Children’s books world reacts to ‘horrible loss’ of Blue Peter book awards
BookTrust which ran the awards said its limited resources would now be directed to disadvantaged families
Marcus Rashford Book Club to give away 50,000 books this summer
Initiative led by the footballer will distribute copies of his own children’s adventure book to young readers with little access to reading
Joseph Coelho chosen as Britain’s new children’s laureate
The poet and children’s author, who takes over from Cressida Cowell, was praised as an ‘extraordinary advocate for making poetry accessible to all’
Young adult books round-up – reviews
The highs and lows of first-love relationships, modern-day mythology and summer escapism are among this month’s pick of teenage fiction
Shock ending: how the Costa book awards changed reading – and pitted husband against wife
After 50 years, the prize has been scrapped. How did it change Britain’s literary landscape? And what happened at the awards when Margaret Drabble was seated next to Theresa May?
Malorie Blackman’s ‘dynamic imaginary worlds’ win her the PEN Pinter prize
Noughts & Crosses author praised by judges for ‘challenging issues of injustice in a way that is totally engaging’
Children’s and teens roundup – the best new picture books and novels
A secret day out at the seaside; a celebration of wildflowers; dinosaurs, spies and children with superpowers
Danica Novgorodoff wins Kate Greenaway medal for graphic novel Long Way Down
Judges praise ‘incredible’ version of Jason Reynolds’ novel while Katya Balen wins the Carnegie medal for her ‘evocative’ second book October, October
Murdering the competition: Richard Osman thriller tops UK library loans
Stats from 2020-21 reveal that the Pointless presenter’s The Thursday Murder Club is the biggest hit in UK libraries
Cressida Cowell renews call for £100m investment in primary school libraries
The outgoing children’s laureate has transformed six primary schools through her Life-changing Libraries initiative, but says a ringfenced fund is needed for lasting impact
‘A visceral experience of psychosis’: why one artist spent three years painting bipolar disorder
Creativity has been Matt Ottley’s salvation – but for the artist, composer and children’s book author, it has come at a terrible price
Children’s and teens roundup – the best new picture books and novels
A call to embrace wildness, a guide to shells, a tall tree tale, wishing candles, paper spirits, and a tough apology to make
Sabba Khan and Maisie Chan triumph in Jhalak prizes for writers of colour
Khan wins for her ‘timeless’ debut graphic novel, The Roles We Play, while Chan takes the children’s and YA award for Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths
Tony Ross: ‘I wasn’t at all like Horrid Henry when I was a boy’
The author and illustrator, 83, tells Donna Ferguson about working with Roald Dahl, his three happy marriages, feeling sorry for optimists and being brought up in the Blitz
I Want My Hat Back: Jon Klassen classic goes from shoebox-sized puppet show to the stage
Two friends delighted half a million kids with a tiny production in a cardboard box. Now they’re sizing up the much-loved bulbous bear for the Little Angel theatre