An end is just the beginning...LONG GONE DON!
On Thursday 7 August, join Don Skelton on the wildest, most incredible adventure imaginable! The Etherington Brothers' LONG GONE DON: THE MONSTROUS UNDERWORLD is published!
Long Gone Don: Book 1 tells the amazing story of Don Skelton - a ten-year-old boy who never imagined that a school day could get any worse than drowning in a bowl of oxtail soup...BUT HE WAS WRONG!
Follow Don into the hilarious and dangerous world of Broilerdoom, where fantastic thrills and stunning surprises wait around every corner!
And what's more, we have a sneak peek for you...
Right Here!
Long Gone Don: Book 1 is the latest in DFB's The Phoenix Presents series, created in collaboration with the wonderful weekly story comic The Phoenix! You can buy Long Gone Don: Book 1 right now, from The Phoenix Shop!
Our Jam is Missing...JAMPIRES are on the Loose!
All of our jam has vanished from our doughnuts! Where could it possibly have gone? Has someone stolen it...?
Let's leave a doughnut here and see what happens.
Wait, what's that? Can you hear something coming this way? Quick, hide!
Look, there it is! It's...
JAMPIRES!
On Thursday 4 September, Jampires, an amazing new picture book by the fabulous Sarah McIntyre and the wonderful David O'Connell is escaping into the world! Watch out!
Make sure to keep your jammy doughnuts safe this Thursday. You never know where Jampires might be hiding!
And we have a special sneak preview of Jampires for you, right here!
JAMPIRES will be published in both hardback and paperback, and will be available in all good bookshops.
But that's not all! Don't forget to check out the special JAMPIRES WEBSITE!
Click Here!
and you'll be able to find activities, the story behind the story, and all about the authors.
You can buy the book there too!
It's "a jammy delight!" - Wondrous Reads
The ride of a lifetime...THE BOUNDLESS!
On Thursday 4 September we are very proud and delighted to be publishing THE BOUNDLESS by the astonishing Kenneth Oppel. The Boundless is a fabulously exciting adventure - one that you will never forget!
Early readers have been thrilled by The Boundless, and we're sure that you will be too:
"WHAT A BOOK! Pacy, gripping and magical." - Katherine Rundell, award-winning author of Rooftoppers
"A rip-roaring yarn of superlative quality." - Amanda Craig, former children's book reviewer for The Times
"Absolute genius . . . plenty of derring-do and a little bit of magic. It’s great!" - The Bookbag
Kenneth Oppel's story follows Will Everett, a passenger on the maiden voyage of the largest and most spectacular steam train ever built.
But when Will comes into possession of a key to the train's hidden treasures, he realises that there are more dangers on board than he ever imagined.
We have an exclusive sneak peek of what you might find when Will boards The Boundless...
Read a Preview Here
The Boundless will be available in all good bookshops!
Do You Dare To Read...THIRTEEN CHAIRS?
Something scary this way comes...on Thursday 4 September! We can't wait for you to read THIRTEEN CHAIRS, by the amazing Dave Shelton.
Thirteen Chairs is a spine-chilling collection of thirteen ghost stories guaranteed to give even the strongest-hearted the shivers...
Thirteen Chairs has already been giving people the chills, with early readers saying that:
'I loved the stories within a story; I don't mind saying that some of the stories had me genuinely spooked...Every time I had to put it down I found myself thinking about it and itching to know what happened next. The writing is beautiful and accomplished, too. It's plain to see why Dave Shelton is a prize-winner.' - Michelle Harrison, author of The Thirteen Treasures
'Completely different to his award-winning debut, but equally spellbinding. Thirteen deliciously chilling ghost stories with a twist in the tale. Brilliant storytelling guaranteed to keep you up late.' - The Bookseller
Thirteen Chairs also includes thirteen astonishing illustrations by Dave Shelton, and we are delighted to be able to give you a sneak peek at two of them here:
We also have a special sample from one of the shiver-inducing stories of Thirteen Chairs for you, right here:
Click Here for Extract
Thirteen Chairs will be available in all good bookshops from Thursday 4 September! Read it, if you dare...
Excitement for THE ART OF BEING NORMAL!
It was a wonderfully busy week at DFB Towers last week, and the highlight was a visit from Lisa Williamson, to sign proof copies of her debut novel, The Art of Being Normal.
