THE BOUNDLESS and THE SILVERWING TRILOGY
Kenneth Oppel is one of the world's finest storytellers - but don't just take our word for it!
"Ken Oppel is a godsend. He writes books that will enchant any child who loves Indiana Jones or Tintin" - The Times
"Oppel is the modern Jules Verne" - New Statesman
"Oppel has reinvented the gothic thriller" - Rick Riordan
Which is why we are delighted to be publishing FOUR marvellous paperbacks by Kenneth Oppel TODAY!
The Boundless
THE BOUNDLESS published in hardback last year, and we're utterly delighted that it is now available in paperback!
Kenneth Oppel's astonishing story is "a thriller that doubles as a coming-of-age tale, this fast and powerful read packs period detail and perils galore." - Guardian
Jump on board the largest train ever created - it's an adventure not to be missed!
Click here to read a sample from THE BOUNDLESS!
And every copy of The Boundless bought from the DFB Shop includes a free Boundless ticket - signed by Kenneth Oppel himself!
The Silverwing Trilogy
We're also utterly thrilled to be publishing these gorgeous new editions of Ken's ground-breaking Silverwing trilogy!
Also out in paperback today, the Silverwing trilogy is a series unlike any other - and the most astounding adventure stories you will EVER read! We're very proud to be releasing these new editions, with beautiful new covers by David Dean!
Silverwing tells the story of Shade, a silverwing bat - who is swept away from his colony on their long migration south. Lost and alone, he must brave great dangers to find his family again...
In Sunwing, Shade comes across a mysterious human building that appears to be a bat paradise. But all is not what it seems...
In Firewing, Shade's son is drawn into the Underworld, and Shade must embark on the most terrifying of journeys to rescue him...
Click Here to read an extract from Silverwing!
All four books are NOW available in all good bookshops - including the DFB Shop!
The Master of the Inkpot Competition has now CLOSED with over 1,000 submissions!
Thank you so much to everyone who has submitted - we can't wait to read all of your wonderful manuscripts. We've been hugely impressed by the number of people who have submitted work to us! We've received over 1,000 submissions!
We'll be taking the next three months to read each of them carefully, before we announce the top 5 submissions, and the overall winner.
Thanks to you all!
Now that the Inkpot Competition 2015 has ended, we are once again unable to accept unsolicited submissions. Keep a look out for next time!
UNBECOMING Cover Reveal!
Jenny Downham is one of the finest writers we have.
It’s no coincidence that BEFORE I DIE and YOU AGAINST ME were hugely successful, both critically AND commercially, in the UK and beyond.
It is with immense pride that we are today unveiling the cover for Jenny’s third book, UNBECOMING.
Designed by Alice Todd, who has worked with us on the jackets for both THE ART OF BEING NORMAL and RUNNING GIRL, we believe it’s a true original, and a cover that fits the book perfectly. How could you pass it in a book shop and not want to pick it up?
For the full cover - CLICK HERE!
We publish UNBECOMING on September 3rd, and can’t wait for you to read it.
So if you’re a bookseller, librarian or blogger and would like to receive a proof copy, do get in touch (@dfb_storyhouse). We’d love to help if we can...
Look inside...TROY TRAILBLAZER, RUNNING GIRL, and SHADOW OF THE WOLF!
We're delighted to be publishing THREE astonishingly great books TODAY, 4 June - TROY TRAILBLAZER AND THE HORDE QUEEN by Robert Deas, RUNNING GIRL by Simon Mason, and SHADOW OF THE WOLF by Tim Hall.
And what better way to celebrate than by giving you a special sneak peek at the marvellous stories inside...
TROY TRAILBLAZER AND THE HORDE QUEEN is a spectacular space adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat! Join Troy and his team as they try to defeat the villanous Horde Queen...
For an exclusive SNEAK PEEK...CLICK HERE!
Simon Mason's Costa Children's Book Award-shortlisted RUNNING GIRL is a crime thriller by a master storyteller! Starring slacker-genius Garvie Smith, RUNNING GIRL will keep you guessing until the very last page...
