Category Archives: All The Other Stuff

I never wanted to perform myself. Still don’t. The amount of interest I have in getting up on the stage can be measured in one hand. Musical theatre wasn’t – isn’t – for me. But watching it? I can’t imagine anything better. There’s something so intoxicating about watching people sing and dance their way acrossContinue reading ““When you can’t speak, you sing, and when you can’t -” : musical theatre, Glee, and Naya Rivera”

It’s not a good sign when you watch something and think, quite clearly, of something else that did it better. But that was what happened on my watch of the final season of Game of Thrones, a season that was derided by pretty much every critic I read and person I know as appalling. TheyContinue reading “The Lord Of The Rings film trilogy by Peter Jackson, the art of storytelling, and season eight of Game of Thrones”

Originally posted on Big boots and adventures :
My debut children’s book HOW TO BE BRAVE will be out in 2021 in both the UK and US, and I am SO excited to introduce you to this world. Here’s a few tweets on the topic.. https://twitter.com/PushkinPress/status/1253679947840978944 https://twitter.com/BryonyWoods/status/1253707711155449856 https://twitter.com/chaletfan/status/1253681561964167171 https://twitter.com/chaletfan/status/1253682523655323649

(I wrote a book).

Thank you for being a part of this blog this year! This is a very good corner of the internet and you are one of the lovely community of readers who makes it so. I am very happy that you’re here. I wish you a peaceful and happy Christmas, doing what you love best andContinue reading “Merry Christmas!”

I remember the precise moment I understood Burt Lancaster. Or, at least, I remember the precise moment I understood that person he was on screen – the person he wanted to let me see. It was From Here To Eternity (1953) and it wasn’t the scene you might think. Though the film is justifiable notableContinue reading “Burt Lancaster : a watching and reading guide”

My house has been watching the recent BBC adaptation of The War of the Worlds, and we have been disappointed. It is not that the story itself is at fault, for it is not. There isn’t much of HG Wells’ work that is. The problem resides in that notion of adaptation, of taking something thatContinue reading “Adapting literature for television: (or, why doesn’t The War of The Worlds work for me)”

Things are going to be changing a little bit at Did You Ever Stop To Think …

I came up with the title of my autobiography over the weekend. Inspiration struck just after I’d picked up a lovely copy of one of the Moomin annuals, displayed face out on a bookstall at York Book Fair. It was priced at £750. My autobiography is, perhaps unsurprisingly, going to be called: Books I haveContinue reading “Book Fair 101: everything you needed to know about book fairs”

[Update 2nd July: The group is now at maximum – so I won’t be accepting any more applications for now. I’ll leave this post up however and update it should things change. Thanks for your interest :)] Hello! This is a very quick and quiet post to say that I am thinking of setting upContinue reading “A book club for adults who read children’s books in York”

A couple of years ago, I attended a conference. As is usual, there was a bookshop there. As is perhaps less usual, there was a remarkable author there. She was – is – elderly. Tiny. Legendary. She arrived at lunch; word ran around the tables that she was here, that she had arrived. Arrived. IContinue reading “Warrior women and children’s books”

Judith Kerr has passed away, and I am a little bit verklempt, so this shall be brief. We celebrate good books here, good stories told by good people, and Kerr was one of the best. She will always be so. This is a candle into the night and it is for her. I light itContinue reading “Thank you Judith Kerr”

Originally posted on Big boots and adventures :
If I believe in anything, I believe in making my research publicly accessible when and where I can. Obviously I believe in a lot of things, but I think that’s the one that underpins everything. Share your work. It’s terrifying, but I think, vital. So, on that note,…

It’s been a pleasure talking books with you this year. Let’s do it all over again in 2019?

My speciality is Girl’s Own, but sometimes my interest gets caught by those publications intended squarely for boyish readers. Such it was with Young England, a compiled annual of a ‘story paper’ for boys. I picked up copies of the 1914-1915 and the 1909-1910 editions for an absolute song, intrigued by the size of theContinue reading “A look at Young England (1914-1915)”

I’m still shaking after last night’s Doctor Who episode. Written by the illustrious Malorie Blackman, a legend in the world of children’s and young adult literature – and former Children’s Laureate to boot, Rosa was set in Montgomery, Alabama and concerned the equally illustrious figure of Rosa Parks. It’s sometimes difficult to understand story whenContinue reading ““Rosa” – Doctor Who, and Malorie Blackman”

I’ve been wanting to write a brief guide on how to pitch your book for review to a book blogger for a while. It seems to be one of those things that a lot of people can’t quite figure out, or get intimidated by, or just sort of blindly hope for the best with. And,Continue reading “How to pitch your book for review to a book blogger”

