Robin Stevens's Blog, page 65
December 7, 2014
Murder Most Unladylike is one of New Statesman’s best children’s book of 2014
‘A captivating new detective series for 11-plus, Robin Stevens’s Wells & Wong books begin with Murder Most Unladylike (Corgi, £6.99). The setting is a stuffy 1930s girls’ boarding school. The narrator, Hazel Wong, is a Hong Kong girl who hero-worships the English Daisy Wells, though she is braver and brighter than her idol. Sure to appeal to those who detest public schools but love Malory Towers, the story features racism, lesbianism, murder and a Chinese heroine grappling with the absurdities of the English class system. The sequel, Arsenic for Tea (out in January), is just as stylish and funny.’
November 29, 2014
Arsenic for Tea is the Bookseller Book of the Month for February 2015
‘Did someone say bunbreak? Hazel and Daisy are back for a second Wells and Wong adventure, and I am delighted to report that they are on absolutely super form . . .
The books have been described as an Agatha Christie/Enid Blyton mash-up, and there is certainly a great sense of nostalgia and classic storytelling, penned with great affection by Stevens. But she also brings something very fresh, and sees the characters and their lives through thoroughly modern eyes.’
– Fiona Noble in The Bookseller, Friday 21st November 2014.
November 23, 2014
Wells & Wong round-up: November 2014
It’s been a busy, and incredibly exciting, few weeks for me and my books.
On Friday, Arsenic for Tea was chosen as The Bookseller’s children’s book of the month for February 2015, in an incredible write-up that still has me glowing when I think about it. It’s out in just 67 days (I’m counting), and it can be pre-ordered from Waterstones, Amazon, Blackwell’s and Hive.
The Bookseller review of Arsenic for Tea, Friday 21st November 2014
In Murder Most Unladylike news, I finally got to share the thing I’ve been bubbling over about for quite a while: in 2016, Murder Most Unladylike will be published in French by Flammarion Jeunesse! The thought that I’ll be able to connect with French-speaking children through my story is just marvellous. My book will soon be fluent in more languages than I am!
I’m also honoured to have been longlisted for the Oxfordshire Book Award 2015. I went to primary school in Oxford, so this feels particularly special to me. And the kids of Oxfordshire have brilliant taste! I’m up against a list filled with my own favourite books and authors, and it’s a treat to be among them.
And finally, Murder Most Unladylike has been picked by the exceptional booksellers at Blackwell’s to be one of their children’s books of 2014. Which is quite brilliant! Thank you, Blackwell’s.
Murder Most Unladylike as one of Blackwell’s children’s books of 2014!
I’ve done a bit of blogging this month, which I haven’t had a chance to mention yet:
First, for Girls Heart Books, on the importance of NaNoWriMo (and why sometimes you need to grit your teeth and just keep writing).
Second, for YaYeahYeah, about my own personal ‘classics’ of children’s literature.
And third, for Author Allsorts, on my own experience of why we need diversity in children’s literature.
I’ve also been doing lots of free-range authoring!
Last Saturday I was lucky enough to be able to take part in the WriteIdea Festival. I went to the YA Quiz and then interviewed the amazing Tanya Byrne about YA, thriller writing and her own journey to publication. It was a brilliant day!
At QuizYA with fellow bloggers and authors. Photo by Bob Stuart.
Me with Tanya Byrne. Some exciting thoughts were clearly happening. Photo by Bob Stuart.
And on Wednesday, I joined fellow authors (and Carnegie nominees!) Susie Day, Sally Nicholls and Jo Cotterill to help launch Blackwell’s Oxford’s 2014 Giving Tree.
The Giving Tree 2014
This is a charity that I am utterly passionate about. For the past three years, Blackwell’s has partnered with The Children’s Society to give shoppers the chance to not only buy books for their own children this Christmas, but to buy a book for a disadvantaged child who would not otherwise receive one.
This matters. Children need books, not only to give them practical tools they can use to navigate adult life, but to give them the ability to imagine what that adult life could be. But around 1/4 of all UK children live in poverty, and the hard fact is that you can survive without books. Any parent, when asked to choose between making sure their child doesn’t starve or freeze, and giving them a book, is going to be practical. Books can only come second.
When libraries are closing up and down the country (and you know how I feel about that) it’s more and more up to individuals to step in and help out – so please, if you can, buy a book for a child who needs it this Christmas. You don’t even need to go into a Blackwell’s – you can buy online, via this handy page here.
I bought three!
I was delighted to be able to help out, and I want to keep on spreading the word – so please let all of your friends know as well!
Susie Day, bookseller Rebecca, me and Sally Nicholls with the Giving Tree
Look how happy giving to charity has made us!
And finally, I’m hijacking this post to have a proud auntie moment. My nephew (who lives halfway across the world, in Hawaii) recently had to pick a book to write a project about for his English class. And he chose Murder Most Unladylike!
Here he is presenting it to his class – look how cool he is! I suspect the football boot may be there to represent the Clue of the Shoe, and the book is obviously Hazel’s casebook. He got top marks, of course.
My nephew with Murder Most Unladylike.
November 21, 2014
Deal announcement: Murder Most Unladylike has sold in France!
I am beyond delighted to finally be able to officially announce that Murder Most Unladylike will be available in French in 2016!
