Diolch o galon i chi gyd (thank you all from the bottom of my heart).” Publishers in Wales (along with


Scotland and Northern Ireland) can often be overlooked, but there is a lesson here about how impor- tant these national publishers and their supporting bodies are.


I


n March there are some new releases from big hitters: Scholastic is publishing a prequel to The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins,


Macmillan Children’s Books is releasing a new picture book by Julia Donaldson and Sara Ogilvie, and Liz Pichon has a new graphic novel series coming, also from Macmillan. One of the best releases in March is a new Anthony McGowan novel, Beck, published by Barrington Stoke, who also published McGowan’s Carnegie Medal-winning novella, Lark. Fans of this publisher/author duo will not be disappointed: Beck is an utterly brilliant, funny and inspiring novel, and showcases McGowan’s talent as a wordsmith. It is short in length, refreshing in a market packed with long novels, and will suit readers of around 10 and over.


Children’s Book of the Month


Deep Dark: A Cassia Thorne Mystery (S&S Children’s Books). Both books are set in a London of the past (the former during the First World War, the latter in Victorian London) and have young heroines from disadvantaged back- grounds who use their intelligence and courage when life throws them an unexpected challenge. There are also middle-grade debuts from Ella Dove (Orchard Books), Jamie Hammond (Usborne) and Maria de Jong (Andersen Press), which could have very well made the Top 10 (pp.12-13) in a quieter month.


F


Publishers in Wales can often be overlooked, but there is a lesson here about how important these national publishers and their supporting bodies are


In terms of other middle-grade


releases, my favourites include Jessie Burton’s eagerly anticipated Hidden Treasure (Bloomsbury Children’s Books) and a new histori- cal mystery from Zohra Nabi,


Upcoming Previews


Picture book


Huw Aaron Sleep Tight, Disgusting Blob


PRH Children’s, 27th, £7.99, PB, 9780241684450


Coming up with a picture book concept that is witty and wholly original is no mean feat, so no wonder PRH pulled out all the stops to secure a deal with Aaron when the manuscript for Sleep Tight, Disgusting Blob landed in their inboxes. This delicious, monster-y tale is about a “disgusting” (in reality, green and rather cute) blob who needs to go to bed, so the parent blob settles it down by telling it a story about all the other creatures that are getting ready to sleep: “Dracula’s fangs are sparkling clean/ Giganto’s in PJs of silk/ Medusa’s washed and dried her snakes/ And Frankie’s had his milk.” And the glorious last line is, of course, “I Love You, Disgusting Blob”, which will probably be repeated ad infinitum by Aaron’s delighted readers. Aaron is a hugely successful Welsh author


and cartoonist. Since 2013 he has written more than 60 Welsh-language children’s books. He is also the founder of the Welsh comic Mellten, and presents a children’s art show in Welsh on S4C. PRH will now bring his talents to readers not only in the UK but across the world, and is planning three further picture books, as well as an “accessible and hilariously anarchic” graphic novel series, Unfairies, in August.


or children who want shorter chapter books (often referred to as “books for 6-9 year- olds”, a tricky age


group to publish for), there are many funny books out there but – while funny books for children are hugely important – it was a pleasure to get lost in Katya Balen’s The Appletree Animal Agency (Walker Books). There were no jokes in this sweet story about an animal-loving girl but Balen is, like McGowan, a beautiful writer, and this series is sweet, gentle, escapist and warm. In picture books, stories about authenticity, standing up for yourself and friendship are still popular, like Letters to a Monster (Bloomsbury Children’s Books) by Patricia Forde, Ireland’s children’s literature laureate, na nÓg. It is a brilliantly funny book about a girl who first tries to get rid of, then befriends, the monster under her bed.


Submissions


Please email a covering letter, AIs and materials (manuscripts, sample pages etc) to charlotte.eyre@gmail.com. AIs should be in a single PDF document. For submission deadlines, see thebookseller.com/publishingcalendar


For submission information and deadlines, visit thebookseller.com/ publishingcalendar


10th


January


New Titles: Fiction Covering titles published in April 2025.


10th


January


Discover Covering titles published in February 2025.


17th


January


New Titles: Non-Fiction Covering titles published in April 2025.


24th


January


Children’s Previews Covering titles published in April 2025.


31st


January


Paperback Preview Covering titles published in April 2025.


11


Books


Children’s Previews: March s P s


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