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We talked to Jeffrey Boakye and tried very hard to stay on the topic of children's books (and mostly succeeded). We talked about his middle grade series which starts with Kofi and the Rap Battle Summer, his books on music - Musical Truth and Musical World and what he is currently working on.

We detoured into what everyone got up to in the 80s and 90s when there were only four TV channels and no mobile phones and then came back to children's books and why the diversity of both authors and main characters is on the decline again.

You can find more information about Jeffrey here and the books we discussed are as follows:

Kofi and the Rap Battle Summer

Kofi and the Secret Radio Station

Kofi and the Brand New Vibe

Musical Truth, illustrated by Ngadi Smart

Musical World, illustrated by Ngadi Smart

I Heard What You Said

Faith's First Case (out Feb 2027)

And the book Jeffery recommended to us was

Wild East by Ashley Hickson-Lovence

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In this episode we talk with poet Nicola Davies about the Centre for Literacy in Primary Poetry Award (CLiPPA). The CLiPPA is the UK’s leading prize for poetry for children and each year highlights outstanding new collections for the young and very young.

She takes us the through the 2026 Shortlist and we also talk about her her role as the Children's Laureate for Wales and quite a bit about birds too.

The CLiPPA Shortlist is as follows:

• Five Little Friends: A Collection of Finger Rhymes, by Sean Taylor, illustrated by Fiona Woodcock, Walker Books
• A First Book of Bugs, by Simon Mole, illustrated by Adam Ming, Walker Books
• The Poetry World of John Agard, by John Agard, illustrated by Shirley Hottier, Otter-Barry Books
• Press Start to Play, by Sam Gayton, illustrated by Jack Noel, Andersen Press
• This Is Not A Small Voice: Poems by Black Poets, selected by Traci N. Todd, illustrated by Jade Orlando, Nosy Crow

Nicola also mentioned this book about birds:

The Seabird's Cry The Lives and Loves of Puffins, Gannets and Other Ocean Voyagers, by Adam Nicolson, illustrated by Kate Boxer

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For the National Year of Reading, we are sharing a series of short conversations with people who are involved in promoting reading with young people. This could be a programme, resources or a literary event, and we're giving them the opportunity to share what they do and how people can get involved.

In this episode we are joined by Tom Harbour the CEO of Learning with Parents.

Learning with Parents is a charity whose vision is that every child is supported at home to fulfil their potential.  Working with schools, they support  families to have positive learning interactions together. Using a digital platform they motivate and empower families to enjoy learning together at home using child-led videos and hands-on family activities which replace traditional homework. For reading, they offer a digital reading log that replaces traditional paper version and allows families to upload audio clips as well as easily record their child's reading.

They are also focused on learning what works in supporting parental engagement and are working with researchers at UCL to test what works in supporting reading for pleasure at home. They also  lead the Fair Education Alliance’s work on parental engagement and their forum which brings together organisations to network and share best practice around parental engagement.

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For the National Year of Reading, we are sharing a series of short conversations with people who are involved in promoting reading with young people. This could be a programme, resources or a literary event, and we're giving them the opportunity to share what they do and how people can get involved.

In this episode we are joined by Sarah Satha the Chair of Inclusive Books for Children.

Inclusive Books for Children is a charity whose vision is  for every child in the UK to grow up reading inclusive books. They want to nurture the next generation of open-minded and inspired young readers and have created a free website to make it easy for parents, caregivers, librarians and teachers to find and buy diverse titles, confident they have made excellent choices. Updated each month, all the books on their website are rigorously appraised by experts in children’s literature with backgrounds in education, libraries, academia and publishing.

Each year, they donate 1000s of high-quality, engaging inclusive books to nurseries, schools and libraries with the greatest need via our IBC Book Box gifting scheme.

They also run the IBC Book Awards which celebrate outstanding new inclusive children’s books and their talented creators. Their Children’s Choice Awards shadowing scheme runs in tandem with the main IBC Awards. The scheme gives children the opportunity to engage in the awards process as mini-judges, reading the shortlist and voting on their favourites. 

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We talk to author Molly Harris about her new picture book Whirby, illustrated by Jacob Souva. Whirby is a robot and his favourite activity at school is bot battles, but in his excitement about getting ready he forgets to get any rest and recharge his batteries and when it comes to his turn in the competition he has no energy left. Can he recover and do what he really enjoys?

A great book for bedtimes with lots to look at in the pictures.

You can find out more about Molly Harris here and read Jacob's substack here.

Molly's other books are:

The Big Squeeze, illustrated by Alison Hawkins

I Need Space, illustrated by Jon Corby (out Dec 2026)

And the book Molly recommended was

Benita and the Night Creatures, by Mariana Llanos, illustrated by Cocoretto

At the end we talk about two new picture books

I’m Going to Make a Friend by Darren Chetty, illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat

Naughty by Jeanne Willis, illustrated by Paddy Donnelly

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For the National Year of Reading, we are sharing a series of short conversations with people who are involved in promoting reading with young people. This could be a programme, resources or a literary event, and we're giving them the opportunity to share what they do and how people can get involved.

