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May 06, 2008

A right royal afternoon

So many funny, exciting and often bizarre things happen when you work at Puffin. I once spent an afternoon in Regents Park painting mini picket fences in multi-colours to make our tent at the Innocent Village Fete look even brighter and more fun (we’ll be there again this year so come and see us).

Then there was the time when I had to escort a colleague dressed in a beige monster suit round the bookshops in London on the hottest day of the year to deliver proof copies of The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless by Ahmet Zappa (Frank’s son).

I’ve already told you about the day we had to choose from hundreds of glittery feathery My Best Friend Rocks entries and I’m not even going to mention the brilliant day we dressed Eoin Colfer up as Biggles for the launch of Airman in Duxford Air Museum OR the fun we had making a parachute for a fluffy ladybird.

But today has to top everything. Today I met the Queen. The actual Queen!

Puffin have got a very exciting new venture coming in the summer with the Scouts. We are creating the Puffin Adventure Challenge badge and making lots of themed activities with our 5 big action adventure books: Young Bond, Artemis Fowl, Percy Jackson, Danger Zone and Young Samurai. There are over ½ million Scouts in the UK now and we’re really excited about working with them. Even more so when our lovely new friends invited us to the unveiling of a new statue of the Queen at Scout HQ in London, attended by Her Majesty herself.

So tonight, when my friends and family ask me what I did at work today I can say that I spent the afternoon with the Queen. That’s pretty good in my books.

Emily Cox
Senior Marketing Officer

(Photo copyright: PA)

Remember that by posting a comment you are agreeing to the website Terms of Use. If you consider any content on this site to be inappropriate, please report it to Penguin Books by emailing reportabuse@penguin.co.uk

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May 01, 2008

Match of the Day meets The Bill

This has to be one of the most exciting weeks ever. Man U and Chelsea slugging it out for the Premiership. Two Champions League semi-finals involving English clubs. And . . . Leeds United have made it into the league one play offs. In fact, we could be promoted automatically if we get our 15 points back. But I can’t see that happening. (I’m sorry if league one is a bit obscure for you: I am, however, a Leeds fan!).

As if this week couldn’t get more exciting, there’s more . . .

Tom1_3 Puffin are publishing my book on Thursday 1st May. Foul Play. A football thriller. Sort of a cross between Match of the Day and The Bill. I love that programme: all the swearing, cheating and fighting. And I like The Bill too.

Here’s the story of Foul Play.

Danny Harte witnesses the kidnap of England’s leading scorer. But no-one believes him. So he has to solve the mystery on his own. Who kidnapped Sam Roberts? And why? Where is Roberts? And can Danny rescue him? In the book Danny gets chased a lot. He meets footballers, football journalists and a menacing football club chairman. But can he rescue Sam Roberts?

Because so much is going on this week, I couldn’t get to sleep last night. I lay there from 10.30 p.m. to 2.15 a.m. Thinking. Champions League . . . Book launch . . . Play offs . . . Like I said: too much excitement.

But there was another reason I was over-excited. I’d just been to Salford. Home of Manchester United. I run these sessions with families called Football Reading Games. Half football quiz, half penalty shoot out. With me in goal. That evening I’d been doing it with eight Man U families. I always try extra hard in goal with Man U fans. It’s nothing personal: just that they’ve won so much, it’s only fair they don’t beat me too. After the kids had had a go (one lad scoring three out of five, not bad) the dads got up to have a try. There was no way three Man U supporting dads were going to put one over on me.

I take these things seriously, which is why I was a bit wired, which is why I couldn’t get to sleep.

If you fancy coming to one of my Football Reading Games have a look on www.tompalmer.co.uk under ‘Meet Tom’ and you can see a list of where I’ll be – and when – this summer. I’ll be in libraries all over England, from Cornwall to Northumberland, Norfolk to Merseyside. There’s more of my blog entries there too.

