The books world is a massive diversity fail – here’s how we change it

Many people are fed up of talking about diversity in children’s books – we all know the arguments, so why isn’t it happening? Author Catherine Johnson takes stock of recent progress and what’s still required at an Inclusive Minds event

Why music is the beating heart of my poetry

CLiPPA nominated poet John Lyons grew up in Trinidad in the 1930s and 40s where singing and telling stories were as natural a part of his life as breathing. Now in his 80s, here’s why music still helps him go with the flow and might help you too

Eighty years of children’s books: the best Carnegie medal winners

Julia Eccleshare looks back at the incredible roll-call of past Carnegie medal winners since the children’s book prize began in 1936, and wonders if any have been unjustly forgotten

Thirteen children’s books you can see on stage this summer

Your favourite characters are leaping out of the page and onto the stage. Find out where you can watch the creations of authors from Roald Dahl to Michael Morpurgo to David Almond come to life

‘Imprinted in the soul of every Italian’: Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio

Alessandro Gallenzi on why Italy’s most famous children’s writer is so worth loving – and about his mission to polish up lost gem The Adventures of Pipì the Pink Monkey, with help from illustrator Axel Scheffler

Children’s authors’ debt to JK Rowling: ‘She brought back storytelling’

As Harry Potter and the Cursed Child hits the West End, five writers reveal how Rowling changed their field

Harry Potter in 2016: what’s happening this year

From the Cursed Child to Fantastic Beasts to the illustrated version of Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, here’s everything that’s coming to us this year (that we know of) from the world of JK Rowling’s wizarding world

Why you should record the stories of your parents or grandparents

The story of GR Gemin’s Italian immigrant parents moving to Wales in the 1950s has inspired his new book, Sweet Pizza. One regret: never recording the oral history of his dad before he died

Why teenagers are so resistant to e-readers

In many areas of life teenagers are moving online – so why do so many surveys show they still prefer print books over e-readers? Sometimes, argues teen site member confessionsofabooklover, innovation just can’t beat tradition

Rick Yancey: ‘Without trust and cooperation, we’re doomed’

As the 5th Wave trilogy reaches its conclusion with The Last Star, site member Pedro got to talk to Rick Yancey about the author’s hopes and fears for the future of humankind and why he dreams of being invited to the White House

Stephen King’s The Body made me feel like I was 11 again

When Stewart Foster read The Body, the book later made into the movie Stand by Me, it triggered memories of his own happy school days to come back to life – and inspired him to become a writer

PJ Lynch is Ireland’s new children’s laureate

The year of the ‘big picture’: author and illustrator PJ Lynch is announced the fourth Laureate na nÓg in Dublin

Win an original drawing by William Grill – competition

To celebrate the publication of his new book The Wolves Of Currumpaw, Kate Greenaway-winning author and illustrator William Grill is giving away an original drawing, the view from Capulin Volcano in New Mexico

How Philip Pullman’s Northern Lights changed my life

Martin Stewart knew he wanted to be a writer but didn’t know what kind – until he read Philip Pullman’s elegant, imaginative and insightful masterwork

Michael Rosen’s greatest quotes to mark his 70th birthday!

Happy 70th birthday to poetry and prose pro Michael Rosen – here are some of our favourite quotes to celebrate the big day