Read a special sample...CLICK HERE!
SHADOW OF THE WOLF by Tim Hall is Robin Hood as you've never seen him before. A dark and violent fantasy tale, Tim's writing will utterly thrill you throughout. You've never read anything like this before.
CLICK HERE for an exclusive sample!
All three books are out NOW! And don't forget - you can buy them RIGHT NOW from the DFB Shop!
Three stunning titles from DFB this July!
We're delighted to be publishing three exceptional books this THURSDAY 2 JULY - MY NAME'S NOT FRIDAY by Jon Walter, THE HERO'S TOMB by Conrad Mason, and the paperback edition of THE MURDSTONE TRILOGY by Mal Peet.
And we're thrilled to give you a sneak peek inside...
Jon Walter’s second novel, MY NAME'S NOT FRIDAY, is a beautiful and moving story about the power of belief and the strength of the human spirit, set against the terrifying backdrop of the American Civil War.
Read an exclusive extract here!
Conrad Mason's THE HERO'S TOMB is a fantastic fantasy adventure - set in Conrad's fabulous world of Tales of Fayt. Join Joseph as he searches for the mysterious truth about his father, and with Tabs (star of The Mystery of the Crooked Imp) confronts the hero that never died...
Read a special sample here!
It is with a bittersweet mixture of a joy and sorrow that we are publishing the paperback edition of THE MURDSTONE TRILOGY by the late, great Mal Peet. Mal's untimely death earlier this year has robbed us of one of the most astonishing - and hilarious - of writers. His warm heart, wicked sense of humour and exceptional storytelling prowess are all readily on show in his barnstorming final novel.
Read an extract here!
Remember, all of these fabulous books are available NOW for pre-order from the DFB Shop!
MY NAME'S NOT FRIDAY, THE HERO'S TOMB and THE MURDSTONE TRILOGY
We are thrilled to be bringing three utterly marvellous books into the world tomorrow, Thursday 2 July!
Early readers have been LOVING Jon Walter's MY NAME'S NOT FRIDAY and Conrad Mason's THE HERO'S TOMB, and we know that you'll be bowled-over by the paperback of Mal Peet's highly-acclaimed THE MURDSTONE TRILOGY...
MY NAME'S NOT FRIDAY by Jon Walter
Jon Walter's moving second novel follows Samuel, an educated boy sold into slavery during the American Civil War.
"I've never read a book about slavery evoking nuances of relationships and injustice with such assurance" - Imogen Russell Williams
“I challenge you to read this book and not be in awe.” - E.R. Murray
“As good as Goodnight Mister Tom” - ACHUKA
THE HERO'S TOMB by Conrad Mason
In Conrad Mason's third novel nothing is as it seems. Old enemies will rise. Long-buried secrets will be uncovered. And an ancient power will rise...
"YES!!! Conrad Mason's books are some of the best #ukmg" - Non Pratt
"Grab this and surrender to Fayt…" - Now Read This!
THE MURDSTONE TRILOGY by Mal Peet
Mal Peet's hilarious satire follows Philip Murdstone, an author persuaded to write a fantasy book by his ruthless agent. Biting, warm-spirited and unconstrained, this is like nothing you've ever read before...
"A genuinely funny comedy – with a Pratchettian mix of gusto and warmth...it is an assured, even virtuoso, performance fully deserving that most prestigious of accolades – a rave review in the Guardian." - Guardian
"Huge fun...hilarious" - Telegraph
"I enjoyed this novel hugely. It had a fat, throbbing vein of dark hilarity running right through the middle." - Margo Lanagan
"One of the cleverest, funniest satires on the genre to have appeared...Peet is fabulously talented" - Amanda Craig, Literary Review
"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
All three books are available NOW from the DFB Shop!
#RememberingMal
Today is a really special day as it marks the pb release of The Murdstone Trilogy, by our dear friend Mal Peet.
