In this episode we talk to Tom Palmer about his latest book Angel of Grasmere and his other Lake District books. Plus we talk to Deborah Maclaren, the Managing Director of Love Reading about how they are building a social purpose into their book selling.

Tom Palmer’s Lake District books

Armistice Runner

After the War

Angel of Grasmere

Other books mentioned

Arctic Star

D-Day Dog

Resist

Information on all Tom Palmer’s books can be found on his website

Tom can be found on Twitter @tompalmerauthor

LoveReading4Kids - information about how their donations work can be found here and on how to set up wish lists here

Books mentioned by Deborah:

Stig of the Dump by Clive King

The Bee Sting by Paul Murray

This Is Why We Lied by Karin Slaughter

The Wrong Shoes by Tom Percival

The Final Year by Matt Goodfellow

Crossing the Line by Tia Fisher

Brambly Hedge books by Jill Barklem

Give Away

Check out our social media for a chance to win a stack of books from Love Reading (UK postage only). To enter the competition: On Twitter/X, entrants will need to follow @lovereadingkids and @Mostly_BookTalk and retweet and/or comment on the competition tweet. On Instagram, entrants will need to follow @lovereadingkids and @mostlybooktalk and comment and/or like the post announcing the competition.

Full T&Cs here

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Film Clubs and books with Into Film Ambassador Charlotte Harrison plus an interview with author Ross Montgomery about his new book, I am Rebel

Charlotte Harrison can be found on social media: @sometimesmovies

Find out more about Into Film here.

Books mentioned:

Princess Bride, by William Goldman

Ross Montgomery can be found on social media: @mossmontmomery

His website is here

Books mentioned:

I am Rebel

The Chime Seekers

And Ross’s other books can be found here

Find us on social media:

X/Twitter: @Mostly_BookTalk

Instagram: @mostlybooktalk

Get in touch:

info@mostlybooktalk.com

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A look at the Carnegie Medal for Writing 2024 shortlist including the benefits of shadowing with Alison Jewitt from The London Nautical School

Carnegie Medal for Writing 2024 Shortlist books

Away with Words by Sophie Cameron

Choose Love by Nicola Davies, Illustrated by Peter Horacek

Saffiyah’s War by Hiba Noor Kahn

Steady for This by Nathanael Lessore

The Boy Lost in the Maze by Joseph Coelho, illustrated by Kate Milner

Crossing the Line by Tia Fisher

The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander

The Song Walker by Zillah Bethell

Give Away

We are doing a give away of a full set of the shortlisted books (UK postage only). To enter, find us on X/Twitter or Instagram. On X/Twitter, entrants will need to follow Mostly Book Talk and retweet and/or comment on the competition tweet. On Instagram, entrants will need to like the post announcing the competition, comment on the post and follow Mostly Book Talk. We would love to have your comments about which book you think will win this year.

X/Twitter: @Mostly_BookTalk

Instagram: @mostlybooktalk

Full Terms and Conditions can be found here.

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Mostly Book Talk - Episode 6

An interview with the author Tia Fisher about her Carnegie shortlisted book Crossing the Line.

Crossing the Line by Tia Fisher

Books mentioned in the interview

The Weight of Water by Sarah Crossan

Where the Heart Should Be by Sarah Crossan

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff

The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury

Dinosaurs Love Underpants by Claire Freedman, illustrated by Ben Cort

Tia can be found on social media at

X/Twitter: @tiafisher_

Instagram: @tia_fisher_writes

and on her website

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An interview with Elle McNicoll about her new book Keedie, her CBBC adaptation of A Kind of Spark, her forthcoming YA book and diversity in children's books (as well as how she manages to do so much...)

Books mentioned in the interview with Elle McNicol

A Kind of Spark

Keedie

Show Us Who You Are

Like a Charm

Like a Curse

Some Like it Cold

Matilda by Roald Dahl

Charm School by Anne Fine

Lots by Jacqueline Willson

Elle can be found on social media at

X/Twitter: @booksandchokers

Instagram: @ellemcnicollofficial

TikTok: @ellemcnicoll

and her on her website

Link to the Scholastic Graphic Novel Prize here

Books we discussed:

Black Hole Cinema Club by Christopher Edge

Away with Words by Sophie Cameron

Safiyyah’s War by Hiba Noor Khan

Steady for This by Nathanael Lessor

The Boy Lost in the Maze by Joseph Coelho

If You’ll Have Me by Eunnie

Vern Custodian of the Universe by Tyrell Waiters

The City of Secret Rivers by Jacob Sager Weinstein

The Chestnut Roaster by Eve McDonnell

The Great Fox Illusion by Justyn Edwards

The Secrets of the Snakestone by Piu DasGupta

Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovich

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Mostly Book Talk - Episode 4

We talked to Lucas Maxwell, the librarian at Glenthorne High School about Dungeons and Dragons and how it really draws pupils into the library and also about graphic novels. We then have an interview with Sarwat Chadda about his new middle grade fantasy series, The Spirit Stone Saga.

