It’s day two of our National Storytelling Week 2012 celebrations!  Today, we have a video of Chris Wormell reading his latest book Eric!…the hero? 

Storytelling Extraordinaire Chris Wormell

Eric! is the story of a young boy who sometimes gets things wrong.   But when a huge monster stomps down the mountain to Eric’s village, Eric just might have his chance to shine… Check out Chris’ rather atmospheric video here:

Chris Wormell reads Eric!…the hero?

Also today, you can win an audio book of Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance (http://www.rbooks.co.uk/product.aspx?id=1846577551) Simply email ataylor@randomhouse.co.uk with the subject line INHERITANCE to be in with the chance of winning.

For further information on National Storytelling Week 2012, check out The Society for Storytelling’s website http://www.sfs.org.uk/nsw or follow them on Twitter: @sfs_uk. We’ll also be tweeting about our storytelling activities from @education_RHCB and @GetReading_RHCB.

This week, it’s the 12th annual National Storytelling Week.  Organised by The Society for Storytelling (http://www.sfs.org.uk/nsw), NSW aims to encourage people to create and enjoy storytelling.   Storytelling is a unique art form which is very different from story writing.  However, the idea of communicating through a narrative is obviously something close to our publishing hearts.

To show our support for the oldest art form in the world, we’re giving away a different audio book each day.  Today is the beautiful Passion by Lauren Kate.

Listen to the beautiful story of Luce and Daniel.

Find out more information here: http://www.rbooks.co.uk/product.aspx?id=1846577446 To win, simply email ataylor@randomhouse.co.uk with the subject line PASSION. 

As an extra treat, we’re also releasing a video each day featuring a different RHCB author telling one of their stories.  Today, we’re kicking off with the brilliant John Dougherty reading an extract from Zeus Sorts It Out.  You won’t be disappointed. 

John Dougherty entertains with a reading from Zeus Sorts It Out.

John Dougherty tells a story

Stay tuned for more videos and giveaways during the course of the week.  Happy storytelling!

RHCB have teamed up with Aurasma, the world’s leading augmented reality platform, to bring bestselling author Lauren Kate’s book jacket to life. When fans download a free app on their Smartphone then hold their device over the front cover of the book, the jacket image will come to life! A special video message from the author can also be viewed by ‘scanning’ the author photo on the book jacket. The app, which works on iPhone and Android Smartphones, as well as iPad 2 and iPod touch, uses Aurasma’s ‘virtual browser’ to recognise trigger images through the phone’s camera, which then generate video content directly onto the device’s screen.

Fans of Lauren Kate can download the FALLEN BOOKS app and bring the front cover of Fallen In Love to life. You can see it in action here: http://youtu.be/adLu3aYF6UU

FALLEN IN LOVE, publishing 2nd February 2012 is a collection of four intertwined love stories featuring the Fallen characters. Since the publication of the first book, Fallen, in December 2009, Kate’s series has become a bona fide smash hit with close to half a million copies sold in the UK alone. All bestsellers in the United States, the novels of the Fallen series: Fallen, Torment, and Passion, have become international sensations, hitting No.1 slots in the UK, Australia and New Zealand, rights have sold in 33 countries and counting. The final novel in the series, Rapture, will be released in the UK in June 2012 taking readers on a journey that will close the chapter on Luce & Daniel’s love forever. Hilzbrich comments ‘With almost 50% of teenagers in the UK owning a Smartphone (and an even greater number having access to an iPod touch) we knew that a large percentage of Lauren Kate’s fans would have one of these devices close at hand, and mobile phones play a very central role’

RHCB will also be creating augmented reality covers for two further titles this year; broadcaster Simon Mayo’s debut ITCH in March and Starters, a futuristic thriller by Lissa Price in April.

Very exciting! Let us know what you think!

If you’ve read Dave Shelton’s fantastic A Boy and a Bear in a Boat, you’ll know how clever/adventurous/insightful Bear is.  To prove this further, Bear is currently travelling around the country (minus his boat) visiting various primary schools.   So far, four different schools have signed up to the A Boy and a Bear in a Boat ‘Travelling Bear’ project.  These schools are based in Sutton Coldfield, Oxford and Newcastle.  The wonderful Storytellers Inc (http://www.storytellersinc.co.uk/) is also participating by taking Bear on their primary school visits in Lancashire.