In this episode we are joined by Louisa Farrow from The Federation of Children's Book Groups.

The Federation is a national voluntary self-funded organisation whose aim is to promote enjoyment and interest in children’s books and reading and to encourage the availability of books for children of all ages, from first picture books to young adult. They have groups around the country, whose members include parents and carers, teachers, and librarians, along with individual and professional members, who all want to nurture a love of reading through the sharing of books with children. They have strong national links with children’s publishers, authors, illustrators, and all organisations who support their aim of encouraging children to enjoy, read and share books and stories. 

The FCBG's National Share a Story Month is running throughout May and is an annual event designed to celebrate the fabulous world of children’s fiction and to inspire a love of reading by sharing stories. This year it has been chosen as a featured event for the National Year of Reading

In 2026, the theme of National Share a Story Month is Once Upon a Storytime  and will shine a spotlight on the joy of reading aloud and the power of stories to bring people together. This nationwide celebration invites children, families, schools, and communities to connect through books, storytelling, and the spoken word. More information and resources can be found here and there recommended read aloud books can be found here.

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In this episode we are joined by author Rashmi Sirdeshpande about her new books - Hari Kumar Ultimate Superstar (illustrated by Mamta Singh) which is a diary style middle grade and Super Uma (illustrated by Nakul P.) which is picture book with lots of sparkle and the all important unicorn.

Rashmi is as ever super busy with a number of new books coming up (details of the books mentioned below). She is also out and about doing festivals and events. The event she mentioned at the London Schools Literature Festival can be found here. She is also at the Brighton Festival on 17 May. There is a free online Super Uma event on 8th May with Puffin Schools and she is doing a free online event for the British Library about guidebooks, and discovering fascinating and delightful ways to explore place.

Books mentioned

Hari Kumar Ultimate Superstar (illustrated by Mamta Singh)

Hari Kumar Ultimate Superstar: Going for Gold (illustrated by Mamta Singh) out 13 August

Super Uma (illustrated by Nakul P.)

Amazing Asia (illustrated by Jason Lyon)

This is who I am (illustrated by Ruchi Mhasane) out in paperback 7 May

Never Show a T-Rex a Book (illustrated by Diane Ewen)

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For the National Year of Reading, we are sharing a series of short conversations with people who are involved in promoting reading with young people. This could be a programme, resources or a literary event, and we're giving them the opportunity to share what they do and how people can get involved.

In this episode we are joined by Imogen Bond from EmpathyLab

EmpathyLab develops, activates, and celebrates the power of stories to increase real-life empathy. Through reading, they help children and young people understand others, grow emotionally, and thrive. Through free events and resources to school programmes and learning webinars, EmpathyLab offers the tools to turn empathy into action. Look out for their Empathy Day Festival running 4-11 June 2026. 

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For the National Year of Reading, we are sharing a series of short conversations with people who are involved in promoting reading with young people. This could be a programme, resources or a literary event, and we're giving them the opportunity to share what they do and how people can get involved.

In this episode we are joined by Emma Bell, CEO of Chapter One.

Through their volunteer reading partners, Chapter One provide one-to-one reading support to nearly 3,500 children in Birmingham, Bradford, Doncaster, East Sussex, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Leeds, Peterborough, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Warrington and West Cumbria.

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For the National Year of Reading, we are sharing a series of short conversations with people who are involved in promoting reading with young people. This could be a programme, resources or a literary event, and we're giving them the opportunity to share what they do and how you can get involved.

In this episode we are joined by Amy Lewis, Head of Coram Beanstalk.

Coram Beanstalk work with primary, secondary and virtual schools to enable children to grow a love for reading. They provide one-to-one in person reading support, giving children the help and encouragement they need to find books that inspire and delight, setting children on a path to become readers for life.

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For Part 6 we asked all our interviewees for one thing they would do to address the reading crisis. Properly funded libraries and librarians were unsurprisingly a strong theme, but also a rethink about how we position children's reading - how do we find the space for children to read and support children to experience the power and enjoyment of reading so they find their own routes into reading, and choose to do it. 

For this series we interviewed the following people (not all feature in every episode):

Dapo Adeola - Author and the illustrator of many books including Look Up!, Clean Up!and My Dad is a Grizzly Bear.

Sita Brahmachari - Author of many books including Artichoke Hearts, When Shadows Fall and Phoenix Brothers

Dr Darren Chetty - Lecturer at UCL Institute of Education and author, with Professor Karen Sands O'Connor, of Beyond the Secret Garden 

Professor Teresa Cremin - Professor of Education and Co-Director of the Literacy and Social Justice Centre at The Open University

Charlotte Hacking - Teacher Engagement Lead at the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Pedagogy and Research and Curriculum Lead at Herne Hill School 

Jenny Hawke - Children's Librarian and Chair of the Youth Library Group

Tom Palmer - Author of many books including Angel of Grasmere, Resist and War Dog 

Glynn Palmer–Bell - Assistant Director of English at Castle View Enterprise Academy, Sunderland

Louie Stowell - Author of many books including the Loki series, Otherland and the Dragon in the Library

Sabrina Sulliman - English teacher at Southfields Academy, South West London

At the end of the series we will invite comments and ideas from listeners so look out for how you can contribute to the discussion.

