BOOKS
Previews Children’s Previews
Children's Previews May
Te vast number of new titles published in May may not be welcomed by booksellers, but there are a few middle-grade novels which certainly will be
Fiona Noble @fionanoblebooks
I
’ve seen a noticeable rise in the number of submissions for spring titles, and May is no exception. This month I have included 140 titles—far from everything I received—making it the biggest month of the year so far. The increase is visible right across the categories and, I suspect, will not be welcome news for booksellers, many of whom tell me how overwhelming the volume of new titles can be each month.
The big news is the return of Suzanne Collins, with Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Will this give Young Adult Fiction a much-needed sales boost? Holly Jackson’s Good Girl, Bad Blood looks set to repeat the success of her début, while new novels from Patrick Ness and Elizabeth Acevedo are eagerly awaited. Middle-grade fiction is where
Submissions should be sent by way of proofs, sample chapters, AIs and covers, in hard copy, to Fiona at 24 Water Ditchampton, Wilton, Wiltshire SP2 OJA. See
thebookseller.com/publishing calendar for submission deadlines.
Next week 22
the big-money deals have been in the past year. Both Hana Tooke’s The Unadoptables and Jenny Pearson’s The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates have atracted six-figure advances and multiple rights deals. Happily, they live up to the hype, and both writers are very exciting new names to watch out for.
The [output] will not be welcome news for booksellers, many of whom tell me how overwhelming the volume of new titles can be
Book of the Month Tooke’s tale of fabulous five proves spellbinding
Finally, ’tis the season for
Father’s Day and sporting events, so cue a plethora of daddy titles plus football and Olympics publishing galore. You can find me on Twiter @fionanoblebooks, or email me at
fionanoble@btinternet.com.
Fiction 9–12
Hana Tooke, Ayesha L Ruio (illus)
The Unadoptables Puffin, 14th, £12.99, hb, 9780241417461
It is the autumn of 1886 in Amsterdam. Five babies are abandoned at the Little Tulip Orphanage, each in curious circumstances. Twelve years later Milou, Lotta, Fenna, Sem and Egg—each with a characteristic that marks them as different—have been deemed “the
unadoptables”, until the night a sinister sea captain threatens to tear them apart. The gang makes a daring escape into the Dutch countryside, pursuing a few scraps of clues in search of the truth about Milou’s past. This delicious début had me reading late into the night. Puffin
BookScan ratings accompanying titles are based on TCM sales (excludes e-book, export, direct, library and other sales) of the author’s most recent original work in a similar format with at least six months’ sales through Nielsen BookScan, using the notation left.
50,000+ 25,000+ 10,000+ 5,000+ 3,000+
The next edition of The Bookseller (28th February) will feature Paperback Preview covering titles released in May.
21st February 2020
acquired the book in a significant pre-empt deal, and it’s easy to see why. Beautiful but accessible writing, thrilling action, a hint of magic and unforgettable characters are delivered with wit, wisdom and heart in an enviably distinctive voice. It’s a story of unforgettable friendship and what it really means to be a family. Much of the joy is in the quirky details: a baby basket shaped like a coffin; the abandoned windmill; a house filled with clocks; and a magical puppet theatre. I can’t wait to see what Tooke does next.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48
