uk/blog/a-message-from-our-faber-childrens-publisher/

Little Tiger Group: http://littletiger.co.uk/tiger-blog/little-tiger-group-permissions-policy-for-online-book-readings

Quirk Books: https://www.quirkbooks.com/post/want-read-quirk-books-kids-online-while-social-distancing-heres-how

Macmillan: https://www.panmacmillan.com/panmac/macmillan-content-use-guidelines

Australia

Books Create Australia, the collaboration between the Australian Booksellers Association (ABA), the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA), the Australian Publishers Association (APA) and the Australian Society of Authors (ASA) has announced a special arrangement for library storytimes during the COVID-19 outbreak.

For the duration of the pandemic, virtual story-times will be sanctioned by an industry agreement. It is the policy of the Boards of the APA and ASA that their members suspend any requirements for copyright permission to be sought, in order to allow libraries to make recordings or livestream storytimes so children aren’t denied this important and much-loved service.

https://www.alia.org.au/news/21007/book-industry-partners-come-agreement-copyright

Canada

 The Association of Canadian Publishers has formed the Read Aloud Canadian Books Program with Access Copyright.

The Program will allow, on a temporary basis, a waiver of licence fees related to the reading of all or part of select books from participating publishers and posting of the video recording online.

https://accesscopyright.ca/read-aloud/

Little Rebels Prize

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.

The Little Rebels Children’s Book Award is now in its 7th year. The Award recognises fiction for ages 0-12 which promotes or celebrates social justice and equality. It is run by booksellers Housmans Bookshop and Letterbox Library and is awarded by the Alliance of Radical Booksellers (ARB).

Jason Reynolds – event review

I wasn’t able to attend the event that Waterstones Piccadilly hosted on Friday 30th November but I told a colleague about it, having recommended his books to her, and she jumped at the chance to go, saying “I couldn’t get Michelle Obama tickets but this will do!”. I asked her if she’d write a few words about the event for us (thankyou Tracey!)

Attending this author event was very different to most I have been to because Jason Reynolds didn’t actually read from his book For Every One, but had a conversation with the audience and Mark Maciver who chaired the talk. He spoke about his journey as a writer, his mother, travelling around England and meeting a few unicorns (basically Black British people who were young and wrote poetry). It was very clear that he was soaking up cultures, conversations and experiences on his book tour and he was definitely reflecting on how important it is to be truthful. A very poignant moment was when he described how he didn’t enjoy classic literature and his mother had said who actually made that a classic? This led onto him to simply saying that if you don’t see yourself and your life reflected in literature how can you engage with something so different to your life. Rap music was so important to him as a young man and that was never part of the literary narrative of any character in a book, so to take an interest in Shakespeare was not on the agenda. Once you engage with stories that you get, then you are open to new experiences and able to appreciate what others may see. His honesty about not knowing things that authors are supposed to know, such as what are semi-colons for – which obviously made the audience laugh – was truly refreshing. For Every One is probably the best book by Jason Reynolds to read first if you are not familiar with his work, as it is beautiful, poetic, accessible, and very short.


His other title recently published in the UK, Long Way Down, is on the current nominations list for both the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Awards – Carnegie for his writing and the Kate Greenaway for the wonderfully evocative illustrations by Chris Priestly. Knights Of will be publishing his 4 book middle grade series, The Run, next year.

IBBY

On Wednesday 20th June I went to the AGM of the UK branch of IBBY (the International Board of Books for Young people). IBBY was set up in 1953, after the devastation of WWII, to promote international understanding through children’s books. The work they do is fascinating, focussing on ensuring good quality and relevant work is published for children throughout the world. There is lots of information on the UK website about local and international projects and it is well worth perusing. It only costs £30 a year to join and support their work, as well as receiving a few personal perks, so I highly recommend you do!

The AGM was held at the Black Cultural Archives in Brixton, a beautiful building with an excellent mission – maintaining and growing the only UK archives of the diverse black history – and finished with a presentation from S.I. Martin about engaging young people using archive material, and demonstrating that writing can be an act of revolution. He showed us a spectrum of black backgrounds in the UK as far back as the 15C. Not only as slaves but also as princes and property owners, educated and not, having a voice and using it. His words reminded me of Geraldine McCaughrean’s impassioned plea at the CKG ceremony that vocabulary and language in writing for children in young people must be rich and wide. Steve said “we’re losing the ability to describe ourselves”, less able to incorporate histories and so embrace differences. It was definitely food for thought.

CKG18 awards winners

In case you somehow managed to miss the news yesterday, the CILIP CKG awards ceremony was held at the British Library.

It was a fantastic event that is well worth watching again for the eloquent speeches. I’m just going to share a link to clips of some of the event, and Jake Hope’s post about the awards and the winners.

Head to twitter and look over the #CKG18 hashtag to catch up on opinions and photos.

It marked the end of my two year judging tenure. It has been such a joy to be involved in the process, although really hard to not join in public conversations about the books! I now have a huge TBR pile to catch up on, ready to pick my nominations for 2019…and TALK ABOUT!

Feminist Fiction

I have to tell you about Angie Thomas and THUG and the Black Girls Book Club, but also about Feminist Book Fortnight which begins TODAY! I considered spamming you all with multiple blog posts on my first day on the job, then thought about it and realised that they’re so perfectly linked that I should just combine them.

On Thursday night, Matt and I went along to SAMA Bankside in Blackfriars for a small party celebrating Angie Thomas’s ‘The Hate you Give’ which, I’m sure you already know, is a powerful story of a young black woman in America dealing with the aftermath of witnessing a police shooting (of her best friend) alongside reconciling her school life with her home life. It is shortlisted for Carnegie and won the 2018 Waterstones children’s book prize. She gave us a bit of information about her next book, On the Come Up, that sounds to be about another strong female and her efforts to break into the patriarchal rap industry while dealing with her mum losing her job. It was wonderful to meet Angie, and chat to librarian colleagues and familiar faces from Walker, but I was also really pleased to meet some members of the Black Girls Book Club. They had collaborated with Walker to host Angie Thomas at an event and spread the word about her outstanding novel, but they don’t focus solely on newly published work. I was blown away by in their passion regarding the back catalogue of fiction written by black women over the years, and am going to be getting touch with them about having some of them as guest speakers at a CILIP YLG London event about what we should definitely have in our libraries. This segues nicely into my interest in Feminist Book Fortnight, which is an inaugural but hopefully annual event organised by independent bookshops to highlight feminist works by women writers. I intend to only read relevant books from my TBR pile, starting with Yaba Badoe’s ‘A Jigsaw of Fire and Stars’. What will you read?

The Moderately Large World Book Day Quiz 2018

[slideshare id=87632167&doc=thebigworldbookdayquiz2018-180209135501]
 
Answers

A number of colleagues have mentioned that they are not able to access the slideshare quiz so I have made the powerpoint downloadable below:

Download (PPTX, 4.55MB)