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Books for Keeps, the children's books review journal @booksforkeeps.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

The longlists for the seventh Diverse Book Awards have been announced, with organisers hoping that these ‘outstanding books’ will be seen as essential reading. Explore the lists in full and cast your vote in the Readers' Choice Award ⬇️#KidLitUK booksforkeeps.co.uk/60808-2/

Graphic with the longlist for the Children's Books category of the newly announced longlist for the Diverse Book Awards.

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Ian Cushing @iancushing.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Lecturer in Critical Applied Linguistics at MMU (p/t; fixed term). Deadline August 16. The role would suit people with interests and expertise in issues concerning critical language pedagogies, language and social justice, and educational linguistics. manmetjobs.mmu.ac.uk/jobs/vacancy...

manmetjobs.mmu.ac.uk

Lecturer (Critical Applied Linguistics) - (9121) | Manchester Metropolitan University Careers

All about Manchester Metropolitan - an exciting, modern university in the heart of one of the UK's great student cities.

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Mat Tobin @mattobin.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

#Waffles&Julius by @edvere.bsky.social @puffinbooksuk.bsky.social This isn't just a story about hugs. It's about enthusiasm & boundaries, affection & consent, persistence & listening. And it also celebrates healthy masculinity. A masterclass in picturebook design. Bravo, Ed!

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Nicolette Jones @nicolettejones.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

An excellent piece by Mat Tobin in Books for Keeps about how to share reading with children and foster reading for pleasure. @mattobin.bsky.social @booksforkeeps.bsky.social

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Richard Ruddick @richardruddick.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Top stuff as always from Mat, and it is always good to reflect on how your approach may impact reading habits and attitudes.

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Marianne Doherty @mariannedoherty.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

A wonderful short essay here from Mat that shows how adults reframing ourselves as way-finders rather than gatekeepers can make enormous difference in the lives of young readers. Also thrilled to see a shout out for lesser-spotted No-one Returns from the Enchanted Forest by Robin Robinson ❤️.

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KE Salisbury @kesalisbury.eurosky.social · 22/07/2026

This encapsulates beautifully what I experience as a school librarian: "policing" kids' reading choices is deathly. Harnessing - and sharing - their interest and enjoyment is key. 💙📚💙📚

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Mat Tobin @mattobin.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

I have written a piece on nurturing lifelong readers inspired by the wonderful Aidan Chambers (pages 4-5) booksforkeeps.co.uk/wp-content/u... @booksforkeeps.bsky.social

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Vikki Varley @vikkivarley.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

#KlausFluggePrize Y2 voted for The Great Green Island as their winner! Once the crocodile was revealed, they loved going back to look for clues on the cover & at the beginning. They loved the final page where they realised there were other animals islands. Thanks for the resources!

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Mat Tobin @mattobin.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Just to say that the competition is open a little longer if people would still like to take part. It's a lovely thing to share in class and could easily be completed in a session. A great way to win some books for your school too

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Marianne Doherty @mariannedoherty.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

That’s an awesome story. Lightfall is a stunning work of art on every page. @mattobin.bsky.social was just pointing out at our book club the other night how the cover art front and back on the 4th one works together so beautifully. (Credits in the captions)

Book cover for Lightfall: A Place Between by Tim Probert. Cover art by Tim Probert. Cover design by Sian Rips and Ching Chan.

Back cover for Lightfall: A Place Between by Tim Probert. Cover art by Tim Probert. Cover design by Sian Rips and Ching Chan.

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Stephen Connor @sconnor7.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Mat produces such wonderful resources for the #KlausFluggePrize - please consider sharing this with your staff and children. Get them talking about some brilliant books.

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Richard Ruddick @richardruddick.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

You can never have enough booktalk in school, so why not indulge in this fantastic opportunity for more? Mat is an absolute expert about all things book related, so you know it will be a fantastic use of your time.

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Marianne Doherty @mariannedoherty.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Next week sees the start of Pride month and, more than ever, it feels important to share books that bring understanding, empathy, solace and empowerment for the LGBTQ+ community. What great kids’ books will you be reading and recommending during Pride month? #KidsBooksFriday #KidLitUK #KidLit

Book cover for Aalfred and Aalbert: A love story by Morag Hood.

Book cover for The Boy I Love by William Hussey

Book cover for The Dad Trap by Ian Eagleton

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Mat Tobin @mattobin.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

The #KlausFluggePrize competition for schools is officially open! Early Years/Primary School Teachers, please do consider taking part👇 Can be completed in 1 lesson, and it is great for promoting quality booktalk. Video guide included & prizes to be won. Closes 03_07 docs.google.com/presentation...

