Julie from Blackwell: Summer Reading

Stuck for summer reading over the holidays? Well fear no more as this week we bring you a brilliant blog from Julie the Children’s Buyer at  Blackwell Edinburgh. Julie has a list of some of the biggest hits around so give it a read and then make a trip to your local bookstore or library. Don't forget to let us know what you're reading over the summer!

It's an exciting summer of reading for us here at Blackwell with local kids and tourists looking for wonderful books to while away the holidays.

Our biggest hit at the moment is Angus Corby's picture book You Can't Play Here! Which tells the story of Gregor, a budding bagpipe player who keeps getting asked to practice his pipes somewhere else. He eventually finds somewhere to play thanks to an unexpected someone who doesn't mind the noise he's making.  It is a truly lovely story with an ending to warm the heart.

Other books loved by our customers at the moment include Running Wild by Michael Morpurgo, a marvelous tale of a boy's adventures with an elephant in Indonesia, and Dogs Don't Do Ballet which is a very very funny book about a pug who wants nothing more than to put on a tutu and dance across the stage!

For Teen (and adult) readers we are still selling piles of Patrick Ness' Chaos Walking trilogy. If you haven't started the series yet start now! We've had people rushing up to the counter with them, just bursting to delve into the next part of the story. And we have free t-shirts to give away with copies of the third book, Monsters of Men.

As for us, what we're most excited about right now is the gorgeous and fun bunch of Moomin books for very young readers that Puffin have just launched. They include some activity books and board books and a brand new picture book called Moomin and the Birthday Button. But the best bit of all? The little cuddly Moomintrolls we have to give away!! We love 'em.

We also love Withering Tights, Louise Rennison's new book about the bonkers Tallulah Casey and her attempts to fall in love, perfect for losing yourself in a blanket of silliness and hilarity.

There are also two books we think you should look out in October (are we mad? You can't wait that long!) that are sending me into book lover heaven.

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly - if you've read A Gathering Light you'll know how good this lady is at telling stories, so it's no surprise that she's written another brilliant book. This time it's about a girl who opens a route to the past and ends up in the middle of the French Revolution.

The Ring of Solomon by Jonathan Stroud - Bartimaeus the mischievous and supremely clever djinni returns, but this time he's at the court of King Solomon helping a girl sent by the Queen of Sheba to steal the king's powerful ring.

You can also pick up a range of titles in audio or e-format from Blackwell. 

Follow Blackwell Edinburgh on Twitter to keep up to date with new releases!

Here at Scottish Book Trust, we have gathered together our intended reading for the summer.  Check out what's on the list. Is there a title you would recommend?

If you're felling lucky then why don't you enter this months Meet Our Authors competition. You could win a book shelf full of Scottish contemporary children’s fiction!

Other News:

Do you tweet? Well publishers are now praising the merits of using Twitter to canvass readers opinions quickly. Last week readers used the hashtag (a phrase inserted into a tweet and used to link tweets on one subject) #dearpublisher to speak directly to publishers. Is there anything you would like publishers to do? Well tweet away!

Our Online Teacher in Residence Michael Stephenson has produced some excellent new resources using film and computer game adaptations for developing critical literacy. This is in addition to his earlier unit on graphic modules. You can download the resources from our website here.

You may also wish to follow us on Twitter and Facebook to get all the latest news from Scottish Book Trust.