There have been some fabulous books published during the lockdown period but sadly their authors and illustrators have not had the opportunity to promote their books in real life and have had to cancel book launches. We invited authors and illustrators to share news of their middle grade books published in April 2020 so that we could share them with you.
Authors and illustrators depend on money earnt from school visits and other literary events, none of which are possible in the current climate. If there is any way that you can support them please do. One way of giving support is by buying books, preferably from your local independent book shop or through Hive.
So here you go! We haven’t read the books, the text below has been taken from their official press releases
Bug Belly Babysitting Trouble by Paul Morton – Five Quills
It’s Uncle Bug Belly’s turn to babysit. The taddies and froglets can count on him for lots of froggy fun, but when Bug Belly’s tummy starts a-rumbling, will his penchant for tasty snacks distract him and lead the youngsters astray, straight into the hungry jaws of Old Pike, Heron or Sneaky Snake? Luckily, Bug Belly comes to the rescue with an ingenious plan and soon has all the little ones helping him out with his can-do attitude and quirky problem-solving ideas!
Bug Belly Babysitting Trouble looks and sounds hilarious! We love the cover illustration and are intrigued to read more about Bug Belly’s quirky problem solving ideas! Check out the Bug Belly trailer here.
The Train Mouse by Uwe Timm and Axel Scheffler, translated by Rachel Ward – Andersen Press
When Nibbles, an inquisitive young mouse, scampers onto a waiting train at the local station, little does he know he is about to be swept along on a cross-country adventure. Nibbles travels across his homeland of Germany, picks up a new friend in Switzerland, samples the delights of French cuisine in Paris and finally ends up as the star performer in a circus in England! But then Nibbles begins to feel homesick. How will one little mouse find his way home again?
Die Zugmaus has been translated from its original German. We love the sound of Nibble’s journey around Europe and think that Axel Scheffler’s cover illustration is adorable!
Milton the Megastar by Emma Read – Chicken House Books
Milton’s superstardom is stressing him out: the events, the glamour, the adoring fans! Secretly, Zoe, Audrey and Ralph think he’s turned into … well … a bit of a diva. So when Dad and Greta plan a trip to Hawaii, Zoe knows she has to take her best spider pals along for the ride: they all need a break. But with a live volcano, an endangered spider species, an unscrupulous entrepreneur and Milton’s ego to contend with, this is hardly a holiday …
This sounds like a fun, action packed adventure! You can read an extract of the story by clicking here.
The Cut-Throat Cafe by Nicki Thomson – Chicken House Books
Seth Seppi is excited to arrive in the magical town of Gramichee. He is desperate to discover if he has any chance of fulfilling his destiny and becoming a sorcerer and this is one of the few towns where a number of magical people live. It is Seth’s best chance of finding himself an apprenticeship, because so far, his magic has been nothing but a disaster and he needs to find someone to help him.
But he’s arrived in Gramichee at exactly the wrong time. An apprentice has been attacked and it’s not the first incident. This is the start of Seth’s most worrying case so far. Why are apprentices being targeted? Is it an accident? A prank gone wrong? Is one of the apprentices responsible, or is something much darker at the bottom of it all?
Once again, Seth will need all his wits about him and dig deep into the magical world and his own magic to find answers. Can Seth discover who is the mysterious Apprentice Assassin before the whole apprentice scheme is scrapped and Seth’s dreams of ever becoming a sorcerer fail along with it.
We’ve enjoyed some really magical stories recently and The Cut Throat Cafe sounds right up our street! We are intrigued after reading the first chapter…
Please share this post far and wide so that we can support the authors and illustrators of these middle grade books published in April 2020. If you are an author and / or illustrator and would like your newly published middle grade books featured here or in next month’s post please email a press release using the email icon on this page.
Happy reading everybody and stay well!
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