Nosy Crow's Blog, page 103

My Gym Teacher is an Alien Overlord has been shortlisted for a Laugh Out Loud Book Award!

The shortlists for the Laugh Out Loud Book Awards (Lollies) have been revealed, and we are absolutely thrilled that My Gym Teacher is an Alien Overlord, by Waterstones Children’s Book Prize-winning author David Solomons, has been recognised in the 9-13 category!

The Lollies were created especially to celebrate the very funniest and most engaging books in children’s fiction – and we are so pleased that My Gym Teacher… has been shortlisted.

The winners will be decided by vote – and voting is now open for teachers, parents and children, so we need your help! If you’re a teacher, you can vote on behalf of every child in your classroom – you can find out more here. If you’re a parent, you can vote on behalf of your children – you can find out more here. And children can also vote directly themselves through the PopJam app – you can find out more here.

If you’ve not yet discovered My Gym Teacer is an Alien Overlord, you can take a look inside the book below:

Buy the book online.

Congratulations David – and good luck!

“Hard-boilers for beginners”: beautiful new book covers for Fleur Hitchcock

Last year, we published Murder in Midwinter by Fleur Hitchcock – a fantastically exciting, gripping murder mystery for 9 – 12 year olds, from an author who has, in the words of The Times’ Alex O’Connell, “cornered the market in hard-boilers for beginners.”

Murder in Midwinter has gone on to win the Leeds Book Award, been shortlisted for a CrimeFest Award, and has been selected for inclusion in the 2017 Bookbuzz list. And we loved the book’s striking cover so much that we commissioned its illustrator, Robert Ball, to re-illustrate Fleur’s first two books for Nosy Crow: Dear Scarlett and Saving Sophia. The beautifully illustrated re-issue of Dear Scarlett published in January – and the new edition of Saving Sophia is out now!

These are absolutely BRILLIANT stories for middle-grade readers – contemporary thrillers that will keep you guessing until the final page. Here’s a look inside each book.

Take a look inside Dear Scarlett:

Buy the book.

Take a look inside Saving Sophia:

Buy the book.

Take a look inside Murder in Midwinter:

Buy the book.

You can read a short piece by Robert on the process of illustrating the covers here – we hope you like them as much as we do.

Our June books are out today!

It’s our June publication day – and we have a fantastic selection of new books out this month! Here’s what you can find in shops now.

We’re launching a brand new, stylish board book I Spy series – the first two books in the series, Look, There’s a Submarine and Look, There’s a Rocket are out today! Complete with cut-out holes to peek through, and contemporary, graphic illustrations by Esther Aarts, little ones will love finding the holes with their fingers, peeping through and turning the page to see what the holes become. With a gentle rhyming text encouraging children to say what they can spy in every scene, these books are a journey through the stars and the deepest oceans that they’ll want to visit time and time again.

There’s a brand new board book edition of Littleland: All Day Long out today – an adorable first word book for the very young, filled with Marion Billet‘s friendly illustrations. Taking place across one very busy day, this colourful book follows the little ones as they take part in day-to-day activities, like eating breakfast, playing in the park, going to the supermarket, and reading one last story before bedtime. With lots of objects to spot on every page, this Littleland board book is filled with images and references that all toddlers will identify with – just perfect for sharing!

What would you do if a dinosaur turned up on your doorstep? Well, that’s exactly what happens to the little boy in How To Look After Your Dinosaur, the brilliantly illustrated, witty picture book, written and illustrated by Jason Cockcroft – out today. Follow the adventures of the little boy as he learns to look after his new pet: what to feed it for breakfast, where to take it for walks and, most importantly of all, how exactly to deal with its dinosaur-sized poo!

Here’s a look inside:

It’s publication day for The Prince and the Pee, an hilarious tale of derring-do and needing the loo, written by Greg Gormley and illustrated by Chris Mould. Prince Freddie is off to save a castle from a ferocious dragon, when he realises he really, REALLY needs a pee. But what with scary ogres, damsels in distress, and massive queues for the only toilet in the forest, it doesn’t look like Freddie will ever get to go . . . So when the dragon blocks his path, and accidentally sets fire to the castle, things don’t look too good. Luckily, Prince Freddie is able to have a pee AND put out the fire in one go!

