Author's websites

In a previous post I asked about books with a local connection and had a couple of really good suggestions, I am definitely going to check out The Voyage of the "Silver Bream" by Theresa Tomlinson and Dear Nobody by Berlie Doherty. Perhaps even better they both have fantastic website's, in particular Theresa Tomlinson's has some fantastic short stories to download, including one called The Sheffield Thwitel, which is great.

This got me looking at other author's websites, starting with those recommended on the Kids' Books UK blog.

So in no particular order are some of my finds:

• Andy Stanton's Mr Gum - too much to list; games, newspaper, and downloadable stuff (check out the The Mr Gum Card Game)
• Jacqueline Wilson - In the picture - create book covers and scenes of yourself in Jacqueline's books
• Julia Donaldson - around the site are some nice activity sheets to download and use, plus audio and book extracts
• Neil Gaiman - As it says on the site 'cool stuff and things' (this is secretly my favourite, I read his online Journal before blogs were invented)
  
• Philip Pullman - Download book extracts, other writing and audio clips
• Darren Shan - read some short stories online, plus lots more
• Benjamin Zephaniah - read poems online
• Alan Gibbons - Poems and Jottings
  
• JK Rowling - Get a Harry Potter fix
• Terry Deary - Extracts and games
• Eion Colfer - Artimis Fowl's Inner Circle Game
  
• Anne Fine - Nice notes for how to use Anne's books in schools
• Malcom Rose - His tips for writers are good

What do you think? Any other suggestions?

New Children's Laureate - born in Sheffield

Just a quick post in the first week back after the summer holidays. Thanks to the Sheffield Libraries webpage, I have just learnt that the new Children's Laureate, Anthony Brown, was born in Sheffield! I always thought his books had a very Yorkshire feel to them, I think it's those tanktops.