Age 11
Middle Grade fiction published in March 2020
Many authors and illustrators have had to cancel book launches and no longer have the opportunity to promote their books in real life. We invited authors and illustrators to share news of their middle grade fiction published in March 2020 so that we could share them with you.
The House of Hidden Wonders by Sharon Gosling & Hannah Peck
The House of Hidden Wonders is an action packed mystery set in Victorian Edinburgh. We couldn’t put this book down, it’s a real page turner. We were absolutely fascinated by the story of three impoverished sisters and the mystery that they are thrown into when a ghost appears in their underground hideaway.
Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild & Ruth Gervis
My first memory of Ballet Shoes is watching it on a Sunday evening as a child. I was completely drawn into the story of the Fossil sisters, three orphans growing up in London in the 1930s. Soon afterwards I read the book and loved it. Rereading it again as an adult was also wonderful, it…
The Highland Falcon Thief by M. G. Leonard, Sam Sedgman & Elisa Paganelli
The Highland Falcon Thief is an action packed adventure which takes us on a steam train journey around the British Isles. Full of intrigue, mystery and fascinating facts about steam trains, it’s also a story about friendship and bravery as two eleven year olds team up to discover the identity of a thief when jewels…
Shadows of Winterspell by Amy Wilson & Helen Crawford-White
Shadows of Winterspell combines secrets, friendship, magic and reality in a page turning novel that had us gripped until the end. Stella’s family secrets are threatening the safety of the creatures that live in Winterspell Forest and when she makes new friends at school she realises that facing these secrets is the key to driving…
Story Snug Advent – December 20th: Father Christmas
December 20th: Father Christmas Yesterday’s Father Christmas relaxing with a glass of wine is Raymond Brigg’s Father Christmas. Emma Graham, Maudie Smith and Mat Tobin all chose this as their favourite Christmas picture book on previous Story Snug Advent Calendars.
Story Snug Advent – December 6th: How Winston Delivered Christmas
December 6th: How Winston Delivered Christmas Yesterday’s stamp came from a very important letter that a brave little mouse called Winston needed to deliver to Father Christmas. Winston is the main character in How Winston Delivered Christmas – An Advent Story in twenty-four-and-a-half chapters by Alex T Smith.
Ask an author: H. S. Norup talks about The Missing Barbagazi
This year I had the pleasure of meeting author H. S. Norup (Helle) at an SCBWI conference and it was really interesting to talk to her about her debut novel, The Missing Barbegazi. The story weaves together the themes of grief, family, friendship and the experiences and history of the Barbegazis who are rumoured to…
The Crayon Man author, Natascha Biebow, talks about ‘Why Reading Non-Fiction Books is the Bees’ Knees!’
The Crayon Man, by Natascha Biebow & Steven Salerno, is a colourful non fiction picture book which tells the story of Edwin Binney, the inventor of Crayola Crayons. It’s an absolutely fascinating read, crayons are such an integral part of our daily life but we had never considered how they were invented before!
Which fictional witch is your favourite?
Halloween is just over a week away and maybe you are looking to read a story about a witch to get you in the mood. We have several fictional witches lurking in chapter books on our bookcase but would love to add some more!
