Crowvus Book Blog

  Our focus book this week is Taking Wing by Clemency Crow (Picture) Taking Wing is a gripping fantasy adventure, written for middle grade readers but enjoyed by adults too! Published in 2019, it was rejuvenated in 2025 when the sequel Doorway to the Sunset  was published. Humans were once protected by guardians...with feathers. Twelve-year-old Freya enjoys karate and is the only one in her class who’s trusted with a part-time job. But everything changes when she meets a boy with yellow eyes. She learns about the guardians, and how an age-old fight has prevented them from fulfilling their purpose. Freya finds new friends in the Crow tribe, but not everything in the castle is blissful. A destructive shadow lies within her and all she needs to do to release it is close her eyes. But as the guardians’ war rages on, Freya realises that, although the shadow’s power can be useful, it can’t create peace. To do that, Freya and her friends must solve the mysterious crime that began the...

... Our focus book this week is Beneath a Darkening Sky by Judith Crow This collection of gothic horror short stories is a thrilling and terrifying compilation, designed to send shivers down your spine while getting you turning the pages. We love this book because it contains ten brilliant stories that will stick with you long after you've read the final page. But you needn't take our word for it! Here what other readers are saying on Goodreads: "I was so excited to read each one and had a tingly feeling before and after each one. I loved the whole book and was sad when I was on the last story." "I like how quick these stories are, snippets but full stories in their own right. Well written, engaging and thought provoking. Loved it!" "I loved these books flow of the stories and the writing gripped me from the off. I really enjoy fairytale retelling and these were very clever with ghostly folklore and supernatural events woven into them." "I rea...

We couldn't do what we do without our readers. Thank you so much for supporting us over the years. In return, we've created this fun little reading challenge which will hopefully help you discover and rediscover some amazing books. All you have to do is use our hashtag #CrowvusReadingChallenge on your reviews of the twelve books listed. You don't have to do them in the order we've put, and you don't have to wait a month between. All you have to do is share them by the end of 2026. Next January, we'll draw one reader at random and reward them with a £30 voucher for their favourite bookshop. Happy Reading!

Middle Grade Genres: An Introduction Image by eightonesix on Freepik I used to think that middle grade was a genre in itself, partly due to the number of awards and competitions that have all the genres known to man for adult books, and only one category for middle grade. Middle Grade, however, is simply a suggested age range, much like the suggested ages on board games. The genre list is the same for children as it is for adults, although adapted to make it suitable. One genre that you won’t find in middle grade is Romance. For obvious reasons! That doesn’t mean, however, that romance is banned in middle grade, and I’ll be covering this more in February, for Valentine’s Day. It just means that it will be a very minor subplot. Every month throughout 2025,  I’ll be looking at different genres for middle grade. No, I’ve not covered everything because the possibilities are endless! This genre series will run on the second Monday of each month... The Schedule 10/2/25    ...

Firstly, happy new year! Secondly... New Year means New Goals! One of my goals this year is to publish a blog post every Monday, centred around writing for middle grade. 2025 is the year I publish my book Doorway to the Sunset , a middle grade fantasy adventure, and Book 2 in the Feather Down trilogy. What is Middle Grade? Middle Grade is an American term, coming from their education system, where Middle School is generally for ages 8 - 12. Middle Grade books, therefore, are aimed at that age group. It’s not a genre, but an age bracket, so saying ‘Middle Grade Historical Fiction’ just means that the story is in the genre Historical Fiction, but is aimed at children between the ages of 8 and 12. (There is some discrepancy over what ages are covered by middle grade, some people saying 9 to 13 is more ideal.) However, the age range is only a suggestion, used mostly by marketers to understand their audience. I, like many other adults, also love to read middle grade. Personally, I find them...

