It was a surprise and a delight to see that The Times has selected our Murder on the Safari Star to be their Children’s Book of the week. It is hard to get any kind of review coverage for children’s books, and so these spaces are usually only given to stand-alone books or the first book in a series. You almost never get a review for a book that is the third in a series. I certainly didn’t expect any reviews for this book, although I have to agree with Alex, the reviewer, I believe this is our best adventure yet.
WIN a signed set of 3 books in the Adventures on Trains series plus a bumper selection of art & drawing materials from STAEDTLER
TO CELEBRATE Murder on the Safari Star being published on 4th February, National Book Tokens are holding a competition.
Win a signed copy of Murder on the Safari Star, The Highland Falcon Thief (winner of the Children’s Fiction Award in the Books Are My Bag Readers Awards 2020) and Kidnap on the California Comet. You'll also receive a selection of STAEDTLER art and drawing materials, so readers can embrace their passion for drawing, just like Hal!
The stationary selection includes:
Watercolour pencil set
Oil pastel set
Coloured pencil set
Graphite pencil set
Art eraser
Sharpener
10 runners-up will each receive a signed copy of all three books and a STAEDTLER watercolour pencil set.
Watch M. G. Leonard on Ellie Harrison’s BBC Countryfile Best Of Compilation
It was a real honour when Ellie Harrison from Countryfile chose to rebroadcast our beetle hunt in a stunning West Sussex lupin field. It's a lovely memory to revisit and a nice way to end a difficult year.
If you fancy a peek, we're strolling and chatting about how wonderful and important beetles are about 26 minutes in., but the whole program is a delight. It will be available to watch on the iplayer for a year, so teachers and homeschoolers, if you are planning a spring bug project, you will be able to watch it in classrooms. Click on the picture below to launch the program.
The wonderful illustrations you see in the piece are from The Beetle Collector’s Handbook and by the astonishingly talented Carim Nahaboo. Used in combination with Beetle Boy (fiction) the books can spark real enthusiasm and interest in beetles. You can find lots of resources and materials here.
Taiwanese trailer for The Tale of a Toothbrush
My amazing publisher in Taiwan, Holiu Creative Co,. have made this touching 30-second trailer out of Daniel Rieley's amazing illustrations in The Tale of A Toothbrush. I love it! Watch it below.
The Highland Falcon Thief wins Woman & Home Childrens Book Award
It is with great delight I can share the news that The Highland Falcon Thief has won the Woman & Home Magazine book club award for Best Children’s Adventure Story! How cool is that? We’re in fine company as you’ll see below.
The Highland Falcon Thief is the Children's Book of the Month in all independent bookshops
Looking for an extra special, steam powered, adventure for the mystery-lover in your life this Christmas? To celebrate independent bookshops choosing our chuffing book as their book of the month, we’ve signed thousands of copies. Why not pop along to your local bookshop and give them a bit of boost this Christmas. Support local business and #ChooseBookshops.
Bid for ALL of my books, through the Books to Nourish Auction in aid of FareShare
In support of FareShare, the UK’s longest running food redistribution charity, I am offering an auction lot of every single one of my books, signed and dedicated to your prescription with some stickers and postcards thrown in. This charity will help many families eat over Christmas, so why not grab a unique present for one of your children and help others at the same time! https://bookstonourish.wordpress.com/.../lot-52-all-of-m.../
Macmillan announce books 5 & 6 in Adventures on Trains series
We are delighted to announce that Macmillan Children’s Books have commissioned two more adventures with Hal and Uncle Nat. We are so pleased to be continuing this wonderful writing partnership and can’t wait to see these journeys steaming into book shops in 2022!
Here’s what Macmillan said:
“The Adventures on Trains series continues to gather steam! We're thrilled to announce books 5 & 6 in the series will be coming in Spring 22 & Autumn 22! Join Hal & Uncle Nat as they journey across Australia, & Norway & the Arctic Circle”
The Highland Falcon Thief WINS the Books Are My Bag Reader Awards 2020 - Children's Fiction
We are super delighted to announce that The Highland Falcon Thief has won the Children’s Fiction Category of the Books Are My Bag Reader Awards 2020!
Booksellers are the best, and so, a HUGE thanks goes to all the wonderful independent bookshops and the stella booksellers for nominating The Highland Falcon Thief for this award, and to every single person who voted for it to be their winner. Books are nothing without readers. Thank you thank you THANK YOU!
‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’ Writer Tom MacRae, Buccaneer Media Join Nevision’s ‘Beetle Boy’ Adaptation
Tom MacRae
I’ve been sitting on secrets for a while. Over the past 12 months the Beetle Boy tv series has been growing in scale, ambition & budget. I'm excited to finally announce Tom MacRae and Framestore have joined Team Beetle and Buccaneer Media have climbed aboard to steer the ship.
Tom is known for the amazing stage play, and the movie of, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, and he’s an experienced writer for tv. Fun fact, he wrote one of my favourite Dr Who episodes.
Framestore are the biggest and best CGI production company in the business. They do all the big movies from Harry Potter to Marvel’s Avengers, and they did the daemons in the current His Dark Materials series. They will be creating the beetles in the show.