Many thanks to everyone we interviewed and to our Co Producer Belinda Naylor.

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For the National Year of Reading, we are sharing a series of short conversations with people who are involved in promoting reading with young people. This could be a programme, resources or a literary event, and we're giving them the opportunity to share what they do and how people can get involved.

In this episode we are joined by Andrea Reece who is the Managing Editor of the children's book magazine Books for Keeps.

Started in the 1980s, Books for Keeps is a treasure trove of information about children's books and authors. It includes reviews and recommendations, a news and events section and regular essays about topics in children's literature, as well as an extensive digital archive going back over 40 years. It is a must read for anyone interested in children's literature and reading.

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In this episode we talk with Nadia Shireen about the mad and upredictable world of Grimwood and book five in the series, Rock the Vote! which has recently come out in paperback. 

Listen in to find out where Nadia gets her ideas from, how she writes, why illustrations are so important and what Titus's best cake would be.

Nadia can be found on Instagram here

Her Grimwood books can be found here:

Grimwood

Grimwood: Let the fur fly!

Grimwood: Attack of the Stink Monster!

Grimwood: Party Animals

Grimwood: Rock the Vote!

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In this episode we talk to author Sophy Henn about her new picture book I Want Everything! - which is about how sometimes it might feel like you want everything, but when you really think about it you probably don't... We also discuss the latest installment in her action packed and madcap Happy Hills graphic novel series, Cheesy Bob Strikes!

Sophy can be found on Instagram here

And the books we mentioned can be found through these links

I Want Everything!

Cheesy Bob Strikes!

Pizazz

Bad Nana - Older not Wiser

Lifesize Dinosaurs

The Best Worst Day Ever

Pom Pom Gets the Grumps

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In part 5 we continue looking at what works to support reading for pleasure, focusing more this time on opportunities for authors to engage with readers and the importance of wider family and community involvement and spaces to discover and talk about books.

For this series we interviewed the following people (not all feature in every episode):

Dapo Adeola - Author and the illustrator of many books including Look Up!, Clean Up!and My Dad is a Grizzly Bear.

Sita Brahmachari - Author of many books including Artichoke Hearts, When Shadows Falland Phoenix Brothers

Dr Darren Chetty - Lecturer at UCL Institute of Education and author, with Professor Karen Sands O'Connor, of Beyond the Secret Garden 

Professor Teresa Cremin - Professor of Education and Co-Director of the Literacy and Social Justice Centre at The Open University

Charlotte Hacking - Teacher Engagement Lead at the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Pedagogy and Research and Curriculum Lead at Herne Hill School 

Jenny Hawke - Children's Librarian and Chair of the Youth Library Group

Tom Palmer - Author of many books including Angel of Grasmere, Resist and War Dog 

Glynn Palmer–Bell - Assistant Director of English at Castle View Enterprise Academy, Sunderland

Louie Stowell - Author of many books including the Loki series, Otherland and the Dragon in the Library

Sabrina Sulliman - English teacher at Southfields Academy, South West London

At the end of the series we will invite comments and ideas from listeners so look out for how you can contribute to the discussion.

Many thanks to everyone we interviewed and to our Co Producer Belinda Naylor.

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We are joined by author Sarah Crossan to talk about her new verse novel, Gone for Good . It is a read in one go thriller about the troubled teen industry. Sixteen-year-old Connie is kidnapped in the middle of the night and taken to a 'behaviour modification programme' at Silver Lake and quickly gets drawn into the mystery of where missing resident Belle has gone to.

We also talk about Sarah's thoughtful posts on social media about putting away our screens and reading for pleasure.

Sarah can be found on Instagram here.

And here are some of the books we discuss:

Gone for Good

Toffee

The Weight of Water

One

Where the Heart Should Be

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In part 4 we hear more about what we should be doing to address the decline in children’s reading for pleasure. In this episode we focus on approaches in schools and how to involve staff and pupils in creating a reading for pleasure culture.

For this series we interviewed the following people (not all feature in every episode):

Dapo Adeola - Author and the illustrator of many books including Look Up!, Clean Up!and My Dad is a Grizzly Bear.

Sita Brahmachari - Author of many books including Artichoke Hearts, When Shadows Falland Phoenix Brothers

Dr Darren Chetty - Lecturer at UCL Institute of Education and author, with Professor Karen Sands O'Connor, of Beyond the Secret Garden 

Professor Teresa Cremin - Professor of Education and Co-Director of the Literacy and Social Justice Centre at The Open University

Charlotte Hacking - Teacher Engagement Lead at the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Pedagogy and Research and Curriculum Lead at Herne Hill School 

Jenny Hawke - Children's Librarian and Chair of the Youth Library Group

Tom Palmer - Author of many books including Angel of Grasmere, Resist and War Dog 

Glynn Palmer–Bell - Assistant Director of English at Castle View Enterprise Academy, Sunderland

Louie Stowell - Author of many books including the Loki series, Otherland and the Dragon in the Library

Sabrina Sulliman - English teacher at Southfields Academy, South West London

At the end of the series we will invite comments and ideas from listeners so look out for how you can contribute to the discussion.

