As Puffin celebrates its 80th Birthday this year, we asked five authors to share their favourite books by the publisher and it's a wonderfully eclectic and inclusive mix.
Image courtesy of Pixabay
Jacqueline Wilson:
The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit
It’s very hard to choose! I bought my first Puffin book with my pocket money when I was eight – and I’ve been buying them ever since. I’m particularly fond of THE RAILWAY CHILDREN at the moment. I love this Edwardian story about Bobbie, Peter and Phyllis whose lives are turned upside down when their father goes away. They go to live in a small cottage in the country with their valiant writer mother (all power to her!). The cottage is near a railway – where the children have many hair-raising adventures.
Jacqueline Wilson’s latest book LOVE FRANKIE is out now.
Nathan Bryon:
Pig Heart Boy by Malorie Blackman
PIG HEART BOY by Malorie Blackman was one of the first YA books I ever read and one of my fave TV series I have ever watched to this day, plus Malorie Blackman is one of the nicest, most inspiring authors I have ever had the honour of meeting in real so this just naturally had to be my Puffin recommend. I have a heart condition and reading this book it made me think about SO many things; life, risk, gratitude and the joy of being alive. Malorie’s writing sucked me in which can be hard for a dyslexic reader. Put down your iPhone and go and read it!!!!
Nathan Bryon’s latest picture book CLEAN UP (illustrated by Dapo Adeola) is out now.
Carrie Hope Fletcher
Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild
I’d definitely have to say my favourite Puffin book is BALLET SHOES! This year I wrote INTO THE SPOTLIGHT, inspired by BALLET SHOES with the official endorsement of the Noel Streatfeild estate. I was drawn to BALLET SHOES because of the amazing messages within it. I love the idea of chosen family that runs throughout, the characters in BALLET SHOES are family because they say they are. There’s also the message of dreaming big in the story, and teaching children that they can do anything they put their mind to. It’s so important to nurture and support children in their dreams and BALLET SHOES is the perfect book for encouraging this!
Carrie Hope Fletcher’s latest book INTO THE SPOTLIGHT is out now.
Burhana Islam:
Cloud Busting by Malorie Blackman
Told in verse, and dripping with bounce, rhythm, music and beat, my recommendation is Malorie Blackman’s CLOUD BUSTING. Published almost two decades ago when conversations regarding diversity and inclusion were borderline non-existent, the tale follows Sam, a young poet, reflecting on an unlikely friendship that changed his life forever. Sam’s new classmate Davey helps him discover the magic of life, opening his mind to a world of imagination and colour. However, things take a tumble for the worst when the class bully gets the best of him. Sam is put in an impossible situation and may just make A BIG MISTAKE!
Burhana Islam’s debut book Amazing Muslims Who Changed The World is out now.
Rashmi Sirdeshpande:
Super Duper You by Sophie Henn
One of my new Puffin favourites is SUPER DUPER YOU by Sophy Henn. It’s a joyous and uplifting picture book all about being (and loving!) your unique and wonderful self on your very best days as well as your bad baddie days. Beautifully illustrated and packed with colour and imagination, this is a super rhymey read-aloud that little ones will adore and one big people will happily revisit again and again. A truly wonderful celebration of how we’re all so different and special and perfect just the way we are.
Rashi Sirdeshpande’s picture book Never Show a T-Rex a Book (illustrated by Diane Ewen) is out now.