They say “worse things happen at sea”. But what if you are at sea?
What if you’re at sea in a tiny boat with a big smelly bear? And the only food you have left is a sandwich that is so old and mouldy that it glows in the moonlight? And the bear says something about sea monsters but you just don’t know whether he’s joking or not?

Yes, what then? Well, one of the things that you might not expect to come out of such a predicament is wave after wave of laughter. But Dave Shelton has managed to do just that. A Boy and a Bear in a Boat is a book like no other; a story which, in its bare bones, could be utterly bleak: a young boy is lost at sea, with no compass, no food and (seemingly) no chance. But Shelton’s masterful prose transforms this premise into a brilliantly funny and tender tale of friendship. While some of life’s problems are beyond our control, others may seem less worrisome if only you have a cup of tea, a ukulele and a bit of wishful thinking.

This book is rather different from anything we have published before. It is over three hundred pages long and Dave has illustrated it throughout, with several pages of beautiful full colour.

The unique humour of the story also meant that it was tricky coming up with the right cover look. Read the rest of this entry »

We here at DFB are very excited about a new book due out  this July. We’ve shared some proof copies with a few special readers, who have already sent us their thoughts, copied below. IN THE SEA THERE ARE CROCODILES: The story of Enaiatollah Akbari is coming out on 7th July, but you can pre-order a copy here.

READER REVIEWS FROM CENTRAL PARK PRIMARY SCHOOL, LONDON

 “The story took me around the world it’s certainly the best story EVER! I would recommend this book to everyone who wants the next ‘Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.’”

Hafsa Adel

“Describing this [Enaiatollah’s journey] in all great detail, is what I thought was fantastic about this adventure book. It really snatched my emotions and made me feel pity…It also got me thinking about what I would do if I was in that situation.”

Maansib Ahmed Choudhury

“It was very funny at times and it really makes you think about what we have that we take for granted, like a warm bed every night and good food every day. You also learn new words in different languages.”

Namitha Vinayan

“I love the bit where Enaiatollah and his friends run around the beach in their underwear looking for clothes to wear. I loved that bit because it made me laugh after all the sad things that Enaiatollah went through.”

Deva

“I think this book is great and could make a new film. This is because it has great punctuation and the story is great…I hope this story will be famous.”

Fahim

A big thank you to all our readers so far – we’re thrilled that you found Eniah’s story as fascinating and inspiring as we have.

Jenny Downham’s hugely successful Before I Die is destined for the big screen! Dakota Fanning and Jeremy Irvine to star in the film adaptation Now is Good. Filming will begin this July!

The news that Jenny Downham’s critically acclaimed debut novel Before I Die will soon take to the big screen was received with great excitement here at RHCB. Heralded as ‘an extraordinary first novel’ by the Sunday Times, the book has sold over 250,000 copies across all editions following its first publication by David Fickling Books in July 2007, and a film is now in the pipeline as a BBC films project. Titled Now is Good the film will be based on Downham’s life affirming tale of a terminally ill teenage girl and her determination to live life and love to the fullest before her impending death. Hollywood starlet Dakota Fanning and Jeremy Irvine, who will soon make his film debut in the adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s War Horse, have landed the leading roles.

Filming is due to begin in July and will coincide with the release of Jenny’s arresting second novel You Against Me in paperback.

I have a strange name. I admit it. And there’s worse: I don’t eat meat. At all. And yet, I wrote a book where cannibals were the good guys.

Imagine you’re living in a world where you are surrounded on all sides by swarms of creatures that want nothing more than to bite your head off. You can’t blame the poor things — they’re starving! But what about you? What are *you* going to eat? All the plants in this world are poisonous. The insects too. And there’s not much nourishment to be had from the crumbling buildings of the vast city in which you live. Even the canals are full of starving monsters rather than fish.

No, unfortunately, the only food for you and your friends are creatures who are just as intelligent as you are…

I’m not quite sure what I would do in such a situation, so I wrote The Inferior to try and find out. Would I chase down the sentient monsters in order to eat them? Or would I prefer to starve? I don’t like books where the decisions are all easy and obvious. So, one of the first things I did in the story was to drop an intelligent, civilised young woman — a *vegetarian* woman — right into the midst of the cannibals. I wondered how long it would take for them to eat her and what the hunter who fell in love with her might try to do about it. His name — Stopmouth — is even stranger than mine!

Well, you can see the answers I came up with if you read the book. The results have been described as “heart-stopping”, “scary” and “enthralling”. However, some people were upset that the whole thing ended in what might be described as a cliff-hanger. The good news on that front, is that the tasty creatures working at David Fickling Books, will be publishing a sequel called, The Deserter, that answers most of the remaining questions. Best of all, The Deserter will not leave you dangling after the last page.

I hope you enjoy it!

Peadar O’Guilin

The Deserter comes out in paperback today!