Since his death earlier this year it has been overwhelming to see so many plaudits roll in, celebrating Mal the writer and Mal the man, and over the next few weeks we would love you to share more of your memories.
Whether you knew Mal, or whether your only introduction was through his magnificent books, we’d love to hear from you, so please do tweet your memories, using the hashtag #rememberingmal
Mal was a writer loved by writers. Little wonder given his incredible prowess, so who better to start the ball rolling, than two-time Carnegie Medal winning, Patrick Ness:
And because we're feeling just a little sentimental, we've made this tribute video to inspire you take part:
Cheers,
The team at DFB
Anthony McGowan on #RememberingMal
This week, we're continuing our #rememberingmal campaign in honour of the much-missed Mal Peet and the PB publication of The Murdstone Trilogy.
We've been overwhelmed by the heartfelt responses we've had in so far - testimony to the way in which Mal made a lasting impression on everyone who met him, or read him.
Today, we're sharing a wonderful tribute from Anthony McGowan:
Here, he tells us more:
"I first met Mal Peet at a book awards ceremony in 2007, on a sunlit balcony at the Penguin Headquarters on the Strand. He was holding court, drink in hand, surrounded by laughter as he discoursed on matters high and low. It was a scene I’d come to see replicated on many occasions – one of the great talkers of our time dazzling, entertaining and educating the throng. And yet never trying to dominate: he could listen as well as he could talk. I later came to know him well – we spent a week together (along with his partner in crime, art and life, the wonderful Elspeth Graham) in a grimy Sao Paulo, working like dogs to entertain the kids of Brazilian millionaires, and despite the heat and the work and the noise, it was one of the best weeks of my life, filled with Mal’s laughter, intelligence and generosity.
Of course just being an utterly loveable human being is a great achievement, and one beyond most of us, but Mal Peet was also one of the greatest prose stylists of our generation – a writer capable of, it seemed, almost anything. His work was in turn profound and meditative, scorchingly satirical, graphically hilarious, poetic, precise, perfect.
I don’t want to think of a life so full as being tragic, but the truth is Mal had so much more to give as a person and a writer. The last book he published, The Murdstone Trilogy, was only arguably his best (there will always be advocates for each of his books as being the greatest), but most certainly his funniest. It’s impossible to read it without hearing (and seeing) Mal, hysterical, mischievous, cantankerous, joyous. As a friend, I miss him; as a reader I long for more."
#RememberingMal - Inspiring Norfolk
"You can take the girl out of Norfolk but never take Norfolk out of the girl..."
Today, Joy Court (Chair of the CILIP Carnegie & Kate Greenaway Medals) shares her memories of the great Mal Peet and their mutual connection to Norfolk for our #rememberingmal campaign:
"I loved and respected Mal as an amazingly talented writer and with my Carnegie hat on was very proud of him as one of those rare winners who won the Shadowing vote as well as judge’s approbation, but more than this, he had a very special place in my heart because of our shared roots. You can take the girl out of Norfolk but never take the Norfolk out of the girl. Like him I grew up in a council house in very rural Norfolk and grammar school and university took me away, but that accent still lingers round the edges and we would enjoy a bit of talking pure “squit” together when we met.
I am very proud of having organised a visit to his old primary school in North Walsham, where my sister in law is the bursar and had organised a reading group of all the adults in the school to read the brilliant My Life, an Interrupted Diagram. Covered by the Eastern Daily Press he generated some outraged letters by daring to jest about how pleased he was to have left Norfolk. He was, as you can expect, quite pleased by his temporary notoriety!
The school bought all the Year Six children a copy of Keeper and I know they would have felt the same pride I did that somebody of such talent could have come from Norfolk and who knows how many budding writers he inspired that day.
Everybody loved his warm, kind and generous humour and the adult reading group he initiated are now enjoying The Murdstone Trilogy and again, like me, feel incredibly deprived of all the genius to come."
