Hello all!

January has flown by for me… I’ve been busily working away, still mostly on short stories, which I’m still hugely enjoying – I now have a first draft of six tales, and a few of these have gone through second and even third drafts with the help of my editors, and I can’t wait to share more about this project before too long!

In my last newsletter I mentioned that I was also working on something completely different, and that thing is on submission right now! This is the first time I’ve been on submission since The House with Chicken Legs went on submission in 2016 (almost 10 years ago!) so it’s all super exciting and super nerve-wracking, but hopefully I shall be able to share more about it all before too long too…

And… I’m also about to dive into the copyedit for my next middle grade novel, which is also SUPER exciting, and again, I hope to share more about this before too long!

So, while I wait to be able to share news on all the above, I’ve decided to fill the rest of this newsletter with love for two brilliant books that have recently published...

First up, Beyond the Secret Garden: Racially Minoritised People in British Children's Books is written by two of the most important voices in children’s literature today, Dr Darren Chetty and Professor Karen Sands O’Connor, and is a must-read for everyone with anything to do with children’s books - teachers, parents, librarians, booksellers, writers, and publishing professionals. The book draws and expands on the long-running Beyond the Secret Garden columns in Books for Keeps, and contains a wealth of insightful pieces around themes of ‘Classic’ Children’s Literature and Britain’s Book Industry, Books and Belongings, and Making Change.

As Patrice Lawrence says in her foreword, 'If you truly believe in the power of children's literature and the right of every child to feel equal and valued in our society, please read every single word.'

I am hugely excited about this book and its power to drive positive change, so I hope it is read far and wide. I also hope it encourages more readers to pick up some of the many books discussed in the essays that are 'helping to tear down the walls of the once secret garden of British children's literature.' I've certainly added lots of titles to my TBR list!

One of the most wonderful things I’ve done this year so far is go to the launch of this important book at the CLPE library, which was bursting with of some the most brilliant people working in children’s literature today, all coming together to celebrate publication. There were amazing, moving speeches by Darren and Karen, Patrice Lawrence, Farrah Serroukh and Sita Brahmachari, and it was heart lifting to be in space with so many people all working so passionately to make children’s literature the very best it can be.

I hugely recommend everyone picks up a copy of Beyond the Secret Garden, it’s published by English Media Centre and has a gorgeous, powerful cover by Lucy Farfort.

On March 17^th there is a free event with Darren and Karen at UCL, open to all; for teachers, Darren has an upcoming online talk through NEU; and for publishing folk interested in organising some training around these topics, I’d heartily recommend they get in touch with Darren and/or Karen to discuss this!

In children’s fiction, a book I’ve loved this month is Patrice Lawrence’s brilliant new middle grade novel, People Like Stars. In Patrice’s words it’s, ‘what happens when you drop a true crime podcast, Vivienne Westwood and a searing sense of outrage into a blender.’

The story is told through three young teenage voices; Ayrton, a boy who was stolen as a baby (very briefly, and returned home safely, but as a result he now has a super overprotective mother); Stanley, the boy with a Forbidden Grandma (who might have stolen a baby once); and Sen, a girl who’s never had a permanent home, but might have found one with Vixen (an irascible, flawed artist with a big secret).

People Like Stars is expertly woven and totally engrossing, with characters so utterly real, trying to navigate situations that moved me from fury to empathy to a little cry of joy at the end – and the tension and twist in the climax had my heart in my throat! Everything Patrice Lawrence writes is just perfection, and I hugely recommend this, along with everything else she’s ever written! Gorgeous cover by Michelle Brackenborough 🦊

Also, if you pick up a copy through Bookshop.org, their Read it Forward campaign this month donates 10% of every sale of a children’s or YA book to Booktrust and Scottish Booktrust!

I was lucky enough to go to the launch of People Like Stars too, which might make me sound like a bit of a publishing socialite now, but in reality visiting London is rare for me at all, let alone twice in one month! The launch was another wonderful event full of brilliant people, this time celebrating the awesomeness of Patrice Lawrence, in a fabulous venue – Camden Open Air Gallery.

Finally, I’ll end with what I’m reading now… I’m still in the midst of these, but am hugely enjoying both so far… Loot by Tania James (with cover by Clive Hicks-Jenkins) is a beautifully written adult novel, with a rich, powerful story that has me hooked. And Coo by Kaela Noel (with cover by Celia Krampien and published in US, but I sourced a copy on e-bay) is a middle grade novel about a girl raised by pigeons (really!) that I have very quickly become fully invested in!

I'm also reading The Lizzie Belle Mysteries: Drama and Danger with my 9 year old. It's written by J.T. Williams and illustrated by Simone Douglas and is absolutely brilliant - we are both hugely enjoying it. And a favourite of my 6 year old this month is Ten-Word Tiny Tales of Love by Joseph Coelho and friends, which is perfect for firing the imaginations of all ages!

I hope you are all finding some excellent books to read this month too.

Sending you all warmest wishes, until next time,

Sophie 😊