Katherine Agar, Acting Editorial Director, Hodder Children’s Books I’m very proud of the Rabbit and Bear series by Julian Gough, illustrated by Jim Field: we’re publishing the third title, Attack of the Snack, this month, and I’m excited – it seems to be one of those rare series where each book finds more readers than the previous one! I love it because the text and art work seamlessly, and make kids laugh ... and I love it even more because it makes parents laugh, too. As well as being funny, and a bit scatological, the books are (secretly) about other things too: this one is all about kindness, about learning from your mistakes, and about welcoming people – even if you find them a bit scary at first.
Emma Matthewson, Publishing Director, Hot Key Books and Piccadilly Press We are so excited to leap into the New Year with The Cruel Prince by the magically talented Holly Black - the first of a trilogy and those who have read it are already begging for the next instalment! Holly has truly proved herself a faerie queen as she weaves a tale of kingdoms, cruelty and seduction when a mortal girl is ensnared in a royal web of intrigue. YA and adult readers alike are sure to love it. Also coming: The Island by MA Bennett. S.T.A.G.S., MA Bennett’s YA debut, sold translation rights like wildfire. Her next book is a contemporary The Lord Of The Flies. In the aftermath of a plane crash a group of ill-assorted teens slowly, terrifyingly, realise they have crashed onto a deserted island. It is up to them to work together to survive … a fast-paced tale with a twist that will have teen and YA readers gripped.
Lisa Edwards, Head of Children’s Publishing, Kings Road Publishing Templar Publishing greets its 40th anniversary year with a roster of sparkling picture books, non-fiction and novelty titles. In picture books, Jonny Duddle’s hilarious pirate family the Jolley-Rogers return to these shores with The Pirates of Scurvy Sands in February, and we welcome Greenaway winner Grahame Baker Smith back to the list with the jaw-dropping Rhythm of the Rain in April. In August, we launch a new non-fiction series with the incredible Britta Teckentrup, with There are Fish Everywhere, and our Christmas headliner is Welcome to the Museum: Planetarium, in partnership with The Science Museum, written by UCL’s Professor Raman Prinja and illustrated by the sensational Chris Wormell.
Elizabeth Jenner, Children’s Editorial Director, Laurence King We have some really vibrant new non-fiction publishing this year on a wealth of subjects.
It’s so hard to single any out, but I’m
particularly excited to be launching our beautiful narrative non- fiction biography series, Little Guides to Great Lives. Gorgeously designed and illustrated in an eye-catching mini format, this series introduces children to some of the most inspirational figures from history in a fun, accessible way, including Marie Curie and Nelson Mandela. Others to look out for are Marion Deuchar’s Bob the Artist embarking on new exploits in Bob’s Blue Period, and Helen Friel’s Hoakes Island. Using a hidden map and a red lens, help the animals of Hoakes Island crack the puzzles, solve the mystery, and save their home from the evil property developers in this wonderfully innovative puzzle mystery adventure.
Suzanne Carnell, Two Hoots Publisher, Macmillan Children’s Books Next year marks the 100th anniversary of (some) women getting the vote and as part of the celebrations Two Hoots is publishing an extraordinary book for older children about the campaign for women’s suffrage. Written and illustrated by David Roberts, Suffragette: The Battle for Equality is an absolute tour de force – 128 pages of fascinating stories about incredible women, all illustrated with the most breath-taking pictures. Equally stunning is the gorgeous One Day in Wonderland, about Lewis Carroll and the story of Alice, written by and richly illustrated by the amazing Júlia Sardà. And look out for the paperback edition of the brilliantly funny, seriously clever I’m Just No Good At Rhyming by Chris Harris and Lane Smith: genius.
Rachel Petty, Editorial Director, Macmillan Children’s Books We’ve got some really exciting YA coming in 2018 with the launch of the incredible Children of Blood and Bone by US author Tomi Adeyemi, which mixes magic, romance and the spirit of the Black Lives Matter movement with elements of West African mythology in a richly imagined fantasy world. We also have the wonderful Sara Barnard’s Goodbye, Perfect, which is about two best friends who realise they don’t know each other as well as they thought when one of them runs away with a teacher, and Out of the Blue by Sophie Cameron – a stunning debut about grief, new love and family against a backdrop of angels falling from the sky. Finally I can’t wait for everyone to read Floored – a seven-author collaborative novel by Sara Barnard, Holly Bourne, Tanya Byrne, Non Pratt, Melinda Salisbury, Lisa Williamson and Eleanor Wood – it’s One Day meets The Breakfast Club!
Venetia Gosling, Publisher, Macmillan Children’s Books I’m especially excited about Lauren St John’s new middle-grade series, Kat Wolfe Investigates, which sees her return to her mystery heartland with an exciting adventure set on the Jurassic Coast, featuring a tween detective and a host of animal sidekicks. I’m also delighted to be launching a brand new voice with Birdie Milano’s unmissable LGBT summer romance, Boy Meets Hamster, which is full of hilarity and heart. And we also have The 104-Storey Treehouse, the eighth title in Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton’s towering Treehouse series, with laughter on every level – as well as another Australian bestseller, Ruby Red Shoes by Kate Knapp, making her UK debut with this utterly charming illustrated series about a little hare who loves to travel. It’s a contemporary Little Grey Rabbit and perfect for newly-independent readers.
Alice Curry, Founder and Publisher, Lantana Publishing 2017 saw Lantana make the shortlist for the Bologna Prize for Best Children’s Publisher of the Year, and 2018 is set to get better still. We have several standout titles this year, including Nimesh the Adventurer by debut author Ranjit Singh and Kate Greenaway Medal-nominated Mehrdokht Amini about a little boy with a BIG imagination, and You’re Safe With Me, a gorgeous modern fable by acclaimed author Chitra Soundar and new standout talent Poonam Mistry. It is a collaboration set to continue with a follow-up title, You’re Snug With Me, scheduled for the autumn. Finally, look out for Peace and Me: a collection of peace ideas inspired by Nobel Peace Prize laureates of the 20th and 21st centuries – the illustrations are stunning!
6 Books for Keeps No.228 January 2018
Kate Wilson, Managing Director, Nosy Crow I Am The Seed That Grew The Tree, is, without question, the most ambitious book I’ve ever worked on, and is, I think, based on thirty years in the business, the most ambitious poetry collection I know of. Award-winning anthologist, Fiona Waters, has selected a nature poem for children for every day of the year, spanning over 400 years of poetry (so it includes, just to mention some of the Williams, William Shakespeare, William Blake, William Wordsworth and William Carlos Williams) and the 336 pages are illustrated in spreads and in full-colour, by the first UK Maurice Sendak Fellowship winner, Frann Preston-Gannon. It’s so rich and beautiful, and I am ridiculously proud of it.
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