Our book proofs are proving to be much in demand, and it was fantastic to see Twitter lighting up at the weekend, as The Art of Being Normal arrived on key readers' doormats.
It didn’t take folk long to dive right in…
We’re truly excited to be publishing this brilliant book in HB, in January 2015.
Keep your eyes peeled for a cover reveal…(you’re going to love it!)
The DFB Shop Opens its Doors!
Welcome! Welcome! David Fickling Books is delighted to announce that we have opened our very own SHOP!
The DFB Shop is the place you can buy every book that we have published since going independent - and a whole lot more!
There are lots of fabulous titles that have been written by the fantastic authors we are working with right now, as well as some of our very good friends. Some of these books we have published in previous incarnations, and some have been produced by other publishers. You can find them here too!
If you sign up on the DFB website, you will also get a 10% discount on any book you would like to buy.
So why not browse our shelves? You'll find some of the finest stories ever written inside...
Early Praise for...THE MURDSTONE TRILOGY!
In November, we are proud to be publishing Mal Peet’s new novel, The Murdstone Trilogy.
As you’ll know, Mal’s writing has delighted readers all over the world, gathering many prizes along the way: The Branford Boase Award, The Guardian Children’s Book Award, The Carnegie Medal amongst many others.
The Murdstone Trilogy however is something a little bit different, a novel aimed squarely at adult readers. Adults who don’t yet know just how lucky they are.
Funny, satirical and scathing, The Murdstone Trilogy is already creating the most wonderful noise imaginable.
Just take a look at these wonderful quotes from some of the finest storytellers and influencers:
'The Murdstone Trilogy has instantly become one of my favourite books - right up there with Terry Pratchett and The Princess Bride for fantasy comedy. The writing is sublime and the humour is lacerating. I loved every warped sentence.’ - Eoin Colfer
'I enjoyed this novel hugely. It had a fat, throbbing vein of dark hilarity running right through the middle, with skewered literary personages shrieking and wittering either side. It’s a complete nutty fantasy, and yet there’s enough weird truth in it to really worry any writer - oh, okay, any reader - who picks it up. If you’ve ever wondered what the heck writers do all day, The Murdstone Trilogy will give you a good idea - bwahaha…' - Margo Lanagan
Thirteen Chairs – and Lots of Guests!
I don’t know if blood-freezing stories and convivial merriment should go together so well – but they combined beautifully last week at the launch – in Heffers of Cambridge – of Dave Shelton’s supernatural Thirteen Chairs.
Photographs courtesy of ERIC, published with permission.
It was a large and enthusiastic turn-out. Round piles of the sinisterly black-jacketed book we drank wine and ate cake (made by Esther Cooper-Wood in the shape of the sinister book itself) and listened to speeches, from DFB’s David Fickling (loud) and Dave Shelton (soft).
The highlight was the performance by the Bookshop Band of their song ‘Thirteen Chairs’ specially composed to celebrate the book in all its haunting power. You can listen to it here. But I specially urge you to read the book – if you dare...
Song composed by Beth Porter, Poppy Pitt and Ben Please - The Bookshop Band.
www.thebookshopband.co.uk
www.patreon.com/thebookshopband
Welcome aboard...the STAR CAT!
We are thrilled to be publishing the next book in our Phoenix Presents series on Thursday 2 October: STAR CAT by James Turner, one of the most hilarious, fantastically funny, and warm-hearted books you will EVER encounter.
In the deepest depths of SPACE there is only ONE crew who can save the universe from dangerous villains (even if it is by accident), the crew of the...
Early readers have been loving Star Cat already - with Now Read This! calling it "a spectacularly hilarious comic treat: surreal, ingenious, wildly infectious fun."
And we have a special treat, just for you...
Read A Sneak Peek Here!
Star Cat is the seventh title in DFB's The Phoenix Presents series, produced in association with our friends at the astonishingly brilliant weekly story comic, The Phoenix! Star Cat is available to order from The DFB Shop!
Congratulations to UKLA Book Award Nominees!
We are delighted to say that three titles with which we have a close association have been longlisted for the UK Literary Association Book Award 2015!
The first title is The Ransom of Dond, written by the late and much-missed Siobhan Dowd, illustrated by the wonderful Pam Smy. While Siobhan is no longer with us, the Siobhan Dowd Trust continues her mission to bring the joy of reading to children and young people deprived of access to stories. The Ransom of Dond was Siobhan's last book, and Pam Smy's beautiful two-colour illustrations bring it perfectly to life. This book was published by DFB while an imprint of Random House.
