Windows and Mirrors
KATHARINE QUARMBY
I was really delighted to be approached to write this book series for YA readers by Sarah Rudd, an editor and publishing developer at Badger Books, as dealing with bullying is one of the things that you come across as a pupil and as a parent. I was also lucky enough to discuss some of the books with our writing group, so thank you to everyone in the group for thoughts!
The series, which was published last month, is called Windows and Mirrors and is a series of six books that I hope will create conversations in schools about some of the prejudices that lie behind certain sorts of bullying. Sadly, we know from research that certain groups can be targeted in particular – though of course nobody is safe from bullying.
I was bullied myself at secondary school, but I’ve also drawn on experiences from family, friends and the wider school community at the school my children attended, as well as experts from the world of the care experienced community, asylum seekers and refugees, young lesbians, disabled children and their parents to create the series. Sarah, my editor, was also keen for us to look at when young people are bullied or targeted because of poverty, so we included that as well.
I hope that the books will help navigate readers through obstacles whilst also signposting how to access help – or be an upstander. I certainly went into the weeds on how bullying can really affect young people (not that it stops there, because bullying in employment is a huge problem too). I was really engaged in exploring how bullying can target individuals in a very cruel way — for characteristics they can’t change, such as wearing glasses, being tall or small (as I was), or coming from a minoritised community.
Children and young people need both “windows” and “mirrors” — windows into worlds and experiences that they may not directly share with others, and mirrors so they can see themselves in books. I hope that these books offer both.
These books are for reluctant readers, or for readers with younger reading ages than their actual age, because lots of young people can find reading challenging, or are catching up because they have come here as refugees, so the reading age is around nine or 10 but the interest age is older. Every book was read and discussed at length with young people and with relevant adults, including adults working with young asylum seekers, foster carers, disabled people, and people working in the care system. This is so that any issues can be addressed during the editing process, although, of course, the final decision and responsibility lies with me.
On a personal level, exploring bullying did take me back to the miserable time when I was badly bullied by a group of girls around the ages of twelve and thirteen. Looking back at old school photos and seeing how weighed down I looked was hard to see, but I also know that I got through that with support from my parents and others. I also could not have written this book series without talking to other young people and adults who had both experienced bullying and found ways, with support, to move beyond it.
I think my favourite characters (sorry, I couldn’t choose one!) are the main characters in Off Pitch and Just Breathe because they are unapologetically themselves and so caring and kind to other people. I also want to give a huge shout-out to my character, Kerry, who appears in a couple of books and is from an Irish Traveller background and is an ally and upstander to people who experience bullying in the books.
I read from an early age, but I really struggled with maths and don’t think I would have managed to get a qualification in maths if my brother, who became a maths teacher, hadn’t helped me to understand it. So, I would say it’s key to seek support, whether from a parent, sibling, teacher or librarian and work with them to find ways to make reading work for you.
To conclude, I hope readers feel that the books shine a light on experiences they’ve seen or been through, whether as being bullied, an upstander, a bystander, or even a bully themselves. That they learn about perspectives outside of their own and gain some understanding about those who are perceived as “different”. If we can celebrate difference instead of fearing it and targeting those seen as different, that would go a long way to challenging bullying such as this.
https://www.badgerlearning.co.uk/windows-mirrors-digital-collection.html
Summer Reading Challenge
JOHN O’LEARY
This week, I finished my second library tour of the Summer – this time six libraries in the London Borough of Greenwich, as part of the sports-themed Summer Reading Challenge 2023.
The libraries I visited were Woolwich Centre, West Greenwich, Plumstead, Blackheath, Charlton House and Eltham Centre.
I had the pleasure of talking to families about books and reading before working together on a pop-up activity – with moving parts! We used the lovely characters created by Loretta Schauer for the Summer Reading Challenge as a starting point for our designs – some children used other characters and some created their own.
Thank you to all the children and adults, and library staff who took part for their wonderful enthusiasm and creativity.
My next events are in Redbridge on the 23 Aug:
https://visionrcl.org.uk/event/pop-up-book-making-with-john-oleary/
Eileen Browne’s Top 20 of 2022
EILEEN BROWNE (guest post)
These titles are a “good read” for all children.
Chosen from 300+ picture books with Female and BAME characters, reviewed in 2022.
Do forward this to fellow authors and illustrators.
