News

  • Welcome to Ali Ferguson!

    Posted: 5th July 2010

    Today is the official release date for How Ali Ferguson Saved Houdini. Hurray! I will be spending this week visiting schools around the country to talk about the book and read extracts from it. On Friday, I'll blog about the first week over on Dragontongue. You can read more about Ali Ferguson and read some deleted scenes. Do let me know what you think! Drop me an email at contact@elencaldecott.com.

  • Welsh Bloggers!

    Posted: 25th June 2010

    Now there's even more of me on the web! Not only will I continue blogging at Awfully Big Blog Adventure, but now I'll also be contributing to a new site. Dragontongue is a group of Welsh writers and they will be blogging regularly about children's literature in Wales. I know I live on the other side of the Severn Bridge, but I was born in North Wales and the good folk of Dragontongue have let me join. Croeso i Dragontongue!

  • New shortlisting for Kirsty

    Posted: 14th June 2010

    The lovely people in West Sussex have shortlisted How Kirsty Jenkins Stole the Elephant for their 2011 Children's Book prize. Thank you! I am also pleased to say that my friend Ellen Renner is also on the shortlist with her debut novel Castle of Shadows. For more information about the award, check out the West Sussex library service website.

  • Biff!

    Posted: 20th May 2010

    Those of you who have known me for a while will know how exciting this news is. I have wanted a dog for years and years and now I have one! Biff is a young female dog who came to us from a rescue kennel. Her previous owners were kind to her, but they had another dog who didn't like Biff, which is why they thought it best for her to find a new home. She is a bit funny-looking, but very sweet. She has learned 'sit' and 'stay' and will come back when you call her (especially if you're holding pieces of chicken!). Here's a picture of her looking her fuzzy best (yes, she does look a bit like wolf-bear!). She loves squirrels and running in and out of bushes. She hates having baths and also doesn't like the hoover very much. She has made a few friends at the park we go to every day on walks, especially a labrador called Max. Welcome, Biff!

  • Southwark Book Award

    Posted: 21st April 2010

    I'm so pleased to be able to tell you that How Kirsty Jenkins Stole the Elephant has been shortlisted for the Southwark Children's Book Award. The prize is judged by pupils in Year 6 and 7 in the area. The other books on the list are:

    Killer Clone by Steve Barlow and Steve Skidmore

    The Boy Who Fell Down Exit 43 by Harriet Goodwin

    Wilma Tenderfoot by Emma Kennedy

    TV Time Travellers by Pete Johnson and

    Stinking Rich and Just Plain Stinky by Philip Ardagh

    You can find more information about the award on the Southwark website

  • More Award News!

    Posted: 8th February 2010

    Wow! It seems that February is the time of year when everyone starts nominating books for their awards.  I have heard this week that How Kirsty Jenkins Stole the Elephant has been nominated for the Hounslow Junior Book Award; The Lancashire Fantastic Book Awards; Dorset SLS New Horizons Book Award; the Bedfordshire Libraries Children's Book of the Year; the 1066 Schools Book Award and finally, Sheffield Children's Book Award. Phew! I think it's time to buy a party dress! Thank you to everyone involved in these awards. I am absolutely thrilled!

  • Heart of Hawick Children's Book Award

    Posted: 21st January 2010

    Hooray! How Kirsty Jenkins Stole the Elephant has been shortlisted for the Heart of Hawick Children's Book Award 2010. I am especially happy about this because Tracy Alexander is a friend of mine and she is also on the list. So we will be able to hang-out together at the award ceremony in May! The full shortlist is:

    Tarantula Tide by Sharon Treganza

    Tribe: Jonno Joins by T M Alexander

    The 13 Treasures by Michelle Harison

    How Kirsty Jenkins Stole the Elephant by Elen Caldecott

    The Underneath by Kathi Appelt

  • Carnegie Medal longlisting

    Posted: 10th November 2009

    I am so pleased to be able to tell you that How Kirsty Jenkins Stole the Elephant has been longlisted for the Carnegie Medal 2010. The medal is voted for by librarians across the Uk and is awarded to outstanding books for children and young people. Some truly amazing books have been awarded the medal in the past. I have my fingers crossed for the shortlist, but, to be honest, there are some stunning books on the longlist. It is a real honour to be listed among them. For a full list of both the Carnegie nominees and the Kate Greenaway Medal nominees take a look at the Carnegie-Greenaway homepage and follow the links. I am bouncing like Tigger about this news!

  • East Sussex Children's Book Award Shortlist

    Posted: 19th October 2009

    How Kirsty Jenkins Stole the Elephant has been shortlisted for the East Sussex Children's Book Award 2010. I am really pleased! Especially when I consider how good the other shortlisted books are. They are:

    • Dark Summer by Ali Sparkes
    • The TV Time Travellers by Pete Johnson
    • Shark Island by Dave Miller
    • Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce

    Children in Years 5 and 6 in East Sussex will have the opportunity to read the books over the next few months before voting for their favourite. The winner will be announced at a fancy event in June. For more information, go to the East Sussex website.

  • Bath Time!

    Posted: 1st October 2009

    I have just finished a busy week helping out at the Bath Festival of Children's Literature. It's a brilliant festival that happens once a year just a few miles from where I live (yes, I know I'm lucky!). This year we welcomed loads of great guests, including Francesca Simon, Jacqueline Wilson and Michelle Paver. I blogged about my favourite bits of the festival at An Awfully Big Blog Adventure. But I didn't mention the event I did with Julia Green and Marie-Louise Jensen. It was a lovely evening where we talked about and read from our work. Thanks very much to the brave girl who came to be the first person in the signing queue afterwards! And to everyone else who came to listen.

     

Events

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    Home for Book Week

    Mon 4th Oct - Fri 8th Oct 2010

    October Book Week will be especially exciting this year as I've been asked to visit schools and libraries in North Wales. I'll be able to hang out with my family (who all still live there) as well as talk to children in the area about books and writing. Can't wait!

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    Next Dragontongue Post

    Fri 29th Oct 2010

    My next blog post at Dragontongue will be on 29th October. This is a blog about children's writing in Wales, do come and join in the chat at www.dragontongue.wordpress.com.

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    West Sussex Book Award

    Thu 11th Nov - Fri 12th Nov 2010

    I will be visiting schools in West Sussex for two days in November. Kirsty Jenkins has been nominated for their Book Award and so I've been invited to talk about it with readers there.