Many thanks to everyone we interviewed and to our Co Producer Belinda Naylor.

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For the National Year of Reading, we are sharing a series of short conversations with people who are involved in promoting reading with young people. This could be a programme, resources or a literary event, and we're giving them the opportunity to share what they do and how people can get involved.

In this episode we are joined by Tanja Jennings, who is the joint Northern Ireland Representative on the Youth Libraries Group.

Information about the Carnegies can be found here.

Information about the Members' Fest can be found here.

The Youth Libraries Group recommendations on Bookshop.org can be found here. 

And if you are interested in The Youth Library Review or newsletters, you can get more information from ylg.newsletter@gmail.com.

Tanja Jennings write a blog, Good Night to Read, about books and reading which can be found here.

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In this episode we talk to Susannah Lloyd about the latest instalment in her Badgers are Go! series, Revenge of the Claw. Illustrated by Nici Gregory.

We cover lots of ingenious disguises, pudding references and doing all the voices! Also the importance of having children who can help you name your characters.

You can find out more about Susannah Lloyd's books here.

The books we discussed can be found here:

Badgers are Go!

Badgers are Go! Revenge of the Claw

Who Ate Steve?

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In part 3 of our mini series about 'The Reading Crisis', we hear more about access, but also about who decides which books get published, how they're marketed, and how they get into children's hands, as well as the lack of coverage in the media of children's literature.  

For this series we interviewed the following people (not all feature in every episode):

Dapo Adeola - Author and the illustrator of many books including Look Up!, Clean Up!and My Dad is a Grizzly Bear.

Sita Brahmachari - Author of many books including Artichoke Hearts, When Shadows Falland Phoenix Brothers

Dr Darren Chetty - Lecturer at UCL Institute of Education and author, with Professor Karen Sands O'Connor, of Beyond the Secret Garden 

Professor Teresa Cremin - Professor of Education and Co-Director of the Literacy and Social Justice Centre at The Open University

Charlotte Hacking - Teacher Engagement Lead at the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Pedagogy and Research and Curriculum Lead at Herne Hill School 

Jenny Hawke - Children's Librarian and Chair of the Youth Library Group

Tom Palmer - Author of many books including Angel of Grasmere, Resist and War Dog 

Glynn Palmer–Bell - Assistant Director of English at Castle View Enterprise Academy, Sunderland

Louie Stowell - Author of many books including the Loki series, Otherland and the Dragon in the Library

Sabrina Sulliman - English teacher at Southfields Academy, South West London

At the end of the series we will invite comments and ideas from listeners so look out for how you can contribute to the discussion.

Many thanks to everyone we interviewed and to our Co Producer Belinda Naylor.

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 For the National Year of Reading, we are sharing a series of short conversations with people who are involved in promoting reading with young people. This could be a programme,  resources or a literary event, and we're giving them the opportunity to share what they do and how people can get involved.

For our first conversation, we are joined by Mo O'Hara from Stepping Into Stories Kids' Lit Fest. 

Further information about the festival can be found here.

If you run an organisation or an event that supports children and young people's reading and would like to have a converstation about what you do any special activities you are running for the National Year of Reading and how people can join in, do get in touch via our website www.mostlybooktalk.com

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In part two of our mini series about The Reading Crisis, we look at how testing, technology and access to books are affecting reading for pleasure.

For this series we interviewed the following people (not all feature in every episode):

Dapo Adeola - Author and the illustrator of many books including Look Up!, Clean Up!and My Dad is a Grizzly Bear.

Sita Brahmachari - Author of many books including Artichoke Hearts, When Shadows Falland Phoenix Brothers

Dr Darren Chetty - Lecturer at UCL Institute of Education and author, with Professor Karen Sands O'Connor, of Beyond the Secret Garden 

Professor Teresa Cremin - Professor of Education and Co-Director of the Literacy and Social Justice Centre at The Open University

Charlotte Hacking - Teacher Engagement Lead at the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Pedagogy and Research and Curriculum Lead at Herne Hill School 

Jenny Hawke - Children's Librarian and Chair of the Youth Library Group

Tom Palmer - Author of many books including Angel of Grasmere, Resist and War Dog 

Glynn Palmer–Bell - Assistant Director of English at Castle View Enterprise Academy, Sunderland

Louie Stowell - Author of many books including the Loki series, Otherland and the Dragon in the Library

Sabrina Sulliman - English teacher at Southfields Academy, South West London

 At the end of the series we will invite comments and ideas from listeners so look out for how you can contribute to the discussion.

Many thanks to everyone we interviewed and to our Co Producer Belinda Naylor.