Alcatoe and the Turnip Child (5-10 yrs)
Isaac Lenkiewicz
97818 38740 146 – Flying Eye Books 2022 (graphic novel)
Best Bear Tracker, The (2-7 yrs)
John Condon & Julia Christians
97817 87418 073 – Templar Books 2022
Bluey – The Pool (1-4 yrs)
97802 41553 732 (board bk) – Ladybird Books 2022
Cat and the Rat and the Hat, The (2-7 yrs)
Em Lynas & Matt Hunt
97818 39941 566 – Nosy Crow 2021 (+ smartphone audio book)
Daisy’s Dragons, A story about feelings (4-9 yrs)
Frances Stickley & Annabel Tempest
97817 87418 974 – Studio Press 2021
Fears You Fear, The (2-7 yrs)
Rachel Rooney & Zehra Hicks
97818 39130 915 (hbk) – Andersen Press 2022
Good Place, A (1-6 yrs)
Lucy Cousins
97815 29501 254 (hbk) – Walker Books 2022
Hilda and the Troll (5-11+ yrs)
Luke Pearson
97819 09263 789 – Flying Eye Books 2015 (2013) (graphic novel)
Home for Grace (4-9 yrs)
Kathryn White & Rachael Dean
97818 39131 752 (hbk) – Andersen Press 2022
How to Count to One (4-8 yrs)
Caspar Salmon & Matt Hunt
97818 39941 931 – Nosy Crow 2022
Huffalots The (2-7 yrs)
Eve Coy
97817 83449 804 – Andersen Press 2021 (2020)
If I Had a Kangaroo (1-7 yrs)
Gabby Dawnay & Alex Barrow
97805 00652 686 (hbk) – Thames & Hudson 2022
I’m Sticking With You Too (2-8 yrs)
Smriti Halls & Steve Small
97814 71193 200 – Simon & Schuster Children’s 2021
Littlest Yak, The: The New Arrival (2-7 yrs)
Lu Fraser & Kate Hindley
97814 71182 655 – Simon & Schuster Children’s UK 2022
One Tiny Dot (3-9 yrs)
Lucy Rowland & Gwen Millward
97817 87418 868 – Templar Books 2022
Plesiosaur’s Neck, The (5-11 yrs)
Dr Adam S. Smith, Jonathan Emmett & Adam Larkum
97819 12979 424 – UCLan Publishing 2021 (+ non-fiction)
Pop-up Peekaboo! Under the Sea (0-3 yrs)
Clare Lloyd & Elle Ward
97802 41333 112 (board bk) – Dorling Kindersley 2018 (+ flaps & pop-ups)
Practical Present for Philipa Pheasant, A (3-8 yrs)
Briony May Smith
97814 06391 312 (hbk) – Walker Books 2022
Well Done, Mummy Penguin (2-7 yrs)
Chris Haughton
97814 06385 533 (hbk) – Walker Books 2022
We’re Going to Find the Monster (2-8 yrs)
Malorie Blackman & Dapo Adeola
97802 41401 309 – Puffin 2021
Board Books
STEPHANIE WARD
I’m very excited to announce the publication of my latest children’s books — two new books in a brand new genre — both releasing into the world today! Clownfish Aren’t Funny! and Don’t Laugh Giraffe! are humorous, rhyming board books with a sensory toy designed into the pages.
Title: Clownfish Aren’t Funny! & Don’t Laugh Giraffe! | Author: Stephanie Ward | Illustrator: Carrie Hennon & Brad Hunt | Genre: Board Book | Publisher: Imagine That | Release Date: February 1, 2023
Though sometimes, understandably, confused with picture books, board books are their own thing. Aimed at children aged 0-2, they have…
– thicker pages (that stand up to strong, little hands)
– glossy pages (that can be wiped clean from sticky, little hands)
– fewer pages and less text (to combat shorter attention spans) and
– loads of images (for visual excitement).
Most publishers don’t actively request or accept board book submissions. More often, they are created in-house from the concept level and then developed as a project. This is exactly how these two board books came to be. My agent, Caroline Wakeman Literary Agency, brought the opportunity to me as a work-for-hire project, meaning I was paid a flat fee to write the text, no royalties involved.
I thoroughly enjoyed working this way with guidelines that were clear and topics that were already flushed out. It was a thrill to get to write in rhyme — an area that many agencies and publishers shy away from due in no small part to limited foreign rights sales opportunities. It was fun to see the final product with a popper fidget toy built into the pages — a feature that has been well-received by early education specialists.
Clownfish Aren’t Funny!
In this funny story about a clownfish making new friends, there’s an innovative silicone popper fidget toy for little hands to push, pop, and explore on each page as the rhyming story is read aloud. This tactile book offers a fun reading experience for young readers and aids development of concentration. The “Push and Pop” toy and funny illustrations in the book are perfect for sensory story time fun! Available on Amazon. (ISBN: 9781801056533)
Don’t Laugh Giraffe!
