Book cover for Fake by Ele Fountain.

Book cover for Away with Words by Sophie Cameron.

Book cover for Unraveller by Frances Hardinge.

Book cover for Buzzing my Samuel Sattin and Rye Hickman.

For #KidsBooksFriday this week I wanted to highlight books that are perfect for the chronically underserved 12-14 age group.

What great books would you encourage kids to seek out at this age?

#KidLitUK #UKKidLit #KidLit

Borderline Exhaustion Rob Hutton on a forgotten electrical pioneer; some previously unseen thoughts on borders; and some sentences that might seem passive aggressive, if you’re gonna be like that about it.

In this week's newsletter: @roberthutton.co.uk on a forgotten electrical pioneer some previously unseen thoughts on borders; and some sentences that might seem passive aggressive, if you’re gonna be like that about it.

BUT FIRST: there is not in fact a moment when you actually finish writing a book

This is cool – the new advert for the National Year of Reading 2026 (for which I'm an ambassador) has just landed! The message is: whatever you're into, get MORE into it by READING about it. So for me it's football – programmes on matchday, transfer rumours, Panini stickers – I can't get enough!
1/2

Oooooh! Love the sound of this!

SJ Wills’ mobster middle-grade series goes to S&S Children’s Books Simon & Schuster Children’s Books has acquired a middle-grade spy adventure series from SJ Wills in a three-book deal. The series will follow a teenage ex-mobster’s dealings in the criminal underworld...

Very happy to say my new series for young teens starts in July!

massive congrats! Funnily enough, my uncle used to work for a bank (Natwest?) who owned 221b Baker Street, and his job was to reply to the letters people sent to Sherlock Holmes. My dad and his pals used to send in deranged ones to wind him up.

Pan Fiction pre-empts Robert Hutton’s murder mysteries for six figures Pan Fiction publishing director Sarah Hodgson has pre-empted world rights in two “utterly charming” murder mysteries by journalist Robert Hutton from Antony Topping of Greene & Heaton.

Coming next year, meet Sycamore Bell. He's not the world's greatest detective. But he does answer the world's greatest detective's letters.

Proud wife alert 🚨

If you're a Londoner, you should be subscribing to London Centric

I continue to be fascinated by the phenomenon whereby an expert engages with any of the LLMs on their field of expertise and is instantly horrified by the wrong answers, and then goes on to use it for things they are not experts in as though it won’t be just as bad for those.

The sheer brass neck of declaring a 'National Year of Reading' while selling out authors to AI companies and giving independent bookshops a good kicking

Just had a big clear out, including lots I absolutely loved. Don't have the space and it's nice to think someone else can discover them.

Please sir can I have some more On making a living as a writer

This is a brilliant, thorough and truthful bit of writing, as you’d expect from @littlemaddles.bsky.social.

Someone is making a penny, as they say, and the arts needs to have a hard look at itself, 25 years into a lunatic experiment in impoverishing creators.

open.substack.com/pub/madelein...

We're proud to support #ReadItForward 2026! Buy ANY children's book during February, and @bookshop.org will donate 10% to @booktrust.org.uk and @scottishbooktrust.bsky.social AND you'll be supporting indie bookshops with every purchase: uk.bookshop.org/lists/read-i...

Read It Forward with Bookshop.org This February, we invite you to Read It Forward. 10% of all children's book sales through Bookshop.

I'm supporting #ReadItForward2026! If you buy LOKI: A Bad God's Guide to Causing Chaos during February, then
@bookshop-org-uk.bsky.social will donate 10% to
@booktrust.org.uk
and @scottishbooktrust.bsky.social! Buy here - why not hoover up a few more books too!
uk.bookshop.org/lists/read-i...

Need something scary in yer life?

"they don't know how to express the idea" here's rian johnson's storyboard for knives out

pick up a pencil and a napkin

The Best Middle Grade Horror Books Of 2025: A Spine-Tingling Guide - The Ginger Nuts Of Horror Review Website The year's spookiest reads! Our guide reviews the top middle grade horror books of 2025 Find the perfect scary book for kids.

