Robin Stevens's Blog, page 62
March 30, 2015
Carousel review of Murder Most Unladylike
Carousel magazine has reviewed Murder Most Unladylike!
‘When Hazel Wong left Hong Kong for Deepdean School for Girls for the perfect English education, she never expected to be playing Watson to another pupil’s Sherlock Holmes. Her best friend, Daisy Wells, becomes President of the secret ‘Wells and Wong Detective Society’ and makes Hazel secretary. Unexpectedly, the society is suddenly catapulted from investigating missing ties to uncovering murder, deception and blackmail, Their first big case starts with the unexpected discovery of Miss Bell’s dead body which then mysteriously disappears. Luckily, Hazel’s clues and deductions are just as vital as the more charismatic Daisy’s assumptions and speculations in helping the two girls uncover the trail of a murderer at Deepdean. Set in 1934, this boarding school detective story is exciting and enthralling, but also full of public school eccentricities and period charm. Robin Stevens could well be a new Agatha Christie for young readers.’
– Benjamin Scott, Carousel.
March 29, 2015
Arsenic for Tea included in the New Statesman’s Easter round-up 2015
Amanda Craig has chosen Arsenic for Tea as part of her round-up in the New Statesman of the best books for children this Easter. She says:
‘Robin Stevens’s Wells and Wong detective novels take our heroines from boarding school to Daisy Wells’s posh home, where her mother is falling for a crooked art dealer. When he is poisoned, there is a limited cast of suspects and a murder for the girls to solve. Stevens satirises the upper classes and the English amusingly but it’s her Hong Kong-Chinese narrator Hazel Wong who makes this a feast for readers between nine and 12.’
Arsenic for Tea included in the Telegraph’s Easter 2015 round-up
Arsenic for Tea has been included in Lorna Bradbury’s round-up of the best books for children this Easter! Lorna says:
‘Arsenic for Tea is the second in Robin Stevens’s Wells and Wong mystery series, a feelgood blend of Malory Towers and Cluedo in which our two girl detectives, the alpha female Daisy Wells and her more sensitive sidekick Hazel Wong, newly arrived in England from Hong Kong, have a murder to solve. The first mystery was set in their boarding school, Deepdean, and involved the death of a teacher; the story this time has been transposed to Daisy’s country pile during the Easter holidays, and it is not a teacher but the flirtatious poseur Mr Curtis who is at the centre of the plot. Stevens has upped her game in this new volume: her cast of suspects is more distinct and fleshed out, and the girl detectives have properly come into their own as living, breathing characters.’
March 27, 2015
The Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2015
Ready to head to the prize ceremony!
Here’s a story. A few years ago, I had written the first draft of Murder Most Unladylike, and I was very confused by it. It was about two children, but it was also about murder. I’d never really read anything like it. It seemed a bit too weird, a bit too dark, a bit too silly, to really work for either adults or children – and besides, who liked historical murder mysteries other than me?
I nervously sent it to my friend Moniza, and a few days later we met up in a cafe to talk about it.
‘I like it,’ she said cautiously. ‘It’s quite funny. Apart from the murder.’
‘But who do you think would want to read it, apart from us?’ I asked. ‘Who is it for?’
We both pondered this.
‘I’m not sure,’ she said at last. ‘But I suppose – it’ll find its niche eventually.’
My good luck note from my publisher!
Which is why, when my name was read out as the winner of this year’s Waterstones Children’s Book Prize for Younger Readers category, I burst into extremely surprised tears. I wrote Murder Most Unladylike for me, aged 12, and I spent such a long time thinking of it as something that would only appeal to my younger self that it still bewilders me to discover that other people like it too.
There were a lot of things I wanted to say as I was standing on the podium, but since I was desperately trying not to cry for most of the time, I didn’t manage to get them out properly. So here is what I meant to say …
A lot of emotions and few words…
This award means a tremendous amount to me. It genuinely and literally is a dream come true – I used to imagine winning a Waterstones Prize in the way that other people imagine winning an Oscar. I read every one of the other books in my category, and I genuinely adored them all – they are all so fresh and funny and clever and true that I was just proud to be included in their number. Cowgirl, Boy in the Tower, Girl with a White Dog, Violet and the Pearl of the Orient and A Boy Called Hope are all books that I love, and would recommend to everyone – if you haven’t, you should go read them immediately.