In this wildly funny book about a grumpy giraffe, the popper fidget toy allows little hands to explore each page while listening to the story. Great for interactive reading fun, the bubble pattern on the giraffe’s silicone “Push and Pop” tummy can be pushed and popped again and again for hours of sensory play. Perfect for reducing stress and anxiety through quiet and focused play. Available on Amazon. (ISBN: 9781801056540)
I hope young children enjoy these board books as much as I enjoyed writing them!
The original version of this article was first published on Stephanie Ward’s blog: http://www.stephaniemward.com/blog
Twitter: @StephMWard Instagram: @steph_m_ward Facebook: Stephanie Ward Author
Workshops in Waltham Forest
JOHN O’LEARY
All last week I criss-crossed Waltham Forest to deliver workshops in pop-up design, character creation and story development to all the borough’s libraries – 8 workshops in 8 libraries over 4 days starting Monday 24 Oct.
One of the aims was to deliver workshops that were flexible enough to suit all ages and I also wanted to involve the accompanying adults in the making – some families combined their pop-up pieces to make a family book. It was very encouraging to see a few children coming back for more at a different library later in the week. The video shows just a small selection of the wonderful work that the children and their families produced.
Many thanks to Waltham Forest Libraries and London Borough of Waltham Forest for inviting me to work with them over the half-term and to everyone who participated.
Booking Around the World: Bruges
STEPHANIE WARD
The first thing that I think of when I think about Bruges, Belgium isn’t books. It’s canals, then waffles, then beer. So, it was a lovely surprise to find that Bruges is also a bookish town in the most unexpected ways.
Books & Brunch combines two of my favourite things — eating and reading. Set in a second-hand bookshop, you can browse and buy books while you wait for your order to be loving made and delivered. Outdoor tables are available for warm days.
The Novel is a charming cafe just far enough away from the historical centre of town that you don’t feel like a tourist. With good coffee and light fare, it’s a lovely place to stop before a day exploring Bruges.
On the way out of town, I wandered through the public library and was amazed by the airy layout and gorgeous children’s section. Yet another reason to add “books” to my list of things that I think of when I think about Bruges.
Books & Brunch
Garenmarkt 30, 8000 Brugge, Belgium
+32 50 709079
info@booksandbrunch.be
http://booksandbrunch.be
The Novel
Eekhoutstraat 1, 8000 Brugge, Belgium
+32 488 13 30 92
Article first published in:
https://stephaniemward.com/2022/07/22/booking-around-the-world-bruges/
THE ROOTS OF THE LOW ROAD
KATHARINE QUARMBY
This story caught my attention seven years ago, when I was visiting my parents in the Waveney Valley, which runs between the border of the East Anglian counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. It is a beloved watery landscape for me, with long views over the gentle water meadows. But as I was to find in 2015, it conceals historic secrets, including local superstitions, the witch-hunts that started in Manningtree – and this story.
In 1858 the writer, Charles Mackie, published the first of two volumes of his Norfolk Annals: A Chronological Record of Remarkable Events in the Nineteeth Century. Mackie noted down unusual or extraordinary events on a monthly basis, providing an immersive and intimate account of history in Norfolk.
His entry for April 17, 1813, read:
“17.—Mary Turrell, apprehended on suspicion of being the mother of a newly-born child, whose dead body was found in Vipond’s pond at Harleston, committed suicide by poisoning. The coroner’s jury returned a verdict of felo de se, “and on the same evening about seven o’clock she was buried in the high road with a stake driven through her body in the presence of a vast concourse of people.”
Over 200 years later I read a reference to this sad occasion in a book of local walks in the town I grew up in from the age of seven. Harleston, which nestles in the Waveney Valley between Norfolk and Suffolk, is a cheerful market town. My dad was the local headteacher; my mum a primary school teacher.
I think it was the Easter or Christmas of 2015 and I was looking for a family walk we could all go on. I came across the story of Mary Turrell above. I researched further, on hidden stories of Norfolk. I realised that Mary Turrell was buried on the parish boundary, between Harleston and Redenhall at a place known as Lush Bush. Before that, she had been subjected to a trial at the local pub, – after death – and found guilty and convicted of infanticide. She was sentenced to an archaic punishment called felo-de se. In the Churchwarden’s Accounts by Charles Candler, published in 1896, I found more details, which he had obtained from an old man who had witnessed the burial when he was a very young boy.