Here’s a look inside:

We’re delighted to publish the latest in Axel Scheffler’s Flip Flap series today – Flip Flap Ocean. What do you get if you cross a squid with a fish? It’s a squish, of course! And how about a shark and a turtle? Why, that’s a shurtle! With over 121 possible underwater creations, silly names and strange noises to make you giggle, this new Flip Flap book is perfect for preschoolers. With a hilarious rhyming text and brilliant illustrations from Axel, simply flip the pages to create some seriously silly animals.

It’s publication day for Night Explorer: Complete Night Explorer’s Kit, published in partnership with the National Trust. Perfect for any budding wildlife explorers, this backpack encourages children to get outside and discover nature at night-time! Complete with a book, torch, backpack, fold-out constellation guide, and glow-in-the-dark star stickers, this kit contains everything you need to explore nature at night and discover all the amazing things that you can find in your own back garden.

And National Trust: Go Wild in the Woods is also in shops from today – part of the new Go Wild series and another book published in partnership with the National Trust. Wonderfully illustrated by Rachael Saunders, this pocket-sized survival guide teaches young adventurers the essentials: what to pack, how to build a shelter, how to craft your own tools, how to cook food over a campfire… and even how to get drinking water from wee! Children will also learn exactly what not to do, from eating poisonous mushrooms to starting a bushfire. With fun games to play in the woods, advice on tracking animals, and a useful chapter on first aid, this is the perfect book for little adventurers!

We’re publishing a beautiful new edition of Saving Sophia by Fleur Hitchcock this month. All Lottie wants to do is have adventures, but no such luck. Until she meets Sophia, a girl with an excitingly mysterious history. When the two run away from a staged kayak accident to find Sophia’s mum, Lottie learns a lot about having adventures (they’re mostly brilliant but not the bits where you nearly die) and friendship and the truth.

Here’s a look inside:

We’re very happy to be publishing A Sheepdog Called Sky, the latest instalment in the Jasmine Green series of animal stories for younger readers, today. A sick puppy abandoned on Jasmine’s farm urgently needs her help to survive. And though he adores her, Jasmine doesn’t know if Sky will ever trust people again. But it’s not until she gets into terrible danger that she finds out… Written by Waterstones Children’s Book Prize-shortlisted author Helen Peters, and with beautiful black-and-white illustrations by Ellie Snowdon, this is brilliant storytelling that will make you laugh and cry: a Dick King-Smith for a new generation.

Here’s a look inside:

And finally, it’s publication day for a Wigglesbottom Primary: Super Dog- a new story in the laugh-your-stinky-shoes-off Wigglesbottom Primary series. Anything can happen at Wigglesbottom Primary, and it ALWAYS does! Is that a superhero dog on the school roof? YES! Is the lunchtime mashed potato really, really weird? YES! Does Susie Keys own an alien egg? YES! So what are Class 2R going to do about it all? Have a lot of fun! Another perfectly pitched school story, this is hilariously told by Pamela Butchart and brilliantly illustrated by Becka Moor.

Here’s a look inside:

Congratulations to all of today’s authors and illustrators!

Listen to David Solomons and Yasmeen Ismail on Down the Rabbit Hole

The latest episode of Down the Rabbit Hole aired yesterday, with special guests David Solomons (author of the My Brother is a Superhero series) and Yasmeen Ismail (author-illustrator of Christmas for Greta and Gracie) – and if you didn’t manage to catch it live, you can listen to the episode on catch-up now!

You can listen to David and Yasmeen’s episode of Down the Rabbit Hole here – this month’s featured books for discussion are King of the Sky by Nicola Davies and Laura Carlin, Mold and the Poison Plot by Lorraine Gregory, and Girlhood by Cat Clarke.

Here’s a look inside My Evil Twin is a Supervillain, the third hilarious book in David’s brilliant series – out next month:

And here’s a look inside Christmas for Greta and Gracie:

Buy the book.

Down the Rabbit Hole airs monthly on Resonance FM, 104.4FM, and online here – you can find an archive of previous shows here, and you can find out more about the show at the Down the Rabbit Hole website and Twitter account.

Libraries are magical – a guest post by Louie Stowell

We are incredibly pleased to share the news that we’ll be publishing two new fiction series by the amazing Louie Stowell – and today Louie has written a guest post for us about some of the inspiration behind her first series, The Dragon in the Library.