I know we’re nowhere near Halloween but, let’s be honest, every season is spooky season if you want it to be! So, I’m going to share some thoughts about one of my favourite genres to read and write: Gothic Horror. I first discovered it as a genre when I was a teenager being taught at home. Every week, Dad would take me and my sister to the local library and we would pick a book or two to read. One week, I picked an abridged version of Dracula . I loved it so much that I immediately graduated onto the full version, before moving on to The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe . There was something about these stories which completely immersed my imagination, and I think it was how setting is always an extra character in them. I read a piece a couple of weeks ago which was labelled as Gothic, but the setting wasn’t right. It didn’t jump out as one of the characters in the book which was twisting and turning as much as any of the humans (or not-quite-humans!) Whitby is rightly proud of it...

Siggy the Soccer Dog tells the story of a very ordinary sausage dog, who does extraordinary things in his dreams. This charming, very traditional, picturebook story takes the reader on a dreamy adventure in which Siggy is the hero of the hour in a football match. This is a very gentle tale which would make a wonderful bedtime story for any child who loves either football or dogs. There was only one part I wasn't 100% convinced by, and that was the football chant/song which was included, but then I've never been to a live football match and anyone who has  been might tell you that it captured the atmosphere perfectly. The composition of the book is stunning: it is like a work of art. The words dance across the page, accompanied by perfect illustration. I would have loved to be able to take a hard copy of the book into school for my class to enjoy. In summary, an utterly charming story and a book which reflects the magic of dreams. Blurb Siggy looks so cute as he twitches and tur...

Thank you to the Crowvus team for featuring me on your blog! So excited to be able to showcase my books; after all, the next best thing to reading books is admiring them on a shelf! I try to keep my books in a rough order based on genre, and I also have larger books at the bottom of the bookcase and smaller at the top. Is it just me that does this?? Starting from the bottom shelf, I have my chunky hardbacks (hardbacks… so luxurious…). Juliet Marillier’s Sevenwaters series is a fairly recent discovery; set in ancient Ireland where the gods of the forest still hold sway, this is a beautifully complex family saga which has helped inspire my current work in progress. Families tied together by magic, wicked spirits, and undying love – perfect for any hopeless romantic. Also on this shelf is Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall trilogy (useful for picking up medieval details), and the complete Sherlock Holmes – a car-boot find for 50p with lovely, vinyl-like pages. The big black folder at the end is cr...

This is my penultimate (one of my favourite words!) blog as #AuthorOfTheWeek, but I hope you've enjoyed my tips about inspiration and writing. Today, I'm making an offering to the reading community, and giving you a small sample of four novels which are up-and-coming from me over the next couple of years. At the moment, two of them are still nameless and, although the other two already have covers, I'm sworn to secrecy about them! Allow me to introduce you to them! The third book in the Tenterchilt family saga Beginning on the field of Waterloo, this third instalment (although it was actually the fourth one I wrote!) follows the Tenterchilt sisters in a period of peace. But peace is a luxury which is denied to the family, partly owing to ghosts of the past, partly owing to the cruelties of outside forces. Among These Dark Satanic Mills This is a totally new style of writing for me -set in the here and now, which is way out of my usual comfort zone! This boo...

Picture 1: One Notebook of Many I love notebooks, and have many. In fact, at some point I will need a whole room just for holding my notebooks! I have lovely ones that have been gifted to me, or ones that I have bought as souvenirs. I also have some plain exercise books, and these actually tend to have been used more. This picture is of my Projects book - and you're looking at the first page in the Writing section. This is a list of all the stories I have on the go, with some labelled as "finished". The Backwater doesn't appear on here because that was already completed by the time I started the list. Some of these will get finished, but I'm guessing more won't! Still, they are nice to pop back to whenever the mood takes me! Picture 2: Did I Mention...? Exciting! As you will have heard already if you watched my crazy interview , I was absolutely thrilled to bits to be announced as a Finalist in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards.  The Backwater ...

