Guppy Books is a Regional Finalist for the British Book Award’s Small Press Award!

We are absolutely thrilled that Guppy Books has been chosen as a regional finalist for the Small Press Award in the British Book Awards. What an honour to be on a list with so many other amazing publishers, and so early in our publishing journey too.

I am so grateful for the incredible Guppy authors and illustrators, as well as my talented and dedicated team whose hard work has allowed this to happen. We might be small, but everything we publish promises to be mighty – and to have this acknowledged by the trade means the world.

Bella

TWO INCREDIBLE NEW TITLES OUT THIS WEEK!

Maggie Blue and the Dark World by Anna Goodall, dark, gripping, unputdownable. A beautiful edition from an exciting new voice in children’s fiction.

Ghost Scouts: Hullabaloo at Camp Croak! by Taylor Dolan, perfect for your little ones moving from picture books to reading aloud. Wild, wicked fun for parents and children alike!

GUPPY BOOKS JANUARY SALE!

It’s 2021, and there’s a light on the horizon, but we aren’t quite there yet. So all this January, we are offering our books at amazing prices – and a fixed P&P of £3 however many you order. You’ll find all sorts of incredible stories to entertain you on these cold nights, for all ages as well as yourself and every order will receive a bookmark and postcard too.

We’ve only been going for just over a year (and what a year it was) but we’ve already had two Sunday Times Children’s Book of the Week, all our books have received rave reviews, and many have already been shortlisted for awards.

Happy browsing!

FREE P&P THIS WEEKEND ONLY!

It’s nearly Christmas but the Guppy shop is still open, and this weekend only we will be sending out all parcels in the UK with free postage, no matter how many books you order. So get your little (and big) ones a read that guarantees to entertain them – whatever the weather, and whatever kind of Christmas you are having. And all of us at Guppy hope that you have a very restful, peaceful time.

LOUISA REID OFFERS SCHOOL VISITS for 2021!

The fabulous Louisa Reid, author of Sunday Times Children’s Book of the Week, GLOVES OFF and latest novel, WRECKED, is offering schools the opportunity to enjoy a Zoom author visit during the spring term of 2021, suitable for Years 7, 8, 9 and up.

Louisa is a secondary school English teacher in Manchester; her inspirational visits have already engaged, motivated and encouraged many young people to rediscover the joy of reading, which so many can easily forget at this time. Reading has never been more important, and Louisa conveys this using her many years of teaching experience and her own immersive, fast-paced, layered novels which cover discussion topics such as the devastating effects of bullying, body image and coercive relationships.

Louisa will not charge a fee, but we would ask that the school buy a class set of either GLOVES OFF or WRECKED from a local independent bookshop.

So if you are a teacher, librarian or other educator, please do contact Catherine Alport on hello@catherinealportpr.co.uk or Bella Pearson on bella@guppybooks.co.uk.

THE SLIGHTLY ALARMING TALE OF THE WHISPERING WARS is one of the i newspaper’s 30 Best Children’s Books for Christmas!

After THE EXTREMELY INCONVENIENT ADVENTURES OF BRONTE METTLESTONE was chosen as one of the i newspaper’s best books of 2019, Jaclyn Moriarty’s second book has been included in the above list! A fabulous accolade for another magical intriguing adventure that tells the story of two warring groups of children who must come together to fight a bigger fi altogether… available in the shop for a short time only with £2 off, don’t miss it!

SIGNED COPIES OF KNIGHT SIR LOUIS HAVE ARRIVED!

‘As if Hans Christian Andersen had cornered you in a pub and got his own yarn in the wrong order, or The Brothers Grimm had squeezed up next to you with a Tupperware box of home-made sandwiches on a long coach journey – Knight Sir Louis is an epic non-epic saga’ So says Stewart Lee – and if he thinks so, you know it’s going to be a brilliant read!

KNIGHT SIR LOUIS AND THE DREADFUL DAMSEL has been entertaining children (and Stewart Lee) all over the country – it’s the first of a new series perfect for readers looking for something to follow Diary of a Wimpy Kid or the 13 Storey Treehouse series. With humour straight from Monty Python and a fantastic combination of illustrations and story, children LOVE it. And if you order it from the Guppy shop, you’ll receive a signed copy sent first class for a sale price of only £5.99 (RRP £6.99)!

Head to the Guppy shop where you’ll find books for all ages, perfect for Christmas presents or just staving off the boredom during Lockdown Part 2… we know that your budding readers will love the stories they find here!

THE GUPPY SHOP IS NOW OPEN!

If for any reason you can’t get to your local bookshop and would like to buy direct from Guppy Books, now you can! Every order will be sent out first class and will include something extra – a postcard, a bookmark or a badge. And you can order as many books as you like for only £3 postage. Take a look here!

THREE GUPPY TITLES LONGLISTED FOR 2021 UKLA AWARDS!

We are thrilled that GLOVES OFF by Louisa Reid, SAVING WINSLOW by Sharon Creech and THE EXTREMELY INCONVENIENT ADVENTURES OF BRONTE METTLESTONE have all been longlisted for the UKLA awards – a national award judged only by teachers. The judges said ‘All the books exemplify the award criteria’s aim of encouraging teachers’ knowledge of high-quality children’s books that can reflect all identities and promote diversity’ – to have three titles be chosen out is a real honour and we have all appendages crossed for the shortlists…

The books will now be read in schools and by teachers, with the next stage announced in March 2021. Good luck to them all!

A NEW STORY ABOUT BRONTE METTLESTONE IS OUT NOW!

The Slightly Alarming Tale of the Whispering Wars by Jaclyn Moriarty is our last new title for 2020 – and what a gorgeous one it is too. Covered in silver foil, it tells the story of two bickering groups of children who must join forces when life becomes really terrifying, and a real war begins… Set twelve years earlier than The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone, Bronte fans will be glad to hear that she might make an appearance from the future – along with her lovely friend Alejandro – and this incredible story is sure to entertain all readers who love magic. Out in hardback, it is the perfect gift for Christmas too.

Louisa’s Reid’s WRECKED is out in the shops!

Louisa’s second verse novel is published almost a year to the day after the acclaimed GLOVES OFF came out in hardback as Guppy’s first publication. And what a year it has been… GLOVES OFF was the Sunday Times Children’s Book of the Week, One to Watch in the Bookseller magazine and nominated for the Carnegie Medal. And WRECKED is as powerful and unputdownable as its predecessor – the story of Joe and Imogen’s relationship is hooked over a gripping courtcase, as we look back and attempt to understand who exactly is telling the truth… Unmissable.

HOORAY FOR KNIGHT SIR LOUIS, A HERO OF OUR TIME!

IT might not be an ideal time for us all, but what keeps us going at Guppy Books are the incredible books that are ready to be published. On August 1st, middle-grade comedy caper, KNIGHT SIR LOUIS AND THE DREADFUL DAMSEL, appeared in the shops, written and illustrated by Greg and Myles, the talented Brothers McLeod. The first in a brand new series, it became Waterstone’s Straford-Upon-Avon’s sell-out book in its first week, and we can’t wait for kids to get their hands on it…

First two Guppy books to be published in autumn

AUGUST:

Publication of GLOVES OFF by Louisa Reid – a powerful and gripping book in verse for young adults, confronting issues of bullying and body-image.

OCTOBER:

UK publication of THE EXTREMELY INCONVENIENT ADVENTURES OF BRONTE METTLESTONE by Jaclyn Moriarty – an absorbing and magical tale of a girl who must visit all ten of her extraordinary aunts after her parents are killed by pirates – accompanied by fire-breathing dragons, water-sprites and cloudberry tea.