Libraries come in many shapes and sizes. Some look like this.

Photo by David Iliff.

Or this.

Photo by Ralf Roletschek.

While others look more like this.

One very important library in my life looked like this.

But all libraries are magical.

My book, The Dragon in the Library, is inspired by many libraries – and by many books. It’s about a library run by wizard librarians.

A librarian who’s also a wizard? I can’t imagine where I got that idea from…

It’s also about a girl who discovers she has magical powers one day, when she picks up a highly unusual book.

It’s also inspired, a little, by my dog, Buffy, who’s always struck me as part dog, part something else that’s a little more than dog. So here’s an entirely gratuitous picture of Buffy (the dog) dressed up as a dragon. (Note the tiny library beside her.)

And here’s another one.

And here’s Buffy thinking: “Enough with the photos. Where’s the bacon?”

I’m incredibly excited to be working on this book – and other books – with Tom and Nosy Crow. I can’t wait to share them with you.

Thank you, Louie! You can read The Bookseller’s coverage of Louie’s books here. The Dragon in the Library series will launch next year – if you’d like to be the first to hear more about the books, and be in with a chance of winning early reader copies, sign up to our books newsletter at this page.

Come and work for Nosy Crow – we’re hiring a Sales Executive

We have an exciting opportunity for a talented, publishing sales person at the beginning of their career, to join Nosy Crow working on their fast-growing, award-winning children’s list.  The successful candidate will join our team as Sales Executive on a full-time basis, working in our London office near London Bridge.

Purpose of the Job:

The role of the Sales Executive is to assist both our Head of Sales & Marketing and Key Account Manager in effectively selling Nosy Crow’s list of titles and multi award-winning brands to all our customers.

The Sales Executive will be joining the fast-paced Sales and Marketing Department.  This role would suit someone with at least one year’s experience of working in a publishing sales environment.

We are a busy and dynamic team and we value the experience and creative input that we can each provide.  You’ll need to be flexible, determined, with a keen eye for detail, and good at working as part of a team.

Key responsibilities and tasks:

Supporting key account presentations – creating and updating PowerPoint presentations and AI sheets, managing the sales materials (proofs etc.) and ensuring all material is prepared for sales meetings.
Attending key account meetings with other members of the sales team
Supporting Nosy Crow’s UK, Ireland and Export field sales teams
Liaising with Nosy Crow’s distributors, GBS
Analysing and reporting on sales data
To provide general administrative support and assisting in the smooth running of the office.

 

Key skills, characteristics and capabilities:

Previous experience working in children’s publishing, and in sales is desirable, but not essential
A very close eye for detail and accuracy
Excellent verbal and written communication skills plus the ability to write persuasive copy
Experience working with sales data and Excel for sales analysis
Confidence in building and maintaining relationships with the field sales teams and key contacts
Willingness to be fully involved in our busy and fun office
A keen interest in children’s books

 

The successful candidate will have the right to live and work in the UK.

To apply, please email your CV, accompanied by not more than 500 words on what you think you could contribute to Nosy Crow, both personally and as a sales professional.  Please send to Catherine Stokes (catherine@nosycrow.com), with details of your current salary, not later than midnight on Sunday 11th June.  We look forward to reading your application.

Reader responses to The Many Worlds of Albie Bright and The Jamie Drake Equation

Today’s guest post is by author Christopher Edge, sharing some of the great ways in which readers have responded to his books.

Over the past year I have so enjoyed hearing from teachers and pupils who’ve been reading The Many Worlds of Albie Bright in school. I’ve seen some wonderful classroom displays inspired by Matt Saunders’ amazing cover art including this one from Miss Shaw, a primary school teacher from Norfolk, and it was fabulous to hear about the activities that Jupiter Class at Hillcrest Primary School have been doing in this blog post written by their teacher Mr Martin. And pupils at Greenhill Primary school who are reading the book as part of the Reading Gladiators project have even been inspired to test out the Quantum Banana Theory!

Since the publication of The Jamie Drake Equation a couple of months ago, it’s been wonderful too to see the ideas that this story of astronauts, aliens and absent fathers is inspiring. The book group at the marvellous Forum Books & Kids in Corbridge, Northumberland created these amazing spaceships, with one member also producing a space magazine inspired by the story.