As part of the project, schools receive Bear, a copy of the book, postcards, posters and a range of activity sheets.  These include a colouring in sheet, a ‘Design your own Sea Monster’ sheet and an activity that asks students to write their own ending to the book.   Bear stays in a school for a week and is then sent back to us (along with the completed activity sheets) in Ealing.  It’s a very exhausting time for him indeed. 

Bear sets off for the West Midlands.

This week, Bear returned from the lovely Boldmere Junior School in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands.    Wow, were we impressed when we opened the box!  Thanks to Lisa Kinsella who clearly took on the project with enthusiasm and passion; her students have produced some amazing work.  The sea monster designs are colourful and imaginative whilst the alternative endings are just brilliant. 

It’s hard to choose a favourite (we’re leaving that up to Dave Shelton!) so I’ll pick out just a few snippets.  Imogen decided that Bear and Boy should fall in love; in her ending they meet a female bear and a girl and then they all sail off into the sunset together.  In Marnie’s ending, the double act end up in a New York hotel!  After having a quick bite to eat, they head back to the sea to take on more adventures.  Amaan went for a dramatic conclusion involving a fire breathing dragon called Flamehead!  Finally, Ben decided that Boy and a Bear arrive at Volcano Island where they have to battle with volcano monsters.  Phew!

Stay tuned for more news from Bear as he makes his way around the UK.  I’m sure you’ll agree that only a very special bear with a very special story could do such a thing…

Dance Together Dinosaurs, published 5th Jan 2012

 The prehistoric cast of DANCE TOGETHER DINOSAURS by Jane Clarke and Lee Wildish, published earlier this month, are all clear winners!

The book has been given a fantastic 10/10 review on the ‘Books for children’ page of online forum Gransnet.co.uk:

It’s Strictly Come Dancing for dinosaurs as the prehistoric beasts get down and boogie to try to impress the judges. Great illustrations and a must for any dino (or indeed Strictly) lover. Went down an absolute treat with a bunch of 3 and 4 year-olds.

See the review here:

http://www.gransnet.com/reviews/books-for-children/30-dance-together-dinosaurs-jane-clarke 

This sparkly, toe-tapping tale has already had fantastic responses from parents and kids alike – check out ‘Strictly fever’ sweeping the nation once again, picture book style:

http://madhousefamilyreviews.blogspot.com/2012/01/childrens-book-review-dance-together.html

http://budgetingmum.co.uk/2011/12/27/dance-together-dinosaurs-a-review/

http://www.bringingupcharlie.co.uk/2012/01/dance-together-dinosaurs.html

This Saturday the RHCB Publicity team, alongside editors Annie Eaton, Lauren Buckland and Parul Bavishi – hosted a very successful Blogger’s Brunch.

Bright and early, 17 of the most influential teen and YA bloggers in the UK travelled to the Random House Pimlico office. For a lot of these bloggers it was their fourth time, but we were excited to also welcome a few new faces.

Following a catch-up mingle over coffee/tea and fruit, the RHCB team presented 24 fantastic upcoming 2012 titles. Each title was given a few minutes of explanation; what’s it about and what makes it hot for 2012! Both publicity and editorial are excited about the range of genres and new ideas on this year’s list and the enthusiasm really came across.

 After the presentation we invited our three guest authors to join the bloggers for some more tea and cake. This included; Witchstruck author Victoria Lamb, Turf author John Lucas and Fire City author Bali Rai. Stephanie and Harriet had given up their Friday night to bake some amazing ‘Whoopie Pies’ and cupcakes – inspired by RHCB’s own book Whoopie Pie Fun. Hopefully they inspired the bloggers to give it a go themselves, as we included the cookbook in their goody-bags!

 Also included in their goody bags were a variety of other 2012 preview titles for the Blogger’s to take home and read. These included; Wonder, proofs of Starters and Black Arts and a preview manuscript of Now is the time for Running. There were a few sneak peeks also, such as the fabulous German cover of Starters and a video from Struck author Jennifer Bosworth, made especially for the bloggers which it will be sent to personally!

The day ended well, with lots of chat about books and upcoming genres like dystopia. There was also buzz over new jackets, author blog tours and film-tie-ins.