Thankyou to Joy and everyone who has contributed to the #rememberingmal campaign so far - you can see all of the heartfelt responses on Twitter.
#RememberingMal - Thankyou
Today is the final day of our week-long #RememberingMal campaign. Since the launch this time last week, Twitter has lit up with heartfelt tributes to Mal's life, writing and legacy.
Each and every memory shared has been a glimpse into the warmth that Mal brought into our lives, whether in person or through his writing.
All that remains to be said is THANKYOU - for contributing, for remembering, for reading. His words live on through his readers today.
You can see highlights from the full #RememberingMal campaign in this Storify article.
My Name's Not Friday on the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize 2015 longlist!
We are positively glowing with pride this morning, as we've learnt the wonderful news that MY NAME'S NOT FRIDAY by Jon Walter has been longlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize 2015!
Here's what the judges said:
"War is the setting for this story narrated by an orphan who has been stripped of his real name after being sold into slavery and sent to a cotton plantation. This time it’s the American civil war, which is seen in all its cruelty and carnage as Samuel/Friday escapes and embarks on a desperate search for his lost brother. Guardian children’s fiction prize 2015 judge Piers Torday said, “I guarantee the best opening to a novel you will read this year.”
Hear Hear! Huge congratulations Jon - we'll be keeping all fingers and toes crossed for the shortlist!
EXCLUSIVE OFFER - SIGNED PIRATES OF PANGAEA... with added DINOSAURS!
PIRATES OF PANGAEA: BOOK 1 is in the Summer Reading Challenge! Young readers from all over the UK will be able to join Sophie and Kelsey in their epic journey across the land where pirates RIDE dinosaurs...in libraries up and down the country!
To celebrate this fabulous fact we are thrilled to offer YOU a wonderful opportunity - to buy unique copies of PIRATES OF PANGAEA from the DFB Shop, each with an exclusive, individual dinosaur drawn by Neill Cameron!
We have a very limited number of copies of Pirates of Pangaea: Book 1 signed by both Daniel Hartwell and Neill Cameron - but which dinosaur will Neill have drawn in YOUR book?
We're also running a Twitter competition to win your very own signed copy of PIRATES OF PANGAEA - but hurry before it vanishes!
We have very limited stock, so don't hesitiate - head over to the DFB Shop right now for YOUR exclusive, one-of-a-kind copy of the fabulous THE PIRATES OF PANGAEA!
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE SHOP!
#NewDayNewNormal tour
Calling all YA book fans!
Our very own LISA WILLIAMSON is teaming up with DAVID LEVITHAN and LOUISE O'NEILL for a not-to-be-missed UK book tour!
The tour will unite three of the hottest YA authors of the moment – Lisa Williamson, David Levithan and Louise O’Neill - for events in Waterstones shops across the UK in Cardiff, Oxford, Brighton and London later this month.
Entitled the #NewDayNewNormal Tour, the four-stop tour will celebrate the fact that YA books are able to tackle once difficult themes of sexuality and gender identity, and question societal norms, like never before.
All three authors participating in the #NewDayNewNormal tour have published groundbreaking novels dealing with a range of once-taboo subjects to critical and commercial acclaim and their discussion on writing about authentic teenage relationships, emotions and experiences will be an exceptional draw for readers.
The tour line-up:
Monday 17th August, 7:00 pm: Lisa Willamson and David Levithan in conversation at Waterstones Cardiff, 2A The Hayes. Vlogger Sarah Churchill will chair their discussion.
Tuesday 18th August, 6:00 pm: Lisa Willamson and David Levithan in conversation at Waterstones Oxford, Williams Baker House. Chole Combi, journalist and author of Generation Z, will chair their discussion.
Wednesday 19th August, 7:30 pm: Lisa Williamson, David Levithan and Louise O’Neill in conversation at Waterstones Brighton, 71-74 North St. James Gilmore of Wizard Radio will chair their discussion.