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The first in our mini series about The Reading Crisis - why children aren't reading and what we can do about it. In this episode we look at what the data tells us about children's reading and start to discuss what some of the barriers are to children reading for pleasure.

For this series we interviewed the following people (not all feature in every episode):

Dapo Adeola - Author and the illustrator of many books including Look Up!, Clean Up! and My Dad is a Grizzly Bear.

Sita Brahmachari - Author of many books including Artichoke Hearts, When Shadows Fall and Phoenix Brothers

Dr Darren Chetty - Lecturer at UCL Institute of Education and author with Professor Karen Sands O'Connor of Beyond the Secret Garden 

Professor Teresa Cremin - Professor of Education and Co-Director of the Literacy and Social Justice Centre at The Open University

Charlotte Hacking - Teacher Engagement Lead at the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Pedagogy and Research and Curriculum Lead at Herne Hill School 

Jenny Hawke - Children's Librarian and Chair of the Youth Library Group

Tom Palmer - Author of many books including Angel of Grasmere, Resist and War Dog 

Glynn Palmer–Bell - Assistant Director of English at Castle View Enterprise Academy, Sunderland

Louie Stowell - Author of many books including the Loki series, Otherland and the Dragon in the Library

Sabrina Sulliman - English teacher at Southfields Academy, South West London

 At the end of the series we will invite comments and ideas from listeners so look out for how you can contribute to the discussion.

Many thanks to everyone we interviewed and to our Co Producer Belinda Naylor.

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In in this episode we talk to AM Dassu about her latest book, Wild Journey. This is a collection of five interlinked stories about children around the world all connected by the sight of a murmuration of starlings. Fully illustrated by Joe Lillington.

AM Dassu's website can be found here and links to the books we discussed are below:

Wild Journey

Boy, Everywhere

Fight Back

Can You Find my Eid Presents?

Show Racism the Red Card (out Sept 2026)

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A quick trailer for our new mini series which will be out soon on the 'reading crisis' where we explore why children aren't reading and what we can do about it. Look out for the first episode.

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We are back and have an episode all about libraries. First up is an interview with Rebecca Gediking who is the Head of Libraries at GLL and also the Chair of the GLL Literary Foundation - which does lots of great work supporting children's authors in the areas in which GLL have libraries. Events there for schools to look out for and ideas for how other libraries might work with authors.

After that we talk to Barbara Band about her new book Championing Your School Library - a practical guide to advocacy, marketing and promotion which is of interest to both school librarians - in making sure everyone knows what the library offers and values it - and teachers who may not yet be using their school library to its full potential.

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We talk to Nathanael Lessore about his very successful debut and follow up books, about what's important when writing for teens and the role of humour.

You can find Nate's books here:

Teen/KS3 Books

Steady for This

King of Nothing

What Happens Online

Middle Grade Books

Solving Crimes is NOT my Superpower

Time Travel is NOT my Superpower

SAIL Fest (South Asian Children's Illustration and Literature)

To find out more about SAIL Fest have a look on their website.

And to check out all the authors that were there have a look here.

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Just in time for National Poetry Day, we have an interview with Dr Julie Blake the founder and co-director of Poetry by Heart. Working with schools across the whole of England, over 128,000 pupils take part every year, learning poems by heart and performing them. 

There are lots of fantastic clips on their website of young people performing and all the information you need to sign up this year. And it is completely free to do so.

We also talk about Ross Montgomery's latest books - lots to recommend here. For children there is Small Wonder and for adults The Murder at World's End . Enjoy!

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Author Ashley Thorpe joins us to talk about his middle grade books The Boy to Beat the Gods and Spirit Warriors. Find out about how he was inspired by West African and Jamaican mythology and how long it really does take to have a breakout success as your debut book.

There is also a new Loki book out by Louie Stowell - A Bad God's Guide to Causing Chaos and there is a giveaway for a signed copy (UK only) - details will be on our socials. Also find out about her Lokifesto.

If you are looking for any of the books we talk about on the podcast, they can be found in our Bookshop.org shop here (and if you buy them we earn a small commission and a donation also goes to support independent bookshops). Win, Win.

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We are joined by Maisie Chan to talk about her latest book, Nate Yu's Blast from the Past. It's a draws on the untold history of the Chinese Labour Corps in WW1 in a story that combines a ghost story with a warm and humorous exploration of belonging, friendship and family. 

Look out for the event that Maisie mentions at the British Library in September which can be found here 

Maisie's website can be found here with lots more information about her books and other resources.

Her other books include:

Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths

Keep Dancing, Lizzie Chu

Tiger Warrior: Attack of the Dragon King: Book 1

We also talked about books set at the seaside. These included:

The Last Pebble, by Alex Horne

Changing Tides, by Julia Moscardo

Our Pebbles, by Jarvis

Vanishing Edge, by Zillah Bethell

Turtle Moon, by Hannah Gold, illustrated by Levi Pinfold

If you have any book recommendations or topics you would like us to cover, get in touch.  

