I know you're all desperate to know what I am reading at the moment...
wait...
where are you all?
Well I'm going to tell you anyway as it is quite rare that such a book makes its way out into the world.
This beautiful book, Bone Talk by Candy Gourlay was only released yesterday and you need to buy it and read it and pass it on because I have a feeling it will be BIG.
It is set in the Philippines and follows the story of Samkad, a ten-year-old boy of the Bontok tribe. He is desperate to become a warrior, like his dad and we are drawn into his world which is about to change because of the American Invasion.
It is a part of history that has been buried for centuries and Candy brings it to life beautifully and with amazing sensitivity. 
Because we learn about Samkad's life we are not horrified by the way he and his tribe look, or the fact they sacrifice animals to predict the future, or that they worship a tree decorated with bones. This is his normal, every day, way of life. We respect his ancestors because Samkad does. We accept the ancients are carried on the backs of others because this is the way it is done. His world seems magical and beautiful, not primitive and savage.
I was honoured to be able to attend the book launch of Bone Talk as I know Candy (and many other wonderful Children's Authors and Illustrators) through being a member and volunteer with SCBWI - BI  
​The launch was held at SOAS in the University of London last night and felt like such an important, almost historical event. I was so moved by what I heard and was reminded of what an excellent speaker Candy is.

At the launch I learned all kinds of things about the history of the Philippines and how the tribal people were invaded by both the Spanish and the Americans.
How wonderful that the rich, fascinating heritage of the Philippines is being brought to life in this gripping tale by Candy Gourlay. 
Treat yourself - go get this beautiful hardback book and dive in.  This is a story that is  important for us all to hear and will ring true for so many cultures, particularly those with histories of colonialism.
Don't let the historical stuff put you off, it still is essentially a 'ripping yarn'. I'm treasuring my copy as I know this book will be big. 
There has to be a film at the very least as I can see this story and setting capturing the imagination of so many people.
​I'm riding on Candy's coat tails and what a fun ride it will be!

As much as I go into schools and hopefully help children in their own writing, I am also learning all the time myself.
This weekend I was lucky enough to attend the Writer's Workshop run by the wonderful Sarah Odedina who is the Children's Editor of Pushkin Press, a small, literary based Children's Publisher. 
Sarah has been in the business a long time and had amazing support for the Workshop from all her contacts. The idea behind it was to reach out to people who are trying to find their 'voice' and may be under-represented in the children's book market. 
We listened to talks from some amazing speakers including the previous Children's Laureate, Malorie Blackman and award winning YA author Patrice Lawrence.

Yesterday I did a book signing session at one of my all time favourite schools - Beech Hyde in Wheathampstead. I played the Heads and Tails game from the book launch to see how well the kids knew my books. It was amazing how much they got right, but in the end there could be only one winner who picked up a shiny copy of the Limited Edition of Thirteenth Wish.

Today I am at Crabtree School Fair, Crabtree Lane, Harpenden 11-3. You can buy up any one of my books for £7, two for £12 or all three for just £15 and I will even write something special inside for you.

The sun is shining, the fair is lots of fun for everyone, with loads of cool stuff for kids of all ages, so come along. Be good to see you there!

It was a great day and I spoke to lots of enthusiastic families about books, which is one of my most favourite things to do. I also got to listen to the inspiring wildlife photographer Martin Leach and learned all about The Children's Eternal Rainforest (after which I promptly when home and donated my fee for appearing at the festival to their amazing conservation project). I was also lucky to see some fellow SCWBI members - featured from left to right - Helen Moss, Joseph Coelho and Chitra Soundar. 

My daughter is working on a short film of the book launch, but in the meantime here are some photos of the event.

This is Caitlin who was picking up the books on behalf of her best friend Auj Usman. After winning the 'Name the Dog' competition, Auj rather inconveniently moved to Australia! 

The Wish Winners were also there, along with Guest Authors and Ticket Holders. 

It was a really memorable launch which I hope everyone enjoyed as much as I did. 

The highlight for me was the raffle at the end and having Annie there to sign all the illustrations. The game was fun too.

Thanks to everyone who came along and to the library for hosting - LIBRARIES ROCK!