The feedback was very positive, here are a few of the emails we received:

‘I had an absolutely wonderful time today at the blogger’s brunch! It was lovely meeting you and the RH team, the authors and hearing about all the wonderful books you have out this year.  It’s a very exciting line-up and I’m looking forward to ALL of the books.  Thank you so much for inviting me (and for the yum whoopie pies! and books!) ’                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Clover from FlutteringButterflies

‘Had a lovely time today, it was such a fun and friendly event. Thanks so much for inviting me.’                                      

Sarah from My Favourite Books  

‘Thanks again for letting me and Hayley Tag along to the blogger brunch it was great! Just wondering if you could send the link to this struck sneak peak? I’m like SO excited to see it! The book sounds amazing!!’                                         

Casey from Dark Readers

The authors also enjoyed themselves.

Victoria Lamb wrote;  ‘What a great day it was on Saturday! I certainly hope the bloggers enjoyed themselves.’

 Bali Rai tweeted; ‘Thanks to the peeps @GetReading_RHCB for a lovely lunch.’

 Everyone really enjoyed the day, and the RHCB team loved chatting with the bloggers, who are so passionate about the books they read. They are anticipating our upcoming books as much as we are! We look forward to reading what they think of the range of titles out this year, and to seeing them at the next Blogger’s Brunch.

Reviews                                                                              

Donut Diaries 2: Revenge is Sweet has received a glowing and entertaining review by Martin Chiltern for the Telegraph Online. He describes it as a “cheeky and funny delight” and “an even funnier sequel” to the excellent first Donut Dairies book.                                                                                                                                                          ‘In the mix again are the great illustrations of David Tazzyman, who captures the ‘Full Pfumpfy’ with a drawing of her holding a Scotch egg. The book is joyfully idiosyncratic (I won’t dwell on Dermot’s debate about good v evil baldy heads) and veers off at tangents, like Dermot’s thoughts on why cherry-flavoured sweets are better than real cherries. The author’s irreverence will appeal to young and old readers. Mrs Smote, for example, is described as “the simple-minded playground monitor”.’ This book is huge fun and, if personal experience is anything to go by, it will also start a new family habit of drawing on unpeeled banana skins.’  To read the full review, go to: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/children_sbookreviews/9005235/The-Donut-Diaries-Revenge-is-Sweet-by-Anthony-McGowan-review.html

More reviews are coming in for Matt Haig’s To Be a Cat, blogger Nikki-Ann from Notes of Life said; ‘I thoroughly enjoyed To Be A Cat. It’s exciting and imaginative read for kids around ages 10-13 years old. To Be A Cat has a nice blend of thrill and humour, and it certainly makes you think of cats in a whole new light! (I shall be keeping a closer eye on my two from now on!).I love the way the author, Matt Haig, talks the reader through the book. A real storyteller! Despite some of the serious issues in the book, Matt Haig still manages to make it a fun and light-hearted read. This book is magical… Children’s minds are far more imaginative than those of adults, yet there are a few wonderful authors, such as Matt, who can still tap into their magical child-like imagination.’ http://notesoflife.co.uk/2012/01/to-be-a-cat-the-review/

Magic Beans continues to gather enthusiastic reviews, with the latest appearing in yummy mummy magazine Junior; ‘Smartly written, the tales can be enjoyed afresh, imbued with a love of words that will no doubt excite and delight your child. The new hardback collection is printed in large type so should be a good first read. It would also make a lovely gift.’

Desert Angel received a fantastic FIVE STAR review at Best Books by Annmarie; ‘This book started with a bang. Readers are thrown into the action….. I was amazed at how powerful the story was from the very beginning you see so much dark pain, anger and danger between Scotty and Angel. The book was about survival and it thrilled and scared me at the same time. I wanted to scream and shout along with the book I needed Angel to live and do well and while the book was only short it was packed to the max!… Five stars.’ http://bestbooks1.blogspot.com/2012/01/desert-angel-by-charlie-price-review.html

Desert Angel also received another brilliant review on blog Notes of Life; ‘Desert Angel takes the reader straight to the action and onto a gripping cat and mouse journey through the desert, not knowing what will happen next. With it’s twists and turns, Desert Angel certainly has the reader sat on the edge of the seat. It’s not just about Angel’s fight to get away from the murderous Scotty. This is also a powerful story about humanity, about people and compassion and courage’. http://notesoflife.co.uk/2012/01/desert-angel-the-review/

And yet another fantastic review for Desert Angel on the blog Heaven, Hell and Purgatory:  ‘Desert Angel is a taut, fast paced psychological thriller that grabs your attention from the off …. In the YA market this book certainly stands out as different with its bleak, no holes barred approach and genuinely jump out of your seat scary moments. If you fancy something a bit different, with real grittiness then I’m happy to recommend it.’