I’ve been visiting some of my favourite bookshops over the last few weeks and picking up some utter treasures. These are books that wouldn’t and won’t make a fortune if I sold them on, but to me they’re priceless in what they say about our ideas of childhood and children many moons ago. I’m goingContinue reading “A Hidden Treasure : ‘The Child’s Guide To Knowledge’ (1861)”

I had a lovely opportunity the other weekend to revisit the University of Roehampton where, seven (!) years ago, I studied my MA in Children’s Literature. It’s a course that changed my life, not only through the legitimisations of the interest that I had but also through the groundwork it gave me to explore thoseContinue reading “The NCRCL Open Day 2018”

Just a quick note to say that I will be speaking at the NCRCL Open Day 2018 (June 2nd, University of Roehampton). I know that London might not be an option for many people but if it is, and children’s books are your jam, I would urge you to come along! Studying for the MAContinue reading “The NCRCL Open Day 2018”

(Honestly, I’ve never been more on brand). I am no translator. My French is passable, in that ‘I cannot remember the precise word but can vaguely approximate the sense of what I am trying to describe to you’ sort of manner, but it’s not up to translating prose. My English, however, is and so overContinue reading “Translating classic children’s books into feminist blank verse”

I’ve been looking a lot recently at some choose your own story apps available on Android. This methodological restriction is primarily to the fact that an Android phone is what I have, and I was interested to see the sorts of stories that were available for it. I’ve never really looked at choose your ownContinue reading “My experience of Choose Your Own Story apps”

I am one of those people who has legitimate and primal and fundamental personal needs for stationery. Good stationery is a human right. Notebooks make everything better. One of the first bits of advice I will give anybody beginning a research degree is to buy yourself all the stationery that your heart desires. The onlyContinue reading “The allure of forgotten notebooks”

I had a couple of really interesting chats recently with parents concerned about their children’s reading habits. They weren’t reading. They don’t read. They don’t read challenging books. They won’t pick up a book. And when all you see in the media is reports about how children don’t read, and this means your child inContinue reading ““Help, my child isn’t reading!””

One of the highlights of Pop Up Lab this year was hearing Bessora the author, and Sarah Ardizzone, the translator, deliver a key note about their graphic novel Alpha. Alpha is a fascinating project; originally published in French and republished in English by the team at Barrington Stoke. At a conference that discussed the importance of visual literacies,Continue reading “An interview with Bessora and Sarah Ardizzone : two-thirds of the creative team behind Alpha”

2. Angela Brazil  She insists on us going for a walk. “It will do you good,” she says. “Physical exercise isn’t something to be shirked from. Consider it part of your duty towards yourself.”

Thank you for being part of the smartest, most interesting, and kindest parts of the internet. I’ve loved hearing your thought and chatting books with you this year. Here’s hoping you get a St Bernard in your Christmas stocking x

I had one of those days recently where I wanted to write something different. That different turned out to be fanfic and, in particular, the oddly specific pairing of M*A*S*H and the Chalet School. I was interested to see if I could make it work, if I could scratch that odd little tingle of anContinue reading “Fanfic : M*A*S*H / Chalet School”

I’m lucky enough to be attending an event tomorrow which focuses on something very dear to my heart – visual storytelling. As you’ll know from my picture book reviews in particular, visual literacy is an important and powerful thing that is, so often, misunderstood or denied its critical relevance. Pop Up Lab, the brainchild of Pop UpContinue reading “Visual literacies, comics and Mark Twain : An Interview with Dylan Calder of Pop Up Projects”

A quick note to say that I am launching a Tinyletter! You can sign up here or below. This Tinyletter will be all about bookish things and buns; a delicious combination, no? Basically nice things, and if you think it is your bag, then please come and join me 🙂 Enter your email address poweredContinue reading “Tinyletter”

So I’m currently down in Cambridge, working on the #a14stories project, and I spent much of yesterday outside. The grounds at Madingley Hall are free to enter to the public, and the gardens are beautiful. There’s influence here from Capability Brown, but also from something rather distinctly English; topiary hedges, and striped lawns. I wantedContinue reading “So I found my first subject”

I’m writing this with the windows open; a rare thing in England, even during the Summer, but it’s one of those nights where you can’t not do such a thing. It’s cold, don’t get me wrong, but in a way that’s perfect. I don’t want to be warm. I don’t really want to be inside,Continue reading “Listening to the wind”

