Category: Middle Grade

Teaching Guides & Activities for Catalyst Books

Book-lovers are pretty great, aren’t they? But to create the next generation of readers, we have to start early. That’s why we’re so proud of our books for kids, young adults, and our crossover titles. We hope that one of these stories is just the spark to create a reader for life.

During these challenging times, we know that a lot of parents are now finding themselves in the role of teacher, and you may be using one of our books to supplement your curriculum. If that’s the case, first of all, thank you, and please let us know how you’re using our books. We’d love to hear from you!

If you’re interested in incorporating African history and stories into your child’s reading, we’re pleased to offer the following resources/activities. Please check back as we add new resources and roll out a dedicated page where you can access these, and future activities. We realize that education as we’ve known it has changed quite a bit in the last few weeks, and we not only want to be responsive to that, we want to provide as many resources as possible to guide us, not just through this moment, but in the future. Continue reading “Teaching Guides & Activities for Catalyst Books”

The Remote Reading Series: Niki Daly

Since many literary events have been cancelled recently, and since sharing art is always important, we here at Catalyst HQ have decided to put on a remote reading series. Over the next days/weeks, we’ll be releasing videos of our authors/editors. These are tough times, and we hope that our books (and all arts) are playing a part in helping you through them. See the other installments here.

Next up: Niki Daly! Niki is the award-winning author/illustrator of several books for children. We are so excited to be able to bring his Lolo series to US readers. The Lolo series— Here Comes Lolo and Hooray for Lolo— each feature four easy-to-read stories for the beginning reader. In this installment of our Remote Reading Series, Niki reads his story “A Gold Star and a Kiss for Lolo” from Here Comes Lolo. Both books are out in May, and pre-orders are available now.

An Update from Catalyst Publisher/Founder Jessica Powers

Dear friends of Catalyst Press,

In just a few short weeks, it feels like the world as we have known it has collapsed. We’re all trying to keep in touch as best we can, and those of us who can work from home are doing so, but we know that a lot of people have lost or will lose their jobs; we know that people will have trouble paying rent or feeding their families. And meanwhile, all of us have to deal with the fear and uncertainty of an illness that can be deadly, and may affect us or our loved ones.

The economic shutdown of the USA has affected book publishers in myriad ways. Amazon is making shipping of books a low priority. Independent booksellers have changed the way they work with customers, and are working to ship online orders as well as provide curbside pickups. But booksellers and publishers alike are going to be dramatically affected by the quarantines and shelter-in-place orders, primarily through loss of sales, but also through loss of marketing opportunities to get the word out about our books through reviews and other outlets that are also not operating under optimal conditions (or at all.)

Catalyst Press is committed to weathering this storm but, as a new small press we are especially vulnerable to a tank in sales. This is true for all small presses, not least for us. For those of you who really want to support us during this time, here are a few ways:

  • If you’re in North America, you can order new and older books directly from our website or from independent bookstores at this link.
  • South Africa is in a severe lockdown right now, and deliveries of books aren’t happening. In the meantime, you can order ebooks at Amazon. We always want to support independent bookstores but in this particular case, please do buy ebooks on Amazon! But if you want to buy physical books and you can wait for them to be delivered, you can order copies from LAPA, our distributor in South Africa, and they will resume deliveries when they can.
  • We are also able to accept one-time or recurring tax-deductible donation through Fractured Atlas, a 501 (c) (3) arts organization that has offered us fiscal sponsorship. This is an option we’d love for you to consider anytime, of course!
  • Even if ordering books or offering donations is not possible for you at this time, we love hearing from our supporters on social media, this blog, or via email, so please feel free to drop us a kind note anytime. We’d love to hear about past books we published that you loved, future books you’re looking forward to, or suggestions for future books.

Thanks guys. Keep in touch and stay well!

Jessica, Publisher & Founder, Catalyst Press (with imprints Story Press Africa & Powers Squared)

The Remote Reading Series: Bridget Krone

Since many literary events have been cancelled recently, and since sharing art is always important, we here at Catalyst HQ have decided to put on a remote reading series. Over the next days/weeks, we’ll be releasing videos of our authors/editors. These are tough times, and we hope that our books (and all arts) are playing a part in helping you through them. See the other installments here.

