Beetle Boy wins the Branford Boase Award for outstanding first novel

I am delighted and honoured to be able to announce that Beetle Boy won the Branford Boase Award. This is a prize which is awarded annually for an outstanding first novel to a first-time writer of a book for young people and marks the important contribution of the editor in identifying and nurturing new talent. It is recognised as one of the most important awards in children’s books thanks to its impressive record in identifying authors with special talent at the start of their careers.

I am so proud to share this award with Barry Cunningham and Rachel Leyshon, my Chicken House editors. I also want to acknowledge the important role my scientific advisor, Dr Sarah Beynon plays in proof reading my books for scientific accuracy.

This is actually the first award I have won in my entire life and I will treasure it forever.

'M.G. Leonard is a classic storyteller, in the tradition of Roald Dahl or Dodie Smith, but an original voice. We predict that once again the Branford Boase Award judges have recognized an author who will be thrilling young readers for decades to come.'
Julia Eccleshare, chair of judges

Read articles about the award
The Bookseller
Foyles

Watch M.G. & Her Beetles On Springwatch Unsprung

Yesterday a dream of mine came true. I got to sit on hay bales with Chris Packham and talk about beetles! How good is that? Me, my beetles and my books were all featured on Springwatch Unsprung (June 14th). If you want to see how our chat went you can watch it on the iPlayer.

My fellow guest on the programme was the lovely Stephanie Coles. She is an utterly wonderful human being.

Me and Stephanie Coles on Springwatch Unsprung

As well as the main show, I also got to appear on Brett Westward's red button programme in the afternoon, when Hector, my rainbow stag beetle, decided to show off and fly about the studio. You can watch that programme here.

The whole experience was a dream come true, but my favourite bit was Chris Packham's enthusiastic endorsement of the beetle books. I've watched him on TV since I was a teenager and he's a wildlife hero. Here are his hands clutching my book and meeting my beetles.

M.G. Leonard is going to be on Springwatch Unsprung!

I'm very excited to be able to announce that my beetles and I will be appearing on Springwatch Unsprung on 14 June. Please do tune in, send in questions online and be a part of the show.

Hay Festival 2017

On the Starlight Stage at the Hay Festival 2017

I love the Hay Festival. This year we put together a very special event with Dr Sarah Beynon and her Bug Farm beetles and insect chef Andy Holcroft. Together the three of us put on a bugtastic show to a sold out audience including Germaine Greer! The BBC were there, filming for a documentary on entomophagy, and every member of the audience got to try a cricket cookie and other delicious bugs. Truly a day to remember.

M. G. Leonard Introduces Beetle Queen

I was asked, by my Russian publishers, to make a video from my writing desk about Beetle Queen, and then I realised that I hadn't made any kind of video for English readers about what kind of an adventure Beetle Queen is, so I made this for you. See if you can spot my beetle, Motty!

Beetle Boy is shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award 2017

I am delighted to be able to share the news that Beetle Boy has been shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award 2017, along with Cogheart, Riverkeep, We are Giants, Little Bits of Sky, The Bubble Boy and The Girl of Ink and Stars. Find out more.

Beetle Queen Book Launch at The Bug Farm

Dr Sarah Beynon and M. G. Leonard at The Bug Farm in Pembrokeshire.

On Thursday 13th of April I travelled down to Pembrokeshire, with Sam, for the Welsh launch of Beetle Queen at Dr Beynon's Bug Farm. In case you didn't know, Dr Sarah Beynon is the entomologist who acts as scientific consultant to my Beetle Trilogy and she makes sure that all of my descriptions of beetles are correct. We delivered an event together at her wonderful farm. I read some of the new book to a gang of Welsh beetle boys and girls, signed some books and even a bag! This helped me work up an appetite, so I popped into The Grub Kitchen to sample the insect appetisers and the delicious bug burger. Once I'd eaten my fill, I visited the insect zoo to see my old friends in their tanks. Finally, I raided the Bug Farm's wonderful shop for a bag full of new beetle t-shirts. I can never have enough. It was a truly glorious day and the sun shone for us. I'm always sad to say goodbye to the Bug Farm because it's such a beautiful place. Sarah has become a good friend and all the people who work at the bug farm are awesome, but I know I'll be back soon to visit.

Beetle Queen has had a right royal launch in both London at the Royal National Theatre and Pembrokeshire at the majestic Bug Farm, now she's all yours!

Beetle Queen Book Launch at the National Theatre

Photo: Allan Hong

On the 6th of April Beetle Queen was officially launched at the National Theatre in the Art of Make Believe exhibition. It was a wonderful night full of authors, publishing peeps and old friends and family. We celebrated the birth of my second book late into the night, and I did a good bit of speechificating and thanking of all the wonderful people who help my books find readers.

Here are some pictures from the evening, and you can see by the massive smile on my face that I'm excited about readers getting to read Beetle Queen. It's a book I am very proud of.

Rob Biddulph and M. G. Leonard

Photo: Allan Hong

Thi and Adele from Riot Communications with M. G. Leonard

Photo: Allan Hong
Puppetier Toby Olie, Lisa Burger - executive director of the National Theatre and Alice King Farlow - director of education at the National Theatre.