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In this episode we talk with Justin Somper about the latest book in his Pirate Academy series, Sword Echoes. It came out in the UK in May and the series sets sail in Australia next week. Full of adventure and intrigue - perfect for a summer read. 

Justin can be found on Instagram here

And links to his books are below:

New Kid On Deck: Pirate Academy #1

Missing at Sea: Pirate Academy #2

Sword Echoes: Pirate Academy #3

Demons of the Ocean

Tide of Terror

The Week Junior's Book Awards can be found here

And the apps we talked about are (no sponsorship involved!)

The StoryGraph

Novellic

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We talk with Tom McLaughlin about his graphic novel Alan, King of the Universe. Alan is an orange cat convinced he is born to rule. Blessed with opposable thumbs and a side kick called Fido, he spends his days dreaming up ways to take up the universe.

Tom's website can be found here and here are some links to his books:

Alan King of the Universe

The Day that Aliens (nearly) Ate our Brains

The Day I Became the Most Wanted Boy in the World

The Accidental Prime Minister

You've Been Werewolfed

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Join us to hear all about Jasbinder Bilan's new book, Naeli and the Secret Song. Find out where the idea came from and the research she did. 

Here are links to all of Jasbinder's Books

Naeli and the Secret Song

Aarti and the Blue Gods

Tamarind and the Star of Ishta

Asha and the Spirit Bird

India, Incredible India, illustrated by Nina Chakrabarti

Xanthe and the Ruby Crown

Calling the Whales, illustrated by Skylar White

Nush and the Stolen Emerald

Paloma and the Bear, illustrated by Skylar White

Anya's Quest, illustrated by Jane Ray

And links to the book prizes we mentioned;

Jhalak Prize

The Women's Prize

The Week Junior Book Awards

Branford Boase Award

Keep up to date with Mostly Book Talk's newsletter on Substack

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We are joined by Alison Jewitt a teacher from South London who leads a Carnegie Shadowing Group at her school and Sophia Bower a school librarian from Durham who is a Carnegie judge this year. 

We talk about shadowing groups and then all of the books on the Carnegie Medal for Writing shortlist. Sophia then hides while the rest of us make our predictions about who wins - we were completely wrong last year, can we do better this year?

Carnegie Medal Short Listed Books

All That it Ever Meant, Blessing Musariri

Glasgow Boys, Margaret McDonald

King of Nothing, Nathanael Lessore

Little Bang, Kelly McCaughrain

Play, Luke Palmer

The Final Year, Matt Goodfellow

The Things we Leave Behind, Clare Furniss

Treacle Town, Brian Conaghan

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Join us talking with Cath Howe about the latest book in her Call the Puffins series, Tiny and the Cave Ghost (illustrated by Ella Okstad). We talk about the importance of early reading books and wonder whether there is a big meeting of authors where they decide which animals they are going to write about (you never know...)! We also go down memory lane with the Tufty Club and it all gets a bit silly...

Cath's other books include:

In the Call the Puffins series (all illustrated by Ella Okstad):

Call the Puffins

Tiny's Brave Rescue

Muffin and the Shipwreck

Her middle grade books:

Ella on the Outside

Not My Fault

How to be Me

My Life on Fire

The Insiders

Cath's website is here with resources to go with her books and information about school workshops.

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In this episode we talk with Professor Teresa Cremin, the co-director of the Open University's Literacy and Social Justice Centre, discuss what the research says about children's reading for pleasure and the work the OU is doing to support teachers develop reading for pleasure cultures in their schools.

You can find out more about the OU Reading for Pleasure activities here.

Some recent books by Teresa Cremin include: 

Reading Teachers: Nurturing Reading for Pleasure, ed. Teresa Cremin, Helen Hendry, Lucy Rodriguez Leon and Natalia Kucirkova

Reading for Pleasure: International Perspectives, ed. Teresa Cremin and Sarah McGeown

Teaching English Creatively, by Teresa Cremin

Children Reading for Pleasure in the Digital Age: Mapping Reader Engagement by Natalia Kucirkova and Teresa Cremin

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Listen to Lisa Thompson talk about her new book, The Boy in the Tree (illustrated by Katie Kear), and also her many other books including the forthcoming follow up to The Goldfish Boy - The Skeleton Puzzle  (out in September.)

Information about all Lisa's books and also extra resources can be found at www.lisathompsonauthor.com

Links to the books we talked about

The Goldfish Boy

Owen and the Soldier

The Treasure Hunters

Sidney and Carrie Have a Party

Worry Boots

The Boy in the Tree

The Magpie Riddle

The Skeleton Puzzle

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In this episode we talk with Tom Percival about his book The Wrong Shoes and also about some of his picture books. 

