Waterstones prize winner Elle McNicoll: ‘I never saw autistic girls in books’

The author was repeatedly told that no one wanted to read fun books with disabled heroes. Now she has won the £5,000 Waterstones children’s book prize for her debut, A Kind of SparkWhen Scottish author Elle McNicoll was first trying to enter the publishing world, she was repeatedly told that people didn’t want to read about an autistic heroine. “In job interviews, I was saying that I wanted to see more books with disabled characters in them that were not traumatic, boring or educational, but fun and full of life. A lot of the reactions were, ‘Waterstones don’t like books like that’,” she says.Now McNicoll’s debut novel A Kind of Spark has won the Waterstones children’s book prize. Published by tiny independent Knights Of, it follows Addie, an 11-year-old autistic girl, as she campaigns for a memorial to the witch trials that took place in her Scottish village. The novel has been praised by Waterstones’ booksellers as “eye opening, heart-wrenching, sad [and] inspiring”. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2021-07-01 05:01:05 UTC ]

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Exclusive Cover Reveal of “Sky Daddy” by Kate Folk

Electric Literature is pleased to reveal the cover of Sky Daddy by Kate Folk, which will be published by Random House on April 08, 2025. You can pre-order your copy here. Cross the jet bridge with Linda, a frequent flyer with a dangerous obsession, in this hilarious and provocative debut novel... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2024-09-05 11:03:00 UTC ]
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The Best Children’s Book Deals of the Day for September 4, 2024

Get crafty, get a little frightened, and get a little hungry with these excellent book deals in picture books and middle grade books. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-09-04 14:00:00 UTC ]
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For Ledia Xhoga, “What If…” Became a Debut Novel

Ledia Xhoga’s debut novel Misinterpretation opens with the unnamed narrator, a translator from Albania, accepting an assignment to interpret for a Kosovar torture survivor named Alfred. Elements of Alfred’s story map onto her own family’s experience, and the narrator becomes all-consumed by his... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2024-09-04 11:00:00 UTC ]
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A Fall Harvest of Titles for Kids and Teens: 10 Great New Children’s Books Out in September

I’d rather not acknowledge that fall is approaching, mostly because I’ve made an embarrassingly small dent in my summer reading pile over the past three months. But the signs of autumn are unmistakable. Kids are going back to school, political ads are ramping up on swing state TV screens, and... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-09-03 08:56:54 UTC ]
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A New Asian American Boom: A Reading List of the Cambodian American Experience

I feel a cultural shift in the way the publishing world is accepting Cambodian American stories. In 2021, Ecco Press posthumously published the groundbreaking story collection, Afterparties, by Anthony Veasna So, opening new doors for Khmer American writers. The next year the University of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-08-26 08:55:20 UTC ]
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Engadget Podcast: Pixel 9 reviews and Gamescom 2024

This week, Devindra and Cherlynn dive into Engadget's reviews on Google's Pixel 9 and 9 Pro phones. Are they really a step up from last year's devices? And how do they compare to Samsung's latest? Also, we chat about a few stories from Gamescom 2024, including Microsoft's Indiana Jones game... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-08-23 11:30:03 UTC ]
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How older adults are preparing for the ‘greatest technological revolution’

Older Americans are turning to classes to learn about AI’s threats and transformative capabilities. The students — most with gray hair, some with canes, all at least in their 60s — couldn’t believe what they were hearing.“Oh, my God,” whispered a retired college professor.“Does it come with... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2024-08-13 14:55:15 UTC ]
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8 Books Reimagining the Monstrous Women of Mythology and History

In the first drafts of my debut novel Medusa, I was consumed by the idea of what it meant to be a monster in a story you didn’t control. Medusa is one of the most recognizable monsters of Greek mythology, with the writhing mass of snakes for hair and the turning people to stone with […] The post... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2024-08-12 11:05:00 UTC ]
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Combating Censorship with 'Sunlight'

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators hosted an online “UnBanning Books” panel, open to the public, on August 1. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-08-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The Best Children’s Book Deals of the Day for August 7, 2024

Magical Adventures with Doggies, a Classic Kids' Mystery, a Funny Middle Grade from Justin Reynolds, and More in Today's Best Children's Book Deals Continue reading at Book Riot

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The Lindsays: how 10 siblings from the 19th century shaped Australian art and identity

Most Australians have heard of Norman Lindsay’s fantastical children’s book The Magic Pudding. He was just one of ten talented siblings. Continue reading at The Conversation

[ The Conversation | 2024-08-07 02:54:02 UTC ]
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My weeks of reading hornily: steamy book sales have doubled – and I soon found out why

From fairy porn to romantasy via the Omegaverse, publishing is sexier than ever. The reason? A big shift in gen Z and millennial attitudes to respectability and shame ...I spent a fortnight reading nothing but smut and I don’t need to give you a reason. But since there is one, here it is:... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-08-06 04:00:33 UTC ]
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Religion Book Deals: August 7, 2024

Zondervan signs Faith Womack’s book to help readers understand the Bible, Brazos takes Speaking with Joy podcaster Joy Marie Clarkson's look at influential Christian women, Paraclete acquires a children’s book to help children slay the spiritual dragons they face, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-08-06 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The first US Book Prize judged entirely by incarcerated people has announced a winner.

The inaugural Inside Prize has named its first recipient—the author Imani Perry. The new book award is “a collaborative project of Freedom Reads, the National Book Foundation, Center for Justice Innovation and Dallas bookstore owner Lori Feathers.” And in a novel move, all the prize judges are... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-08-02 17:05:17 UTC ]
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Obituary: Dilys Evans

Dilys Evans, a trailblazing representative of children’s book illustrators, and a fierce champion for recognition of their contributions to the fine arts world, died July 23; she was 88. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-08-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The Best Children’s Book Deals of the Day for July 31, 2024

A robot dog searches for a forever home, time travel through cooking, and more of today's best children's book deals. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-07-31 14:53:44 UTC ]
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Where are they now? Catching up with your favorite children’s book protagonists.

You loved them first at the library. There, they bewitched you with their preternatural gumption, and vulnerability. Their zany ideas and wicked wit. They were your first best friends. But then you lost touch. Life got in the way. And it didn’t help that you existed in fully separate dimension... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-07-29 17:10:39 UTC ]
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This charming new children’s book uses data viz to teach kids about emotions

Cowritten by Pentagram partner Giorgia Lupi, ‘This is Me and Only Me’ helps kids process their experiences through data. In a new children’s book from Pentagram partner Giorgia Lupi and her coauthor, Madeleine Garner, data collection is presented as a beautiful way for kids (and adults) to... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2024-07-22 09:15:00 UTC ]
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Jo Callaghan wins crime novel of the year with story of an AI detective

In the Blink of an Eye was praised at the Theakston Old Peculier crime writing festival as ‘changing the way we think about policing forever’A “boundary-pushing take on the police procedural” which features a human detective working with an AI sleuth in order to solve a missing persons case has... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-07-19 16:29:44 UTC ]
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The Best Children’s Book Deals of Amazon Prime Days

Today is the last day to snap up these Prime Day deals on some of the best kids' books. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-07-17 15:40:00 UTC ]
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