It's a long one, but these two interviews with Dungeons and Dragons enthusiasts just belong together!

Books mentioned in the interview with Lucas Maxwell

Let's Roll: A Guide to Setting up Tabletop Role-Playing Games in your School or Public Library by Lucas Maxwell (also available here)

Links to Lucas’s social media and articles can be found here

The Girl From The Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag

Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn - graphic novel adapted by Scott Peterson, Meredith Laxton and Russ Badget

When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Williamson and Omar Mohamed

Bunny versus Monkey by Jamie Smart

Unicorn Boy by Dave Roman

Amulet Books by Kazu Kibuishi

New Kid by Jerry Craft

Awkward by Svetlana,Chmakova - doesn’t seem to be in print?

Measuring Up by Lily LaMotte and Ann Xu

Go With The Flow by Karen Schneeman and Lily Williams

Anna West Philly by Ivy N Weir and Myisha Hayne

Places to find out about Graphic Novels

Page 45 - https://www.page45.com/index.html

YALSA US website - https://www.ala.org/yalsa/

Dan Santat - https://www.instagram.com/dsantat/?hl=en

Interview with Sarwat Chadda talking about his new series

The Spirit Stone Saga - Tariq and the Drowning City - Book 1

Books we discussed:

The Angel of Grasmere by Tom Palmer

Friendship Never Ends by Alexandra Sheppard

Alyssa and the Spell Garden by Alexandra Sheppard

Safiyyah’s War by Hiba Noor Khan

Dark Matter - A Ghost Story by Michelle Paver

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An interview with Abiola Bello, author and also founder of Hashtag Press and The Diverse Book Awards and a chat with Sarah Stuffins from The Federation of Children’s Book Groups about their Children's Book Award.

Abiola’s Middle Grade Books

Emily Knight I am…
Emily Knight I am... Awakened
Emily Knight I am... Becoming
The Very Merry Murder Club
The Very Sunny Murder Club

Abiola’s YA Books

Love in a Winter Wonderland
Only for the Holidays
The Love Dare

The FCBG Children’s Book Award Shortlist 2024

Books for Younger Children
Gigantic, Rob Biddulph
The Big Dreaming, Michael Rosen and Daniel Egneus
The Fastest Tortoise in Town, Howard Calvert and Karen Obuhanych
The Princess and the (Greedy) Pea, Leigh Hodgkinson

Books for Younger Readers
Adventure Mice: Otter Chaos, Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre
Marv and the Killer Plants, Alex Falase-Koya and Paula Bowles
Press Start! Game On, Super Rabbit Boy!, Thomas Flintham

Books for Older Readers
Code Name Kingfisher, Liz Kessler
Deadlock, Simon Fox
The Final Year, Matt Goodfellow and Joe Todd-Stanton

Books we have been reading
The Eyes and the Impossible, Dave Eggers
Keedie, Elle McNicoll
When I Feel Red,Lily Bailey
The Song Walker, Zilla Bethel
Secrets of the Snake Stone,Piu DasGupta
Tariq and the Drowning City, Sarwat Chadda

Death Under a Little Sky and Death in a Lonely Place, Stig Abell
Sufferah, Alex Wheatle

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We talked to Rose Edmondson at Falinge Park High School about her brilliant science book club. She can be found on Twitter/X @snotlady5

Here are some of the books she mentioned:

Global - a graphic novel adventure about hope in the face of climate change

The Moth Keeper - can be hard to find in UK - available second hand

The Curie Society

Graphic Science- Seven Journeys of Discovery

Am I made of Stardust

I Ate Sunshine for Breakfast

The Observologist

We also talked about what we had been reading.

Northern Soul

The Dog that Saved the World (Cup)

The Humiliations of Welton Blake

Featherlight

When I Feel Red

I am Rebel

Tomorrow, Tomorrow and Tomorrow

Wonderscape

And information about Book Clubs in Schools’ Summer Book Club can be found here.

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