Tom has a website here, but probably the best way to stay up to date with what he is up to is on Instagram @tompercivalbooks or on X @TomPercivalSays

His books can be found here:

The Wrong Shoes (currently in hardback, paperback available 8 May 2025)

Quiet (illustrated by Richard Jones)

The Invisible

Perfectly Norman

The Bridges

Squirrel and Duck - Mission Improbable

Some of the other books mentioned:

The Harder they Fall, Bali Rai

It's a No-Money Day, Kate Milner

The Great (Food) Bank Heist, Onjali Q Rauf

If you are doing something interesting in a school or other setting to support young people's reading for pleasure and would like to come and talk on the podcast, get in touch at info@mostlybooktalk.com

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An interview with debut author Brogen Murphy about their book, Wildlands. It’s 2050 and most of northern England and southern Scotland has been turned into a vast rewilding project. An interrupted train journey and series of mishaps leaves two sisters trying to survive in this untouched wilderness... 

Brogen's website is here and they can be found on Instagram @brogen_murphy

We also mention the Carnegie shortlist which can be found here.

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Join us talking with Darrell Wakelam about his book Art Shaped - Sustainable 3D Art Projects to Kickstart Children's Creativity. There are lots of curriculum links and all the projects are made from easily obtained recycled materials - ideal for teachers, librarians and parents.

Darrell's website can be found here

And he can be found on social media here

BlueSky @darrellwakelam.bsky.social

Instagram @darrellwakelam

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In this episode we have an interview with Darren Chetty and Karen Sands O'Connor about their book Beyond the Secret Garden - Racialised Minorities in British Children's Books.

It's published by the English and Media Centre (a great resource too) and is available here.

It is based on Darren and Karen's regular column in Books for Keeps which is also well worth a read.

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In children's mental health week we talk to Rachel Fuller about her picture book Bee which explores how it feels to be misunderstood and celebrates difference. We also talk to Tanya Goodin about The Teenage Guide to Digital Wellbeing which offers lots of useful advice and activities to help achieve a balance between being in the digital world and the real world (something not just teenagers could benefit from!).

Books in this episode:

Bee by Rachel Fuller, illustrated by Emilia Wharfe

More information about Bee the ballet can be found here

The Teenage Guide to Digital Wellbeing by Tanya Goodin

More information about Tanya's work can be found here

The other book mentioned in this episode is People Like Stars by Patrice Lawrence.

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We have an interview with Susan Brownrigg about her new book, Wrong Tracks, and with Publisher, Hazel Holmes from UCLan about the importance of regional voices and regional publishing.

Here are Susan's books:

Wrong Tracks

Gracie Fairshaw and the Mysterious Guest

Gracie Fairshaw and the Trouble at the Tower

Gracie Fairshaw and The Missing Reel

Kintana and the Captain's Curse

Website: https://www.susanbrownrigg.com/

BlueSky: @susanbrownrigg.bsky.social

Instagram: @susanbrownrigg

And UCLan can be found here:

Website: https://uclanpublishing.com/

BlueSky: @uclanpublishing.bsky.social

Instagram: @uclan_publishing

Other books mentioned:

The History of Information by Chris Haughton

Cane Warriors, by Alex Wheatle

Beyond the Secret Garden, Darren Chetty and Karen Sands-O'Connor

When the Sky Falls, by Phil Earle

Resist, by Tom Palmer

The Line They Drew Through Us by Hiba Noor Khan

Birdie by J P Rose

Yours from the Tower, by Sally Nicholls

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Join us for Episode 19 where we have an interview with Lucy Ann Unwin and talk about her new book How to be a Revolutionary.  We also discuss our New Year’s reading resolutions and do some book reviews of our holiday reading.

Here are Lucy's books:

How to Be a Revolutionary by Lucy Ann Unwin

The Octopus, Dadu and Me by Lucy Ann Unwin, illustrated by Lucy Mulligan 

Lucy can be found here:
Instagram @lucyannunwin
BlueSky @lucyannunwin.bsky.social

https://www.lucyannunwin.com

Here are the books we talked about:

Children's and YA

Darkly by Marisha Pessl 

Reek by Alastair Chisholm, illustrated by George Caltsoudas

Little House by Katya Balen, illustrated by Richard Johnson 

Pernickety Boo by Sally Gardner, illustrated by Chris Mould 

Adults

The Switch by Lily Samson 

The Burial Place by Stig Abell

I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron, with an introduction by Dolly Alderton 

This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett

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A bumper middle grade episode. We talk to Dev Kothari about her debut Bringing Back Kay-Kay and to Louie Stowell about Loki: A Bad God's Guide to Making Enemies the fourth book in the bestselling Loki series. 

Bringing Back Kay-Kay is a mystery and quest as Lena tries to find her brother Kay-Kay who has disappeared on his way back from summer camp. We talk to Dev about what it’s like writing a debut and how the children’s book market is different in India.

In Loki: A Bad God's Guide to Making Enemies one of Loki’s many enemies, Vinir the elf, turns up and challenges Loki to a magical duel. Loki hasn't got a clue why, but knows he has to get out of it somehow… Great fun and we talk to Louie about her long standing interest in Norse mythology and about the questions she gets asked about publishing.