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Books for Keeps, the children's books review journal @booksforkeeps.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Just announced, shortlist for the 2026 #KlausFluggePrize for most exciting newcomer to picturebook illustration. Congratulations to these six talented illustrators! "Inspiring to see such originality & promise in debut work" says judge Rob Biddulph #BookSky booksforkeeps.co.uk/distinct-vis...

booksforkeeps.co.uk

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Mat Tobin @mattobin.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

The 2026 #KlausFluggePrize shortlist has been announced, and it is always a pleasure to welcome them into the reading world. I’m currently crafting an interactive school-based presentation on these works. Stay tuned! I’ll be interviewing the illustrators soon to dive deeper into their stories.

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Books for Keeps, the children's books review journal @booksforkeeps.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

NEW Book of the Week: Frank the Monster reviewed by @mattobin.bsky.social "Strange, funny and unexpectedly moving, this is a quietly powerful exploration of what it means to be seen." Bonus author Q&A too @geckopress.bsky.social #KidLit #booksky 🐺 booksforkeeps.co.uk/review/frank...

The cover of Frank the Monster by Mats Strandberg illustrated by Sofia Falkenhem published by Gecko Press.

Black and white photo of Mats Strandberg, acclaimed author of horror and new Books for Keeps Book of the Week, Frank the Monster.

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Marianne Doherty @mariannedoherty.bsky.social · 29/08/2025

My 10yo has been creating his own comic this week. The eagle eyed amongst you may spot the influence of @neillcameron.bsky.social in his artwork. For this week’s #KidsBooksFriday, what books have you found that can help inspire kids to create their own art/writing? #KidLitUK #UKKidLit #KidLit

Image of a comic made by a 10yo featuring 2 stick figures battling through a city. Our hero has blue power and his nemesis has red power. Towards the end of the page the hero takes on some of the red power to defeat his enemy. But some of the evil red power escapes during the battle…

Book cover for Mega Robo Bros: Power Up by Neill Cameron

Book cover for Bumble & Snug and the Angry Pirates by Mark Bradley

Book cover for The Cartoonists Club by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud

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P.G. Bell @pgbellwriter.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

That's one of my all-time favourite reviews in a single line. Thanks for picking it up, and I hope you both enjoy the rest of it!

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Mat Tobin @mattobin.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

My youngest and I read the opening chapters to @pgbellwriter.bsky.social latest and are HOOKED!

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Mat Tobin @mattobin.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

About to play my 10 year old's boardgame! It's taken him several days to make. Looks awesome! #RainbowFriends @robcrossley4.bsky.social @jonnybid.bsky.social

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Mat Tobin @mattobin.bsky.social · 30/07/2025

"Would their child become a diviner? A healer? A spirit waker?" In Spirit Warriors, @ashleythorpe.bsky.social conjures a world of ancestral magic, power, and purpose rooted in Jamaican folklore. A cracking opening and concept! Perfect for KS2 readers. Publishing 14 August #Usborne #SpiritWarriors

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Mat Tobin @mattobin.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

@umurrayhusted.bsky.social An absolute, absolute, absolute joy! I've just finished #BotticellisApprentice We read and discussed #ACatStory at our #LetsTalkGraphicNovels group a few years back & you kindly showed up. This is just as wonderful. Congratulations - I wish it every possible success!

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Marianne Doherty @mariannedoherty.bsky.social · 11/07/2025

Following on from this week’s sci-fi chat from @jacquisydney.bsky.social and @pgbellwriter.bsky.social, what are your #KidsBooksFriday sci-fi recommendations? We’re lucky to have the phenomenal @alastairc.com leading the charge and I’ve read a few other brilliant examples lately. #KidLitUK #KidLit

Book cover for I Am Raven by Alastair Chisholm

Book cover for North and the Only One by Vashti Hardy

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Mat Tobin @mattobin.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

Brilliant as always from Megan.

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Mat Tobin @mattobin.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

📚 “Somewhere you’ll be safe. Somewhere you’ll get the answers you want so badly. A magical library…” Sangu Mandanna ’s #VanyaandtheWildHunt is a new fantasy that fuses British folklore with Indian mythology ✨ Out now from @macmillankidsuk.bsky.social #childrensbooks

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Mat Tobin @mattobin.bsky.social · 05/07/2025

📚✨ From @theemmapress.bsky.social spellbinding poetry Theis' poems conjure tenderness & tension, & speak to uncertainty, identity & longing. One moment gentle, the next crackling with teeth — perfect for readers on the cusp of everything. Out 18_09 & beautifully illustrated by Kate Lucy Foster.

