Nosy Crow's Blog, page 75

Running on Empty is now available as an audiobook

Today we’re delighted to share a brand new audiobook edition of Running on Empty, the incredible second novel by S.E. Durrant, author of the Carnegie-nominated Little Bits of Sky.

A beautifully told story of unorthodox families, grief, adolescence and running, Running on Empty tells the story of AJ. AJ’s grandfather has always been the one to keep his unusual family together, so when he dies things start to unravel at the edges. AJ is worried about his parents but they don’t really seem to notice. In order to deal with his grief and to keep his anxiety at bay, AJ does what he and his grandfather did best: running. Round and round the Olympic Park, aiming for the cross country trials, running to escape, AJ only seems be heading ever closer to disaster.

Movingly narrated by Joe Jameson, you can buy the audiobook of Running on Empty from Audible, Amazon, and iTunes now – and you can listen to a preview of the audiobook below.

Six Nosy Crow books included in the 2018 Summer Reading Challenge

The book collection for this year’s Summer Reading Challenge has been announced, and we’re absolutely thrilled to see that six Nosy Crow titles are on the list!

The Summer Reading Challenge encourages children aged 4 to 11 to read six books during the long summer holiday, to keep up their reading skills and confidence.

Children receive special rewards each time they finish a book and there’s a certificate for everyone who completes the Challenge. The Summer Reading Challenge is open to all primary school aged children and is designed for all reading abilities. Schools work with local libraries and give out information to encourage children to take part, and most libraries run Summer Reading Challenge linked early years activity for pre-schoolers.

There’s a different theme each year – this year’s theme is Mischief Makers.

There are four Nosy Crow titles included in this year’s younger books selection – here’s a look at each.

The Knight Who Said “No”!, written by Lucy Rowland and illustrated by Kate Hindley, is included in this year’s collection – here’s a look inside the book:

Buy the book.

This Zoo is Not For You, written and illustrated by Ross Collins, is also featured in this selection – here’s a look inside:

Buy the book.

The Invincibles: The Beast of Bramble Woods, written by Caryl Hart and illustrated by Sarah Warburton, has been included in this year’s collection – here’s a look inside:

Buy the book.

And Wigglesbottom Primary: Super Dog, written by Pamela Butchart and illustrated by Becka Moor, is also included in this year’s collection – here’s a look inside:

Buy the book.

And there are also two Nosy Crow titles included in this year’s older books selection – here’s a look at each.

Running on Empty, by S. E. Durrant, is included in the collection – here’s a look inside:

Buy the book.

And finally, The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day, by Christopher Edge, has been included – here’s a look inside the book:

Buy the book.

You can find out more about the Summer Reading Challenge, and read this year’s complete book collections, here.

A celebration of Welcome to our World

This June we were very proud to publish Welcome to Our World, written by Moira Butterfield and illustrated by Harriet Lynas – a beautifully illustrated book packed full of fun facts, and a celebration of children everywhere.

And very fittingly for its subject, we’re delighted to see how well the book has been received around the world!

Welcome to our World has already been sold into eight languages (with more on the way!) – and at the top of this post you can see, clockwise from top-left, editions of the book in Estonian (published by Koolibri), Italian (published by Lapis Edizioni), Portuguese (published by Edicare), French (published by Gallimard Jeunesse), English (published by us), and Finnish (published by Otava). Seeing our books shared around the world in this way – particularly when they have such an important and timely message – is such a hugely satisfying and rewarding experience (as well as a testament to the excellent work of our rights department!).

In this wonderful book, young children can learn all about what people in other countries eat, wear and play, and how they speak and celebrate. From breakfasts to birthdays, cakes to clothes, and hiccups to hellos, there are so many ways to say and do things – but everyone shares a love of family, friends, food and fun. This delightful book teaches us that despite different languages, customs and traditions, it really is a small world, after all.

Here’s a look inside Welcome to Our World:

We’re offering 10% off and free UK shipping when you buy the book from Nosy Crow – just use the discount code WELCOME at the check-out page (offer ends 31/07/2018).

If you’d like to stay up-to-date with all of our book news, you can sign up to our books newsletter at this page, or with the form below, and you’ll never miss a thing:

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The best of Summer Reading

There’ve been some wonderful reviews of Nosy Crow books over the weekend in summer reading round-ups!