Dev Kothari can be found online here:

https://devkothari.com/

BlueSky @devkothari.bsky.social
X @DevyaniNK
Instagram @devyani_NK

Her book can be found here:
Bringing Back Kay-Kay

Louie Stowell can be found online here:

https://louiestowell.com/

BlueSky @louiestowell.bsky.social
X @Louiestowell
Instagram @louiestowell

Louie's books can be found here:

Loki: A Bad God's Guide to Making Enemies

Loki: A Bad God's Guide to Being Good

Loki: A Bad God's Guide to Ruling the World 

Loki: A Bad God's Guide to Taking the Blame

The Dragon in the Library

Otherland

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We talk to Rashmi Sirdeshpande about her latest book which is a beautifully illustrated by Jason Lyon.  Amazing Asia is fully illustrated, large format encyclopaedia of Asia which looks at the history and diversity of the continent.

Other books by Rashmi Sirdeshpande include:

Never Show A T-Rex A Book!
Yes You Can, Cow!
Dadaji's Paintbrush
Cash: How to Earn It, Save It, Spend It, Grow It, Give It
How to Change the World

Rashmi's website is https://www.rashmisirdeshpande.com/
and she can be found on social media here
BlueSky @rashmiwriting.bsky.social
Instagram @rashmiwriting
X @RashmiWriting

Jason Lyon's website is https://www.jason-lyon.com/
and he can be found on social media here
BlueSky @jasonlyon.bsky.social
Instagram @jasonlyon_
X @jasonlyon_

Other book discussed in the episode are:

The Teenage Guide to Digital Wellbeing, by Tanya Goodin

The Amazing World of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler: Discover the wonderful worlds behind the nation's favourite picture-books, by Amanda Li, Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

Art Shaped - Sustainable 3D Art Projects to Kickstart Children's Creativity, by Darrell Wakelam

Graphic Novel Builder: The Illustrated Guide to Making Your Own Comics, by Edward Ross

The History of Information, by Chris Haughton

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An interview with David Litchfield about his new book The Dinosaur Next Door and about the upcoming 10th Anniversary Edition of The Bear and the Piano.

David's other books include:

The Bear, The Piano, The Dog and the Fiddle

The Bear, the Piano and Little Bear's Concert

Grandad's Secret Giant

Lights on Cotton Rock

Kid Christmas: of the Claus Brothers Toy Shop


His website is https://www.davidlitchfieldillustration.com/

And he can be found on

Intstagram @david_c_litchfield
BlueSky @dc-litchfield.bsky.social

We also talk about the following books:

The Bed Book by Sylvia Plath, illustrated by Cindy Wume

The Bridges by Tom Percival

Who Ate Steve? by Susannah Lloyd , Illustrated by Kate Hindley

The Cafe at the Edge of the Woods by Mikey Please

Flood by Alvaro F. Villa

Ning and the Night Spirits by Adriena Fong

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Interviews with Naomi Jones and Rebecca Ashdown who won the Diverse Book Award Readers' Choice Award for Thunder Boots and with Erika Meza who won the Picture Book Category with To The Other Side.

Other books by Naomi Jones
The Perfect Fit
How to Make a Story
The Odd Fish

Other books by Rebecca Ashdown
My Granny is a Queen
The Whopper
How the Library (Not the Prince) Saved Rapunzel

Other books by Erika Meza
Stop that's not my Story
The Memory Book!
Seven Sisters

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Interviews with the winners of the Diverse Book Awards YA categories - Simon James Green, winner of the YA Readers' Choice Award for Boy Like Me; Sophie Cameron, runner up for the YA Category for Away with Words; and Jenny Ireland, winner of the YA Category with The First Move.

A full list of the books shortlisted for the YA Diverse Book Awards can be found here.

Simon James Green
Boy Like Me
The Big Ask
Llama Glamarama
A Year of Pride and Joy: 52 LGBTQ+ Voices Share Their Life Passions

Dance on My Grave: Summer of 1985, Aidan Chamber

Sophie Cameron
Away with Words
Our Sister Again
Last Bus to Everland
Out of the Blue

Jenny Ireland
The First Move
The Boy Next Door
Matched Up

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In this episode we talk with J P Rose about her new book, Birdie. And Ali interviews Anthony McGowan with Jason Rosam (originally broadcast on Riverside Radio) about his book Dogs of the Deadlands.

Birdie by J P Rose is a set in 1950s Yorkshire and is a story of hope and courage following Birdie Bagshaw and the racism she experiences moving to a mining village but also the bond she forms with a pit pony Mr Duke.

J P Rose's YA book is The Haunting of Tyrese Walker.  She has also written lots of adult thrillers as Jacqui Rose including The Women and Loyalty.

Her website is https://jprosewriter.com/#home

And she can be found on social media here:

Twitter/X @jprosewriter
Instagram @jprosewriter

Anthony McGowan's Dogs of the Deadlands is set in Chernobyl in 1986. In the middle of the night Natasha has to leave her home and her puppy behind. Will the dogs survive without humans...

Anthony McGowan's other books include: Lark, Pike, Brock and Rook.

He can be found on social media here:

Twitter/X @anthony_mcgowan
Instagram @tonymcgowan

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