Tom Palmer

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April 29, 2008

There's nuffin like a Puffin

Train_ride Emily and I went on an adventure on Friday, to see a lady about a puffin. Off we trundled to Kings Cross to catch the train out to the countryside, to a place called Sandy, in Bedfordshire to be exact. Cue random bursts of ‘Oh Saaaandy,well you came and you gave without taking, lalalalalalalalaaaaaaa’ until we remembered the song title is actually Mandy AND it’s by Barry Manilow, so all singing ceased and the train ride began. Fresh air and green fields greeted us upon our arrival, along with two lovely ladies from The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

We’re Puffin Books, the RSPB do a great deal of work looking after and supporting puffin birds (along with lots of other bird species). So it made sense for us to meet up and have a chat about lots of exciting projects and events we can work on together.

Have you ever seen a Puffin in the wild? Or at least, seen pictures of Puffins in the wild? With their brightly coloured beaks, funny little feet and flapping wings they’re fascinating to watch, but the funniest thing about a Puffin is the way it sounds. Have a listen on here. I once accidentally played this clip out loud at a time when our office was really quiet and let’s just say I got a few amused glances. Oops!

We’re still chatting through our ideas with the RSPB, but watch this space for some Puffin-related activities and competition prizes – and no, before you ask, we can’t arrange for you to win an actual Puffin. Shame. But maybe there will be a time when you can win a trip to see them in their natural environment. Of course, Emily and I Crusie would have to do a Puffin cruise beforehand, to make sure it was the best prize we could offer, lots of fun, etc. Sigh, the things we have to do, eh. It’s a tough gig this, being a Puffin.

Sarah Kettle
Puffin Copywriter

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April 27, 2008

Own goals, dirty tackles, Foul Play

I’m sure some of you will have watched the Liverpool v Chelsea Champions League match on telly the other night.

What a cracker! I was on the edge of my seat as both teams played a fast and furious game – so much so I fell off at one point! As a Liverpool fan, I was sure Kuyt’s goal just before half time was going to secure their lead ahead of the next leg of the tournament.

Riise BUT NO! Riise (who I think looks a bit like a viking) managed, in the 94th minute to head the ball into his own goal. A very Homer Simpson-esque DOH! spat from my lips thereafter. Anyway, in case watching the beautiful game on the TV is too much for you (as it was for me), you can now read about it through the eyes of Danny, the star of the brand new Football Detective series.

The first one is called Foul Play and sees Danny trying to solve the mystery disappearance of a famous footballer from his city’s stadium. Just as nail biting as watching Liverpool v Chelsea, but hopefully without a heartbreaking own goal at the end!

Reetu Kabra
Puffin Press Officer (and nervous Liverpool fan)

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April 26, 2008

Shape shifting

Hi! It’s Joan Lennon again, back for my last Puffin blog – was April a quick month this year, or is it just me?

Shape-shifter, that’s the thing I’d like to be (along with being an artist and a spy and a unicyclist). There’s a race of shape-shifters in The Seventh Tide called the G. Irritatingly, it’s only the adults who can actually shift shape, though, because the children are all still at the G equivalent of school. But …

“Why would the G need to be educated at all, you may ask, since surely all they have to do is shape-shift into something else to know everything about it, from the inside out, as it were. In fact, the truthis exactly the reverse. Before a G can shift, they have to know as much as possible about the life form they are changing into.
For example, a G can’t become a clam (at least not for long) without knowing about clam predators, or what to do when the tides goes out, or even (if so inclined) how to tell girl clams from boy clams.” (The Seventh Tide p 4-5.)

Fair enough, but really, who would want to become a clam? Personally, I would go for something with gorgeous soft fur and the ability to leap gracefully and sleep curled up in a tight little ball – so, basically, either a squirrel or a cat. How about you? If you could be anything else, what would it be? For the writers among you, there you are – material for a story! And for the daydreamers, well, happy dreaming.

Oh, and if you’re going to be in Glasgow on 18 June, I’ll be introducing The Seventh Tide at the Glasgow West End Festival. Sadly, just in my own shape. But maybe see you there!
Cheers, Joan.

P.S. Remember you can always find out what I’m up to and where I’ll be by visiting my usual blog or the Coming Events bit of the News page on my website.

