Fiction for older children reviews – half-dead and dead funny
Horrid Henry author Francesca Simon fleshes out her teenage queen of hell, while Frank Cottrell Boyce’s screwball comedy has depth
The Incomplete Book of Dragons, by Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third by Cressida Cowell – review
Dragonflame: ‘as I am a dragonologist (also known as a dracologist), I find this book very handy!’
Horatio Clare and Penny Thomas win the Branford Boase award
Aubrey and the Terrible Yoot wins the award for first-time children’s authors and their editors
How to write rollicking rhyming stories
Squishy McFluff author Pip Jones with the best advice on writing stories that rhyme – and the golden rule is never, ever sacrifice a story for a rhyme!
Stories have the power to create a more hopeful world
In the wake of the Brexit vote, children’s author Sita Brahmachari on the sustaining stories that will help young people find hope and strength in these unsettled times
Taran Matharu: ‘I think writing is like reading a story that you can decide’
The author of the Summoner fantasy series talks to teenagers from DGReaders book group about his hero Darren Shan, bullying and the wonders of Wattpad
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