(not remotely connected to this but it seems like a fun opportunity!) "We are seeking a Creative Practitioner or collective of Creative Practitioners (hereafter referred to as CPs) to create a children’s book about local famous people past and present, and local unsung hero/es of Lutterworth."

I'm gathering my resources together and plotting for this this morning and I'd love to see you there next week! It will be a short, friendly, creative workshop and there's space still available - do come and join us! @yiww.bsky.social

Good morning! Today's read is Girl Annual Number 6 and I'm looking forward to it - I always enjoy what Girl does.

Finally! Episode 50 with @annasmithspark.bsky.social alibaker68.podbean.com/e/ep-50-demo..., mostly on Alan Garner's The Moon of Gomrath but with a recommendation for @littlehux.bsky.social's Vivi Conway and the Sword of Legend. I'm so sad that Knights Of has closed down.

Welcome to “Auther/Auther” – An occasional podcast about children’s literature I am pleased to share with you the first episode of 'Auther/Auther', a very occasional podcast about children's literature. I have been wanting to do a podcast about books for some time and in particular, about the…

Welcome to “Auther/Auther” – An occasional podcast about children’s literature I am pleased to share with you the first episode of 'Auther/Auther', a very occasional podcast about children's literature. I have been wanting to do a podcast about books for some time and in particular, about the…

Introducing Auther/Auther – an occasional podcast about children’s literature Let me explain... For a while I've been wanting to do a podcast and now I have. It's called Auther/Auther and Episode One: Angela Brazil and the New Girl is now live. If you'd like to listen and if I've done it right,…

On Sun 8 March BBC Radio 4 will broadcast The Alpenpost: A Girl's Guide to Fighting Hitler and Stalin - a documentary based on my research! It traces how I uncovered the lost archive of an anti-Nazi resistance organiser in a wind-rattled villa on the Galician coast. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright My rating: 5 of 5 stars Goodness me, what a delightful thing this was! I had been aware of The Saturdays for a while and finally managed to pick up a copy of it - and one which, rather deliciously, came with a cover by the…

The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright My rating: 5 of 5 stars Goodness me, what a delightful thing this was! I had been aware of The Saturdays for a while and finally managed to pick up a copy of it - and one which, rather deliciously, came with a cover by the…

🪧✊🏽📣Dear fans of social justice children’s books: You likely heard that the #LittleRebelsAward for Radical Children’s Fiction is on ⏸️/seeking funding. The smallest thing you can do to offer support is to follow the award at @littlerebsprize.bsky.social + Insta Thank you! #KidLitUK

Our new Queer and Trans Histories series creates a home for cutting‑edge work on past and present LGBTQ+ lives. We’re looking for proposals grounded in rich empirical work and innovative approaches to intimacy, emotion, silence, and subjectivity. manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/series/queer...

I'm so looking forward to welcoming my students this morning - it's not too late to come and join us! More info in the thread below.

On a Wuthering Heights tack, I'm going to reshare this old post which features the most barnstorming and breathtaking comic about the Brontë sisters - Three Sisters of Haworth : Girl Annual 5 didyoueverstoptothink.com/2019/05/03/t...

Still open: The Jeanne Córdova Prize for Lesbian/Queer Nonfiction, in memory of the beloved activist and author, honors lesbian/queer-identified women and trans/gender non-conforming nonfiction authors with at least one published book. Learn more and apply at www.lambdaliterary.org/special-awards

A special shout out to you if you finally figured out how to do book recommendations on your author page (hey bookshop, library chums, I'll do you a custom list any time, just ask!). www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Daisy...

Good morning! This weekend's read is the DELIGHTFUL and MADLY EVOCATIVE and I MUST MOVE TO NEW YORK RIGHT NOW 'The Saturdays' by Elizabeth Enright. I am a few chapters in and it's a yummy, yummy thing. (And in other news, the sun is shining so please don't look at it as you'll scare it away)

Earlier this week, @alomshaha.bsky.social was chatting about how the message of loving each other should inform more public discourse (beyond religion). So, for #KidsBooksFriday this week what kids books help kids to understand the importance of love in all its forms? #KidLitUK #UKKidLit #KidLit

Good afternoon! Today's read is The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright and it comes with a bonus Shirley Hughes cover.

I did this - I'm happy to share the text with anybody who wants an idea of what to write - and really, it's easy and it's quick to do and it's emotionally satisfying (seriously, get it all off your chest in a productive matter) and it really does matter. please add your voice!

I mean... *drafts 10000000000000 word long think piece*

Nancy at St Bride’s by Dorita Fairlie Bruce Nancy at St. Bride's by Dorita Fairlie Bruce My rating: 4 of 5 stars While this is nominally the story of Nancy's intensely chaotic first term at St Bride's, it's actually the story of a friendship and its fractures and its slow careful suturing back…

Good afternoon! Today's read is A Leg At Each Corner- Thelwell's Complete Guide To Education and it's a delight.

Nominations are open for this year's Secondary School Librarian of the Year & Peter Usborne Primary School Library of the Year Awards until 9am on 16th February! The Awards are a chance to celebrate and advocate for school libraries everywhere. Find out more: buff.ly/HsKvsd9 #EduSkyUK

I've a new round of online courses starting Feb 16th and it'd be delightful if you joined me! The first is British Children's Literature in the 20th Century - we look at children's literature from 1900-2000, unpick its patterns, themes and recurring concerns... www.pace.cam.ac.uk/courses/brit...