Lionel and the Lion’s Share, written by Lou Peacock and illustrated by Lisa Sheehan, has been featured in the Financial Times’ Summer books of 2018 round-up. James Lovegrove writes: “Critique of unbridled capitalism? Maybe. Sprightly fable with a moral? Definitely. The illustrations are a huge bonus, and not of the banker kind, either.”

You can read the full FT round-up here – and here’s a look inside Lionel and the Lion’s Share:

Buy the book.

The Colouring Book of Cards and Envelopes: A Year of Celebrations has been featured in The Independent’s guide to the best colouring books for kids. Fran Yeoman writes: “Creative kids who like making home-made cards for their relatives will adore this ingenious book, which includes 24 cards and matching envelopes featuring ornate illustrations to be coloured in.”

You can read the full review here.

Buy the book.

And in The Metro, Imogen Russell Williams has featured Happy Birthday to You!, illustrated by Nicola Slater, in their round-up of the best holiday books for kids! Russell Williams writes: “A board book with a difference. Press the buttons to hear animals play a bit of Happy Birthday on every page. At the end, there’s a  big-band chorus finale and a light-up birthday cake!”

Buy the book.

The inspiration behind Ella on the Outside

Today’s guest post is by Cath Howe, whose stunnning debut novel, Ella on the Outside, was published in May.

Ella on the Outside sprang from three big factors: my childhood, a visit, and my teaching.

As a child, I moved schools twice within the Scottish system and then, aged twelve, moved to Cambridge. I vividly remember the struggle to make new friends and a sharp, difficult time of loneliness. The girls in my new school made fun of my Scottish accent to the point where I shut up completely until I had ‘learned’ to talk like them and dropped all my Scottish words. I remember powerful girls who decided what we were going to do, where we would sit at lunchtime, and who would be allowed to join us. I couldn’t decide who was OK to trust and I ended up, for a while, trusting nobody. Once I started working on Ella on the Outside, I talked to lots of children about that feeling of being on the outside, which I think we all have from time to time, but, when you’re new in a school, it can feel like there’s a mountain to climb every day. I had always been the kind of person who had one, or perhaps two, key friends and, when we moved, I felt as if I had lost part of myself. Although the Ella in my story is not me, there’s a lot of me in this girl who stands round the edge of the playground, watching the groups, wondering who she might go up to but not really daring to.

I suffered badly with childhood eczema and this a problem for Ella too. It played a big part in my lack of confidence. I was embarrassed to change for PE. Other kids like me hung back until last and got told off for being slow because we didn’t want to get undressed in front of everyone else. I used to dread this bit of the week. Most of my eczema was covered up by long socks and sleeves but, in PE, the rules meant I had to be in shorts and short sleeved shirt. The backs of my knees were always raw.

The second big element arrived in my book as more of a shock. I visited a men’s prison in Woolwich, where my daughter was working with other drama students on a project. The inmates were developing a folk tale with singing and dancing. The men would perform the final show for their families, with special time afterwards and a tea for their children. Because I helped to work on the plot and songs for the show, I was invited to go along to the final show too. It was a hot sunny day, I remember, and we lined up and were security checked and marched through lots of buzzers and sealed doors to the education centre. A place had been reserved for the children at the front on mats.

In the show, the men told the story of children whose dad has gone away one night. They wake to find all the colours gone from the world. Animals help them to find all the colours again and make their dad proud when he returns. The men and drama students put on a great show. I watched the families. It is hard to describe the power of seeing a small girl, aged about nine, sitting ramrod- straight in her best yellow dress, so caught up in watching her dad that it looks as if she can barely breathe. So proud of him! She must want so much to be part of her dad’s life, I realised. I started to think about how she would cope when she returned home. I started to think about the complicated feelings she must have about visiting him here.

Ella’s love for her dad is in every letter she writes. It is the still heart of my story. It is as if another story is playing out all the time for Ella – a story of imagining him and his world and trying to make sense of it and keep him central in her life. Many children are thrown into Ella’s position. They can be the unsung victims of messy adult lives.

Writing, for me, springs a lot from my teaching too. I teach in primary schools for part of every week. It helps me hear the children’s voices in my head. That’s probably why I always write down the dialogue first. I love the sense of humour of the age group I write for. It has been fascinating to see Ella on the Outside through the process of being published and out in the world. I hope, in some small way, it offers a boost to some readers who feel on the outside. Ella starts to find ‘a new kind of stubborn’. I think I found that too!

