iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

The brilliant Lydia Monks @lydiamonks.bsky.social has drawn this logo for the campaign - you can read all the details on the @societyofauthors.bsky.social website or in the @thebookseller.com

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The actual writers get a fee, but no recognition; they might be thanked in the book’s acknowledgements, but they won’t be mentioned when the celebrity is sitting on the sofa of a TV show, smiling and laughing and discussing how they “wrote” their book.

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These are the writers who work in the shadows, crafting the words that are published under the name of a celebrity.

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Josh Lacey @joshlacey.com · 10/10/2025

For the past three years, I’ve been a member of the CWIG committee of the Society of Authors - we’re the Children’s Writers and Illustrators Group - and we’ve been working on a campaign to come up with guidelines for publishers, agents, etc, for ghostwriters.

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...which isn’t exactly relaxing, and has boosted my veins with fear and fury, but is absolutely worth reading, particularly on a day when people are thinking about books. @literacy-trust.bsky.social @andersenpress.bsky.social #take10toread

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Josh Lacey @joshlacey.com · 10/10/2025

Today the National Literacy Trust is running a lovely campaign, suggesting we all take 10 minutes to read for the sake of our mental health, because reading is relaxing and will boost my mood. I’ve taken 10 minutes to read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury...

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Josh Lacey @joshlacey.com · 17/09/2025

The exhibition includes fascinating visual material, interviews with Marlorie Blackman and Elizabeth Hawkins, and of course lots of books

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Josh Lacey @joshlacey.com · 17/09/2025

Don’t miss this fantastic exhibition, showcasing the work of students @citylit.bsky.social who have completed a course in children’s writing and/or illustration, and gone on to publish their own books The Story Starts Here: the craft of children’s book writing and illustration at City Lit

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Josh Lacey @joshlacey.com · 11/09/2025

You can download these teaching notes here: bit.ly/MayaResource

bit.ly

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Josh Lacey @joshlacey.com · 11/09/2025

For any teachers who are teaching the Maya this year... My publishers @andersenpress.bsky.social have produced some amazing free teaching notes connected to The Maya Sacrifice, full of infomation and ideas

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Josh Lacey @joshlacey.com · 15/05/2025

There’s a wonderful review of The Maya Sacrifice on @lovereading4kids.bsky.social by @reeceandrea.bsky.social “the story sparkles, full of detail and incident as well as believable characters, and provides readers with a great sense of Maya daily life” www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/book/24975/T...

lovereading4kids.co.uk

Time Travel Twins: The Maya Sacrifice by Josh Lacey

Time Travel Twins: The Maya Sacrifice (ISBN: 9781839135583) A thrilling new adventure for the time-travelling twins in which we discover there was much more to the Maya than chocolate.

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Josh Lacey @joshlacey.com · 14/05/2025

There are now 4 books in the Time Travel Twins series - the Stone Age the Maya the Romans the Vikings - ideal for any primary school children learning about history

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Josh Lacey @joshlacey.com · 09/05/2025

There are still some spaces on this @citylit.bsky.social workshop on Monday evenings starting 12 May For experienced children's writers, this workshop offers an opportunity to develop your work-in-progress with constructive feedback from tutor & classmates www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/writ...

citylit.ac.uk

Writing for children: workshop

For experienced children's writers, this ongoing workshop offers an opportunity to develop your work-in-progress with constructive feedback from tutor and classmates.

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Reposted by Josh Lacey

Authors Aloud UK @authorsalouduk.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

If you're a #primaryschool staff member & you're looking for #cpd please have a look at @joshlacey.com , we're sure he would love to talk to you about teachers as writers or using fiction to teach history: authorsalouduk.co.uk/speaker/josh...

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Josh Lacey @joshlacey.com · 06/05/2025

Are you writing a children’s book? Come and join this weekly workshop at City Lit, it’s a wonderful way to improve your work with constructive feedback from other people also writing for children Monday evenings, starting 12 May @citylit.bsky.social www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/writ...

citylit.ac.uk

Writing for children: workshop

For experienced children's writers, this ongoing workshop offers an opportunity to develop your work-in-progress with constructive feedback from tutor and classmates.

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Josh Lacey @joshlacey.com · 03/05/2025

The Maya Sacrifice is book of the month on Authorfy this month I’ve recorded a short video about the book with a reading and some information about the Maya I hope it’s useful for any classes studying the Maya @andersenpress.bsky.social @authorfy.bsky.social authorfy.com/books-of-the...

authorfy.com

Books of the Month - authorfy

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Josh Lacey @joshlacey.com · 02/05/2025

I've written about the Time Travel Twins for @theclpe.bsky.social explaining why I have written a history series showing historical events from 2 opposing perspectives Updated to include my new book The Maya Sacrifice clpe.org.uk/blog/time-tr...

clpe.org.uk

The Time Travel Twins: A Blog by Josh Lacey | Centre for Literacy in Primary Education

Revised 17 March 2025There are two sides to every story.That’s obvious, isn’t it? A truism.And yet when we study history, we often see things from only one ...