This is the official PRESS RELEASE:
Buccaneer and Nevision announce co-production agreement for ‘Beetle Boy’
Tom MacRae to write screenplay for M. G. Leonard book trilogy adaptation
Buccaneer Media, the London-headquartered production company and independent production company Nevision today announced a co-production agreement to develop M. G. Leonard’s ‘Beetle Boy’ book trilogy as a live action/ CGI drama series in partnership with Oscar-winning creative studio Framestore (‘His Dark Materials’, ‘Mulan’, ‘Lovecraft Country’).
‘Beetle Boy’ will be written for the screen by Tom MacRae, playwright and creator of ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’, the award-winning West End musical and forthcoming movie.
Currently in development as a returnable multi-episode series set in the UK, ‘Beetle Boy’ is based on the award-winning book trilogy - Beetle Boy, Beetle Queen and Battle of the Beetles - which were optioned by Nevision. Featuring 15 year old Darkus Cuttle as the main protagonist, the books are published by Chicken House in the UK and Scholastic in the US, Canada and Australia, as well as more than thirty other territories including France, Germany, Italy, China and Russia.
When Darkus’ father disappears from a locked beetle room in the Natural History Museum, Darkus finds himself an orphan, sent to live in an out of the way home for abandoned children. Stripped of everything he ever cared about, he becomes the boy with nothing left to lose.
That is, until Darkus meets Baxter, an incredible, intelligent, superstar beetle. Their quest to find Darkus’ dad brings them claw to claw with globally renowned fashion designer, Lucretia Cutter. A former geneticist, Lucretia is driven by the belief that the human race is no longer capable of caring for our planet, and has created a vast army of super-beetles to become the dominant species on earth. Those humans deemed worthy of survival will be genetically modified, becoming a human-beetle hybrid - a species of which Lucretia herself will be queen.
Darkus, his three friends, and Baxter are all that stand between the human race and oblivion.
Executive Producers are Maya Leonard, Richard Tulk-Hart and Tony Wood for Buccaneer Media and Nigel Pickard and James Cabourne for Nevision.
Writer Tom MacRae said: “Until I read M. G. Leonard’s brilliant books, I thought beetles were scary and a little bit gross, but Darkus’ story has taught me to love them. Now, the rest of the two-legged world will get to fall in love with these incredible creatures too.”
M. G. Leonard, author of the ‘Beetle Boy’ book trilogy added: “I am thrilled that Tom MacRae has fallen for the charms of beetles and will be bringing Darkus and his friends to tv screens, with Framestore’s incredible CGI insects, and the production experience of Bucchaneer and Nevision. The talent, passion and ability in this team, to bring viewers something utterly fresh and unique, is beyond exciting.”
Tony Wood/ Richard Tulk-Hart, joint CEOs of Buccaneer Media said: “We are thrilled to be collaborating with such a talented team to bring Maya’s ‘Beetle Boy’ to life. It’s such a unique trilogy and Tom’s brilliant interpretation together with Framestore’s world leading CGI will make an exciting creative realisation of a rich and engaging family adventure”
Nigel Pickard, Creative Director at Nevision added: “Buccaneer is the perfect partner to help steer the creative development on ‘Beetle Boy’, which has the potential to reach a wide global audience. Tom MacRae’s track record is second-to-none and we are thrilled to have someone of his calibre writing the screenplay bringing his versatility and unique style to the project.”
Michelle Martin, Head of Television at Framestore said: “As episodic projects continue to grow in scope, it's always our aim to partner directly with content producers. That way we're able to provide our expertise and become a key part of bringing stunning visuals to the screen.”
Working with Framestore to build a CGI Baxter; my rhinoceros beetle, was one of the most surreal, delightful and magical moments of my career so far. They are magicians, and yet they are also responsible for Paddington Bear!
YouTube Adventures on Trains event with Hornby
Join me and Sam Sedgman over on the Hornby YouTube channel on Sunday at 3pm for lots of Adventures on Trains activity. If your children have loved the books they will enjoy this online event which features readings, draw alongs and competitions as well as an interview with us authors.
BBC TEACH do a Live Lesson based on The Tale of a Toothbrush
As you may know, I am a big part of the campaigning movement Authors4Oceans, which inspired my picturebook The Tale of a Toothbrush, which is illustrated by Daniel Rieley who campaigns for Surfers Against Sewage.
So I could not be more proud that BBC Teach has chosen to build a live lesson around the picturebook, which is read by Kate Humble.
AWARDS! Short lists and long lists
I’m so delighted that The Highland Falcon Thief has been shortlisted for the Books Are my Bag 2020 Readers Award for Children’s Fiction.
This is the great thing about these awards, is that YOU get a say in who wins.
I’d be ever so grateful if you’d click on the button and vote for us. If you do you may win £100 of book tokens!
The Highland Falcon Thief has been long-listed for the UKLA award, which is judged by teachers.
It’s a fierce list of awesome books and I’m delighted we’re amongst them.
Cover Reveal for Murder on the Safari Star
This is the third book in my Adventures on Trains series with Sam Sedgman, Murder on the Safari Star.
Uncle Nat is taking Hal on the journey of a lifetime - on a Safari Train from Pretoria to Victoria Falls. Drawing Africa's amazing wild animals from on board a spectacular steam train described as a luxury hotel on wheels, should be enough excitement for anyone. But something suspicious is happening on board the Safari Star and when a passenger is found mysteriously killed inside a locked compartment, it's up to Hal, along with his new friend Winston and his pet Mongoose, Chipo, to solve the murder mystery.
Coming February 2020.