Monthly Archives: October 2015

We spoke to Danny, the Senior Editor on Adventure Park, to see if we could get some extra insight into how this series was brought to life. Why not peer into his head and learn a bit more about the publishing process...

Us: What sort of things do you have to consider when briefing the artwork for a series like this? (for primary readers, with heavy reliance on illustrations to enhance the story)

Danny: With this series and Snow-Man I spoke with the authors about how we saw each of the main characters and the environment they were in. After that you can flesh it out a little more and start to talk about what adventures they would go on and who they were likely to encounter. The comedy has to be there right from the start. If it is not you can't just throw a custard pie on the words and hope that the comedy sticks.

The artwork had to be the opposite to some of the stuffy, old fashioned illustrations you see in some libraries. It had to be contemporary and something

"Ambition's debt is paid."
Julius Caesar, Act 3 Scene 1

My best friend, Julian, and I were really into music. We sold CDs to our friends, and in time became real DJs.

Julian changed his name to MC Cesar and hired a bodyguard. I knew he was going too far, but he thought no-one could stop him.

The problem was, they could.

Tommy Donbavand skillfully translates his favourite Shakespeare play into a contemporary tale where egos collide and a fatal mistake is made. As with all the titles in this upcoming series, the text is accompanied by striking illustrations, giving it the look and feel of a graphic novel - proven to be an extremely popular writing style with young readers.

Written for a teenage audience with a reading age of 6-7 and an interest age of 13-16, we are confident that the short sentences and simple language will put the reader at ease and the mature themes explored will appeal to both boys and girls. With Mark Penman's illustrations

Every October in the UK we take time to observe, respect and promote knowledge of black history, heritage and culture. We pay tribute to those historic figures from the world of politics and human rights as well as celebrating more contemporary figures from the world of popular culture who have embraced those values and set themselves out as role models for the next generation.

We are excited to reveal our amazing list of authors and illustrators for this upcoming series!

Princess Frog-Snogger by Tommy Donbavand
Illustrated by Mark Penman

Little Red by Barry Hutchison
Illustrated by Mark Pearce

The League of Enchanted Heroes by Tim Collins
Illustrated by James Lawrence

The Boy Who Cried Aliens! by Danny Pearson
Illustrated by Abby Ryder

Goldie Locked! by Ian MacDonald
Illustrated by Marc Ellerby

Ed and the Shirtmakers by Andy Seed
Illustrated by Rachael Smith

And here is an exclusive first look at some of the characters from The League of Enchanted Heroes, as well as some of the illustrator's early notes about them.

R.R. Hood - I see her as being post-wolf-encounter here. She's an A-Grade monster hunter now, specialising in Big Bad Wolves.

Rapunzel - Pushed her origin a little further east from central Europe to Russia. In contrast to Hood's earthy, tomboyish

"Fair is foul, and foul is fair"
Macbeth, Act 1 Scene 1

George King dreamed of glory on the rugby field.

He wanted to be captain. To play for the County – England even!

And nothing was going to stand in his way!

The first of our brilliant new Dark Reads to be revealed is called Kicked into Touch by Ann Evans. It follows a darkly ambitious teenager called George as he cheats his way to captaincy of a rugby team, flanked by his 'witchy' fan club. Needless to say, George gets what he deserves in the end.

An imaginative and un-daunting 'way in' to the story of Shakespeare's Macbeth, this story is appropriate for teenagers with a reading age of 6-7. The language is simple yet gripping, and the short bursts of text are interspersed with fantastic illustrations by Kevin Hopgood.

The cover below gives a snapshot of the feel of this series. We hope your reluctant readers love it as much as we do!

This intriguing new series is based around famous fairy tales, but not in the form the reader might expect. These tales have been turned on their head to enchant and amuse a modern audience, including a princess who prefers frogs to princes, an intergalactic Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks the vandal, a ragtag band of characters forming a superhero league and more!

With the look and feel of a real book, inviting full page illustrations and a range of techniques employed to ensure that the stories are as accessible as possible, Once Upon Another Time is appropriate for those with a reading age as low as 6-7, but a higher interest age of 10-13.

The balanced combination of low word count with imaginative plots ensures that reluctant readers are stimulated and drawn in to stories that they can realistically comprehend, providing much needed confidence going forwards.

Just wait until you see what Goldilocks gets up to...

Young adult literature (YAL) is an ever-growing, hugely popular genre that plays an immensely important part in teenage lives and thus, in school libraries. The imaginative storylines combined with the exploration of emotions that feature in our everyday lives has meant that YAL is a fantastic tool to discover the complex, and occasionally daunting, world that we live in.

Things take an Egyptian turn in Pyramid Panic, the final foray in the fantastic Adventure Park series!

A tempting new maze attraction, set in a pyramid, piques the interest of Emily, Jacob and Frank and they decide to venture inside.

With each twist and turn, the trio begin to realise there are strange presences lurking in the dark and that walls suddenly move without warning!

Beginning to feel trapped, they wonder if they will ever find their way out...

This tale creates the perfect balance of humour and suspense with some light-hearted action scenes thrown in for good measure. Abby's fantastic illustrations help to bring this story to life and will encourage struggling readers to delve further into the story.

Cavan's writing incorporates simple words, short chapters and sentences making it wholly sensitive to the struggles a reluctant reader may face.

With interest for this series growing already, who knows what adventures the future holds

Feast your eyes on the brilliant authors and illustrators who will be working on each title of this deliciously dark series!

Due to be published in January next year, we're confident our Dark Reads will appeal to male and female teenagers alike with their striking graphic-style illustrations, modern themes and simple sentence structure.

Kicked into Touch by Ann Evans
Illustrated by Kevin Hopgood

MC Cesar by Tommy Donbavand
Illustrated by Mark Penman

Storm Bringer by Tim Collins
Illustrated by Amit Tayal

Titan by Danny Pearson
Illustrated by Aleksandar Sotirovski

Otis by Tony Lee
Illustrated by Kevin Hopgood

Something Rotten by Tim Collins
Illustrated by Mark Penman

Bright Lights by Claire Morgan
Illustrated by Amit Tayal

West Side Zombie by Tim Collins
Illustrated by Aleksandar Sotirovski

Now you've seen the titles, can you guess which Shakespeare play has influenced each

Just when Cole Day thought things couldn't get any worse in the weather-beaten town of Shiverton, a brand new villain appears. And, to make matters worse, Weathergirl is someone he knows very well indeed.

Snow-Man will need all his wintery wits about him – and an extra team member (meet Popsicle!) – when this powerful enemy decides to destroy the town she only ever tried to help.

It's here! Check out the electrifying cover for the sixth and last reveal in the Snow-Man series, where our hero faces an unexpected villain with exciting – and possibly dire – consequences.

As can be seen from the cover, this title is packed full of fantastic illustrations by Steve Beckett to accompany Tommy Donbavand's warm, witty narrative. Reluctant readers will enjoy the combination of colourful drawings and bite-sized chunks of text, as they help to make reading a fun and encouraging process as opposed to a laborious one.

Just like the other titles in this series, Cold Front