Here’s a brief guide to the things the Guardian children’s books site can do for you...
The perks of being a group member...
• You can write reviews, spreading the love (as well as getting plenty of your own inspiration for new books to read)
• Get the chance to interview your favourite authors, appear in videos and participate in our podcasts!
• Group leaders receive our fortnightly newsletters, with all the latest and greatest kids books news, along with a healthy dose of free books to treat yourselves!
• One for our older groups: the Teen book club. Each month, we host an online reading group, featuring a book either suggested by you or one we think you’ll really enjoy reading and discussing. We’ll give you the background on the author and the book, and there’ll also be interviews, competitions, quizzes, galleries and everything in between. A great chance to really get your teeth into a book!
• For those of a creative bent, we’ve got loads of great top writing tips from your favourite authors, for both creative writing and book reviewing
• Plus get loads of expert advice on
Why not meet our current group members and take a look at all the cool things they get up to!
What else can I get up to as a member?
• Every spring you can enter the Young Critics Award, which runs in parallel with the the Guardian children’s fiction prize. School groups who submit more than three reviews of the longlisted books will be in with a chance of winning the complete set and a day at the Guardian!
• Don’t wait just for us, there’s loads of places to get free books! The Booktrust, Chatterbooks and publishers themselves – such as Scholastic’s Book Club – are just a few places to start looking!
• Many of our groups are already part of The Carnegie Shadowing Scheme - you can now read and review all the books on this year’s Carnegie and Kate Greenaway prize shortlists!
• Want your reviews to actually contribute to the result? Join in with the Red House Children’s Book Award and be part of the only award completely decided by your votes! Plus, its the chance to join in the Federation of Children’s Book Groups community and get yet more free books, plus you can organise author visits to your local schools!
What are you waiting for? Join the site and let’s get started!
