Julia Golding and 600 children

Successful children's author Julia Golding will be guest of Our Lady’s Abingdon on 9 February. During the day around 600 local children will hear her talk about her books and where she finds her ideas.

This event, jointly organised by the Librarians from Our Lady’s Abingdon, Abingdon and St Helen & St Katharine schools, aims to invite children from local primary and secondary schools who may not have the opportunity to meet an author. Children will hear one of the writer's three talks during this 6th annual Joint Schools' Author Visit.

In the morning Julia will 'be' Joss Stirling – her pen name for a teen title that she has recently published called Finding Sky, a paranormal romance and thrilling adventure story, and will also be talking about her book Wolf Cry. In the afternoon session Julia will talk to our younger guests about writing fantasy focussing on Glass Swallow and also mentioning The Ship Between the Worlds and Dragonfly.
Local book shop Mostly Books will be running a a book shop all day.

Costa and Marsh Awards

Poet Jo Shapcott has won the 2010 Costa Book of the Year for her collection Of Mutability and cheque for £30,000. This is the second year in a row that a collection of poetry has won the overall prize.

The Marsh Award for Children's Literature in Translation is awarded to the translator of a children's book into English. Awarded every two years, this year's award went to Martin Cleaver for his translation of Letters to Anyone and Everyone by Toon Tellegen, whose animal stories are best sellers in the Netherlands. Read more in Books for Keeps.

Sherlock Holmes sequel

Anthony Horowitz, author of the Alex Rider children's series, has been commissioned to produce an official Sherlock Holmes sequel for adult readers.
Read more

Crime Central - crime fiction for teen readers

Crime Central is a new blog aimed at teenagers who like crime fiction. The authors contributing write, "Ever noticed a teen crime section in bookshops, alongside the paranormal romances and the picture books? No? Well, you're not alone. Although crime fiction is HUGE for adults, somehow it never seems to get the attention it deserves for teens.
So we've set up this blog to showcase the best in crime writing for teens. We are authors Anne Cassidy and Keren David from London, and Gillian Philip and Linda Strachan from Scotland, and we're going to put books about crime for teens in the spotlight." There is also a competition to win a signed book by Anne Cassidy.
Visit Crime Central

Author Jo Cotterill visits OLA

Former OLA pupil Jo Cotterill, who is now an established children's author, visited Our Lady's Abingdon to talk to Years 7, 8 and 9 about her life at the school, her acting and teaching career, and now her writing. Hugely entertaining, and illustrated with photos, Jo gave the groups an insight into her life and book writing. Lunchtime was spent in the Library autographing her Sweet Hearts books, and chatting to each of her new fans.
Sweet Hearts home page

Scholastic Book Club

I’ve just set up our latest Scholastic Book Club school group order online. This means you can order your book choices from the Book Clubs leaflet (which I'll be handing out in the next few days) and from a wider selection at http://clubs-school.scholastic.co.uk/olab and, what's more, you'll be able to have your books delivered to school for free. They can also be delivered to your home.

For delivery to school you need to order your books by Friday 21 January 2011. For every £1 you spend 20p goes back to the library to spend on books. Take a look at what’s on offer – there are some great bargains with books costing as little as £1.99! Please note that some books are badged 13+.

Costa Children's Book Award

The Costa Children's Book Award has been won by Jason Wallace for Out Of Shadows. Set in newly-independent Zimbabwe in the 1980s, this is a compelling, thought-provoking novel about race, bullying and the need to belong: recommended to older readers.
By winning the category, the author received a cheque for £5000. The Costa Book of the Year is selected from the five Category Award Winners. The overall winner receives a further £30,000.