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 ]
On this episode of Sheltering, Maris Kreizman talks with Kate Milliken, author of the debut novel Kept Animals, which centers on three teenage girls, a horse ranch, and the accident that changes everything. Milliken discusses the research that went into her knowledge of the Topanga Canyon biome,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-05-04 19:00:29 UTC ]
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In her new audiobook, “On the Horizon,” the children’s book author remembers her childhood against the backdrop of the Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-05-01 09:00:05 UTC ]
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“Strictly” judge Craig Revel Horwood's “fabulous” debut novel has been picked up by Michael O'Mara Books. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-30 12:35:01 UTC ]
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Welbeck Publishing Group has acquired Dark Horses, a debut novel from American author Susan Mihalic. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-29 18:22:14 UTC ]
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Waterstones Children's Book Prize winner Lisa Williamson returns with her fourth novel for teens, centring on three friends- and a kidnapped baby Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-24 08:01:36 UTC ]
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Among the big deals this week are a six-figure preempt for a debut novel by a former Marie Claire staffer and a guide to relationship texting by Facebook’s in-house shrink. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-04-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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BRAISED PORK, the debut novel by An Yu, opens with an ending. A young wife walks into the bathroom to ask which accessory her husband prefers and finds him sprawled ungracefully in the tub, drowned. Next to his body is a strange drawing: a fish with the head of a man, or a man with […] The post... Continue reading at Los Angeles Review of Books
[ Los Angeles Review of Books | 2020-04-21 17:00:17 UTC ]
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On “Mondays With Michelle Obama,” which begins today at 12pm EST, and will run from through May 11, the former first lady will livestream a reading of a classic children’s book as part of the PBS Kids Read-Along series. She joins an ever-expanding pool of celebrities reading books for kids... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-20 14:10:58 UTC ]
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As quarantine continues, we’re all noticing that we respond to lockdown differently. While many spend each day providing care, food and other necessities, those of us privileged enough to be 'stuck at home' are seeing our friends’ and family members’ behaviour change under the new... Continue reading at British Council global
[ British Council global | 2020-04-17 15:42:05 UTC ]
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I read Jessi Jezewska Stevens’ debut novel The Exhibition of Persephone Q in a single sitting on the Sunday afternoon before the quarantine. I was magnetized not just by a great story, but one that felt uncannily timely. The novel is set in the days after 9/11, a period when America was... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-17 08:48:14 UTC ]
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In post 11/8 America, the citizenry became more aware, more active, more willing to submit themselves to self-examination. Yet while the world of journals both print (Freeman’s), and online (Guernica, Lit Hub, Electric Literature), have increased their commitment to the exploration of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-16 08:49:50 UTC ]
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Owen Nicholls’ debut novel is chock-full of movie references, but he delves deeply into the intricacies of maintaining a relationship. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2020-04-15 22:39:46 UTC ]
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Owen Nicholls’ debut novel is chock-full of movie references, but he delves deeply into the intricacies of maintaining a relationship. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2020-04-15 22:39:46 UTC ]
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Owen Nicholls’ debut novel is chock-full of movie references, but he delves deeply into the intricacies of maintaining a relationship. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2020-04-15 22:39:46 UTC ]
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BookTrust has extended Cressida Cowell's tenure at Waterstones Children's Laureate by a year, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-15 17:01:56 UTC ]
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Set in alternate Tudor England, “Sin Eater” by Megan Campisi is a riveting tale of female empowerment. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-04-15 06:00:00 UTC ]
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Check out the cover for E. Lily Yu's debut novel of magic and migration, ON FRAGILE WAVES. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-04-14 10:35:08 UTC ]
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In this debut novel by the Chinese author An Yu, male characters propel the heroine into a journey of self-discovery. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-04-14 09:00:21 UTC ]
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‘There was something Shakespearean about imperious men going down on you: the mighty have fallen.’ An extract from Naoise Dolan’s debut novel Exciting Times. The post Exciting Times appeared first on Granta. Continue reading at Granta
[ Granta | 2020-04-14 08:55:03 UTC ]
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“How Much of These Hills Is Gold,” by C Pam Zhang, reimagines the region’s past as a Chinese-American tale. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-04-07 09:00:07 UTC ]
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