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April 24, 2008

Somewhere over the ocean

Matilda_8 Hello there! It's my first time blogging, so I think I'd better
introduce myself. My name is Erin, and I'm doing work experience
at Puffin for a couple of weeks. (Work experience means I get to come
and work here for two weeks so I can learn more about books!).

So far, it's been awesome! I've always wanted to work with books; growing up,
I felt a bit like Matilda. I have always been a big fan of reading,
and I especially love it when you find characters you can relate to.

Getting to work at Puffin was a bit of a challenge for me. I moved to
London from Saint Louis, Missouri, which is in America.
Moving was a bit scary! I don't know about you, but I haven't
had to move too much in my life. Other than moving for school, I had
never moved away from home. Since I wanted to work in book publishing,
though, I thought London would be one of the best places I could move
to. I had to follow my dream!

During my first week here at Puffin, I have been so inspired by some
of the stories I've read. For the Lee Raven contest, for example, one
girl wrote a story about a girl who wanted to learn how to become a
concert pianist. The girl was having so much trouble. She just
couldn't seem to play well! While out in the garden, she realised that
if she wanted to achieve her dreams, she couldn't give up, so she went
back inside to practice some more.

I know I've heard my teachers and parents tell me a lot that if I want
to do something well, I'll have to practice. And it's true! So
whatever it is that you want to do, whether it's becoming a ballerina like Angelina or
solving mysteries like Scooby Doo, go practice some more . . . Good luck!

Erin Boeck
Puffin Work Experience

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April 21, 2008

Girls with attitude

So I was right about the ice-cream in Italy. It was amazing! And I mean amazing with a capital A. Sadly though there were just too many flavours for me to sample them all in such a short space of time (sigh).

We were in Bologna in Italy for the children’s book fair for about a week. I hadn’t been before and wasn’t sure what it was going to be like (I did have visions of tiny book sized helter-skelter’s and waltzers before we went, but perhaps not surprisingly I didn’t find any). Instead publishers from all around the world had stands to display their newest and most exciting titles. The Penguin stand had a really colourful display of Puffin picture books in the background and the set used for Goldilocks was on show in a rather large glass case.

Goldilocks is a new photographic picture book by Lauren Child and Polly Borland and everything seen in the book was specially handmade, from the bear’s clothes to the tiny spoons hanging in the kitchen. We had to put the set together at the fair which was really fun – it reminded me of having a doll’s house! When you think about it though, Goldilocks was really quite a cheeky little girl. But then a lot of the books I’ve read (and fallen in love with) recently feature heroines with serious attitude. And by attitude I don’t mean moody, stroppy girls who stamp their feet if they don’t get their own way, I mean uber-cool feisty chicks with fabulous fashion sense.

Take Sassy B the eco-warrior babe singer/songwriter who is passionately trying to save the environment but still finds time for friends and falling in love. She’s the main character in a new book written by Maggi Gibson – if you like Cathy Cassidy then you’ll love this story. Then there’s the comical Delilah Darling who is desperate to be the star of her school play at any cost.

But I think my favourite has to be Jas, the daring detective who solves murder mysteries with the help of her awesome friends and a smouldering Italian man in Kitty Kitty by Michele Jaffe (out in July). Or on second thoughts maybe I prefer Elizabeth, the sophisticated central character in The Luxe (a book for our older readers) by Anna Godbersen. Set in Manhattan in 1899 this book features irresistible boys, dark secrets and some very well dressed girls who all have serious attitude.

It’s a bit like the ice-cream really, too many feisty heroines and too little time to read them all in . . .

Naomi Cartwright
Puffin Rights Assistant

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April 19, 2008

Tube Tales

Hi! It’s me, Joan Lennon, again! And I did my homework, so you can go and see what you think of the new Seventh Tide page on my website. (I am, sadly, not any taller.)

I was just reading Sarah Kettle’s blog about the be-goggled woman she saw on the London Tube. Now, me, I love the idea of all those trains trundling about under the ground, but to be honest, I’m not wildly happy about being under the ground. I’m not talking major screaming fit, heeby-jeeby, if I don’t get out of here my head will explode kind of unhappy – just, well, a bit uncomfortable. But I do keep writing about them.

