CHILDREN'S/YOUNG ADULT PUBLISHER COMPANIES UK DIRECTORY 2016

This page is intended as an easy resource for anyone looking for more information about children’s book publishers. Many of these websites include activities, reviews and all things good about books, and contact details. If you are a publisher with a website which is not included in this list, please let us know (bookboy@hotmail.co.uk) 

A

• Accent YA
• Andersen Press
• Atom Books

B

• Barefoot Books
• Barrington Stoke
• Black & White
• Bloomsbury

C

• Caboodle Books LTD
• Catnip Publishing
• Chicken House  
• Curious Fox

D

• David Fickling Books

E

• Egmont Publishing 

F

• Faber & Faber
• Fat Fox Books
• Firefly Press 
• Fledgling Press
• Floris Books    
• Flying Eye Books
• Frances Lincoln 

H

• HarperCollins Kids
• Hodder Children's
• Hot Key Books

M

• Macmillan Children's Books
• Michael O'Mara Books
• Mogzilla Publishing

N

• Nosy Crow

O

• Orbit Books
• Orchard Books
• Orion
• OUP Children's Books

P

• Phoenix Yard Books
• Piccadilly Press
• Puffin 
• Pushkin Press

Q

• Quercus Books
• Quirk Books

R

• Random House Kids
• Rebellion Publishing

S

• Scholastic 
• Simon and Schuster 
• Strident Publishing
• Stripes Publishing

T

• Tamarind Books
• Templar Books
• Troubador Publishing

U

• Usborne Publishing 

W

• Walker Books

Top Favourite Young Adult Book Reads 2015

It's that time of year yet again. After a very productive year and, as usual, never enough reading time which I blame on social media and too much daydreaming, it's time to reflect on some of my personal favourite and most enjoyable Young Adult reads of 2015. This is just a small snapshot of books, as it's always hard to make a list like this one. However, I'd love to hear what you have enjoyed reading this year, so please get in touch and let me know.... Merry Christmas everybody!

Paul Magrs - Lost on Mars - Published by Firefly Press Ltd (14 May 2015)

With the scale and scope of the great science fiction epics, Lost on Mars tells the story of Lora and her family, third generation human settlers on the red planet who are strugging to survive in incredible circumstances. The family clings to life on a smallholding in the desert landscape, surviving storms and sinister rumours of un- explained disappearances until one night Lora sees the Dancers. When her father and grandmother disappear themselves, Lora's family is driven out to seek a new life across the plains. But none of them are ready for what they find the beautiful, dangerous City Inside.

Derek Landy - Demon Road - Published by HarperCollins Children's Books (27 Aug. 2015)

Full of Landy’s trademark wit, action and razor sharp dialogue, DEMON ROAD kicks off with a shocking opener and never lets up the pace in an epic road-trip across the supernatural landscape of America. Killer cars, vampires, undead serial killers: they’re all here. And the demons? Well, that’s where Amber comes in...Sixteen years old, smart and spirited, she’s just a normal American teenager until the lies are torn away and the demons reveal themselves.  
Forced to go on the run, she hurtles from one threat to another, revealing a tapestry of terror woven into the very fabric of her life. Her only chance rests with her fellow travellers, who are not at all what they appear to be…

Joseph Delaney - Arena 13 - Published by Bodley Head (4 Jun. 2015)

Welcome to Arena 13. Here warriors fight. Death is never far away . . .
Leif has one ambition: to become the best fighter in the notorious Arena 13. Here, punters place wagers on which fighter will draw first blood. And in grudge matches, they bet on which fighter will die.
But the country is terrorized by the creature Hob, an evil being who delights in torturing its people, displaying his devasting power by challenging an Arena 13 combatant in a fight to the death whenever he chooses. And this is exactly what Leif wants . . . For he knows Hob's crimes well. and at the heart of his ambition burns the desire for vengeance. Leif is going to take on the monster who destroyed his family. Even if it kills him.

Sally Gardner - The Door That Led to Where - Published by Hot Key Books (1 Jan. 2015)

AJ Flynn has just failed all but one of his GCSEs, and his future is looking far from rosy. So when he is offered a junior position at a London law firm he hopes his life is about to change - but he could never have imagined by how much.