Thank you, Cath! 

With an incredibly authentic voice, hugely relatable characters and relationships (with real psychological depth), and a gripping story with heart and warmth, Ella on the Outside is a beautifully-written middle grade novel. Here’s a look inside the book:

Buy the book online.

And here’s a preview of the audiobook edition, read by Louiza Patikas:

If you’d like to stay up-to-date with all of our book news, you can sign up to our books newsletter with the form below, and you’ll never miss a thing.

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My Evil Twin is a Supervillain and My Arch-Enemy is a Brain in a Jar are now available as audiobooks!

Today we’re delighted to share new audiobook editions of My Evil Twin is a Supervillain and My Arch-Enemy is a Brain in a Jar, the third and fourth books in David Solomons’ best-selling, award-winning My Brother is a Superhero series!

Hilariously narrated by Joe Thomas, star of The Inbetweeners and Fresh Meat, you can buy the audiobooks of My Evil Twin is an Alien Overlord and My Arch-Enemy is a Brain in a Jar from Audible, Amazon, and iTunes now – here’s a preview of each audiobook.

Listen to the first chapter of My Evil Twin is a Supervillain:

Listen to the first chapter of My Arch-Enemy is a Brain in a Jar:

Nosy Crow at the Bath Children’s Literature Festival 2018

Tickets are on sale for the Bath Children’s Literature Festival, and there’s a fantastic selection of events taking place featuring Nosy Crow authors and illustrators! Here’s who you can find at this year’s festival…

There’s a special Pip and Posy event taking place on Saturday, September 29 from 12:00pm-12.45pm – enjoy storytelling fun and activity and a personal appearance from Pip and Posy as well! You can book tickets for Saturday’s event here – and here’s a look inside the latest book in the series, Pip and Posy: The New Friend:

Buy the book.

Author Paula Harrison will be at the festival on Saturday, September 29 from 2:00pm-2.45pm, talking about her inspiring series The Rescue Princesses. Go on a journey with Paula, as she talks about her the princesses’ latest adventures and her inspiration behind the series. You can book tickets for Saturday’s event here – and here’s a look inside the latest Rescue Princesses book, The Star Bracelet:

Our new August books are almost here!

There are some wonderful new books from Nosy Crow coming out next month – from non-fiction to picture books and middle grade fiction, there’s something for everyone. Here’s a sneak peek at what you can find in shops in August.

To kick things off, we have a pair of captivating new board books in our First Concepts series, featuring objects from the British Museum – Nature and Around the World. Discover amazing objects and simple first concepts in this stylish photographic board book series for curious little ones. Inquisitive toddlers will enjoy learning about different objects from nature and from around the world, with gorgeous photographic images on every page. Scan the QR code on the last spread to find out more about each object.

Find out more

Find out more

Meet Spike: The Hedgehog Who Lost His Prickles, the new book by Jeanne Willis and illustrated by Jarvis. Spike, a little hedgehog, has always had impressive prickles. But one morning, after a particularly scary dream, he wakes up completely bare! Oh no! Feeling very embarrassed, he goes in search of something to cover himself, from a paper lampshade to a tea cup to a very stinky sock. But nothing stops the other animals giggling at him. Poor Spike! Then he discovers a big bunch of balloons, which takes him across the world and ends in a very satisfying POP! and a very prickly party. This book is sure to be read over and over again. Here’s a sneak peek inside:

Find out more

Toby and the Tricky Things will be in shops next month – a brand new story written by Lou Peacock and illustrated by Christine Pym. Toby is no longer a little elephant. He’s a Big Boy now, much bigger than baby sister Iris. He can pour his own milk, read his own bedtime stories, and even reach the snacks high on the “just for mummies” shelf. But some things are still very tricky, even when you’re big. And when Mummy is too busy with Iris to help him, Toby ends up with bad buttons, wrong wellies and loo paper everywhere! Then Toby gets very cross . . . This touching tale about growing up is wonderfully brought to life by Christine Pym’s beautiful artwork. Here’s a look inside:

Find out more

How to Help a Hedgehog and Protect a Polar Bear is out in August – a beautiful new book created in collaboration with The National Trust. Children can learn about 13 different habitats – gardens, hedgerows, heathlands, woodlands, highlands, wetlands, the coastline, freshwater, seas and oceans, savannahs, jungles and mountains – and how they can be protected. Filled with animal facts and plenty of creative little ways that nature enthusiasts can make a big difference. Learn how to save endangered animals in this timely book by Jess French, presenter of Minibeast Adventure with Jess on CBeebies, and illustrated by Angela Keoghan.