Max Barclay, Head Coleoptrist at NHM with M. G. Leonard

Sam Sparling, Ryan Nelson, Claire and Adam Rakich

Photo: Allan Hong

M. G. Leonard and Rachel Hickman from Chicken House

Photo: Allan Hong

Photo: Allan Hong

Photo: Allan Hong

Alwyn Hamilton, Melinda Salisbury and M. G. Leonard

M. G. Leonard with Thomas Whitehead and Francesca Hayward of The Royal Ballet.

Alywn Hamilton, M. G. Leonard and Melinda Salisbury

Ryoichi Hirano, principle dancer with The Royal Ballet, M. G. Leonard and Sam Sparling.

Irena Brignull and Kiran Millward Hargrave

Live Broadcast of M. G. Leonard reading Beetle Queen

To celebrate the publication of Beetle Queen I decided to read the first chapter live on Periscope to anyone who fancied a beetle-y bedtime story. It was a bit of an experiment, but people seem to have enjoyed it, so I may well do it again.

If you'd like to watch it, you still can on catch-up.

To celebrate the publication of Beetle Queen I want to read you a bedtime story

Beetle Queen is published on 6 April, so I thought I would celebrate by reading you and your children a bedtime story the night before it lands in shops. The reading will be broadcast live on periscope, and then left their to view on catch-up.

Waterstones announce their children's prize on Thursday 30th of March

We continue our look at the #WCBP17 nominated titles with the Younger Readers category shortlist. https://t.co/NAAIKqHKSk pic.twitter.com/e8gZpdww54

— Waterstones (@Waterstones) March 23, 2017

I have all my fingers crossed for Beetle Boy in the run up to the Waterstones Prize announcement next week, but to remind you how wonderful all of the books in the short list are, they've made this great little video.

EXCLUSIVE limited edition pressing of Beetle Queen available in Waterstones NOW!

Those of you who've been patiently waiting for the sequel to Beetle Boy, you need wait no longer. An exclusive edition of Beetle Queen has been made available early to Waterstones ONLY to sell in March. However the stock has already landed in stores, it's on tables right now and selling like hot cakes!

The Waterstones edition of Beetle Queen will be the only one to have the yellow and black polka dot edges, and once they've sold out, there'll be no more printed. So, hurry, get down to Waterstones and grab a copy quick before they sell out.

Beetle Boy is one of 20 titles chosen by librarians for the 2017 CILIP Carnegie Medal Longlist

Today I'm struck dumb with gratitude by the news that my debut novel, Beetle Boy, has been selected for the 2017 CILIP Carnegie Medal longlist.

It was in my school library and then my local library in Hemel Hempstead, that I discovered who I was and what kind of person I wanted to be. It was librarians who helped me navigate the multitudinous shelves and pressed Alan Garner, Ursula Le Guin, Susan Cooper and Mervyn Peake into my hands. These books of high adventure and difficult choices helped me discover my own moral compass, and my visits to their worlds fired up my imagination. Libraries are a haven, a school, a parent and one of my most trusted friends. I am honoured beyond description to be on the 2017 CILIP Carnegie Medal longlist. Thank-you to librarians everywhere. I owe you everything.

Here is the 2017 CILIP Carnegie Medal longlist (alphabetical by surname):

Aubrey and the Terrible Yoot by Horatio Clare (Firefly Press)
Sputnik’s Guide to Life on Earth by Frank Cottrell Boyce (Pan Macmillan)
Unbecoming by Jenny Downham (David Fickling Books)
The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon (Orion Children’s Books)
How Not to Disappear by Clare Furniss (Simon & Schuster)
The Smell of Other People’s Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock (Faber & Faber)
Whisper to Me by Nick Lake (Bloomsbury)
Beetle Boy by M.G. Leonard (Chicken House)
The Stars at Oktober Bend by Glenda Millard (Old Barn Books)
Pax by Sara Pennypacker (HarperCollins)
Railhead by Philip Reeve (Oxford University Press)
Beck by Mal Peet with Meg Rosoff (Walker Books)
Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt (Andersen Press)
The Marvels by Brian Selznick (Scholastic)
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys (Puffin)
Island by Nicky Singer (Caboodle Books)
Dreaming the Bear by Mimi Thebo (Oxford University Press)
Time Travelling with a Hamster by Ross Welford (HarperCollins)
Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk (Corgi)
The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner (Andersen Press)

For more information, here's the full press release.

Beetle Boy is selected for The 2017 Branford Boase Award Longlist

The Branford Boase Award was set up to reward the most promising new writers and their editors, as well as to reward excellence in writing and in publishing. The Award is made annually to the most promising book for seven year-olds and upwards by a first time novelist. You can read the full list and find out more here.

Beetle Boy has been selected for the longlist of twenty wonderful titles, and I'm delighted about this because it gives me an opportunity to celebrate the work of my incredible editors. Let me introduce you to them. They help me make the Beetle Trilogy the best it can be.

My senior editor is Barry Cunningham OBE. He's famous for discovering, publishing and editing J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books. He's also the man that read the Beetle Boy manuscript and offered me a publishing deal before I had an agent. I take all my hats off to this man.

Rachel Leyshon

Rachel Leyshon is the Editorial Director at Chicken House and the editor who has the most hands on dealings with editing my books, taking me through copy edits, proof edits and a million other tiny details. She's the one who listens to my groans and talks me through my tangles and I love her for that. She's calm, clever and a joy to work with.