I’m trying to be coy but I rather think that title has given it away a tad. So without further ado, I have some rather exciting news to share. I’m going to be working with the University of Cambridge for six weeks this Autumn, as the A14 Writer In Residence.  I’m going to be based forContinue reading “I’m going to be a Writer In Residence at the University of Cambridge”

Here’s a little something to turn to when you read that next badly written article about children’s and young adult literature. Cross them off when you find them mentioned! Vampires Computer Games I blame the parents Youtube Twilight CLASSICS I blame the children Television I blame education “When I was young…” I blame the authorsContinue reading “Bad Book Article Bingo”

As I’m sure you’ll know, I have a particular interest in the representation of landscape in children’s books. Landscape tells you everything, and yet it’s often one of the more forgotten elements when people talk about a book. Consider the difference between the two sentences below. The cat sat on the mat in a field.Continue reading “‘Roads’ in children’s books”

I’m supposed to be editing my thesis, and yet here I am trying to hide my tears because of the death of a man I never met. Michael Bond has died, and I am beyond words and yet words are what I turn to. How do you express your grief? How do you express yourContinue reading “Thank you Michael Bond”

I am immensely proud to be able to share a guest post with you today. I won’t ever deny that I’m picky about this sort of thing but that’s because I know you and I take this seriously. Children’s books are important, statuesque things and even more so in the frail and friable world weContinue reading “Talking Empathy with Sita Brahmachari”

It’s been a while since I read Heidi but I have some fairly solid memories of it. Mountains. Goodness. Goats. That sort of jazz. It was with interest then that I came across a film called Courage Mountain which was a sequel to Heidi, but involving an Italian boarding school and the advent of WorldContinue reading “Courage Mountain, or the one where Heidi falls in love with Charlie Sheen”

Originally posted on Big boots and adventures :
I’m privileged to be able to share something special with you today. This is an interview I did with Alastair Horne about his PhD research. Alastair is looking at the role of digital devices in fiction and how they’re affecting the relationships between author, text and reader. His…

I was thinking today that I can’t remember a politician who has so actively centred books within his public dialogue and persona. Literature. Education. The power of the novel and the belief in collective education. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it in a British context and that saddens me. But I saw it inContinue reading “Thanks Obama”

Richard Adams has passed away aged 96 and I am so sad. The author of Shardik. The Plague Dogs and Watership Down amongst many other titles, Adams stood for something quite distinct in the world of children’s literature. He stood for bigness; of stories that ache at the edge of the world and carve something else,Continue reading “Thank you Richard Adams”

It’s not easy to make a children’s film. It’s not easy to do anything with or for children (parents, I can see you nodding in the back there) because of the sheer breadth of childhood experience that is out there. Articulating a story is easy when it’s for yourself; articulating a story that reaches outContinue reading “How to make the perfect film : take one small brown bear…”

Zoe ‘Zoella’ Sugg is a vlogger. She is incredibly successful at what she does and regularly posts videos on Youtube covering beauty, fashion and general lifestyle topics. She is the author of Girl, Online, a book with a controversy of its own regarding the authorship, and which I reviewed here. It is a charming, andContinue reading “On “beautiful girls”, bookclubs and Zoella”

It was dark, the early all-consuming blackness of a November evening. It was raining, the sort of rain that glitters and rests on the edge of a building like coy midday frost. And I was crying. Not fully, not half-consciously, but still, it was there. That edge of not understanding what had just happened toContinue reading “On crying in the dark and Catherine of Aragon’s bible”

Originally posted on Big boots and adventures :
Forgive the rebloggage but, for those of you who don’t know, I also blog specifically on my research… (and, you know, visual essays make me SO happy..) Big boots and adventures View original post

I am rereading this book for research purposes at the moment and I am in awe of it. How can pages as beautiful as this exist?    

Originally posted on Big boots and adventures :
A pithy title, I know, but you wouldn’t believe how long it took me to boil that down from something substantially longer. Anyway; today I wanted to share a sample of the project I’m trying to get funding for (and if you’d like to fund an app of this, dudes…

Every now and then, I like to look at the first pages of some very good children’s books and analyse just how and why they achieve that goodness. Today’s post is on the wonderful Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens and you can browse some of the previous entries in the First Page series here . IContinue reading “First Pages: Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens”

I have a couple of EXCELLENT things to share with you in this post, hence … um … this post. I moan a lot about children’s literature getting a less than positive coverage in the media (ie: none) so it is important to acknowledge those moments when it does. And one of these moments  inContinue reading “Articles and programmes and things of interest (oh my!)”