Look inside:

Find out more

The new Unicorn Academy book will be hitting the shelves soon! We’re welcoming Layla and Dancer to the series of magical, action-packed adventures perfect for young readers, with sparkly holographic foil covers. Layla can’t believe how lucky she is to be at Unicorn Academy! She adores her lively unicorn, Dancer, though she’s too nervous to go jumping and riding fast like their friends. When the trees around Sparkle Lake start dying, Layla must find her courage and take Dancer on a thrilling adventure to find the cure! Written by Julie Sykes and illustrated by Lucy Truman, these books are sure to strike a chord with young dreamers.

Look inside:

Find out more

Olivia Tuffin’s latest A Pony Called Secret adventure, A Ride to Freedom, is out next month. It’s summer time and Alice and Secret are going on a Pony Club trip to France. Alice is over the moon to be show-jumping at an international festival! She soon makes new friends, including the gorgeous Seb. But when Finn gets into trouble, Alice has to work out who her real friends are, and prove just how far she and Secret have come together. A perfect pony story from the author of the much-loved Palomino Pony series.

Look inside:

Find out more

The next book in the Rescue Princesses series is almost here, with Rescue Princess: The Star Bracelet coming out next month! We’re also re-issuing stories from the series with wonderful new covers: The Snow Jewel, The Magic Rings, The Lost Gold, and The Shimmering Stone. Written by Paula Harrison, this sparkling series for young readers is a winning combination of plucky princesses, animals in danger, and magic jewels! When Princess Lily and her friends find an abandoned baby kangaroo, they must look after the tiny joey and work out who is ruining the palace gardens at night. To solve this mystery the princesses will need a magic jewel, ninja skills and the special power that comes from true friendship!

Take a look inside:

Take a first look inside Spike: The Hedgehog Who Lost His Prickles

Next month we’re delighted to be publishing a brand new picture book by Jeanne Willis and Jarvis, the brilliant author and illustrator pair behind Poles Apart and I’m In Charge – Spike: The Hedgehog Who Lost His Prickles.

And today you can take a very first look inside the new book!

Spike, a little hedgehog, has always had impressive prickles. But one morning, after a particularly scary dream, he wakes up completely bare! Oh no! Feeling very embarrassed, he goes in search of something to cover himself, from a paper lampshade to a tea cup to a very stinky sock. But nothing stops the other animals giggling at him. Poor Spike! Then he discovers a big bunch of balloons, which takes him across the world and ends in a very satisfying POP! and a very prickly party.

With bold, stylish artwork from Jarvis and a brilliant rhyming text by Jeanne, this is another fantastically funny picture book from an incredible creative partnership.

Here’s a look inside the book:

Pre-order the book.

Spike: The Hedgehog Who Lost His Prickles will be in shops from August – you can find out more about the book and pre-order a copy for delivery on the day of publication here. And if you’d like to stay up-to-date with all of our book news, you can sign up to our books newsletter with the form below, and you’ll never miss a thing.

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Ella on the Outside is Booktrust’s Book of the Day!

We’re delighted to see that today Booktrust have named Ella on the Outside, the beautiful debut novel by Cath Howe, as their Book of the Day!

In their review of the book, Booktrust write:

“Ella on the Outside is a hugely relatable tale that will strike a chord with anyone who has felt the pressure to please a new friend or has struggled to fit in. Ella makes mistakes, but she’s also hugely likeable, and author Cath Howe perfectly captures her anxieties and worries.

But Ella on the Outside is also enormous fun to read – you’ll speed through its pages without realising how quickly it’s flown by, with big revelations and short chapters keeping things snappy. It’s impossible not to root for Ella to be brave and make the right decisions, and the urge to find out whether she will powers this warm, considered and entertaining novel.”

You can read the full review on the Booktrust website here – and here’s Booktrust’s full list of Books we love in July.

A beautifully-written middle grade novel, with an incredibly authentic voice and hugely relatable characters, Ella on the Outside is a gripping story of secrets, lies and friendship. You can take a look inside the book below:

Buy the book online.

And you can also listen to a preview of the audiobook edition, read by Louiza Patikas – here’s the first chapter:

Buy the audiobook on iTunes.