My YA books of the year round up is in today’s Observer New Review

theguardian.com/books/2023/dec…

Finished this beautiful book as the weather raged outside. Families, love, loss & identity 🧡

It's new BfK day🥳! EXCELLENT BtSG on Witness Literature Karen Sands-O'Connor Darren Chetty, a bounty of wonderful reviews, a gorgeous interview with ME thanks to the brilliant Fiona Noble, and more! HUGE thanks Books for Keeps Usborne Publishing & all the amazing contributors🙏📚💙

Out now #BfK263 , our seasonal special. Authorgraph interview Sophie Anderson; Helen Cooper Windows into #Illustration ; new Beyond the Secret Garden; Realms of the Imagination at the BL; books of the year; #ChildrensBooks gift recommendations. Read & RT!

booksforkeeps.co.uk/issue/bfk-263-…

Autumn 🍂🍁🧡

Children's books are the most important books of all. They're the ones that make us readers - and they're really books for EVERYONE! So when will our national media wake up and #CoverKidsBooks ? Here's a piece I've just written about this in The Bookseller
thebookseller.com/comment/please…

I read a lot of articles from educators pondering why kids don’t read anymore. Here’s a small sample of the book returns from yesterday. Kids will read if you give them a space to do so, a diverse collection and someone who relentlessly & enthusiastically promotes #reading .

Children and young people should definitely have minimum service levels - being able to study in buildings that aren’t falling down, having enough teachers to not have over sized classrooms, having people in charge of budgets who don’t miscalculate funding so appallingly……

In school librarian news the highlight of my week was Year 7 Book Club. For our ‘autumnal reads’ theme lots of students brought in their own copies of October, October Katya Balen 🇪🇺 and spoke so eloquently about it 🍂🧡

One of my most anticipated reads of 2024 ❤️

Delighted to say that WHERE THE HEART SHOULD BE — my first YA verse novel for 5 yrs (!) will be published March 14th by Bloomsbury Kids & YA UK . It’s a novel that has taken me 12 yrs to write. I hope people like it— and also hope, if you enjoyed my other novels, you’ll preorder it! 😉😘

The loveliest morning chatting to Sophie Anderson 📚 Updates Only 📚 for Books for Keeps

My favourite autumnal picture book 🍂 🎃

First month as a secondary school librarian done ✔️
A fabulous whirlwind of back-to-school busyness, library inductions, BookBuzz lessons, planning and so much wonderful book chat ❤️

Saturday morning

It's the #weekend . Catch up with the new issue of #BooksForKeeps - interviews, reviews, comment, insight. #childrensbooks 📚📚
booksforkeeps.co.uk/issue/bfk-262-…

Realism in fiction for kids isn’t about abandoning innocence and joy. Realism gives children a place to be seen. Fantasy provides escape. Magical tales and realism do not stand in opposition. There is space for all stories on the smorgasbord of kids’ lit. And value in all books❤️