I’m going to be speaking at this @andersenpress.bsky.social event on 26 Feb

For the past three years, I’ve been a member of the CWIG committee of the Society of Authors - we’re the Children’s Writers and Illustrators Group - and we’ve been working on a campaign to come up with guidelines for publishers, agents, etc, for ghostwriters.

Today the National Literacy Trust is running a lovely campaign, suggesting we all take 10 minutes to read for the sake of our mental health, because reading is relaxing and will boost my mood. I’ve taken 10 minutes to read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury...

For anyone interested in creative writing: I’m teaching this course at @citylit.bsky.social @citylitwriting.bsky.social - an 11 week introduction to creative writing - and there are still some places available www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/ways...

Don’t miss this fantastic exhibition, showcasing the work of students @citylit.bsky.social who have completed a course in children’s writing and/or illustration, and gone on to publish their own books The Story Starts Here: the craft of children’s book writing and illustration at City Lit

For any teachers who are teaching the Maya this year... My publishers @andersenpress.bsky.social have produced some amazing free teaching notes connected to The Maya Sacrifice, full of infomation and ideas

There’s a wonderful review of The Maya Sacrifice on @lovereading4kids.bsky.social by @reeceandrea.bsky.social “the story sparkles, full of detail and incident as well as believable characters, and provides readers with a great sense of Maya daily life” www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/book/24975/T...

There are now 4 books in the Time Travel Twins series - the Stone Age the Maya the Romans the Vikings - ideal for any primary school children learning about history

There are still some spaces on this @citylit.bsky.social workshop on Monday evenings starting 12 May For experienced children's writers, this workshop offers an opportunity to develop your work-in-progress with constructive feedback from tutor & classmates www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/writ...

If you're a #primaryschool staff member & you're looking for #cpd please have a look at @joshlacey.com , we're sure he would love to talk to you about teachers as writers or using fiction to teach history: authorsalouduk.co.uk/speaker/josh...

Are you writing a children’s book? Come and join this weekly workshop at City Lit, it’s a wonderful way to improve your work with constructive feedback from other people also writing for children Monday evenings, starting 12 May @citylit.bsky.social www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/writ...

The Maya Sacrifice is book of the month on Authorfy this month I’ve recorded a short video about the book with a reading and some information about the Maya I hope it’s useful for any classes studying the Maya @andersenpress.bsky.social @authorfy.bsky.social authorfy.com/books-of-the...

I've written about the Time Travel Twins for @theclpe.bsky.social explaining why I have written a history series showing historical events from 2 opposing perspectives Updated to include my new book The Maya Sacrifice clpe.org.uk/blog/time-tr...

The Maya Sacrifice arrives in bookshops this week - with brilliant illustrations by Garry Parsons This is the 4th book in the Time Travel Twins series, following the Stone Age, the Romans, and the Vikings All published by @andersenpress.bsky.social

Free to download PDF reading list for Year 2 – perfect for promoting #ReadingForPleasure or holiday reading challenges. Includes titles by Joseph Coelho, Atinuke, Michael Rosen & more. 📥 Download here: buff.ly/O4Fqsqv

The cover for my new book, coming in May Full of delicious hot chocolate and human sacrifice THE MAYA SACRIFICE - illustrated by Garry Parsons and published by @andersenpress.bsky.social

Are you interested in writing for children? I’ll be teaching a one day short course at City Lit @citylit.bsky.social on Saturday 1 Feb. This course is fun, engaging, and full of useful exercises and advice for anyone thinking about writing a children’s book. www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/writ...

In the bleak midwinter, I wonder how I would have fared in the Stone Age, huddling around a fire with my family, wearing animal skins for warmth, dreaming of the summer…

To anyone contemplating a New Year social media detox, I recommend reading The Machine Stops by EM Forster. “We created the Machine, to do our will, but we cannot make it do our will now.”

If you’re searching for the perfect gift for a young child, I recommend a potato

This is highly recommended for any primary schools studying the Egyptians.....

Last night Andersen Press threw a wonderful 90th birthday party for the magnificent Klaus Flugge with moving, heartfelt, witty speeches from his son, Charlie Sheppard, Julia Eccleshare, and Chris Riddell.

The Northern Children’s Book Festival has been running for forty-two years, which is an extraordinarily impressive pedigree. Every year, the fortnight-long festival brings writers and illustrators to schools and libraries in the North-East.

Yesterday I had a fascinating and inspiring day at the Shropshire Bookfest Conference & CPD training day for primary school teachers

A day full of inspiration, creativity and discussion! For any primary school teachers in Shropshire (or nearby) - this should be very interesting - next week Organised by Shropshire Bookfest With @emcarrollauthor.bsky.social @evawongnava.bsky.social Sam Sedgman & me

Reading Alison Lurie, who was such a brilliant critic of children’s books - funny, fierce, surprising, loving, sensitive, knowledgeable. Is there anyone like her writing about children’s literature today?

Really lovely piece on our local libraries by @elizmccrack.bsky.social texashighways.com/culture/texa...

The illustrations in my profile are by the brilliant artists Garry Parsons (dragon) and Momoko Abe (potato) – neither yet on 🦋 although they’re both prolific posters on Instagram