The second title is Phoenix by the astonishing SF Said, illustrated by the incomparable Dave McKean, which was likewise published by DFB when an imprint of Random House. It's a magnificent and beautifully illustrated epic space quest about a boy who turns out to be much less ordinary than he thought...
And finally, The Bubble Wrap Boy by our very own stonklingly-brilliant Phil Earle, and published by Penguin - a marvellous book about the terrors of friendship, family, and one undersized boy's ability to think BIG...
All three books richly deserve every success - and we're delighted that the UKLA Book Awards has recognised just how good they are. What's more, all three titles are - right now! - available to buy from the DFB Shop!
Star Cat!
Come one, come all, to an intergalactic celebration! For TODAY sees the publication of STAR CAT: BOOK 01. It's the seventh title in our Phoenix Presents series, and is OUT NOW!
Star Cat: Book 01 is a hilarious and wonderful book by the brilliant James Turner, the author of Super Animal Adventure Squad.
Join Captain Spaceington and his team as they blunder across the universe, stumbling onto strange planets, sticking their noses into spacial anomalies, and poking funny-looking aliens with sticks!
The Cartoonists' Club of Great Britain said that "It’s daft, it’s ridiculous and it [keeps] you smirking throughout...It’s jam-packed with complete silliness, from exploding duck bombs to everything being given the prefix of Space. It’s Space-tastic."
Star Cat: Book 01 is available to buy, right now, at the DFB Shop!
Your DFB Needs You for the ART OF BEING NORMAL Cover Reveal Flash Mob!
"A sensational, heart-warming and life-affirming debut. Lisa Williamson writes witty, charming characters you can't help but root for." – James Dawson
"This book is anything but normal - it is extraordinary. My book of 2015." – Non Pratt
Excitement is building for what is set to be *the* UKYA debut of 2015, The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson published on 1 January 2015.
Authors, bloggers and reviewers alike are already talking about the importance of this accessible and compelling story of friendship, family, fitting in and the question of normal.
On the morning of Tuesday 21st October, David Fickling Books would love your help to reveal the cover, which we are sure will become iconic, in the first ever cover reveal flash mob on twitter and Instagram.
We're asking as many people as possible to change their twitter profile picture to the cover, tweet an image of the cover or regram the cover on Instagram. Everyone taking part will be in with a chance of winning one of 5 signed and dedicated copies of The Art of Being Normal and lots of DFB goodies.
To be a part of The Art of Being Normal cover reveal flashmob and to be entered into the giveaway download the cover from the DFB Website on Tuesday 21st October, then:
ON TWITTER
Tweet an image of the cover and/or change your avatar to the cover.
Tag your tweet #WhatisNormalFlashMob
On INSTAGRAM
Follow @dfb_storyhouse
Regram the cover
Use #WhatisNormalFlashMob
The Art of Being Normal Cover Reveal! ... and Flashmob Go!
All of us at DFB are absolutely delighted to reveal the cover design for the stunning debut novel by Lisa Williamson - THE ART OF BEING NORMAL. We hope that you love it just as much as we do.
SEE THE FULL COVER HERE
ON Tuesday 21st October, we would love your help to reveal the cover, which we are sure will become iconic, in the first ever cover reveal flash mob on twitter and Instagram.
THIS IS THE VERSION OF THE COVER FOR THE FLASHMOB:
To download the cover on PC, right click the image and select 'Save Image As'. On a mac, hold 'ctrl' and click the image, and select 'Save Image As'.
We're asking as many people as possible to change their twitter profile picture to the cover, tweet an image of the cover or regram the cover on Instagram. Everyone taking part will be in with a chance of winning one of 5 signed and dedicated copies of The Art of Being Normal and lots of DFB goodies.
To be a part of The Art of Being Normal cover reveal flashmob and to be entered into the giveaway download the above cover, then:
ON TWITTER
Tweet an image of the cover and/or change your avatar to the cover.
Tag your tweet #WhatisNormalFlashMob
On INSTAGRAM
Follow @dfb_storyhouse
Regram the cover
Use #WhatisNormalFlashMob
You can PRE-ORDER The Art of Being Normal NOW from the DFB SHOP!
Congratulations to our Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Nominees!
We are delighted to offer our warmest congratulations to all of our authors who have been nominated for the prestigious Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Awards!
The Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Award nominations were revealed this week, and the following DFB titles have been selected by the judges. For the Carnegie Award:
DFB as an independent publisher:
Close to the Wind by Jon Walter
"I can't recommend it highly enough." - The Guardian
Shadow of the Wolf by Tim Hall
"My favourite YA book of 2014. Beautiful writing, a stunning mix of action and mystical folklore. A brilliant story." - Sally Green, author of Half Bad
DFB while an imprint of Random House:
Running Girl by our fabulous Simon Mason
"The writing is excellent, and the story calls into being a very recognisable 21st-century urban world with a dash of social commentary, especially on relationships between adults and teenagers." - The Guardian
Wayland by Tony Mitton and illustrated by John Lawrence
Winner of the CLPE Poetry Award - "A tour de force."
Wayland is also nominated for the Kate Greenaway Award.
Finally, with his brilliant The Bubble Wrap Boy, published by Penguin, is our very own amazing Phil Earle:
The Bubble Wrap Boy by Phil Earle
"Powerful and sympathetic" - The Telegraph
Nominated for the Kate Greenaway Award, published by DFB while an imprint of Random House:
Very Little Red Riding Hood by Sue Heap and Teresa Heapy
"Delightful…Heapy allows the little girl to speak like a real child and Heap gives her the sort of coat with animal ears that wouldn’t look out of place in the local park…A perfect present for a Gramma to give her VLRRH." - The Times
The Ransom of Dond by Siobhan Dowd, illustrated by Pam Smy
"Smy's illustrations depict the book's wild Celtic island setting . . . bringing rich draughtsmanship to Dowd's beautifully crafted creation." - Sunday Times - Children's Book of the Week
We would like to wish all of these amazing authors the very best with their nominations. What's more, all of these fabulous books are available to buy from The DFB Shop!
Half Term Hi-jinks...Phoenix Presents!
It's half term... and freedom! No school for a whole week! But what to fill that week with? What could possibly keep young minds in a whole world of exciting adventure, fun and creativity, without needing to be glued to a screen?
That's where our Phoenix Presents series comes in! We have seven amazing titles that will make this half term an unforgettable week of thrills, puzzles and laughter...and who knows? You could even cap it off by making your very own comic!
Von Doogan and the Curse of the Golden Monkey by Lorenzo Etherington is jam-packed full of fiendish puzzles that will have you wracking your brains all week!
Corpse Talk by Adam Murphy is bursting with amazing stories from history - straight from the corpses' mouths!
Why not venture into the woods this week, for the wonderfully wild Bunny vs Monkey by Jamie Smart? Or step outside your back door, for the hilarious Gary's Garden by Gary Northfield?
Or...why not blast off into SPACE? Star Cat by James Turner will have you laughing all the way to the event horizon! Or dive into the underworld for the most extraordinary adventure this side of an oxtail soup in Long Gone Don by the Etherington Brothers?
Or...why not spend half term going even better than reading awesome comics...why not make your own awesome comic as well?! Neill Cameron's How to Make Awesome Comics will teach you everything you need to know to make this the most creative half term ever!
The Phoenix Presents series is produced in association with our friends at the astonishingly brilliant weekly story comic, The Phoenix!
All of these titles are available to order from The DFB Shop!
Watch Out! This Halloween There's JAMPIRES About!
This Halloween you'll need to be careful...Jampires are on the loose! These mischevious creatures are out for the jam in your jammy doughnuts...what a terrifying thought!
Look! Here are two sneaky Jampires digging into their ill gotten gains!
Hang on a moment - that's authors Sarah McIntyre and David O'Connell! Maybe they're dressed up as Jampires for Halloween? Or maybe...they are actually secret JAMPIRES!
Watch out! They're getting away with the doughnuts!
Come back! Where could they possibly be going?
Wow...look up!
This Halloween, why not join Sam and the Jampires in the clouds by popping a copy of Jampires into your trolley?
And don't forget - Jampires is available from The DFB Shop!
As the Nights Draw In...THIRTEEN CHAIRS
"Thirteen Chairs...13 eeries ghost stories...13 chills I'll never forget." - R.L. Stine
This Halloween, pull up a chair for thirteen tales that will chill you to your bones...
Dave Shelton's follow up to his award-winning A Boy and a Bear in a Boat is the spooky and sinister Thirteen Chairs. Stand with Jack, in the dark on the landing of the old house, his hand on the door handle...about to step inside...