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Josh Lacey @joshlacey.com · 14/04/2025

The Maya Sacrifice arrives in bookshops this week - with brilliant illustrations by Garry Parsons This is the 4th book in the Time Travel Twins series, following the Stone Age, the Romans, and the Vikings All published by @andersenpress.bsky.social

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Reposted by Josh Lacey

School Reading List @schoolreadinglist.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

Free to download PDF reading list for Year 2 – perfect for promoting #ReadingForPleasure or holiday reading challenges. Includes titles by Joseph Coelho, Atinuke, Michael Rosen & more. 📥 Download here: buff.ly/O4Fqsqv

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Josh Lacey @joshlacey.com · 30/01/2025

The cover for my new book, coming in May Full of delicious hot chocolate and human sacrifice THE MAYA SACRIFICE - illustrated by Garry Parsons and published by @andersenpress.bsky.social

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Josh Lacey @joshlacey.com · 16/01/2025

Are you interested in writing for children? I’ll be teaching a one day short course at City Lit @citylit.bsky.social on Saturday 1 Feb. This course is fun, engaging, and full of useful exercises and advice for anyone thinking about writing a children’s book. www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/writ...

citylit.ac.uk

Writing for children: getting started

Develop your ideas for children's stories in this practical and interactive short course. Topics will include plot, characterisation and viewpoint, and how to approach the children's publishing indust...

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Josh Lacey @joshlacey.com · 12/01/2025

The Stone Age Clash is the perfect book for any KS2 children studying the stone age, and will transport them back to a simpler, colder era of human history Illustrated by Garry Parsons & published by @andersenpress.bsky.social

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Josh Lacey @joshlacey.com · 12/01/2025

In the bleak midwinter, I wonder how I would have fared in the Stone Age, huddling around a fire with my family, wearing animal skins for warmth, dreaming of the summer…

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It was very resonant to read these words in Shrewsbury (which is still very different to “Pekin”, even if we have already surrendered a great deal of our humanity to The Machine).

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It’s a world in which one place is no different to another, and all human connection is mediated by The Machine.

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Forster describes a world in which humans have surrendered their agency to The Machine, which fulfils their needs, and prevents them from having any direct connection with one another. Robbed of direct contact, let alone intimacy, humans communicate only via screens.

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This short story, first published in 1909, is full of prophetic words about the dangers of our modern isolated existence.

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Josh Lacey @joshlacey.com · 13/12/2024

To anyone contemplating a New Year social media detox, I recommend reading The Machine Stops by EM Forster. “We created the Machine, to do our will, but we cannot make it do our will now.”

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If you’re searching for the perfect gift for a young child, I recommend a potato

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Josh Lacey @joshlacey.com · 10/12/2024

This is highly recommended for any primary schools studying the Egyptians.....

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I only took one photo, and it’s terrible, but you can just make out Klaus sitting and listening to Julia.

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Julia Eccleshare dwelt particularly on the Klaus Flugge Prize, and expressed her hope that more publishers will share Klaus’s passion for innovative, unorthodox books which startle, provoke, and intrigue their readers.

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They spoke about Klaus’s zeal for children’s books; his care for artists and art; his passion for finding new illustrators and writers; his extraordinary legacy.

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Josh Lacey @joshlacey.com · 29/11/2024

Last night Andersen Press threw a wonderful 90th birthday party for the magnificent Klaus Flugge with moving, heartfelt, witty speeches from his son, Charlie Sheppard, Julia Eccleshare, and Chris Riddell.

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I spent a very enjoyable couple of days in Newcastle and Newton Aycliffe, speaking to hundreds of schoolchildren with @DurhamLibraries and @NorthTyneLibs

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Josh Lacey @joshlacey.com · 29/11/2024

The Northern Children’s Book Festival has been running for forty-two years, which is an extraordinarily impressive pedigree. Every year, the fortnight-long festival brings writers and illustrators to schools and libraries in the North-East.

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An inspiring day full of useful infomation and surprising connections - the teachers and primary schools of Shropshire are lucky to have the Shropshire Bookfest.

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In the afternoon I led two workshops for KS1 & KS2 teachers, talking about creativity, finding inspiration, and how to encourage children to get started with their own writing.

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I was on a panel with @evawongnava.bsky.social and Sam Sedgman about the role of the editor, how we edit ourselves and other people’s work, how to escape self-censorship during the creative process, and how teachers can encourage their students to edit their own work and one another’s.

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We heard from teachers and academics about previous Bookfests - how writing has improved in schools that take part - boosting both reading & writing for pleasure.

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