Thursday 20th August, 7:00 pm: Lisa Williamson, David Levithan and Louise O’Neill in conversation at Waterstones Piccadilly. Corinne Redfern, Features Director, Marie Claire, will chair their discussion.
Tickets are available via the Waterstones website. Hope to see you there!
Bunny vs Monkey 2 - OUT THURSDAY!
Everyone LOVES Jamie Smart's Bunny vs Monkey! So come down to the woods THIS THURSDAY 6 AUGUST for some fantastically hilarious and unbelievably funny hi-jinks in this comic masterpiece!
And we've got a SNEAK PEAK for you right here!
Click here for a preview!
Jump into the cockpit of a robotic worm, and watch out for lemony doomsday devices... you'll never guess what you might see next!
You can pre-order Bunny vs Monkey: Book 2 NOW from the DFB Shop!
And if you've never encountered Bunny vs Monkey before, why not check out Bunny vs Monkey: Book 1?
Bunny vs Monkey is part of our Phoenix Presents series, published in partnership with our friends at the fantabulous The Phoenix, the weekly story comic!
BUNNY VS MONKEY: BOOK TWO!
There's a noise coming from the woods today...what could it be?
A JET-POWERED TROJAN MOOSE???!!!
It could only be...
Jamie Smart's hilarious BUNNY VS MONKEY: BOOK TWO! Out today!
We're delighted to be publishing this marvellous book today - we guarantee that it'll make you laugh so hard you'll be bouncing off the walls with glee!
Early readers have been loving Bunny vs Monkey: Book Two!
"Endlessly inventive, sublimely funny and outrageously addictive, Bunny vs Monkey is the kind of comic parents beg kids to read to them. Don’t miss out on the next big thing." - Now Read This!
"charming, witty, and very silly" - Alice Nuttall
"It's an intense fusion of hyperactivity, weapons of mass destruction, toilet antics and blancmange, fired out of a circus cannon RIGHT INTO YOUR FACE!" - Read It Daddy
So why not check out what's got them so excited...
BUNNY VS MONKEY: BOOK TWO is available NOW from THE DFB SHOP!
Bunny vs Monkey is part of our Phoenix Presents series, published in partnership with our friends at the fantabulous The Phoenix, the weekly story comic!
Master of the Inkpot - Update!
As you may know, we recently held an open submissions fortnight, a grand competition for authors to send us their work directly: The Master of the Inkpot 2015.
We were completely blown away by the response - over 1,000 people sent in their stories to us - and the creativity behind each and every one of the submissions has been mind-boggling. The quality of the work that we have received has been impressive to say the least.
We have been busily reading through the submissions, and the end is in sight. But we're not quite there yet... with more submissions than expected, and as a small team, it is taking a little longer than expected to give each and every story the careful attention they deserve.
We will now be announcing our Top 5 submissions, as well as the overall winner of the Master of the Inkpot in October 2015.
We feel we need to take this extra time to make sure that we've given every single one of the 1,000 submissions the proper care and attention they deserve. So if you are an entrant to the competition - hold tight! More news will be on its way very soon... we're very excited by what we have read so far.
Thank you so much for entering and for your patience.
Bonny Scotland, Here We Come!
We're busy packing our bags to go up to Edinburgh International Book Festival today! If you're in Edinburgh for the bank holiday weekend, come and join us at one (or all!) of our events!