At the wonderful Ottie and the Bea bookshop in London, the book group there have created their own epic film inspired in equal parts by The Jamie Drake Equation and Georges Méliès A Trip to the Moon. And just this week the teacher of Class 7 at Burnopfield Primary School shared the amazing classroom display they’ve created showcasing their work this term.

Thank you to everyone for sharing these wonderful creations with me. Children’s books can help children to make sense of the world, provide a refuge from it and maybe one day inspire them to build a better one. As an author it’s truly inspiring to see this creativity.

Thank you, Chris! If you’re new to Chris’s fantastic books, you can take a look inside The Many Worlds of Albie Bright here, and read a preview of The Jamie Drake Equation below:

Buy the book online.

Take a look at our latest books, coming out next month!

We have a lovely mix of titles publishing this June – with new picture books, novelty, non-fiction, two-colour fiction and middle grade fiction in shops next month, there’s something for everyone! Get ahead of the game and take an early peek at what’s new from the Crow’s Nest:

First up we have a stylish duo of board books and the first two in a new I Spy series: Look, There’s a Submarine and Look, There’s a Rocket, come complete with cut-out holes to peek through, and contemporary, graphic illustrations by Esther Aarts. Follow the holes to read the story in this interactive space adventure! Little ones will love finding the holes with their fingers, peeping through and turning the page to see what the holes become. With a gentle rhyming text encouraging children to say what they can spy in every scene, these books are a journey through the stars and the deepest oceans that they’ll want to visit time and time again.

Our final board book, coming out this June, is Littleland: All Day Long. This is an adorable first word book for the very young, filled with Marion Billet‘s friendly and adorable illustrations. Taking place across one very busy day, this colourful book follows the little ones as they take part in day-to-day activities, like eating breakfast, playing in the park, going to the supermarket, and reading one last story before bedtime. With lots of objects to spot on every page, this Littleland board book is filled with images and references that all toddlers will identify with – just perfect for sharing!

Up next, we have two new picture books, featuring dinosaurs, dragons, and lots of fun!

What would you do if a dinosaur turned up on your doorstep? Well, that’s exactly what happens to the little boy in How To Look After Your Dinosaur, the brilliantly illustrated, witty picture book, written and illustrated by Jason Cockcroft. Follow the adventures of the little boy as he learns to look after his new pet: what to feed it for breakfast, where to take it for walks and, most importantly of all, how exactly to deal with its dinosaur-sized poo!

Look inside:

From one giant lizard to another – The Prince and the Pee is a hilarious tale of derring-do and needing the loo, written by the brilliant Greg Gormley, and brimming with Chris Mould‘s wonderfully witty illustrations. Prince Freddie is off to save a castle from a ferocious dragon, when he realises he really, REALLY needs a pee. But what with scary ogres, damsels in distress, and massive queues for the only toilet in the forest, it doesn’t look like Freddie will ever get to go . . . So when the dragon blocks his path, and accidentally sets fire to the castle, things don’t look too good. Luckily, Prince Freddie is able to have a pee AND put out the fire in one go!

Look inside:

We’re thrilled to published the latest in Axel Scheffler’s Flip Flap series – Flip Flap Ocean. What do you get if you cross a squid with a fish? It’s a squish, of course! And how about a shark and a turtle? Why, that’s a shurtle! With over 121 possible underwater creations, silly names and strange noises to make you giggle, this new Flip Flap book is perfect for preschoolers. With a hilarious rhyming text and brilliant illustrations from Axel Scheffler, simply flip the pages to create some seriously silly animals that live under the ocean.

Summer is approaching, so it’s the perfect time to check out our two now titles, published in partnership with the National Trust – they’re sure to get you out and about! The National Trust: Night Spotter Pack comes complete with a informative booklet with lots of fun night-time facts and things to look out for on your night-time adventure. Use the little orange torch to explore nature at night, and discover all the amazing things that you can find in your own back garden.

While you’re at it, check out the new National Trust: Go Wild in the Woods and get ready to – well – go WILD! Part of the new Go Wild series and wonderfully illustrated by Rachael Saunders, this pocket-sized survival guide teaches young adventurers the essentials: what to pack, how to build a shelter, how to craft your own tools, how to cook food over a campfire… and even how to get drinking water from wee! Children will also learn exactly what not to do, from eating poisonous mushrooms to starting a bushfire. With fun games to play in the woods, advice on tracking animals, and a useful chapter on first aid, this is the perfect book for little adventurers!

