CELEBRATIONS May 2018

Summer is officially here and the creative juices are in full swing so what better way to put a smile on our faces than by celebrating our awesome authors' and illustrators' amazing achievements. As we smile our way into May 2018, B B Taylor begins the month by helping to inspire you with all our latest and greatest SCBWI celebration news.

New Releases 

May is one of B B Taylor's favourite months of the year, so she is super excited to share with you all the celebrations for this month. Here are some of the super talented books SCBWI is lucky to be able to share with you this May.

Paula Harrison, author of The Rescue Princesses Series, amongst many others, has her latest offering. The Enchanted Ruby, published by Nosy Crow, is the next instalment in the ever popular series enjoyed by children and adults alike.

Rikin Parekh, illustrator and daily doodler, has this to offer the world and what a tasty offering it is. Iguana Boy Saves the World With a Triple Cheese Pizza has been unleashed on the world. Written by James Bishop and published by Hodder Children's Books, it leaves us hungry just thinking about it!  

Chitra Soundar shares a treat with us this May with a truly beautiful book that will make you smile as much as that summer sun we're looking for. You're Safe With Me has been illustrated by Poonam Mistry and published by Lantana Publishing. This bedtime story has been chosen by Empathy Lab as one of their 2018 Empathy Reads and by BookTrust as a bedtime recommended read for children under five, but we're sure you didn't have to be under five to enjoy this book as well! 

John Condon has unleashed dinosaurs on us this May with his newest book The Wondrous Dinosaurium. Illustrated by Steve Brown and published by Maverick Books, why don't you join Danny as he searches for the perfect pet while facing the pains of being a pet owner on a dinosaur scale. This quirky book is definitely one for you picture book lovers this May!  

B B Taylor is bouncing with excitement this month. Not only is it her birthday (ssssshhhhhh) but her latest book The Curse of the Nomed is released on the 17th May. The book, which was created from the ideas of year eight students from Four Dwellings Academy in Birmingham and illustrated by Holly Bushnell, will help support Partnership for Children, a mental health charity supporting children, with all the net profits going directly to the Charity. The story follows three students on the first day of school, where things aren't quite as they seem. But how hard can the first day of school really be? 

Tracey Mathias debut U.K novel is out this May. The book, Night of the Party, is a YA love story and political thriller. Published by Scholastic.

Katherine Wiseman is looking to celebrate gangster style this month as Gangster School finally hits our shelves in the U.K. after storming through Europe. Published by Zuntold as their debut book, excitement has been building for months.

Sue Wallman gives us fans a big treat this May with the third instalment of her gripping and exciting series Your Turn To Die is the latest offering from publisher Scholastic, and has sparked much eager excitement for those desperate to see her latest work. 

There has been lots of excitement about Sophie Anderson's book and it's finally here! The House With Chicken Legs has hit our shelves as Usborne Publishing brings the legend of Baba Yaga to our shores.

Up-coming Books 

Ruth Estevez is bursting with excitement as her book will be with us soon. The second release from exciting new publisher Zuntold, Jiddy Vardy will be hitting our shelves late June.

Keep your eyes open as the Dragons are coming! Andy Shepherd will be treating us in June with The Boy Who Grew Dragons. The latest offering from publisher Piccadilly Press is the first of the series from this fantastic author. 

Awards 

How could we go through the celebrations this month without a major party! And of course SCBWI know how to celebrate in style! Natascha Biebow, Regional Advisor (Chair) of the SCBWI British Isles region, has been awarded an honorary Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE). The honor is conferred by Her Majesty the Queen in recognition for Biebow’s services to children’s writers and illustrators. The award will be formally announced on the Queen’s birthday honors list later this year. Look out for more on this soon, but a massive congratulations for all her amazing work being recognised! 

B B Taylor is feeling like celebrating this month as it was announced she has been listed in the #Brum30under30 awards, Birmingham's award for inspirational young people under 30 in Birmingham. She was awarded for her work supporting libraries and promoting reading. She was shocked and honoured to be named for the awards which take place on the 10th May.

Agents 

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Have you been scooped up by an Agent? That's exciting news! Why not let us know so we can celebrate with you! 

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New Members 

We love welcoming new members into SCBWI and watching them grow and succeed in chasing their goals. If you're a new member, let us know so we can welcome you, too. SCBWI has so much to offer its members - celebrating their successes is just part of the fun! And if you're too shy, or not quite ready yet to give us a wave, remember we are always here to support you along your adventures!

Good News

We are delighted to say that Gill Stewart has signed a contract with specialist children's publishers Sweet Cherry for a 4-book YA series starting with 'Lily's Just Fine'. We can't wait to see these out in the world!

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Andy Shepherd definitely has reason to smile this month. ‘The Boy Who Grew Dragons’ was chosen by Fiona Noble in The Bookseller as one of her editor’s choices for June. She wrote: ‘Brimming with warmth and humour, this debut had me absolutely charmed.’ All three books in the series have also now sold to Holland, Germany, Turkey, the Czech Republic and Russia. The Boy Who Grew Dragons will be released 14 June and The Boy Who Lived With Dragons is out 6 September, with the third book following in January 2019.

*All images courtesy of authors mentioned above. 

Have you got good new to share? New book? New agent? Award nominee or winner? Are you a new member? Say hi and let us know. Why not send an email over with your good news, a picture and any links so we can shout and celebrate too :)

celebrations@britishscbwi.org