Flammarion Jeunesse has bought the book, and I’m so excited that it’s found such a fantastic French home. I can’t wait to read (with difficulty) my own book in another language – three cheers for Daisy et Hazel!
November 20, 2014
Murder Most Unladylike longlisted for the Oxfordshire Book Award 2015
The longlists for the Oxfordshire Book Award 2015 were announced this morning – and amazingly, Murder Most Unladylike was one of the chosen books! It’s such a pleasure to see so many of my favourite books of this year mentioned – congratulations to all of my fellow longlistees!
Murder Most Unladylike longlisted for the Redbridge Children’s Book Award 2015
I’m delighted that Murder Most Unladylike has been longlisted for the Redbridge Children’s Book Award 2015. It’s up against very strong competition – I’m so pleased to be part of the list!
November 18, 2014
Moontrug review
“Deepdean School For Girls is brilliantly realised … Daisy and Hazel provide a fabulous detective duo ... Murder Most Unladylike is an absolutely fabulous book for 9+ years – with a fantastic setting, gorgeous characters, a gripping plot and tons of humour.”
November 8, 2014
Waterstones Cambridge author visit
This afternoon I went on an another author expedition – a visit to Cambridge Waterstones to talk about Murder Most Unladylike. I really can’t get over how brilliant it is to meet readers, and I’m actually more and more convinced that I have the best readers in the world.
With some fantastic young detectives! Picture by Sylvie
Cambridge Waterstones were wonderful hosts. I got a throne (a real author throne!), a sign and a book table.
My sign!
The lovely throne.
We created our own detective societies (Timmy the Dog and Doctor Who both featured heavily in the choice of society members, much to my delight) and we also discovered whether we were more like Daisy or Hazel (the result was mostly Hazels, as is often the case – I blame Daisy’s off-putting fondness for squashed fly biscuits). Then I read from Murder Most Unladylike and talked a bit about why I wrote the book and what’s next for my heroines.
Reliving my school days. Photo by Sylvie.
Reading from Murder Most Unladylike. Photo by Sylvie.
All in all, a very excellent afternoon!
November 6, 2014
6th November: Devonshire Prep visit and Redbridge Award longlist
First, some very exciting news: Murder Most Unladylike has been longlisted for this year’s Redbridge Children’s Book Award!
Congratulations to all of the longlistees!
It’s in brilliant company, and I’m so pleased to be on the list. Wow!
And that wasn’t even the only fantastically brilliant thing that happened to me today. The wonderful people at Waterstones Hampstead invited me to come in to the store to talk to pupils from local school Devonshire House Preparatory about Murder Most Unladylike. I still find it a bit amazing that these days I actually look forward to standing up at the front of a room full of people and chatting to them for an hour, but I absolutely do.
The kids of Devonshire Prep were amazing: they had so many interesting questions and clever ideas (my favourite was the boy who asked whether my books were for boys as well as girls, to which I answered YES!), and I really enjoyed spending time with them. And they were very generous – some of them even gave me presents!
My loom bands! A must for any detective.
Here we all are with our copies of Murder Most Unladylike. As you see, murder is extremely exciting!
A host of young detectives with the book!
Thank you to the school, for being such a great audience – and thank you to Waterstones Hampstead, for being such brilliant hosts. They’ve even given Murder Most Unladylike a great home: here it is on one of their tables!
On a wonderful table at Waterstones Hampstead!
November 5, 2014
Author events – November and December 2014
I’ve got a busy few months ahead! I’ve been lucky enough to be invited to do some really exciting events at several fantastic venues in the run-up to Christmas (yes, it’s coming…). All of the below are free and open to anyone who wants to come along, so if you are in the area I’d love to meet you. It’s incredibly exciting to be able to talk to you all about Murder Most Unladylike (I’m still quite excited that there are people out there who have actually read my book) – and if you ask very nicely I might even let you know more about what’s coming up for Daisy and Hazel in their next two adventures…
On Saturday the 8th of November, at 1pm, I’ll be visiting Cambridge Waterstones to help you design your very own top secret Detective Society. I’ll be available to sign books and chat to you about Daisy, Hazel and the Wells & Wong Mysteries – please do come along!
On Saturday the 15th of November, at 4pm, I’ll be at the Tower Hamlets WriteIdea Festival to introduce and chair Tanya Byrne’s talk about her amazing novels, and about diversity in YA. The event is free, and we’ll both be signing copies of our books afterwards – again, we’d love to see you there!
On Wednesday the 19th of November, at 3:30pm, I’ll be at Blackwell’s Oxford with fellow Carnegie nominees Sally Nicholls, Susie Day and Jo Cotterill to launch Broad Street’s annual Giving Tree, an incredible Christmas charity drive that aims to give books to children who wouldn’t normally receive them. I’m so honoured to be a part of this – it’s a fantastic scheme and I’ve bought books for the Giving Tree every year it’s been running. I hope you’ll all come along – and I also hope that you’ll support the cause this year.
On Saturday the 13th of December, at 10:30am, I’ll be at Waterstones Cheltenhamto help you get into the Christmas spirit. I’ll be there to sign copies of Murder Most Unladylike and help you find out whether you’re more like Hazel or Daisy. And, of course, to suggest the perfect stocking fillers for aspiring detectives …