Tidying up the archive one day, AJ finds an old key, mysteriously labelled with his name and date of birth - and he becomes determined to find the door that fits the key. And so begins an amazing journey to a very real and tangible past - 1830, to be precise - where the streets of modern Clerkenwell are replaced with cobbles and carts, and the law can be twisted to suit a villain's means. Although life in 1830 is cheap, AJ and his friends quickly find that their own lives have much more value. They've gone from sad youth statistics to young men with purpose - and at the heart of everything lies a crime that only they can solve. But with enemies all around, can they unravel the mysteries of the past, before it unravels them?

Tom Becker - Dark Room (Red Eye) - Published by Stripes Publishing (10 Sept. 2015) 

The camera never lies...Darla and her dad are looking for a fresh start. But when they wind up in affluent Saffron Hills, Darla stands no chance of fitting in with the beautiful, selfie-obsessed teens at her new school. Just when she thinks things can't get any worse, she starts having visions. The gruesome snapshots flashing into Darla's mind seem to suggest she's going crazy...until she realizes they're actually a horrifying glimpse into the future. With a killer on the loose, can she make sense of what she's seeing before it's too late?

Danny Weston - Mr Sparks - Published by Andersen Press (1 Oct. 2015)

After his father goes missing in the Great War, Owen is abandoned to live with his cruel aunt, and wishes he could escape his life of drudgery in her small seaside guesthouse. There he meets a mysterious guest, who appears to make his ventriloquist’s dummy speak, even in his sleep.
Soon Owen realises that the dummy, Mr Sparks, can really talk – and he’s looking for a newer, younger puppetmaster. But Mr Sparks has a dark past . . .

Chris Wooding - Velocity - Published by Scholastic Press (2 July 2015)
Cassica and Shiara have grown up in an outback settlement far from anywhere. Life's hard where they live, but these two girls have a dream. They want to take on the Widowmaker: an off-road rally through some of the most dangerous places on Earth. It's their ticket to fame and fortune. But it just might be the death of them...

Cision Literature Blogs UK Top 10

It is great to be part of the below list alongside many other passionate and dedicated book bloggers. Yet again, I feel that this list represents a varied UK blog community. If you haven't had the opportunity to visit these sites already, then perhaps you may find a moment to explore them for the first time. Thank you to Cision social media expert for compiling another interesting list. 

http://www.cision.com/uk/social-media-index/literature-blogs-uk-top-10/

1. The Book Smugglers

2. Playing by the book

3. Savidge Reads 

4. An Awfully Big Blog Adventure

5. Book Chick City

6. Girls Heart Books

7. Wondrous Reads

8. Mr Ripleys Enchanted Books

9. Vulpes Libris

10. One more page

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books - Favourite Reads 2012

                                          Illustration by Lilli Carre.

             Mr Ripley's Favourite Reads Of 2012

Looking back over the year it has been a good one for me - it has been one that I've really enjoyed in the world of blogging. I've read over a hundred books (children and YA) this year. Many of them I have really enjoyed reading, and therefore, picking out a handful of books was a really hard task. However, I've managed to pick 15 worthy books. I admit that I might have missed a title or two, but I hope that you get some ideas from the list below. 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the authors and publishers for their support throughout the year - you've been brilliant, as always. Mostly I would like to thank the many readers and followers of this blog - without you I would not continue with my posts. I wish you all a great Christmas and a wonderful New Year. I'm looking forward to another stunning year full of fantastic books.

Listed in date order:

1.  Barry Hutchison - Afterworlds: The 13th Horseman - Published By HarperCollins Children's - 1 March 2012
2.  Kai Meyer - Arcadia Awakens ( Arcadia Trilogy) - Published By Templar - 1 March 2012
3. Roy Gill - The Daemon Parallel - Published By Kelpies - 1 March 2012
4. Tom Becker - The Traitors - Published By Scholastic - 5 April 2012
5. Alexander Gordon Smith - The Fury - Published By Faber and Faber - 5 April 2012
6. Garth Nix - A Confusion of Princes - Published By HarperCollins Children's -  17 May 2012
7. Thomas Taylor - Haunters - Published By Chicken House - 24 May 2012
8. Oldman Brook - The Wizard of Crescent Moon Mountain - Published By Matador - 1 July 2012
9. Michelle Paver - Gods and Warriors - Published By Puffin - 28 August 2012
10. Patrick Carman - 3 Below (Floors) - Published By Scholastic US -  1 September 2012
11. Kim Curran - Shift - Published By Strange Chemistry - 6 September 2012
12. William Alexander - Goblin Secrets - Published By Magaret K. McElderry Books - 6 September 2012
13. Darren Shan - Zom-B - Published By Simon and Schuster Children's -  27 September 2012
14. Gareth P Jones - Constable and Toop - Published By Hot Key Books -  4 October 2012
15. Kate Cann - Witch Crag - Published By Scholastic - 4 October 2012

Mr Ripley's: Horror Book Reads - For A Great Halloween

                                             

Robert Westall - The Scarecrows - Published by Bodley Head Children's - March , 1981

There were three people, standing in the darkest place, watching him.

Simon is outraged that his Mum plans to remarry. He can't bear her new fiancé or the way his mother and sister seem to have forgotten his late father. Overwhelmed by hatred and anger he seeks solace in a nearby abandoned water mill. But another, powerful hatred lingers within its walls. And it is about to be unleashed...

Westall's immense talent is evident from the opening line - Simon's anger and unhappiness are tangible, and the Scarecrows' ill-intentions terrifying.

                                        

Clive Barker - The Thief Of Always - Published by HarperCollins 5,Nov 1992

Mr Hood’s Holiday House has stood for a thousand years, welcoming countless children into its embrace. It is a place of miracles, a blissful round of treats and seasons, where every childish whim may be satisfied.

There is a price to be paid, of course, but young Harvey Swick, bored with his life and beguiled by Mr Hood’s wonders, does not stop to discover the consequences. It is only when the House shows its darker face – when Harvey discovers the pitiful creatures that dwell in its shadow – that he comes to doubt Mr Hood’s philanthropy.

The house and its mysterious architect are not about to release their captive without a battle, however. Mr Hood has ambitions for his new guest, for Harvey’s soul burns brighter than any soul he has encountered for a thousand years…

“A dashingly produced fantasy with powerful drawings by the author”

                                        

R.l. Stine - The Sitter - Published by Ballantine Books - 31 July, 2003

Ellie Saks is dying to escape the city. She’s sick of dead-end jobs, her mother’s disapproval, her loser ex-boyfriend, Clay, who won’t take a hint, and the memories of a terrible incident that occurred years ago. When her best friend suggests a summer in the Hamptons, full of glitzy parties, cool cocktails, and hot dates, Ellie’s on the first Jitney out. To fund all this glamour, Ellie takes a job as a nanny.

From the outside, the family’s beachfront home is perfect. But then Ellie meets four-year-old Brandon, who hasn’t spoken for months. The boy’s icy stare and demonic laughter make clear to Ellie that he is troubled, haunted by something too horrible for words. She begins to receive threatening messages and disturbing gifts. But it’s not until she barely escapes a harrowing experience that she realizes her life may depend on figuring out who’s behind it: Clay? Brandon? And why? And every once in a while, in a crowd, she sees a face she hasn’t seen in seven years—the face of a boy who died long ago. It would seem that Ellie’s summer of fun has turned into a summer of horror—one she’ll never forget . . . if she survives it at all.

                                                

Darren Shan - Lord Loss (Book one of the Demonata) - Published by HarperCollins - 6 June , 2005

“The door feels red hot, as though a fire is burning behind it. I press an ear to the wood – but there's no crackle. No smoke. Just deep, heavy breathing… and a curious dripping sound. My hand's on the door knob. Inside the room, somebody giggles – low, throaty, sadistic. There's a ripping sound, followed by snaps and crunches.

My hand turns. The door opens. Hell is revealed.”

When Grubbs Grady first encounters Lord Loss and his evil minions, he learns three things:

                                                 

Charlie Higson - The Enemy - Published by Puffin 3 Sep , 2009

They'll chase you. They'll rip you open. They'll feed on you...When the sickness came, every parent, policeman, politician - every adult - fell ill. The lucky ones died. The others are crazed, confused and hungry. Only children under fourteen remain, and they're fighting to survive. Now there are rumours of a safe place to hide. And so a gang of children begin their quest across London, where all through the city - down alleyways, in deserted houses, underground - the grown-ups lie in wait. But can they make it there - alive?