👻 The top middle grade horror books of 2025 are here!

@jonezyboy.bsky.social @lindsayncurrie.bsky.social @larryhayesauthor.bsky.social @lorienlawrence.bsky.social
@alicenuttallbooks.bsky.social @paultremblay.bsky.social @sjwills.bsky.social

gnofhorror.com/best-middle-...

This is lovely, thank you!

Will Arnett was on Conan and told a story about how Conan dealt with the death of his parents by accusing Jason Bateman of killing them. It’s so funny.

Great culture can save lives. Literally.

Amazing letter in today’s @thetimes.com about Tom Stoppard

Poster announcing CREATIVES 4 SUDAN. A sudanese flag is waving behind the text. The rest reads AUCTION NOW LIVE! RAISING LIFE-SAVING FUNDS FOR PEOPLE ESCAPING GENOCIDE IN EL-FASHER, BID TODAY. galabid.com/creatives4sudan The art on the poster is by @raafaye on insta.

Are you looking for a christmas present for a creative person? Hoo boy do we have the auction for you. Hundreds of creatives from 20 countries are raising funds for people fleeing Genocide in El-Fasher, Sudan. Huge names, huge items! Bid here! app.galabid.com/creatives4su...

Art by @raafaye, insta

Longshot but hypothetically (*cough cough*) if you’re a teacher/librarian and a children’s author was to give a speech at a literacy/reading conference, what would you like them to talk about? 👀 #kidlituk #childrensbooks #ukkidlit

Bridget Phillipson ‘ready to take on unions’ over year 8 reading tests Education secretary says mandatory test needed to tackle ‘shocking outcomes’ for many working-class children

If you want kids to read:

-Reopen the closed libraries
-Give them free books
-Sponsor author visits in schools with high % pupil premium or FSM students
-Work on adult literacy

Then Y8s will have a chance of passing this test

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Author SJ Wills inspires students at The Ramsey Academy Pupils at The Ramsey Academy in Halstead met Bite Marks author SJ Wills and took part in a creative writing workshop.

Fame! I had a lovely return visit to The Ramsey Academy in Halstead. Visiting a school that is dedicated to reading for pleasure is just the best. When the focus is on fun and creativity, everything else follows. Enthusiastic librarians and teachers have so much impact!

Louvre Thieves Given Immunity After Confirming Jewels Stolen For Purpose Of Training AI Software FRENCH POLICE have immediately ended all efforts to recover priceless Napoleon-era jewellery from the Louvre taken in a daring heist after it emerged the jewels were merely stolen for the purposes of training AI software. When …

Louvre Thieves Given Immunity After Confirming Jewels Stolen For Purpose Of Training AI Software waterfordwhispersnews.com/2025/10/20/louvre-thieve...

A poster of a manifesto about reading, by Loki, with 6 points on reading "bad" books, short books, comics, audioooks, webcomics and fanfic, plus not finishing bad books cos life is too short.

This is my Lokifesto #KidsConf #UKkidlit #edusky lokibooks.com/lokifesto/

FEAR FILES: HIDE AND SEEK is OUT NOW!
"A perfect shot of horror." Jennifer Killick
"I ran out of fingernails to bite." Jonathan Stroud
"Gripping. Atmospheric. Claustrophobic." Louie Stowell
Find out more about the FEAR FILES here: linktr.ee/FearFiles

THIS TIME IT'S WAR! We're picking up our pulse rifles and getting on an express elevator to Hell. Yes, we're watching Aliens. Stay frosty.

Wherever you get your podcasts.

Authors into Schools: A.M. Dassu - Seven Stories | The National Centre for Children's Books

Hello teachers!

My book Wild Journey will be published on 6th November and to celebrate it I’m doing a free online school event with Seven Stories The National Centre for Children's Books

sevenstories.org.uk/event/author...