“Creeping between the legs of the men who stood close round the grave, he saw in the gloom of the evening the parish constable fix the stake in position, while another drove it home with a heavy beetle, Mr. Oldershaw sitting his horse in silent charge of the proceedings”.
A daughter survived, known only as A.T. She was sent to a refuge in London some years later. I traced her to the Hackney Refuge for the Destitute and found that her name was Ann. And this is how my work began, for once I had read what had happened to Ann’s mother, I knew that I had to find out how Ann had coped with the childhood trauma she had experienced. What happened after, including Ann (Hannah in The Low Road) meeting another girl at the orphanage and falling in love with her.
I started researching this book in early 2016 and it must have been that year and the beginning of the next that I brought some extracts to the group and was encouraged by the feedback. Then life intervened as it does, and we as a family went through some hard times, with bereavement and illness. I can remember Judy turning up on her bike, smiling, with tasty food she had cooked, after one of the deaths we went through that year. The swims we had after that meant a lot to me, as did her friendship.
The book went on pause for over a year, as I went back to work full time and then, over a year after it was planned, I travelled to New South Wales and Tasmania, to trace the lives of the girls who had later been transported. Thanks to both Marion and Nikki for ideas about who to talk to and where to visit.
Thank you to all of you for supporting me to tell the story of these ordinary women, caught up in extraordinary circumstances, defying the few life choices they were allowed. Not long before Judy died, she was keen to read the latest version and so she gave some feedback, and we talked about her own writing and how she hoped to return to it.
In many ways this book was written at a time when I was experiencing the depths of grief and love, and perhaps The Low Road’s themes, about holding in in hard times and holding each other up emerged from those days. They were never without fellowship, even on the worst days, and so it seems apt that Judy’s name will join that of others in the writing group as a supporter of The Low Road. She was there for so many steps along the way, after all.
If you want to know more about the book, there’s info on this link, and please consider supporting it, which is a form of pre-ordering the book:
https://unbound.com/books/the-low-road
In Memory of Judy Cumberbatch
In her forties, Judy joined a children’s writing course, in a scruffy classroom in the Hornsey Road. There she met some like-minded people, some of whom became forever-friends. With them, she helped found the critique group Islington Writers for Children which is still going strong, 27 years on. For the rest of her life it was her passion to write for kids, and also to give supportive, insightful feedback to other writers.
She published two children’s books. “I can see the sea” is a picture book based on her childhood in Ghana, published by Bloomsbury. And “Sandstorm” published by CUP is a mysterious time-shift story about two girls, set in Egypt. Most recently she worked on a novel set in war-torn Syria, the ending for which she was thinking about just two weeks before she died. Judy’s writing was beautiful and powerful. She had a wonderful talent for conjuring a moment in time and place, transporting you right there with the mention of an exotic smell or a glimpse of someone’s veined hands pouring tea. But it is as a strong, caring presence, always interested in and ready to act on behalf of others that she will be best remembered by her Islington writer-group friends.
Marion Rose
These are beautiful words by Marion about our good friend and fellow-writer Judy. Judy’s book ‘Can you hear the Sea?’ Is a delightful and colourful tale and was a firm favourite of our granddaughter. I was pleased to see it displayed in a Science display in a local primary school.
I remember being able to “see” the colourful inside of a Syrian house simply by listening to Judy’s most recent story set in war-torn Syria.
Like Marion, I also remember Judy for her care for and interest in others.. We shall all miss her.
Odette Elliott
I only knew Judy for a short time before she fell ill but I always admired her writing. It was beautifully written and very powerful. Our group will miss her.
Sunita Nahar
I met Judy around the time my first son was born about thirty years ago. Elizabeth Hawkins was amalgamating her two workshop groups at Montem School and she was in the rival group. In a few short years, a number of us, including Judy, had set up our own group, Islington Writers for Children. Over the years, people came and went but Judy was always a constant, offering helpful feedback and support, and sharing her beautiful writing with us.
In the early days, we would often visit each other for one-to-one critique sessions and later she would regularly host the group meetings. I chatted to her recently on Facebook so it seems all the more unreal that she is no longer with us.
Rest in peace, Judy, you won’t be forgotten.
John O’Leary
I joined the Islington Writers for Children Group in 2007 so I was lucky enough to know Judy for many years and we frequently met in each other’s houses. I admired her talent hugely and her comments on my own work were always spot on. I learnt so much from her, as well as being captivated by her own fictional contributions. I’m devastated that I shall never know how her wonderful Syrian story turned out – and that wasn’t the only story where she left us desperate for more. I shall miss her.