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Richard Ruddick @richardruddick.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

There are some amazing graphic novels coming out in the next few months, and a lot of them are sequels to very popular texts. Be sure to keep an eye out for these as they're going to be very popular in classes. #kidlit @robcrossley4.bsky.social @mariannedoherty.bsky.social @mattobin.bsky.social

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Imogen @imogenm16.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

@mattobin.bsky.social Hi Mat, We have loved shadowing the Klaus Flugge prize this year! I have emailed you our photos from across the six classes but our winners were: Slug Life (2 classes), The Cafe at the Edge of the Woods (2 classes), The Cat Who Couldn't Be Bothered and The Christmas Mouse.

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Imogen @imogenm16.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

We loved reading the children's varied responses! @mattobin.bsky.social

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Mat Tobin @mattobin.bsky.social · 22/06/2025

“I wish you were here in this great big meadow, like a sea of lacy clouds…” A sensory-rich, heart-deep picturebook from Kathy Stinson and Ojibwe artist Maya McKibbin. A gentle exploration of longing, love and the wild around us. I do love🌿 #GreystoneKids books #IfYouWereHere

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Mat Tobin @mattobin.bsky.social · 22/06/2025

What I’ve always loved about reading with children is the way we invite them to step into the story — to safely test their thoughts like stepping-stones, to linger in ambiguity, to imagine boldly. Whether one-to-one or in chorus, that shared wondering is, for me, where the magic begins (1/2)

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Mat Tobin @mattobin.bsky.social · 21/06/2025

“Reading a poem for someone else is like eating their dinner and describing the menu.” –Rosenblatt Many teachers create space for children to experience texts firsthand — to feel, to wonder, to respond. How can we continue to honour that personal encounter in every classroom?

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Mat Tobin @mattobin.bsky.social · 21/06/2025

@cressidacowell.bsky.social does it again! #DoomoftheDarkwing is bursting with her trademark humour, sketches, scrawls & chaos. 🗺️ A map to pore over 🔥 Typography that's emotionally charged 🐉 Dragons galore! A brilliant way to hook readers in. @hodderbooks.bsky.social @worldbookdayuk.bsky.social

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Mat Tobin @mattobin.bsky.social · 21/06/2025

🌱 There’s real poetic joy in I Heard a Bird by @robramsden.bsky.social @scallywagpress.bsky.social Its calm rhythm and sensory attentiveness model how we might slow down, notice, & connect with nature. A gentle prompt to listen & appreciate that “This is me” is just the beginning of the story.

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Mat Tobin @mattobin.bsky.social · 21/06/2025

A leaf becomes a violin. A garden becomes a stage. In Hannah and the Violin, Satoshi Kitamura reminds us that the natural world is alive with music—if only we listen. A joyful celebration of play, imagination and being outside. Thank you @scallywagpress.bsky.social !”

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Mat Tobin @mattobin.bsky.social · 21/06/2025

Raw and lyrical, #OntheEdge dives into brotherhood, belonging,& a boy’s fight to hold on. Just read the first chapter, @nmgarrard & was struck by the underlying tension in Rhys future already - a liminal life! A YA novel coming this August from @oldbarnbooks.bsky.social #YAlit #OnTheEdge

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Marianne Doherty @mariannedoherty.bsky.social · 20/06/2025

I reckon we could use some more kids’ book chat on BlueSky, so I thought I might attempt a #KidsBooksFriday chat. Let’s start with… What is one book you’d love every child to get the chance to read? Mine would be @markbradley.bsky.social’s Bumble & Snug and the Angry Pirates. #KidLitUK #KidLit

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Mat Tobin @mattobin.bsky.social · 17/06/2025

'The reading experts, for all their understanding about ‘the reading process’, treat all text as the neutral substance on which the process works, as if the reader did the same things with a poem, a timetable, a warning notice.' (Meek, 1988)

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Imogen @imogenm16.bsky.social · 17/06/2025

Same child, different comments.

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Imogen @imogenm16.bsky.social · 17/06/2025

The children are getting more confident with forming their own opinions of, and commenting on, the illustrations too. 🎨

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Mat Tobin @mattobin.bsky.social · 17/06/2025

I FINALLY got to meet @michaelrosenyes.bsky.social on Saturday. A wonderful, common thread throughout the @englishassociation.bsky.social conference was need to create space for meaningful talk around stories with discussion facilitation by adults.

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Mat Tobin @mattobin.bsky.social · 07/06/2025

Happy to say @neillcameron.bsky.social that my youngest snapped this up at @waterstonesoxf.bsky.social today. I ask him to choose a pin and he went for father and son. Laughter through reading all the way home!

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