#ReadingAfrica for the Young Reader
We were so excited co-host a panel on children’s literature with World Kid Lit! If you missed this incredibly fun and thoughtful conversation, you can watch a recording here. When the panel ended, our amazing moderator, Bunmi, asked the group to share their favorite #ReadingAfrica books for young readers. You could, of course, watch the video in full, rewind and pause as needed, and then jot down their recommendations. But we won’t make you do that. Instead, you can keep reading for some great suggestions from the panel for books to share with the young reader in your life! You can also take a look at our #ReadingAfrica2021 list on Bookshop.org, which featured illustrated stories for all ages. Continue reading “#ReadingAfrica for the Young Reader”
The Cedarville Shop and the Wheelbarrow Swap
Continue reading “The Cedarville Shop and the Wheelbarrow Swap”
Q&A with Helen Brain
Note: This post is originally from November 2019. We’re sharing it again because we’re excited to release the second book in Helen’s trilogy—The Rising Tide—on July 13, 2021. Learn more about the book, and order your copy here. You can also enter to win a copy of The Rising Tide at Goodreads. The giveaway runs through July 6.
We’re so excited to add more books for young readers to our catalog. It has always been a part of who we are. We recognize the importance of giving kids and young adults the tools they need to be readers for life. One of the most important tools is giving them books that speak to them and their experiences. Books that value their voices and their concerns. It’s one of the many reasons we’re so proud to publish The Thousand Steps by Helen Brain.
The Thousand Steps is the first in Helen’s futuristic Fiery Spiral trilogy, and is the story of 16-year-old Ebba who has lived her entire life in a bunker deep within Cape Town’s Table Mountain. When she is suddenly elevated from the bunker, she finds that everything she knew about her life, and the world “above,” was wrong. Now shouldering the immense responsibility of her new life, Ebba must fight to save her friends still trapped in the bunker and facing execution any day. Helen’s book deftly explores race, class, and climate change while telling a story that will captivate young readers. School Library Journal praised the book writing, “This novel will draw readers in with its high stakes and well-developed characters.”
We chatted with Helen about her work, why she loves science fiction, and her advice for young writers. The Thousand Steps is out January 3. Continue reading “Q&A with Helen Brain”
Halley’s Comet
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)”
Thank You!!
Last month, we launched a Kickstarter to help us fund production and distribution of our upcoming graphic novel King Shaka: Zulu Legend, and we so happy to announce that it was funded! As part of our supporter rewards, we included a buy-one-give-one option that allowed supporters to not only get their very own copy of King Shaka, but to give one to a school or library in South Africa. And through your generosity, the copies you see here will be distributed through our partnership with READ Educational Trust, a South African literacy organization that’s making sure children all over the country have access to books. This is just the start of our work making sure that kids who need books can get them. Your support will also help us roll out a buy-one-give-one option here at our website—so stay tuned! Continue reading “Thank You!!”
Designing the Cover for The Thousand Steps
There is a lot that has to happen behind the scenes before we can get our books to readers. Edits, rewrites, marketing, event planning, design—it’s nothing if not exciting! While our author Q&As and From the Editor’s Desk features generally cover many of those (and if you don’t know what those are, all will be revealed if you subscribe to our newsletter!), but we focus on cover design a bit less often. That changes today! We talked extensively with artist Karen Vermeulen last year about her work, and now we’re chatting with Karen again about just one cover— the upcoming YA sci-fi novel The Thousand Steps by Helen Brain.
The Thousand Steps is the first in Helen Brain’s Fiery Spiral Trilogy, and is a dystopic sci-fi Young Adult novel set in Cape Town in 2055. After spending her entire life living in a bunker deep inside of Table Mountain, 16-year-old Ebba is released when the truth of her lineage is revealed. While learning to navigate the unfamiliar “Above,” Ebba must fight for her survival, and that of her friends still below. The Fiery Spiral is an eco-feminist trilogy that examines how class, race, and social identity are foundational to the ways in which society is organized and power wielded. It releases on January 7.
You can learn more about Karen and her work at her website, Instagram, and Twitter.
Continue reading “Designing the Cover for The Thousand Steps”
The Fiery Spiral: The Thousand Steps