                                             

Marcus Sedgwick - White Crow - Published by Orion Children's 7 April, 2011

It's summer. Rebecca is an unwilling visitor to Winterfold - taken from the buzz of London and her friends and what she thinks is the start of a promising romance. Ferelith already lives in Winterfold - it's a place that doesn't like to let you go, and she knows it inside out - the beach, the crumbling cliff paths, the village streets, the woods, the deserted churches and ruined graveyards, year by year being swallowed by the sea. Against her better judgement, Rebecca and Ferelith become friends, and during that long, hot, claustrophobic summer they discover more about each other and about Winterfold than either of them really want to, uncovering frightening secrets that would be best left long forgotten. Interwoven with Rebecca and Ferelith's stories is that of the seventeenth century Rector and Dr Barrieux, master of Winterfold Hall, whose bizarre and bloody experiments into the after-life might make angels weep, and the devil crow.

                                                  

Chris Priestley - Mister Creecher - Published by Bloomsbury - 2 Oct, 2011

Billy is a street urchin, pickpocket and petty thief. Mister Creecher is a monstrous giant of a man who terrifies all he meets. Their relationship begins as pure convenience. But a bond swiftly develops between these two misfits as their bloody journey takes them ever northwards on the trail of their target . . . Victor Frankenstein.

Darren Shan - Zom-B - Published By Simon & Schuster - 27 Sep 2012

Zom-B is a radical new series about a zombie apocalypse, told in the first person by one of its victims. The series combines classic Shan action with a fiendishly twisting plot and hard-hitting and thought-provoking moral questions dealing with racism, abuse of power and more. This is challenging material, which will captivate existing Shan fans and bring in many new ones. As Darren says, "It's a big, sprawling, vicious tale...a grisly piece of escapism, and a barbed look at the world in which we live. Each book in the series is short, fast-paced and bloody. A high body-count is guaranteed!"

Mr Ripleys 100 Great Books To Read In A Life Time.......

                                               

This is a list of books, both new and old, of some of the best books that I have enjoyed reading over the years. These aren't in any order of preference and I have deliberately only chosen one book by each author. I'm sure that there will be many books that I have missed and there'll be some titles that you feel should have made it that I haven't referred to. Therefore, this is your chance to leave a comment and let me know what you think should be added to the list and what you have enjoyed reading over the years.


