Jamie Smart interviewed in latest Books for Keeps magazine

Issue 270 of Books for Keeps, the online children’s book magazine includes a great “Authorgraph” interview with Bunny vs. Monkey creator Jamie Smart, conducted by Paul Gravett.

Jamie talks about his career, the success of The Phoenix, and his love of science fiction, including Doctor Who, in a wide ranging and entertaining interview with Paul, revealing some of his creative process along the way.

Books for Keeps No. 270. The  cover illustration is from Hunt for the Golden Scarab by M.G. Leonard, illustrated by Manuel Šumberac, courtesy Macmillan Children’s Books
Books for Keeps No. 270. The cover illustration is from Hunt for the Golden Scarab by M.G. Leonard, illustrated by Manuel Šumberac, courtesy Macmillan Children’s Books

Plus, Michelle Pauli talks to bestselling author M.G. Leonard about her time-travelling new series, Time Keys, and authors and others reveal their predictions for 2025, including Waterstones Children’s Laureate, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Barbara Hayes, Chief Executive ALCS (Authors Licensing and Collecting Society), Kirsty Sullivan, Head of Learning and Participation, at the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration, and the team at SAIL festival, a celebration of the best in South Asian children’s illustration and literature. AI, climate change and reading for pleasure are all preoccupations.

It’s become a Books for Keeps tradition for their first issue of the year to include recommendations of the books to read in the months ahead, as selected by their editors. The magazine has another bumper reading list for you for 2025

We’re also treated to a feature by an award-winning and internationally renowned illustrator, cartoonist and painter Caroline Magerl about her approach to creating her book, Piano Fingers. Her picture books, with her signature use of crosshatching and pen and ink line, capture the innocence of a child’s view of the world, with occasional surreal overtones.

There’s plenty more to enjoy, too, including the regular informative reviews section, and you can either read individual articles from the issue online, or grab a digital download of the magazine from the Books for Keeps web site here.

Books for Keeps was first published in March 1980 and since then has reviewed many thousands of books for young readers, interviewed hundreds of authors and illustrators, and reported on every aspect of children’s literature and the interface between children and their reading.

With six issues a year and interviews, news and reviews published weekly on the website, the Books for Keeps readership is all those people, professional and otherwise, who are interested in the world of children’s literature.  This covers teachers, students, publishers, booksellers, librarians, authors and illustrators as well as parents, carers and community groups.

With thanks to Norman Boyd



Categories: Art and Illustration, Books, British Comics, Comics, Creating Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Other Worlds

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2 replies

  1. Something needs to be done to get Jamie Smart to bring back Space Raoul ~ Funday Times/The Dandy – best thing ever. Only one book released and it’s now on Amazon / Ebay for stupid money.

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