Glasgow has had an Underground since 1897. (In fact, it was opened 14 Dec. 1896, there was an accident on the very first day, and they closed it all down again until 19 Jan. 1897. Someone should tell the people at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 that they’re not alone!) And in The Seventh Tide, in Greater Glasgow of the 24th century, there still is an Underground – except that it’s become an Under-water …

Come to think of it, I may just be a bit obsessed with Undergrounds - there’s one in Questors as well. It’s the London Tube, more or less, but for her sake I hope Sarah never meets up with the occupants of that train! Click here for an extract that will tell you why.

Fortunately, I live on the top two floors of a tall Victorian house on the top of a tall hill – about as far away from being underground as I can get. And as long as I don’t have to spend a lot of time in the Tubes of this world or any other, I’m happy to go on writing about them.

Cheers for now, Joan.

P.S. Next Saturday’s my last Puffin blog – see you then!

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April 18, 2008

Our Famous Author Goes to Norfolk

I'm on a train, somewhere between Norwich and London. I have just visited two schools in Norfolk. The first one was a school for children with various handicaps. Some were in wheelchairs and others were able to walk and talk but had other disabilities like being profoundly deaf or blind. I talked to them in small groups and read to them and answered their questions. They were brilliant! They asked some really good questions and made a lot of jokes, so we spent a lot of time falling about laughing. Some of them had just been to an activity camp and they had been canoeing. They managed to turn the canoe over and they all fell into the river, including the teacher. They thought it was hilarious!

They showed me a book of poems that had their work in. They'd written some terrific stuff. When I left I hoped that if ever I got something badly wrong with me I could be as cheerful and optimistic as they were. Congratulations, Clare School - it was an honour to meet you all!
The other school I went to was a small village school. They were really geared up for the visit and we had a great time. They shared me with another local school. I love making visits to schools because everyone is always so enthusiastic and the children often tell me good jokes or say funny things.

So now I'm on the train and on my way home. It will be another three hours or more before I get there. This is when I begin to feel pretty tired after talking all day long so I hope you won't mind if I fall alseep now ... ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Jeremy Strong
(Join Jeremy's KRAZY KLUB at jeremystrong.co.uk)

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April 16, 2008

Happy Birthday Angelina!

On Saturday, I was fortunate to be invited to a very special birthday party. Not only was it very special because there were balloons and lots of cake, but I also got to meet the real Angelina Ballerina, as well as her creator, the very glamorous Katharine Holabird. Angelina Ballerina was first brought to life 25 years ago, when the original Angelina Ballerina picture book was published. Since then, she has evolved into having her own stage show, dance academies, TV show, bunting, bicycle range, fridge magnets, handbags, aprons… phew! She’s certainly been busy these past 25 years!

Here at Puffin, we do like a party, and so decided to celebrate Angelina’s 25th birthday by inviting Angelina, Katharine and lots of very special children to a birthday party at Waterstones in Lakeside Shopping Centre. There were lots of little girls in sparkly pink tutus and Katharine read from the Angelina Ballerina 25th Anniversary Edition, whilst Angelina taught us some ever-so-pretty-if-a-little-bit-complicated ballet moves – including the splitz!

Cake1 Needless to say, we were all quite exhausted (and a bit hungry!) after all that, so we all let out a big ‘HURRAY!’ when Katharine cut the Angelina birthday cake, celebrating 25 years of everyone’s favourite mouse. As all of us Angelina fans know, Angelina only eats Cheddar Cheese Pie, so it was then left to all of us to eat that delicious looking cake, which of course we didn’t really mind at all. The children then got their chance to meet Angelina and have their books signed with Katharine’s suitably-pink-and-really-rather-fantastic pen.

Dancing, balloons, cake – what more could a mouse ask for! We all had buckets of fun and Angelina told me she had a very happy 25th birthday indeed.

Check out this month’s Junior magazine for an exclusive Angelina Ballerina interview with Katharine Holabird.

And if you didn’t catch Angelina’s birthday party, then keep checking the Puffin Events page for upcoming festival and ballet appearances.

Sophie Stott
Puffin Publicity Assistant

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