Today’s reading comes from Bridget Krone (who has even dressed as one of her characters!). Bridget is the author of the middle-grade novel Small Mercies, a heartwarming book about family, love, and standing up for what’s right— even when it’s hard. Small Mercies has earned Bridget a starred review from Kirkus, and we couldn’t be prouder to be her publisher! Small Mercies is out now! Want to get a sneak peek? Check out this excerpt from the novel! And if you want to learn more about Bridget and her novel, be sure to read this Q&A with her.

February New Releases

Another great month of releases here at Catalyst! This month, we’ve got something for the science-lover and for young readers. Both books are available now at your favorite booksellers and right here at our website!

Cat Among the Pigeons by David Muirhead. This collection of short, humorous essays is the first release from our science-focused Powers Squared imprint and a must-have for the animal-lover in your life. Ever wonder why vervet monkeys enjoy an after-dinner drink? (Vervet monkeys. They’re just like us!) Or what Shakespeare thought of hedgehogs (Spoiler: not much)? Or why rain frogs need a rainy day to get, um, romantic? (Hope you had a very rainy Valentine’s Day, rain frogs!) You’ll find out in David’s collection that blends the science, history, and myth of an assortment of African animals. The book also features illustrations by Patricia de Villiers. Cat Among the Pigeons is out now. Learn more about David in this Q&A.

And Small Mercies, the debut middle-grade novel from Bridget Krone. Bridget’s novel about finding your voice and standing up for what’s right has been earning her a lot of praise. She’s earned a starred review from Kirkus who called the book “sensitive, funny, and tender”; School Library Journal praised the book as “a heartfelt, human, and wise addition to middle grade shelves”; and author Kathi Appelt writes, “You will not leave the pages of this book without feeling somehow smarter and wiser and kinder.” The book is also out now in the UK! Learn more about Bridget in this Q&A, and to keep up with her writing, events, news, and more, check out her website: www.bridgetkrone.com

 

 

Giveaway Winners, Graphic Novels, and Why We’re Sharing African History Worldwide

Last month, we and our Story Press Africa partners held a giveaway to celebrate the release of the latest installment in our African Graphic Novel Series— King Shaka: Zulu Legend by Luke Molver. The entry was pretty simple: like our post, and then comment with the name of a historic person or event you’d like to see in a future graphic novel. And people really delivered! There were a host of names, and a timeline’s worth of notable events. It was truly amazing.

Readers are excited about African histories and stories. They want to put faces to names, they want to see history live again on the page. Whether it is the stories of your own country and your own ancestors, or that of those who live worlds apart, there is something special and vital about keeping those stories, those names in our memories. While we won’t list every name and event giveaway entrants suggested, we thought we’d share just a few to show just how many stories there are to tell… Continue reading “Giveaway Winners, Graphic Novels, and Why We’re Sharing African History Worldwide”

What to Expect When You’re Expecting (to Read a Book from Catalyst Press)

2020 is just around the corner (which, is simply unbelievable. Wasn’t it just summer?!), so we wanted to give you a preview about some of the great books we’ve got planned for the new year. This post will cover, roughly, the first half of 2020 (with one book that’s set for release in late 2019), and part two, covering the rest of the year, is coming soon.

Many of these books are ready for pre-order right now, so if someone (you) were looking to add a few books to the to-be-read pile, someone (you) would be in luck. All right, onward! Continue reading “What to Expect When You’re Expecting (to Read a Book from Catalyst Press)”

Notes from the 2019 ALA Conference

I had a great time at ALA2019 in Washington D.C.

Booth 707

Catalyst Press shared booth space at the Global Literature in Libraries Initiative booth with several other publishers who focus on international and translated literature. GLLI was founded by Rachel Hildebrandt Reynolds, who is also the talented translator of our  recent release The Wall by Max Annas. Business was booming at the GLLI booth, with a lot of interest in publications from Africa. I brought 60 Advance Review Copies, which were snatched up before noon on Saturday, the first full day. We trust that they got into the hands of librarians who care and who will promote African writers and books set in Africa. Continue reading “Notes from the 2019 ALA Conference”