It’s been a long time since my last round up of children’s book news. This last half term of the summer term is a bit of a frantic one for both those working in schools and families too so I have put together a collection of links and news that I hope will be helpful to you.

Firstly, I would like to offer many congratulations to Nick Poole, former CEO of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, (CILIP) and Lucas Maxwell, former School Librarian of the Year and Great School Libraries advocate for being awarded an OBE and a British Empire Medal respectively in the King’s Birthday Honours List for their wonderful work in support of libraries and school libraries. I know many librarians are immensely grateful to them both.

News of awards dominates at the moment and I have included some of them here as it is always fascinating to compare shortlists and eventual winners. There are helpful ideas for promoting summer reading too. Looking ahead, tickets for the annual Children’s Book Show are on sale at the moment and this countrywide event in the autumn is a great one for children so don’t miss out if you’re near any of the venues. Among the book creators appearing is award winning illustrator and author Sydney Smith and I am thrilled to say Sydney is going to be answering some questions on this blog in the coming days so do look out for that too.

What I’m reading…

Life has been busy so I have not been able to read as much as I would like to but a stand out book of the year so far for me is Ferris by Kate DiCamillo which I reviewed for Just Imagine. This is a story of family, told with gentle wit and wisdom and is, I think, a book you feel better for having read. Another book I would particularly like to recommend is Tom Palmer’s latest title for Barrington Stoke, Angel of Grasmere. This wartime story is full of warmth and kindness with friendship, family and community at its heart. I am always impressed by how well Tom Palmer incorporates his meticulous research into his stories in a way that informs children whilst they become engrossed in the believable characters he creates. Another must have for school libraries and classrooms. Angel of Grasmere has also prompted me to widen my own reading as thanks to Tom and his story I am now enjoying Dorothy Wordsworth’s Grasmere Journal.

In case you missed it earlier this week, I took part in the blogtour to mark National Refugee Week and shared my review of the excellent Seven Million Sunflowers by Malcolm Duffy, an important story of Ukrainian refugees searching for home and safety in the UK. You may also like to catch up with my pick of the new releases from the world of children’s books that I shared in May here and earlier this month here.

News, articles and resources…

The Children’s Book Show – although Autumn feels a long way off at the moment the Children’s Book Show is well worth planning for now! This charity brings some of the best children’s authors from the UK and abroad to local theatre venues and gives teachers and school children the opportunity to hear world-class artists talk about their work. The list of performers reads like a children’s literature Who’s Who and includes writers, poets and illustrators such as Michael Rosen, Valerie Bloom, Frank Cottrell Boyce, Sydney Smith and SF Said. Tickets are on sale now and this is a golden opportunity for children to feel that great literature and art is for them. Find out more and book tickets on the official website above.

EURO24 Class quiz game with Tom Palmer – In partnership with the National Literacy Trust award winning author Tom Palmer has created a virtual version of his FOOTBALL READING GAME for the men’s Euros. Suitable for use at home or in the classroom, it’s free and a great way to promote reading through football.

Reading Zone Book Club – Discover books you’ll love at the ReadingZone Bookclub – author videos, book trailers & children’s book reviews. A great way to tempt children to broaden their reading and perhaps something to share before the school holidays begin.

Books for Keeps May Issue – just in case you have missed this I’m sharing the link now as this is an excellent resource for anyone interested in children’s books. Alongside the regular reviews and articles such as Beyond the Secret Garden there is the first in a new series of articles by Nicolette Jones, Picture This expanding on her daily posts on Twitter (X) highlighting book illustrations.

Transition Books for Year 6 Children – in the final half term of the school year the attention of many may be on preparing for the changes they will experience as they move to secondary school. There are so many books that write about this from an authentic perspective. Roy Moss has been looking at some of the best books to help children navigate this transition and his latest blog for Just Imagine is extremely helpful. There is also a link to additional recommended titles available through Just Imagine’s Best Books for Schools.  

Inclusive Books for Schools Book Box Scheme – This brand-new, UK-wide book gifting initiative is for state primary schools and community libraries and is aimed at increasing access to free inclusive books for the children who need them most. Every month from September 2024, Inclusive Books for School are giving a box of 100 engaging and high-quality inclusive children’s books to an eligible school or community library within the UK. Only one application is allowed per school or library. Applications must also be made by a lead or senior member of staff. The application window is open now and closes at 23:59 BST on Wednesday 10 July 2024. Find out how to apply on the link above.

Carnegie Medal Winners Announcement -the winners of these prestigious awards were announced on Thursday. For the first time, the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing is awarded to a Black British author, and the current Children’s Laureate – Joseph Coelho – for his “beautifully descriptive” novel in verse The Boy Lost in the Maze illustrated by Kate Milner (Otter-Barry Books). The winner of the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration is Aaron Becker for his “beautifully crafted” and “universal” wordless picture book The Tree and the River (Walker Books). Aaron Becker scoops a coveted double-win for The Tree and the River with the Yoto Carnegie Shadowers’ Choice Medal for Illustration. The winner of the Yoto Carnegie Shadowers’ Choice Medal for Writing is Tia Fisher for her powerful debut novel told in verse, Crossing the Line (Bonnier Books UK).