Finally, we have three new fiction titles coming to shops this June.

Keep a lookout for our beautiful new re-issue of Saving Sophia, by Fleur Hitchcock. All Lottie wants to do is have adventures, but no such luck. Until she meets Sophia, a girl with an excitingly mysterious history. When the two run away from a staged kayak accident to find Sophia’s mum, Lottie learns a lot about having adventures (they’re mostly brilliant but not the bits where you nearly die) and friendship and the truth. It’s a fantastic new look for this wonderful adventure for confident readers.

Look inside:

We’re very excited to publish A Sheepdog Called Sky, the latest instalment in the Jasmine Green series of animal stories for younger readers. A sick puppy abandoned on Jasmine’s farm urgently needs her help to survive. And though he adores her, Jasmine doesn’t know if Sky will ever trust people again. But it’s not until she gets into terrible danger that she finds out… Written by Waterstones Children’s Book Prize-shortlisted author Helen Peters, and with beautiful black-and-white illustrations by Ellie Snowdon, this is brilliant storytelling that will make you laugh and cry: a Dick King-Smith for a new generation.

Look inside:

To finish our round-up of this June’s new books, we’re proud to present a new story from the laugh-your-stinky-shoes-off Wigglesbottom Primary series. Anything can happen at Wigglesbottom Primary, and it ALWAYS does! Is that a superhero dog on the school roof? YES! Is the lunchtime mashed potato really, really weird? YES! Does Susie Keys own an alien egg? YES! So what are Class 2R going to do about it all? Have a lot of fun! Another perfectly pitched school story, Wigglesbottom Primary: Super Dog is hilariously told by Pamela Butchart and brilliantly illustrated by Becka Moor.

Look inside:

Don’t forget – you can stay up to date with all of our book news by signing up to our books newsletter at this page, or with form below – you’ll never miss a thing!

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David Solomons will be on Down the Rabbit Hole next week!

Down the Rabbit Hole returns to the airwaves next Tuesday – the only radio programme dedicated entirely to children’s books, with a trio of unparalleled experts in its hosts, Katherine Woodfine, Melissa Cox, and Louise Lamont. And next week’s episode will be especially exciting: one of its special guests will be My Brother is a Superhero author David Solomons!

You can listen to Down the Rabbit Hole at 5pm next Tuesday on Resonance FM, 104.4FM, or online here – and you can find an archive of previous shows here. And you can find out more about the show at the Down the Rabbit Hole website and Twitter account.

Don’t forget to tune in on the 30th!

David’s next book, My Evil Twin is a Supervillain (the third book in the My Brother is a Superhero series), will be out next month – it’s another hugely exciting, laugh-out-loud funny, incredible adventure that’ll have you gripped. You can take an early look inside the book below:

The book won’t be in shops until June, but if you’d like to be in with a chance of winning an early signed copy of My Evil Twin is a Supervillain, sign up to our newsletter, either at this page or with the form below – we’ll be giving away some books in a competition for subscribers next week!

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One week to go until the next Nosy Crow Illustrator Salon!

There is exactly one week to go until the next edition of the Nosy Crow Illustrator Salon, our programme of quarterly evening events celebrating the art of illustration, and tickets are selling fast – if you’re interested in attending, book your place today!

Our special guest for the salon will be Jamie Littler, the fantastic illustrator of The Secret Diary of John Drawbridge, Medieval Knight in Training. We’ll be returning to The Book Club, in Shoreditch, for Jamie’s Salon, on the evening of Tuesday 30th May. After an interview with Jamie there’ll be a Q&A with the audience, followed by a book signing and drinks.

And you can save money on a signed copy of The Secret Diary of John Drawbridge, Medieval Knight in Training by buying one now with your ticket!

General admission costs just £4. £7 will include entry to the salon, PLUS a signed copy of the book.

Doors will open at 6.30pm for drinks and conversation, and the salon will start at approximately 7.00pm.

Booking is essential and tickets are extremely limited – save your place today!

Here’s a look inside The Secret Diary of John Drawbridge:

If you don’t want to miss out on any of our future salon events, sign up to our mailing list below.

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We hope to see you there!