1. J.R.R Tolkien - Hobbit
2. Mark Haddon - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
3. Arthur Ransome - Swallows And Amazons
4. Roald Dahl - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
5. Marcus Zusak - The Book Thief
6. Philip Reeve - Mortal Engines
7. Louis Sacha - Holes
8. Darren Shan - Lord Loss
9. Philippa Pearce - Tom's Midnight Garden
10. Robert Westall - Scarecrows
11. Eoin Colfer - Artemis Fowl
12. E. Nesbit - The Railway Children
13. Charmian Hussey - The Valley of Secrets
14. Chris Wooding - The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray
15. Elizabeth Laird - Garbage King
16.  P.L Travers - Mary Poppins
17. Mark Lamb - Farperoo
18. Terry Pratchett -  Going Postal
19.  Julia Donaldson - Gruffalo
20. Cornelia Funke - Ink Heart
21. Brandon Mull - Fablehaven
22. Jonathan Stroud - The Amulet of Smakand
23. Kazu Kibuishi - Amulet:Stonekeeper
24. David Almond - Skellig
25. Robin Jarvis -  The Dark Portal
26 Brian Jacques - Salamandastron
27. Dean Vincent Carter - The Hand of the Devil
28. Paul Stewart & Chris Riddell - Stormchaser
29. Angie Sage - Magyk
30. Frances Hardinge - Fly By Night
31. Maurice Sendak - Where The Wild Things Are
32. Neil Gaiman - The Graveyard Book
33. Frances Hodgson Burnett - The Secret Garden
34. Philip Pullman - Northern Lights
35 J.K Rowling -  Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
36. Joseph Delaney - The Spooks's Apprentice
37 Blue Balliett - Chasing Vermeer
38. G.P Taylor - Shadowmancer
39. Christopher Paolini - Eragon
40. Michael Malloy - The Time Witches
41. Anna Dale - Whispering to Witches
42. Dale Peck - Drift House
43. Eoin McNamee - The Navigator
44. Catherine Web - The Extraordinary and Unusual Adventures of Horatio Lyle
45. Julia Golding -  The Diamond of Dury Lane
46. Eleanor Updale - Montmorency
47. Brian Selznick - The Invention of Hugo Cabret
48. Enid Blyton -  Five on Treasure Island
49. Richard Adams - Watership Down
50. Ian Fleming - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
51. Jonathan Swift - Gulliver's Travels
52. Leon Garfield - The Ghost Downstairs
53. Jules Verne - Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea
55. Mary Norton - The Borrowers
56. John Boyne - The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
57. Garth Nix - Sabriel
58. Scott Westerfeld - The Secret Hour
59. Anthony Horowitz - Raven's Gate
60. Anthony Browne - Tunnels
61. Trudi Canavan - The Magician's Apprentice
62. Roderick Gordon & Brian Williams - The Highfield Mole
63. Charlie Higson - The Enemy
64. Lewis Carroll - Alice in Wonderland
65. L.Frank Baum - The Wizard of Oz
66. Kenneth Grahame - The Wind In The Willows
67. Robert Louis Stevenson - Treasure Island
68. Ursula Le Guin  - The Tales From Earthsea
69. Rick Riordan - Percy Jackson and the Lighting Thief
70. P.B Kerr -  Children of the Lamp:The Akhenaten Adventure
71. Sam Enthoven - The Black Tattoo
72. Adam Gopnik - The King in the Window
73. Linda Sue Park - A  Single Shard
75. Isobelle Carmody - Obernewtyn
76. E.E Richardson - The Devil's Footsteps
77. F E Higgins -  The Black Book of Secrets
78. Derek Landy - Skulduggery Pleasant
79. Steve Augarde - The Various
80. Patrick Carman - Atherton House of Power
81. Joanne Harris - Runemarks
82. Mark Walden - H.I.V.E
83. Michael Grant - Gone
84. Tom Becker - Darkside
85. Zizou Corder - Lion Boy
86. Michelle Paver - Wolf Brother
87. Liam Hearn - Across the Nightingale Floor
88. Gareth Thompson - The Great Harlequin Grim
89. Rudyard Kipling - Jungle Book
90. J.M Barrie - Peter Pan
91. Lemony Snicket - The Bad Beginning
92. Susan Cooper - Dark Is Rising
93. Suzanne Collins -  The Hunger Games
94. Henry Chancellor - The Remarkable Adventures of Tom Scatterhorn
95. Tove Jansson - Moomin's
96. Alan Garner - A Bag of Moonshine
97. Herge -  Tin Tin in the Congo
98. Justin Richards - The Death Collector
99. W E Johns - Biggles Learns To Fly
100. Stuart Hill -  The Cry of the Icemark

New Hardback Books For May 2009

I have a had quick look into the new books coming out in May and picked some of the best titles to be published.


Hardback releases

Philip Reeve - Fever Crumb - Scholastic Children's books - 4 May 2009

Huge armoured fortress are advancing towards London.Buried in the city's past is a terrible secret that may safe it from destruction.Only one key can unlock it-an odd-looking orphan named Fever Crumb.


Patrick Ness - The Ask And The Answer (Chaos Walking) - Walker Books - 5 May 2009

We were in the square, in the square where I’d run, holding her, carrying her, telling her to stay alive, stay alive till we got safe, till we got to Haven so I could save her - But there weren’t no safety, no safety at all, there was just him and his men…



Gayle Forman - If I Stay - Doubleday Children's - 7 May 2009


'Just listen,' Adam says with a voice that sounds like shrapnel. I open my eyes wide now. I sit up as much as I can. And I listen. 'Stay,' he says. Everybody has to make choices. Some might break you. For seventeen-year-old Mia, surrounded by a wonderful family, friends and a gorgeous boyfriend decisions might seem tough, but they're all about a future full of music and love, a future that's brimming with hope. But life can change in an instant. A cold February morning ...a snowy road ...and suddenly all of Mia's choices are gone. Except one. As alone as she'll ever be, Mia must make the most difficult choice of all. Gripping, heartrending and ultimately life-affirming, "If I Stay" will make you appreciate all that you have, all that you've lost - and all that might be.