http://www.heavenhellandpurgatory-bookreviews.com/2012/01/book-review-desert-angel-by-charlie.html

Julia Eccleshare has called A Boy and a Bear in a Boat ‘Rich in atmosphere and gently humorous, this is a delightful small-scale but epic adventure…A book to savour.’ On Love Reading 4 Kids

Melanie Welsh celebrated the release of Heart of Stone, the sequel to Mistress of the Storm with a UK Blog Tour this week. Look out for a post on Talk About Random with links to all posts later today!

Plus some lovely reviews for Verity’s latest adventure: ‘There’s something really comforting about reading M. L. Welsh’s stories. They’re so sweet with a slightly old-fashioned tone to them that just makes me feel very nostalgic.’ Fluttering Butterflies

The excitement for Wonder continues to grow.  A few lucky pupils at Loxford School of Science and Technology in Ilford, had the privilege of reading the book before Christmas.  Unsurprisingly, they loved it!  Sara, aged 13, said, ‘I am very happy that I decided to read this book as it is a very inspirational story…it is a story that teens can relate to because it deals with the issue of bullying…it is a heartfelt story.’  Tulsi Paul also said that book is, ‘Fabulously fascinating and intensely interesting.’  Finally Dorina Mustafaj commented that the book is ‘very creative’ because of the different character perspectives which show ‘what each of the characters think and how they feel about a situation.’  She said Wonder ‘has something for everyone; it can be emotional and powerful yet very funny.’ 

A terrific review of Wonder on Bookbag: http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/index.php?title=Wonder_by_R_J_Palacio  ‘a gentle, totally mesmerising book written in a compelling, realistic style that invites the reader into the intimate daily life of this marvelous, genuine boy and his family and holds them there. It is a powerful story that gives us the world we live in with a clean set of eyes; one you will return to again and again, with voices that will stay with you for a very long time. It is also about being yourself, even if the odds are against you, because in the end, that’s all you can be. For ages 10 and up (through adult readers), ‘Wonder’ is a thoroughly wonderful gift and a book that you must read.’

Teach Primary featured reviews on Eric!… The Hero? and A Boy and a Bear in a Boat in their first issue of 2012.  Reviewer Helen Mulley said A Boy and a Bear is, ‘sometimes scary, sometimes deeply touching and often very funny indeed.’  In her review of Eric!  she described it as ‘an uplifting fable’ with ‘lovable illustrations.’ Chris Wormell also featured on the review page in the Meet the Author feature.  Talking about the importance of picture books in his childhood, he discussed his love for Beatrix Potter.  He also discussed how important it is for children to draw saying, ‘a blank piece of paper is like an adventure; exciting maybe a little bit scary.’

In the Media 

Two RHCB books have been chosen for the Tesco Magazine Kids’ Book Club! These are Jacqueline Wilson’s The Worst Thing About My Sister (in the 9-12 category) and Marc Abraham’s Pets in Need (in the 6-8 category).

The Evening Standard featured a touching piece about The Worst Thing About My Sister. Some time ago Jacqueline Wilson met a very poorly girl called Molly at Great Ormond Street. She wondered how she could show Molly’s 6 year old sister what a lasting impression Molly had made on her, so she decided to dedicate The Worst Thing About My Sister to her. “I realised I’d been writing a book about sisters who quarrelled a lot but love each other very much. So I asked mum and dad how they’d feel about the dedication.” Wilson said: “The girls in my book have a very different relationship from Molly and Isabella, who were very close. This is an extra way of keeping her memory alive.’ http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-24026491-jacqueline-wilson-dedicates-new-book-to-molly-the-writer-who-died-of-cancer-aged-eight.do

Marc Abraham’s book Pets in Need continues to get great interest. Your Cat is running a two-page extract in their February edition alongside a reader competition. Marc will also be interviewed by social commentator Ninon de Vere De Rosa in Los Angeles on 18^th January about animal issues and of course his new book! This will be at midnight in the UK, so stay tuned for the online link and video.

