July 2011
8 posts
2 tags
Spiteful Reviewers
The news of Lynn Barber being successfully sued for ‘malicious’ libel in a “spiteful” book review has sent shock waves through those of us who are sometimes less than kind in our judgement. There’s no doubt that bad reviews come back to haunt you, whether in the form of the maligned author on your doorstep (Jeanette Winterson) or your own conscience. When Lionboy by...
4 tags
Tales from under the counter
Children’s book publishing is a tricky business, not only are you marketing towards kids but you also have to reel in the parents too. The trend for books with screaming flayed skulls and gruesome monsters on the covers sits very well with Resident Evil immunised boys. But try selling The Shadowing by Adam Slater (see pic below) to parents about to reach for another bucolic looking Michael...
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“Off to see Harry Potter. You know, I’m beginning to get the feeling this...”
– Author Tweet of the Week: Patrick Ness
Top 5: Modern Books with a Retro Twist
For parents trying to waft their beloved childhood books under their children’s noses in the hope that they’ll take the bait, why not ease them in with modern tales with an old-fashioned twist?
1. The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry - A fantastic pastiche of old fashioned children’s books, replete with a trip to Switzerland, an old fashioned nanny and irresponsible parents (they...
5 tags
Favouritism in reviews
In Kate Kellaway’s summer round up in The Observer yesterday, four out of six picture books were from Walker. As a reviewer, you try to be inclusive - it somehow feels wrong not to share out the plaudits (though not quite as wrong as feeling morally obliged to review a book because you accepted an invitation to the launch dinner at The Ivy…) But when it comes to illustrated books...
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Book Rant: the Classics
A few weeks ago, Anne McElvoy wrote a little snippet for the Evening Standard as part of their “Get London Reading Campaign.” Although we applaud her sentiments (the value of independent children’s bookshops and personal recommendations from knowledgeable staff), we couldn’t help titter over her lament that her boys would rather read Darren Shan over Huckleberry Finn.
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7 tags
Review: My Dad is Ten Years Old
My heart shrank just a little when I saw this title, particularly the strap line “and it’s pure weird”. A jaunty-sounding novel about a brain-damaged father? Really? Must I? But it’s much better than it sounds. Eala’s dad has a collision with the local drug dealer’s son that leaves him with the mental age of a ten year old. When he comes home from hospital,...
Tales from under the counter
One thing a parent must never do is walk into a bookshop and tell their children, ‘darling, pick out anything you want.’ It happens every shift. You can see the unsuspecting mother thinking, ‘it’s an independent bookshop, he can’t possibly pick out anything trashy. No, Milo will trot over to the classics and pick out Treasure Island.’
Little do they know that...
