Flawed by Cecelia Ahern – review
Patrick: ‘it is a novel that rises above its unoriginal premise and becomes something unique’
Why writing diverse children’s books is tough
What’s the point of having another shoddily-realised feisty girl or two-dimensional token wheelchair sidekick to add to the massive pile of rubbish attempts at diversity? Author Ross Montgomery on why it’s hard to write diverse – but that’s no excuse not to
‘Life was so interesting she had to find out what happened next’: Beverly Cleary’s greatest quotes
She’s the writer behind the gloriously mischievous Ramona Quimby, has sold over 91 million books worldwide and on top of all that, Beverly Cleary has just turned 100 years old! As she celebrates an exuberant centenary, we take a look at her greatest ever quotes. Happy birthday Beverly!
What are the best new colouring books for children?
From the Moomins to Doctor Who, the Book Doctor rounds up the cream of a new crop of colouring books for the craze that shows no sign of fading
Kook by Chris Vick – get your copy
Spring is the time for new beginnings, and what a new beginning is this from Chris Vick; a surfer and now YA writer whose debut novel Kook is a gripping and heartbreaking story of love and obsession
Lemony Snicket: the trouble with being interested in classical music is that people look at you funny
Uncool, stuffy, inaccessible: classical music has been called all that and worse. Daniel Handler, who writes his Lemony Snicket novels to the sound of string quartets, wants to set the record straight…
The Weapon of Revenge by Danilo Barbosa – review
Pedro: ‘Every courageous reader who dares to read it must be prepared to have thrills running high and experience a great shot of distressed feelings’
Darren Shan: saying goodbye to my zombies
The Master of Horror has been writing his Zom-B series for eight long, hard years. Now, as the 12th and final book is published, he tells us how it feels to finish it, and why he feels lucky to have made it to the end still alive!
Can reading children’s books help tackle knife crime?
After the murder of teenager Myron Yarde on Sunday, teen author Alex Wheatle on how reading the right books can encourage the empathy and respect for life that might prevent tragic and pointless fatalities
Meg Rosoff wins £430,000 Astrid Lindgren memorial award
Author of YA bestseller How I Live Now wins £430,000 prize, awarded annually to children’s authors and illustrators
Peggy Fortnum obituary
The first illustrator to draw Paddington Bear for Michael Bond’s children’s books
Enter our Frank Cottrell Boyce Sputnik’s Guide to Life on Earth competition
We have three signed and dedicated copies of Frank Cottrell Boyce’s new book Sputnik’s Guide to Life on Earth as well as Sputnik goodies to give away! Five to 18 year-olds can enter by emailing childrens.books@theguardian.com with the heading ‘Sputnik’ by 18 April 2016. But read these Ts and Cs first please!
The Beak Speaks by Jeremy Strong – review
PGHS Book Clubbers: ‘Jeremy Strong has written lots of books and tends to make them all very funny’
The Adventures of Miss Petitfour by Anne Michaels and Emma Block – review
Myth-hill: ‘it was a fun way to learn some new tricky words and I think it will also help me write more exciting stories myself’
Michael Bond: my family values
The author of the Paddington Bear stories talks about his own idyllic childhood and how his father always wore his hat in the sea – much like Paddington