Whoopie Pie Fun received praise on mummy blog Red Ted Art who even uploaded photos of her attempt at making Whoopie Pies. Don’t they look beautiful?!  ‘I open any given page in this book and I start to salivate. What I love about the book, is that the majority of recipes actually seem EASY to make – basically a flat cake/ soft cookie with a soft cream filling. Delicious. And I think it is something the kids can help me make.’           http://www.redtedart.com/2012/01/09/craft-cook-book-review/

To celebrate the sequel to the wonderful Mistress of the Storm, author Melanie Welsh set sail on a blog tour last week to talk about Heart of Stone.

Melanie’s first stop was Nayu’s Reading Corner where she wrote about how her knowledge of sailing the sea inspired her writing. To find out if Melanie can actually sail visit the blog post here:  http://nayusreadingcorner.blogspot.com/2012/01/heart-of-stone-blog-tour-review-plus.html

Next stop was at Madhouse Family Reviews where Melanie gave 6 very good reasons why Verity deserves to be a lead character (my personal favourite, No. 1 She’s a bit dumpy)  http://madhousefamilyreviews.blogspot.com/2012/01/heart-of-stone-blog-tour-guest-post.html

Day three on the tour and Melanie stopped off at Fluttering Butterflies blog to discuss if happy endings are important to a story. To find out what she thinks read  http://www.flutteringbutterflies.com/2012/01/blog-tour-heart-of-stone-by-ml-welsh.html

Read 2 Review asked Melanie how her characters find their voice and she describes how one of my favourite characters in the book, Henry, just popped into her head, fully formed at the very start!  http://read2review.com/2012/01/12/how-did-your-chatacters-find-their-voice-a-guest-post-by-m-l-welsh/

Melanie’s final visit was to the Girls without a Bookshelf  blog where she discusses how to choose the setting for a story. One of the things people have loved about Mistress of the Storm and Heart of Stone is the strong sense of place you get when reading them. You can feel the wind whipping your hair and taste the salt from the sea – that is a true skill! http://withoutabookshelf.blogspot.com/2012/01/heart-of-stone-blog-tour-setting.html 

If you’d like to read more about Verity and what influenced Melanie you can visit her website: www.veritygallant.co.uk

Yesterday, trainee teachers at the University of Brighton were treated to a morning with Alexis Deacon, Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell.  200 people attended the event at the Falmer campus where they listened to all three guys talking about their careers.

First up, Alexis was interviewed by Senior Lecturer Pam Lewis about his inspirations and influences behind his work.  We had the pleasure of seeing some of Alexis’ earliest work dating right back to when he was just a small child.   The talent was certainly there from an early age! 

Alexis showed imagination from an early age.

His imagination continued to run wild as he got older...

Moving through his art work, Alexis explained how his love for illustrating developed.  It really was amazing to see how his work changed and grew throughout the years.  He also gave the audience a reading of his new book Croc and Bird which was an unexpected yet lovely treat!

Paul and Chris then took to the stage where they (unsurprisingly) entertained the audience with stories of their childhood and how they came to work together.  During the talk, Chris illustrated several pictures for the audience.  He also gave us an interesting insight into his life with his tales from An Actual Day in the Real Life of Chris Riddell.  If only we were all lucky enough to have a butler! If you haven’t already read it, then I urge you to now http://chrisriddell.panmacmillan.com/)

The double act at work.

A masterpiece is created before our very eyes!

and he didn't even need to rub anything out!

After the two talks, the guys then joined forces for a Q&A session.  Finally, they took part in perhaps the longest book signing ever (well maybe not ever but still!).  Alexis, Paul and Chris signed and illustrated books for an hour.  Alexis even continued to sign during his lunch break!   

Overall, it was a fantastic event made even more fantastic by the work of Alexis, Paul and Chris.  They really did inspire us all.

Last night, Dave Shelton’s fantastic new book, A Boy and a Bear in a Boat set sail from Cambridge.  Over 80 guests attended the launch at Heffers Booksellers  - what a successful evening!  Dave signed books for his fans who were also treated to a slice of specially made A Boy and a Bear cake. 

Thanks to Pam for this delicious cake. But where was thevery last sandwich?

Dave signs books for his eager fans.

We were there along with a very special guest… Bear!  If you’ve read the book (if not – what have you been doing?), then you’ll know that this is no ordinary bear.  Later this month, he’ll be taking a voyage around the country visiting various primary schools.  School pupils, teachers and librarians will be taking care of him whilst immersing themselves in special A Boy and a Bear activities.  Watch this space for further news on Bear’s travels!

Bear making his first special guest appearance