FRIDAY 28th AUGUST
1:00pm | Writers' Retreat | Neill Cameron on Reading Manga
5:45pm | Baillie Gifford Imagination Lab | Phoenix Comic Workshop: Pirates of Pangaea with Neill Cameron (age 8-12)
SATURDAY 29th AUGUST
11:45am | Baillie Gifford Imagination Lab | Phoenix Comic Workshop: Corpse Talk with Adam Murphy (age 8-12)
SUNDAY 30th AUGUST
1:30pm | Baillie Gifford Imagination Lab | Phoenix Comic Workshop: Evil Emperor Penguin with Laura Ellen Anderson (age 8-12)
3:45pm | Baillie Gifford Corner Theatre | Work Experience with Andy Mulligan (age 12-16)
MONDAY 31st AUGUST
10:00am | Baillie Gifford Imagination Lab | Robin Hood Reborn with Tim Hall (age 15-17) - Schools Programme event
10:30am | ScottishPower Foundation Studio | Be Yourself with Liz Kessler & Lisa Williamson (age 14-17) - Schools Programme event
1:00pm on Monday, 31st August 2015 | Writers' Retreat | Tim Hall on The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
5:30pm | Baillie Gifford Corner Theatre | Comic Consequences with Phoenix Presents (age 8-12)
We'll be live tweeting the events from @DFB_Storyhouse - send us a tweet if you are there too, we'd love to hear from you!
Now, where did we put those bagpipes...
Corpse Talk: Season 2... Coming Very Soon!
On THURSDAY 3 SEPTEMBER, we are thrilled to be publishing SEASON 2 of Adam Murphy's Blue Peter Award-shortlisted CORPSE TALK!
Reading Corpse Talk: Season 2 is like having history injected straight into your brain! It's digging the dirt on more dead famous people from history, as Adam Murphy discovers their life stories straight from the corpses' mouths!
Everyone loves Corpse Talk! - Season 1 was the first comic book EVER to be shortlisted for the prestigious Blue Peter Book Awards! It also received FIVE STARS from The Telegraph!
However, we have to let you into a little secret... Season 2 is EVEN BETTER!
We can't wait for you to see it, so we're delighted to give you a sneak peek...
Here's a fantastic interview with Elizabeth I...
...and here's an amazing double-page spread about Shakespeare!
Corpse Talk is part of our Phoenix Presents series, published in partnership with our friends at the fantabulous The Phoenix, the weekly story comic! So why not check them out too?
And don't forget... you can pre-order Corpse Talk: Season 2 RIGHT NOW from The DFB Shop!
UNBECOMING - OUT THURSDAY!
Jenny Downham's astonishing new book UNBECOMING is finally here on THURSDAY 3 SEPTEMBER!
Jenny Downham is the award-winning, bestselling author of Before I Die and You Against Me, and early readers have been discovering that Unbecoming is a very special book indeed:
"This is a beautifully drawn portrait of three generations of women, hugely ambitious in its interwoven examination of... the life-affirming power of breaking away from suffocating conventions." - Daily Mail
"Unbecoming is beautifully written. It's thoroughly absorbing. It's utterly moving. It looks at every facet of identity. Yep. Jenny Downham has done it again. Brava!" - TheBookbag
"Unbecoming is a powerfully important YA novel, covering three generations of women, each with secrets and vibrancy that leap and skip about the pages... It’s a true triumph of writing, and Jenny Downham may well be one the all time greats. This is a classic in the making." - ShinraAlpha
"Jenny Downham has an extraordinary way of making her characters and their situations feel very real. I’ve read all of Jenny Downham’s books but I think that this is her best so far. Unbecoming is a moving and thought provoking book about coming clean of social expectations and being true to you." - Jess Hearts Books
UNBECOMING is out on 3 September, and you can pre-order it NOW from the DFB Shop!
Prepare to be thrilled...THIRTEEN CHAIRS!
We're delighted to be publishing Dave Shelton's spine-chilling THIRTEEN CHAIRS in paperback on THURSDAY 3 SEPTEMBER!
Dave Shelton (author of A Boy and A Bear in a Boat) has concocted a terrifying treat that will chill you to your very bones! Thirteen Chairs thrilled readers when it published in hardback last year, and if you haven't encountered it before, now is the perfect time...Pull up a chair, if you're brave enough...
"13 Chairs...13 chills I'll never forget." - RL Stine
"Deliciously macabre and scary." - James Dawson
"Every time I had to put it down I found myself thinking about it and itching to know what happened next." - Michelle Harrison
Click here to read a spooky sample...
THIRTEEN CHAIRS is out in paperback tomorrow - 3 September!