Here sit thirteen storytellers, about to begin. Thirteen scary stories to send shivers down your spine. Thirteen stories to make this Halloween one that you will never be able to forget...
And just for you, we have just the beginning of one of these thirteen sinister tales...
Read a sinister sliver of a tale here...
So why not make your Halloween this year just that little bit more...chilling?
Full of terrifying tales, and beautifully illustrated by the author, THIRTEEN CHAIRS is available now from The DFB Shop! Read it, if you dare...
THE MURDSTONE TRILOGY...Arriving Very Soon!
On Thursday 6 November,we are delighted and hugely proud to be publishing our first ever novel aimed squarely at adult readers - Mal Peet's astonishing and hilarious The Murdstone Trilogy!
The Murdstone Trilogy is the story of Philip Murdstone, an award-winning writer who has fallen on hard times. His agent assures him that the path to success lies in writing a fantasy novel - but there's only one problem. Philip is allergic to the faintest trace of Tolkien. But then Philip is offered a Faustian deal to make his dreams of writing a successful fantasy novel come true...
Mal has been writing stunning books that have delighted young readers for many years - and has picked up numerous awards along the way, including the Branford Bose, the Guardian Children's Book Award, and The Carnegie Medal, amongst others.
This is his first novel for adult readers - and early reaction has been amazing:
"It's wonderful." - Simon Mayo
"Mal Peet's new book, The Murdstone Trilogy, is just brilliant. Every moment he's spent not writing comedy has been a tragedy." - Meg Rosoff
"An eccentric marvel of a book that continually surprises. Mal Peet is a great and daring writing." - Matt Haig
"The Murdstone Trilogy has instantly become one of my favourite books - right up there with Terry Pratchett and The Princess Bride for fantasy comedy. The writing is sublime and the humour is lacerating. I loved every warped sentence." - Eoin Colfer
"Original, subversive, brilliant. Only Peet could pull off something like this." - Tim Bowler
And we have an special sample just for you, right here:
CLICK HERE FOR EXTRACT
The Murdstone Trilogy is published on 6 November, and you can pre-order your very own copy right now from The DFB Shop!
The Murdstone Trilogy
We're absolutely delighted to publish TODAY - 6 November 2014 - Mal Peet's unique, extraordinary and hilarious THE MURDSTONE TRILOGY!
It's a fantasy...and an anti-fantasy. It's a hilarious satire...and deeply moving. It's Mal Peet's first book for adults. You won't have read anything quite like this before, and it is very special indeed.
Early readers and reviewers have been loving THE MURDSTONE TRILOGY:
'A genuinely funny comedy – with a Pratchettian mix of gusto and warmth...This may be Mal Peet’s first book for grownups, but it is an assured, even virtuoso, performance fully deserving that most prestigious of accolades – a rave review in the Guardian.' - Guardian
'I enjoyed this novel hugely. It had a fat, throbbing vein of dark hilarity running right through the middle, with skewered literary personages shrieking and wittering either side. It's a complete nutty fantasy, and yet there's enough weird truth in it to really worry any writer - oh, okay, any reader - who picks it up. If you've ever wondered what the heck writers do all day, The Murdstone Trilogy will give you a good idea - bwahaha - ' - Margo Lanagan
'One of the cleverest, funniest satires on the genre to have appeared...Peet is fabulously talented' - Amanda Craig, Literary Review
'The Murdstone Trilogy is my favourite book of the year so far. Honestly, it is. It's absolutely, utterly hilarious...It's original and snarky and subversive and truly hilarious but it's also got a wonderfully generous heart...Truly: I can't recommend The Murdstone Trilogy highly enough. I've never read anything quite like it.' - Bookbag
To celebrate publication day, we have a new exclusive extract for you:
Right Here!
THE MURDSTONE TRILOGY is available to buy right now from the DFB Shop!
Mal Peet on THE MURDSTONE TRILOGY
Following from the publication of Mal Peet's THE MURDSTONE TRILOGY, Mal himself recently sat down to discuss the book in this insightful and entertaining interview.
It takes you behind the curtain to show how Mal came up with his unique and wonderful story, and includes a reading of a choice - and very funny - extract.
Watch Mal discuss the wonderful THE MURDSTONE TRILOGY here:
THE MURDSTONE TRILOGY is available now from The DFB Shop!