The Children’s Book Award Winners Announced – the winners of this award organised by the Federation of Children’s Book Groups were announced at a ceremony in Birmingham with children from the testing groups and special guests Korky Paul, Winnie the Witch and Wilbur in attendance. The Overall Winner was Press Start! Game On, Super Rabbit Boy! written and illustrated by Thomas Flintham, published by Nosy Crow. You can find out who won the individual categories and browse the shortlists on the FCBG website above. Many congratulations to all the winners and those shortlisted in this award selected by children themselves. You can watch a video of the award ceremony here.

Information Book Award Shortlists Announced – The School Library Association has announced the shortlist for the Information Book Award 2024. Set up to highlight the importance of non-fiction as a genre and to celebrate the high standard of children’s information books, the award is now in its 14th year.This year, there are four shortlisted books for each of the three age categories – Ages 0-7, Ages 8-12, Ages 13-16. The 12 titles were whittled down from a longlist of over 30 titles by a panel of educators. Chair of the judges, Margaret Pemberton, said, “It is exciting to see an expanding range of diverse themes and to have books which reinterpret the way we look at subjects such as nature and history.” 

Winners of the KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Awards – The KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Awards honour and promote excellence in books for young people and are not only the most prestigious of their kind in Ireland, but uplift and support Irish authors and illustrators, with a total prize fund of €16,000. Speaking at the awards ceremony, Elaina Ryan, CEO of Children’s Books Ireland said that this year’s winners show the outstanding quality and variety of contemporary Irish children’s literature. A thoughtful aspect of the awards is the KPMG Reading Hero Award, which recognises remarkable passion and achievements in reading by a young person. Find out more via the link above.

Jhalak Prize Winners Announced – First awarded in March 2017, the Jhalak Prize and its sister award Jhalak Children’s & YA Prize founded in 2020, seek to celebrate books by writers of colour in Britain and Ireland. Congratulations to the winner of this year’s Children’s and YA Prize, Children’s & YA Winner: Hiba Noor Khan for Safiyyah’s War published by Andersen Press. You can read about the winning author and title plus details of the shortlist via on the website linked above.

The Week Junior Book Awards – the shortlists in the varying categories were announced on 11th June. These include: Children’s Book Cover of the Year, Children’s Book of the Year Breakthrough and Children’s Audiobook of the Year. You can browse all the shortlists on the website above and the winners will be announced on 30th September.

The Lollies Shortlist Announcement – Scholastic announced the shortlist for their Laugh Out Loud Book Awards 2024 last week and it’s a brilliant selection. These awards (the Lollies) celebrates the best and funniest children’s books in the UK and Ireland, voted for by children. The Awards have been running since 2016. The judges have selected four books in each of the categories and you can have a look at all the titles on their website. Now it’s over to the children to vote and have their say!

Book Trust: Books We Love for June – Every month the Book Trust team review dozens of books for children and teenagers. Whether the young readers in your lives are a teeny toddler or a very particular teen, this is where you can find your child’s next amazing book. The books are sorted into rough age ranges, but this is just a guide and readers might find something they’ll love in a different category. 

The Reader Teacher: June 2024 Books I’m Most Excited About – Scott Evans’ selection for this month is jam packed with suggestions that may tempt children to read over the summer.

Is There a Reading Recession? – an interesting article on the Scholastic website written by The Reader Teacher, Scott Evans, in response to the recent publication of the What Kids Are Reading report from Renaissance. Scott discusses why he believes the downturn in reading is happening and strategies for tackling the issue.

7 tips for keeping children reading through the summer holidays – Scott Evans has been busy! Another article, this time for Book Trust, in which Scott shares his ideas to prevent the ‘summer slump’. There are suggested summer themed books, ways to incorporate reading into holiday travel and how to create reading adventures among Scott’s sensible tips.

The Summer Reading Challenge: Marvellous Makers – this year’s Summer Reading Challenge launches today in Scotland and online, and on Saturday 6 July in England and Wales. It encourages children to keep reading during the summer holidays, ensuring they are ready for a great start to the new term in the autumn. Children set a reading goal and collect rewards for reading anything they enjoy. Children can sign up at their local library or online, and it’s FREE to take part. This year’s Challenge is called Marvellous Makers and it’s all about creativity! From dance to drawing, junk modelling to music, there’s something for everyone. This year’s theme has been developed in partnership with a leading arts charity, Create.  

Open University Reading for Pleasure: Summer Booknic – The OURfP team invite you to host a Summer Booknic with your school, class, or reading group! A chance to read, relax, eat and discuss books together, to build reading together memories and offer support for reading.  Their research shows that social reading environments matter. You can browse and download their free printable resources on the website.

British Library: Discovering Children’s Books: Journeys Activity Pages – the British Library’s learning department has created a great resource for school on the theme of ‘Journeys’. The resources encourage children to create mini-books of their own about journeys and several authors have provided examples to help them with YouTube videos too. This may be a good end of term activity for schools.

That’s everything for this edition of Reading Matters and I hope that you have found it useful. Reading Matters will be back again soon but in the meantime please don’t forget to come back for the Q&A with Sydney Smith, Greenaway Medal winner and this year’s holder of the Hans Christian Andersen Award, which I will be hosting on the blog very soon .

Happy reading!