Rachel Summerson (Elizabeth Hawksley)
When critiquing someone else’s writing Judy knew instinctively what to say. She knew that there is a fine line between ‘telling it as it is’ and offering the right words that encourage the writer to keep on writing. When Judy spoke it was heart-felt and honest … but she was always kind. Her words inspired me, and they were much appreciated. She was a lovely lady and she will be sorely missed.
Megg Nicol
I feel so sad that Judy died in March. I am sorry that she will not be finishing the wonderful story of the two boys which she was writing and bringing to the group for feedback when she first became ill. I had hoped that she would eventually be well enough to participate in the group again.
My memories of Judy include how welcoming she was when I first joined the group, her own captivating writing, and her thoughtful feedback for others on their drafts, and general encouragement of our writing.
Clare Tovey
In Praise of Libraries
ODETTE ELLIOTT
A Very Happy New Year to everyone reading this! Before we all take our Christmas decorations down, I’d like to bring your attention one more time to a cartoon by editorial cartoonist Rob Rogers that really struck a chord with me. It sings the praise of libraries!
When a child, or an adult enters a library, they can see such a variety of books and so many will open a “new world” to the reader. As it so happens, a great review of my latest book by Lynda Waterhouse in “An Awfully Big Blog Adventure” “The ramblings of a few Scattered Authors” on 12th December 2021, ends with the words: “This book is an essential for every primary school library and would make a lovely Christmas present. It provides a refreshing counterbalance to the high volume of middle grade fantasy that is currently around.” She was reviewing my book Abigay’s Farm.
Christmas may be over, but I suggest that books make great presents at any time of the year!
Lynda’s review can be read in full here:
http://awfullybigblogadventure.blogspot.com/2021/12/abigays-farm-by-odette-elliot.html
Book Review: Abigay’s Farm
STEPHANIE WARD
It’s been too long since book launches were live and in person, so it was with great pleasure that I was able to attend the launch of Abigay’s Farm — a charming new middle grade novel by Odette Elliott.
Book Description:
For the first time ever, Abigay arrives at her grandparents’ farm, Willowfield, without her twin brother Gabriel. She misses him a lot. To make matters worse, she learns that the farm is in serious financial trouble and Grandpa is losing hope.
In desperation, Abigay comes up with a bold plan. Grandpa is not impressed. Will the mysterious discovery in the barn make a difference? Is Christopher King’s threat real? Will the plan be enough to save Willowfield and their hopes for the future?
This multigenerational story is written by the author of the ground-breaking ‘Sammy’ books about a mixed-race family. It is based on her own family experience of diversity and family-run farms.
My Thoughts: In the idyllic setting of Willowfield Farm, a young girl must find a way to save the financially ailing family farm while her twin brother undergoes yet another surgery. How can Abigay convince her grandfather to listen to her ideas and stop the neighborhood bully from interfering? It will take courage, creativity and the help of new friends to save her beloved Willowfield Farm.
Abigay’s Farm is a modern classic — a delightful family tale with a diverse cast of characters, contemporary problems and an action-packed, pacy read. I especially love the multi-generational aspect of this novel where the grandparent-grandchild relationship takes center stage. In addition, the twin bond between brother and sister is masterfully presented — touching, tumultuous and humorous all at once.
In the midst of high fantasy and magical mystery books galore, young readers will enjoy this realistic story with its contemporary drama and relatable personalities set in charming rural surroundings. A great read — highly recommended!
Buy The Book:
Amazon, Silverwood Books, Author Website
Add to Goodreads
About the Author:
Odette Elliott has been writing stories ever since she was ten years old. When her youngest child started school, her grandmother asked “So when are you going to send off all your stories and write some more?” This was the push that she needed.
Her dream came true when her picture book Under Sammy’s Bed was published, followed by Sammy Goes Flying. Two other “Sammy” books followed. Sammy’s Christmas Workshop (1992), is still being borrowed in libraries. My Big Brother JJ was published in 2009.
Odette’s stories are family-based, portraying diverse families that reflect her own family. The “Sammy” books are based on her youngest child who always pretended he could keep up with his older brother and sisters. Abigay’s Farm was inspired by cousins who ran an Open Farm in rural Herefordshire for twenty-five years.
Odette enjoys writing, reading, walking in the Scottish Highlands, gardening and being a grandmother.
For more information about Odette Elliott and her latest book, Abigay’s Farm, visit the author’s website and blog at http://www.odetteelliott.co.uk.
This review first appeared in https://stephaniemward.com/
Buzz about Books 