Good morning! Today's read is Nancy at St Brides by Dorita Fairlie-Bruce which I'm enjoying a lot. It's got some nice multi-age character work and some lovely landscape writing. Very good stuff, well done everybody.

The organisers of the vital Little Rebels Award @littlerebelsprize.bsky.social have paused this year's prize as they look for funding for a part time award administrator. Can you help? They hope to regroup and come back with a bang in 2027. Find out more: booksforkeeps.co.uk/little-rebel...

I'm delighted to be running a free writing workshop in York as part of the lovely @yiww.bsky.social lineup this year. I'm not one for scary writing workshops so this is a short and friendly burst of creativity and writing and finding out about often silenced amazing authors. Please do come along!

The Sixth Form at St Clare’s : Pamela Cox The Sixth Form at St. Clare's by Pamela Cox My rating: 3 of 5 stars Thanks to my local charity shop, I recently picked up a batch of the Pamela Cox fill-in titles for both St Clare's and Malory Towers and was a bit fascinated to see what I thought of them.…

I'm delighted to be running a free writing workshop in York as part of the lovely @yiww.bsky.social lineup this year. I'm not one for scary writing workshops so this is a short and friendly burst of creativity and writing and finding out about often silenced amazing authors. Please do come along!

#NewIllustrationoftheDay by award-winning Australian author/illustrator Zeno Sworder from Once I Was a Giant, in which an artist's pencil records its history as a tree. Precisely drawn spread of the towering tree and its tiny, magical protector. Thames & Hudson 15 Jan. @thamesandhudson.bsky.social

Thank you to the estimable @booksforkeeps.bsky.social squad for alerting me to the presence of a Jan Mark walk - how wonderful! janmark.net/the-jan-mark...

Exhibitor applications are now open for Thought Bubble Comic Convention 2026!! Find all the information, and how to apply, here: thoughtbubblefestival.com/exhibit The deadline is 11:59pm (GMT) on Sunday 8 February 2026.

Good afternoon! Today's read is Jedi Academy by Jeffrey Brown and it's pretty fun so far (comics! are! excellent!)

I'm not remotely connected to this but it seems a v good opp - "small, UK-based arts orgs will have the opportunity to develop and deliver a standalone literature project with an international partner, with five grants of £7,000 each available to do so." speaking-volumes.org.uk/beyond-liter...

It is a NEW BOOK DAY! 'Writing for Young People', by me, is an accessible look at how fiction for children and young adults is crafted. In eight chapters, we take a DEEP DIVE into picturebooks, MG and YA with AUTHOR INTERVIEWS and WRITING EXERCISES #kidlit #ukkidlit uk.bookshop.org/p/books/writ...

I'm very happy to let you know that my current read, a Christine Pullein-Thompson, only needed twenty-nine pages before somebody started to recite poetry at a gallop. 🙏

I've a new round of online courses starting Feb 16th and it'd be delightful if you joined me! The first is British Children's Literature in the 20th Century - we look at children's literature from 1900-2000, unpick its patterns, themes and recurring concerns... www.pace.cam.ac.uk/courses/brit...

The Diverse Book Awards include non-fiction categories for the 1st time this year, I'm helping longlist, so if you're involved in inclusive information books (for any age) then be sure you're nominated by your publisher! #KidLitUK #TheDBAwards #BookSky www.thediversebookawards.co.uk/enter-the-db...

Good morning all! I'm delighted to have an upcoming event in the wonderful York International Women's Week. All the info is in the picture / alt text. If you're in the area, it would be delightful to see you there.

I loved doing @bigbeardybooks.bsky.social's author q&a! Thank you for the opportunity! Daisy May Johnson – Author Q&A bigbeardedbookseller.uk/daisy-may-jo...

£500 given out to a working class writer every month. Details in link. Please share :)

Children's #LitSky @chaletfan.bsky.social @louiestowell.bsky.social et al. Any ideas on the series described here?

Good morning! Today's read is Conclave by Robert Harris. #booksky

One more thing before I go for the day, I'd like to interview book reviewers for the blog! I know that seems weird (maybe) but it can many days feel like a job and I'd like to hear from you all just as much as the people who create the books we read, so if you are interested shoot me a mssg...

Some of you may know how I've been speaking with my local MP about AI and creative rights. Every voice on this matters so please do consider emailing your own MP. The @societyofauthors.bsky.social has an email template. It's so easy so do go for it - justiceforcreators.eaction.org.uk/write

My son is doing a refugees topic at school, which led to a great discussion round the dinner table about the books we’ve all read, at home and at school, that taught us about the refugee experience. What books would you add to the list? #KidsBooksFriday #KidLitUK #UKKidLit #KidLit

she's doing it, she's recording her podcast, the one she's been thinking about for aaages, oh she's recording, she's recording, WAIT ALL THE TRAFFIC IN THE WORLD JUST PULLED UP OUTSIDE WHAT WHY DOES THAT MAN HAVE A PNEUMATIC DRILL, she's not recording, she's not doing it.

We are pleased to announce the longlist for the 2026 #BranfordBoase Award, recognising the year's outstanding debut writers for children AND their editors 👏#kidlit #booksky Thank you to @alcs.co.uk & @walkerbooksuk.bsky.social for their support. branfordboaseaward.org.uk/2026-longlist/