There were  lovely reviews of 3 very different DFB titles in the papers this weekend - with Magic Beans and This Dark Endeavour featured in The Times’ best children’s books of 2011!  See more here.

‘One of the best value books for 6 plus is Magic Beans an entrancing collection of classic fairytales retold by leading storytellers such as Philip Pullman, Adele Geras and Malorie Blackman. Elegant line drawings by Ian Beck, Debi Gliori, Peter Bailey and others add to the magic.’

‘It’s a beautifully balanced novel with the darkness of the central crime never forgotten or over-sweetened by the love story….. readers wanting to discover if the relationship overcomes all the odds are sure to find themselves provoked, moved and rewarded in equal measure.’  Click here to read the full Guardian review of You Against Me by Jenny Downham. 

‘Kenneth Oppel’s This Dark Endeavour a captivating Gothic novel for 13 plus about the future Dr Frankenstein and his competitive love for his twin brother. Books this good are for life, not just Christmas.’

If you’re a fan of either Linda Newbery or Monica Edwards, or interested in pony books, click here to read Linda’s guest blog on the website Books, Mud and Compost. And Horses.  Linda talks about two of her favourite childhood books and the effect they had on her as both a reader and writer. Great stuff – and straight from the horse’s mouth!  If you look further, you’ll be able to spot Linda elsewhere on the site too..  Happy Reading!

A few weeks ago at DFB I was introduced to WE by John Dickinson. I have to admit, I was initially a little dubious about reading it, as science fiction and fantasy are not my favourite genres. But I began and within a few pages I could not put the book down!

WE tells the story of Paul Munro, an engineer who is sent to work on a scientific station on a distant moon. The book is set in the future and the Earth that Paul leaves behind is a very different place to the world we know today. Paul and the people he lives with in the station are the only people able to look at the Earth from a distant perspective and perhaps the only ones able to save the human race from a terrifying future.

It is a mission from which Paul knows he cannot return and I found it terribly moving watching him come to terms with the isolation and loneliness of his new home. Gradually Paul comes to trust his fellow researchers, but the claustrophobic atmosphere they inhabit (they are trapped on the moon for the rest of their lives, in a small dome from which it is difficult and dangerous to leave) leads to explosive events which threaten to tear the team apart.

WE is full of grotesque characters and quite terrifyinging ideas: the crew have spindly bodies and swollen heads, and humans are growing up in a system from which they can never escape. But for me, the book was brought to life by the human drams at the cenre of it. The future of Earth portrayed in the book may seem like a remote possibility for our planet, but  the people fighting for a future of freedom and happiness for their children are no different from those we see around us today.

This tale is the perfect thriller for young adults. It is a gripping story carrying a poignant message that will make you question the very nature of who we are and where our world is going.

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.

‘This is a riveting adventure of three boys who have nothing, attempting to fulfill a dead man’s last altruistic wish. Their success rides on their ability to outsmart and out run the police. With the odds against them they band together forging a future from the trash.’  (Cecie O’Bryon England’s review of TRASH  for The Washington Times)

If you haven’t yet read TRASH  – get to it!!

 TRASH  is reverberating around the globe at the moment, and it’s music to our ears listening to all the fantastic reviews and nominations the book has received! Here are just a few tit bits from our TRASH stash :

For starters, check out Andy Mulligan’s brilliant new website – click here to have a look! 

• Winners, with the best Independant Booksellers’ window display of TRASH - ‘THE BOOK NOOK’ in Hove!!

• An interview with Andy Mulligan from Alex Riley’s ‘Lit Blog’

• TRASH  has been chosen for the Winter 2010-2011 Kids’ Indie Next List (“Inspired Recommendations for Kids from Indie Booksellers”) – woohoo!

• TRASH  has it’s very own facebook page – become a fan!

• TRASH  has been included in the School Library Journal “Best Books of the Year” list (check out their review here).

Have a brilliant weekend!

Tonight, at Blackwell’s in Oxford, David Fickling Books will be celebrating the launch of Kate Brown’s astonishingly beautiful DFC Library book THE SPIDER MOON. (Click here to see a sample!)
Kate is an award-winning artist who previously contributed to THE DFC, and it should be a lively, fun event, full of familiar faces! It is also open to the public, for any locals who may wish to pop in! See here for a review of THE SPIDER MOON by one of the brilliant YA bloggers who visited Random House Children’s Books in Ealing recently. More news – and pics – from the launch shortly!