I am so lucky to have the support of Waterstones – of Melissa Cox and the rest of the head office team, and of each individual store and their children’s booksellers. I know how rare this kind of passion for a book or series is, and I can’t believe that my books have received that love and attention.
The people behind my books – my agent, Gemma Cooper, my editor Natalie Doherty and my publicist Harriet Venn, as well as the whole Penguin Random House team from editorial to sales – are fantastic, and they have made the books so much more than they could ever have been otherwise. And my friends and family, too, are just the best there could be – I am the luckiest of human beings in that respect.
Sally Green and Rob Biddulph, the other category winners, both wrote completely fantastic books, and Rob is an utterly deserving overall winner – Blown Away is adorable, funny and totally gorgeous to look at, a classic in the making.
The three category winners!
My congratulations from my publisher!
Below are a few more pictures from the evening and the next day. What a time! I just couldn’t be happier.
The shortlist window at Piccadilly
Outside Piccadilly
A most exciting meeting – me and Malorie Blackman!
A rather tragic face during award acceptance …
… and then happiness!
With fellow category winners Sally Green and Rob Biddulph
My beautiful award!
And here I am the next day, celebrating with a lovely afternoon tea bunbreak!
Thank you, Waterstones, and thank you to everyone who has supported me! I feel like the luckiest author ever.
March 24, 2015
Murder Most Unladylike wins an Oxfordshire Book Award!
Today I am absolutely delighted to be able to tell you that Murder Most Unladylike has been selected as Best Primary Novel in the Oxfordshire Book Awards 2015. It’s incredible to have won – I am such a fan of my fellow shortlistees – and this award means something particularly special to me.
I grew up in Oxford, went to the Dragon School and came back several years later to work in the Broad Street branch of Blackwell’s bookshop (that’s where Murder Most Unladylike actually began, in the upstairs break room during my lunches!). Oxford is one of my very favourite places in the world, and it still feels like my home turf. I just can’t express how pleased I am to have been given this award by Oxfordshire’s children.
A heartfelt thanks to them, and huge congratulations to my fellow winners and runners-up. I can’t wait to receive my award at the ceremony in November. Oxford, you’re wonderful!
March 18, 2015
Announcement: Audio for Hazel & Daisy!
It’s a good week for my mystery girls – on Monday we announced that I’ll be writing two more books about Daisy & Hazel for Penguin Random House Children’s Books, and today I’m able to tell you more good news.
Murder Most Unladylike, Arsenic for Tea and (after its release) First Class Murder will soon be available as audiobooks! The recordings will be done some time this spring, and the audiobooks themselves should be available to buy this summer. I don’t have firm dates yet, but Penguin Random House Children’s Books (and I) are very excited about the project. I can’t wait to hear Hazel narrating her stories!
March 17, 2015
Two Announcements: Audio & Brazilian Rights for Hazel & Daisy
It’s a good week for my mystery girls – yesterday we announced that I’ll be writing two more books about Daisy & Hazel for Penguin Random House Children’s Books, and today I’m able to tell you two more pieces of good news.
First, Murder Most Unladylike, Arsenic for Tea and (after its release) First Class Murder will soon be available as audiobooks! The recordings will be done some time this spring, and the audiobooks themselves should be available to buy this summer. I don’t have firm dates yet, but Penguin Random House Children’s Books (and I) are very excited about the project. I can’t wait to hear Hazel narrating her stories!
Second, I have another foreign rights announcement to share. Rights in the first three books, Murder Most Unladylike, Arsenic for Tea and First Class Murder have sold to Editora Fundamento in Brazil. I can’t believe the way my books are travelling the globe – visiting Brazil has always been a dream for me, and now my characters will actually be going there!
March 16, 2015
Deal Announcement: Two More Adventures for Hazel & Daisy
A lot of people have been asking me for a long time whether Hazel & Daisy’s adventures would end with the publication of First Class Murder in July. I am therefore so delighted to finally be able to announce some very happy news: Hazel & Daisy will indeed ride again, in two further books currently set for publication by Penguin Random House Children’s in 2016.
This makes me a very happy author. I genuinely adore writing about my girl detectives and their world, and this feels like I’ve been given a gift – I’m allowed to drop my heroines into two more diabolical murder-mystery settings and set them against two more utterly dastardly villains.