Bernard Beckett - Genesis - Quercus Publishing - 7 May 2009

Anax is about to face her examination for the Academy, the institution which safeguards her society. The subject is close to her heart: Adam, a man whose struggle transformed the course of her country. But the examination by the panel will reveal new twists to Adam's history. Twists that will undermine Anax's assumptions about her country and who she is. But why is the Academy allowing Anax to open up the enigma at its heart? All young people will identify with Anax as she faces the most important examination of her life; she is on the brink of her future and discovering a new world. Beckett unlocks this beautifully wrought story about the human soul and artificial intelligence in an ingenious and devastating denouement.



Sarah Prineas - The Magic Thief:Lost - Quercus Publishing - 7 May 2009

Conn's quest to save his city's magic has become urgent: his power stone is lost and Shadowmen, ruthless assassins, are stalking the city's people. But when Conn blows up Wizard Nevery's beloved home, he is banished by his own master. Determined to return and save Wellmet, he travels to Desh, a glittering city in the desert, home to the Shadowmen and run by a mysterious Sorcerer-King.



James Rollins - Jake Ransom And The Skull King's Shadow - HarperCollins - 7 May 2009

When a mysterious envelope arrives for Jake Ransom, he and his older sister, Kady, are plunged into a gripping chain of events. An artifact found by their parents - on the expedition from which they never returned - leads Jake and Kady to a strange world inhabited by a peculiar mix of long-lost civilizations, a world that may hold the key to their parents' disappearance.

But even as they enter the gate to this extraordinary place, savage grackyls soar across the sky, diving to attack. Jake's new friends, the pretty Mayan girl Marika and the Roman Pindor, say the grackyls were created by an evil alchemist - the Skull King. And as Jake struggles to find a way home, it becomes obvious that what the Skull King wants most is Jake and Kady - dead or alive



Some good reading to look forward to in May.I will also list the best paperbacks to be released in May Soon.

Post Two - New Children's Hardback Releases - April 2009

This is post two of all the great books to look forward which will be out in April 2009.


Hardbacks:

James Patterson - Maxiumride:Max - Doubleday - 2 April 2009

P B Kerr - Eye of the Forest - Scholastic - 6 April 2009

Caro King - Seven Sorcerers - Quercus Publishing - 2 April 2009

Michael Grant - Gone - Egmont - 6 April 2009

Derek Landy - Skulduggery Pleasant:The Faceless Ones - HarperCollins - 6 April 2009

Lucy Hawking and Stephen Hawking - George's Cosmic Treasure Hunt - Doubleday - 2 April 2009

Marion Perkins - Stone Cat - Book Guild Publishing - 23 April 2009

Julie Hearn - Rowan the Strange - Oxford Children's - 2 April 2009

Post One - New Children's Paperback Releases - April 2009

I have split them into paperback and hardback releases. There is so many good books out in April. Post Two will be hardback releases. Some great reading to look forward to.

This is some of the best paperback releases for April 2009.

Sara Starbuck - Dread Pirate Fleur and the Ruby Heart - Red Fox - 2 April 2009

Pat O'shea - The Hounds of the Morrigan - Oxford Children's - 2 April 2009

Sally Prue - March of the Owlmen - Oxford Children's - 2 April 2009

Tim Bowler - Blade:Running Scared - Oxford Children's - 2 April 2009

Cate Tiernan - Awakening:And Spellbound - Puffin Children's - 2 April 2009

Steve Voake - Blood Hunters - Faber - 2 April 2009

Mike Walker - Bad Company - Andersen Press Ltd - 2 April 2009

Tom Becker - Darkside:Timecurse - Scholastic - 6 April 2009

Andrew Mulligan - Ribblestrop - Simon & Shuster Children's - 6 April 2009

Anne Forbes - Fire Star - Floris Kelpies - 23 April 2009