Children and teens roundup – the best new picture books and novels
A huge brolly; sibling revelry; poetic Paris; first aid for youngsters; Regency blackmail; blackly comic YA fiction and more
My kids may be in terribly crafted costumes, but the real magic of Book Week is in the pages
In a world of shrinking attention spans and falling literacy rates, this celebration of books might be more important than ever
Andy Griffiths: ‘I think it’s a pity that reading is being lost through neglect’
The multimillion copy-selling children’s author on his freewheeling childhood, the joy of being unproductive and life after the Treehouse series
‘No one could compete’: readers remember the magic of Allan Ahlberg’s stories
A godsend to teachers winning children over to books, they have also provided precious shared family fun and ‘jolts of warmth and home’
Allan Ahlberg, beloved children’s author, dies aged 87
Working first with his wife Janet, and later with illustrators including Raymond Briggs and Bruce Ingman, he wrote more than 150 books
First jobs, first love and a serve of minimum chips
Our teenage jobs are generally far from glamorous but one of the pleasures of writing a book is the chance to do it all again – only better
Andy Lee: ‘It’s illegal to taxidermy a human in Australia. I know because I looked into it’
The TV presenter and children’s writer on his accidental bestseller, his most controversial opinion and the prank he used to play on paparazzi
‘We think Princess Pearl is a feminist icon’: readers’ favourite Julia Donaldson books
Characters who challenge stereotypes, stories that stimulate little ones’ vocabulary, endless laughter … and moments guaranteed to make any dad cry. Here are your takes on the work of a beloved children’s author
‘One kid at a time’: How children’s books on male friendship could combat toxic masculinity
From Margaret McDonald’s Glasgow Boys to Nathanael Lessore’s King of Nothing, boys take centre stage in this year’s Carnegie-winning titles. Let’s hope that the male protagonists persuade more boys to pick up a book
Summer reading: the 50 hottest books to read now
From dazzling debuts to unmissable memoirs, prize-winning novels to page-turning histories … Plus our pick of paperbacks and children’s fiction
Carnegie medal for writing: Margaret McDonald named youngest ever winner
The 27-year-old’s prizewinning debut, Glasgow Boys, is a coming-of-age novel about the friendship between two boys who have grown up in the care system
‘Oh no! It’s a Gruffalo!’ Julia Donaldson’s 15 best books – ranked!
Her rhyming tales have enchanted children and parents the world over – but which is the best? From a busker’s cat to a greedy rat, it’s time to rate the hits
British-Palestinian writer NS Nuseibeh wins Jhalak prose prize for writers of colour
‘Timely’ essay collection Namesake explores identity, religion and colonialism as Nathanael Lessore takes children’s and young adult prize and Mimi Khalvati wins for poetry
Aidan Chambers obituary
Teacher and writer of ‘youth novels’, which he defended as a literature worth studying and preserving
Children’s and teens roundup – the best new picture books and novels
A girl with super strength; anarchic doughnuts on a mission to rule the world; boys in the Blitz; an Igbo YA fantasy and more