I can’t talk much about plot specifics at this stage (mostly because I don’t know much yet – I’m currently working on the final edits for First Class Murder and so I can’t think properly about other books until that’s done) but what I can say is that I’m going to be answering a popular request in Book 4 – Daisy & Hazel will be returning to a certain school and solving another hockey-sticks-and-ties-based murder. But I don’t think a mistress will be dying this time . . .
So keep your eyes peeled and your little grey cells on the alert. More details will be announced when they can be, but for now, please raise a cup of tea and a bun with me to celebrate my indefatigable girl detectives, Daisy Wells & Hazel Wong!
March 6, 2015
World Book Day 2015 – your WBD
In my last post, I talked about my own World Book Day experiences. But while I was out on school visits, lots of you were making amazing contributions to the Wells & Wong cause – and I was so impressed with your efforts that I felt you deserved your own post.
This is the first World Book Day since Murder Most Unladylike was published – but it never occurred to me that some of you might choose to dress as Hazel and Daisy. I still have such a strong sense of them as characters in my head that it’s amazing to remember that they are in yours as well – and it’s been powerfully weird to see them take shape as actual walking, talking human beings.
So, here’s a fantastic gallery of your WBD efforts. Hazel and Daisy are real!
Hazel’s costume takes shape – Maria James
@SpeakingofBks’s daughter draws the Deepdean crest
@speakingofbks’s daughter copies the Deepdean crest
Martha as Hazel
@cawdelia’s daughters: Hester from Mortal Engines and Hazel Wong
Debbie Shepherd’s daughter as a very haughty Daisy
More Daisy – perfection!
Jessica Gilmore’s daughter and her friend as Hazel and Daisy
Daisy in a rather fetching hat
Maria James’s daughter in action as Hazel Wong
And Hazel with her best friend Daisy!
Some detective conversation is clearly going on!
Lucy as Daisy Wells
@SpeakingofBks’s daughters – Pippi Longstocking and Hazel Wong!
Hazel with her magnifying glass!
Investigation time!
If you’ve got your own WBD pictures, or if you’d like me to change the credit of any of these images, please do get in touch. I am so delighted by all of these images – thank you all!
World Book Day 2015 – My WBD
This week was World Book Day, my first as a real published author. My write-up comes in two parts – my World Book Day, and yours. First, my exploits . . .
On Thursday morning I visited JAPS in Dulwich. The school was wonderful – they had even set up a display to welcome me (which looked slightly like an altar. I felt very briefly almost famous).
My display at JAPS!
I gave an assembly to the whole school . . .
JAPS girls talking about crime fiction!
. . . and then held two workshops with Years 5 and 6.
Plotting detective novels . . .
Giving my expert help . . .
Some young authors with my books!
Of course, I had to wear the Sherlock hat.
With some fantastic poster art by a fan!
I was so impressed by the imagination and enthusiasm of the JAPS girls. Workshops always amaze me – the same prompts throw up endless new stories, all of them absolutely fantastic and unique.
JAPS did a brilliant job of hosting me, too – I got a lovely detective bunbreak, and a beautiful bunch of flowers! A huge thank you to librarians Gail and Rachel, and all of the teachers and girls who helped make the day so special.
WBD bunbreak!
My flowers!
On Thursday afternoon, I went to Village Books, Dulwich for a very special tea-time event. Village Books have been some of the biggest supporters of my books since Murder Most Unladylike was first published, so I was delighted to finally be doing an event with them. And they made some beautiful displays to welcome me!
Village Books Dulwich display
Village Books window
Village Books tea-time sign
Hazel and the rest of the Village Books staff had set up a beautiful (and delicious) tea, and I had a huge amount of fun reading from Arsenic for Tea and helping everyone create their own Wells & Wong mysteries.
With my tea!
On Friday, I visited the lovely St Mary’s School in Cambridge to give a talk to Year 7s.
I had a brilliant time introducing the girls to the books, and I hope I showed them how fun fictional murder can be!
The talk at St Mary’s, about to begin!
Signing books at St Mary’s Cambridge
My first World Book Day as an author couldn’t have gone better – I had a marvellous time, and I can’t wait to do it all again next year!
