In case you missed it, verse novels for children are having a real moment in the sun. Last year's CBCA Book of the Year for younger readers was a verse novel by Pip Harry called The Little Wave. This year's shortlist contains two verse novels: Bindi by Kirli Saunders...
*CLOSED: Alice Sadler chosen as the winner Monday 29 March.* Oh but we love a good book giveaway in the Your Kid's Next Read Facebook community! This week, we're celebrating Easter with a big basket of books, thanks to Puffin. See all the details below – and...
So excited to reveal the cover of my next novel THE WOLF'S HOWL (A Maven & Reeve Mystery) by A. L. Tait! Isn't it fabulous! Here's the blurb: Bestselling author A. L. Tait is back with the next Maven and Reeve Mystery. A secret mission. A missing cook. A...
"My child hates writing – what can I do?" "How do I get my kid to love writing?" Getting kids to write – and to love writing – can be a battle for parents. We know this because these questions (and many more just like them) are posed to authors over and over again. So...
One of the surprising side-effects of becoming a published author is that you find yourself being interviewed. In fact, sometimes you find yourself being interviewed a lot. And yes, it's a surprise, even for someone who is used to being on the other side of questions...
In exciting news, last night the Children's Book Council of Australia announced its 2021 CBCA Notables list and The Fire Star (A Maven & Reeve Mystery) was named in the Younger Readers category! The Notables list serves as the longlist for the CBCA's Children's...
"I'm looking for books for an advanced reader aged 9 – please help!" "I'm trying to help my 10 year old move on from books with pictures – please help!" When it comes to regular queries in the Your Kid's Next Read Facebook group, these two (or variations of them), are...
As this blog approaches its 11th birthday, I can see a certain pattern in my posts. Each year at around this time, in response to reader enquiries, I write a 'how to achieve your writing goals this year'. I particularly liked this one, which is now five years old but...
If you follow this blog regularly, you'll know that one of my favourite things about doing the So You Want To Be A Writer podcast, beyond getting to chat to my co-host Valerie Khoo every week, is the author interviews that we feature each week. There's a lot to be...