"Childish Spirits" by Rob Keeley "When Ellie and her family move into Inchwood Manor, Ellie quickly discovers strange things are happening. Who is the mysterious boy at the window? What secrets lie within the abandoned nursery? Who is the woman who haunts Ellie's dreams - and why has she returned to the Manor, after more than a century? Ellie finds herself entangled in a Victorian mystery of ghosts and tunnels and secret documents - and discovers that life all those years ago isn't so different from the world she knows today...Rob Keeley's first novel for children brings out all the ingredients of the classic ghost story within a recognisable modern world setting. Readers of his short story collections for children will find in Childish Spirits the elements which made his past books such a success - strong and contemporary characters, inventive twists on traditional themes, and a winning combination of action, suspense and humour." Available from...

What a weekend it has been! The 1st John o' Groats Book Festival has been in the pipeline for a long time, and it certainly lived up to expectations. It started with a bang on Friday. A cartographer was launching her new set of Northern Scotland maps. Sadly, I was at work during this event but I've heard great things about it from people who were there. The cartographer's name is Val Fry and the publisher is Nicolson. The first event I could attend was on the Friday evening when the authors were introduced, including 8 fabulous local authors who each had a 10 minute slot. It was great to see one of the organisers, Ian Leith , start the evening by showing his books. The next author was Virginia Crow, published by Crowvus, who started her talk by showing the Day's Dying Glory book trailer which had people sitting on the edge of their seats. Virginia Crow, author of Day's Dying Glory It was super to hear so many local authors talk about their books, an...

Living with Depression by Nick Weatherhogg Blurb from Goodreads : " It has been estimated that almost one in ten adults and teenagers in the United Kingdom are affected by some form of depressive illness. This is a ten-fold increase in the last seventy years. If this growth were to continue unchecked, then about 95 percent of the population would have depression by the year 2100. It is further believed that depression will be the number 1 health problem worldwide by the year 2030. And yet for every three sufferers, less than 5 is spent each year on research. At least a half of all sufferers never seek any form of medical or psychiatric intervention. The origin of depression can be situational or biochemical or a combination of many different factors. People do not choose to become depressed, but they do choose how they are going to deal with it and what they will do. A range of treatments are available as standard, ranging from medication to talking therapies, but vari...

Night of the Victorian Dead by Amber Michelle Cook "Night of the Victorian Dead" Book Cover "Inspired by beloved works of literature from Charlotte Bronte, Charles Dickens and Jane Austen, and in tribute to the delightful terror of first encountering classic undead creatures comes Night of the Victorian Dead, in which a rich collection of characters - with the endearing manners, gentility and sensibilities of that era - meet the unthinkable horror of an outbreak of the supernatural in the form of Re-risen Dead." 3 Stars When I got the review request for this novel, the first thing I thought was "Oh no. I hate zombies!" It's not that I have anything against zombies (I'm sure some of them are very decent) but ever since my sister used to chase me around the room in a Hallowe'en mask pretending to be a zombie, I have been really scared of them. I'm pleased I agreed to review this book, however. It is a really interesting ...

"The Storyteller" Book Cover The Storyteller by Chris Trotter " It's just another summer holiday at the caravan park, and thirteen-year-old Jamie is feeling unloved, unwanted and thoroughly confused. With a recovering alcoholic mother, unresponsive sister Lauren, and aggressive father, he has little to celebrate. But at the park's funfair, a hidden secret comes to light which will change his and Lauren's lives forever. Reeling from this disclosure, Jamie stumbles into a never-explored area of the park. Here he meets a gypsy whose gift in storytelling might give him the insight to support his  sister when she most needs it and help the teenager make sense of his life. Or is that lives? In this innovative first novel by Chris Trotter, The Storyteller explores the poignancy of friendship and love, and how in the cycle of life, there may be more than one chance to make things right. Using a unique blend of traditional fiction and fantasy, Chri...

Happy Weekend, Teachers! Have a lesson plan for a suggested class novel to celebrate. If you'd like to read a bit about the novel, click here . "Children of Green Knowe" by Lucy Boston The Curriculum Experience and Outcome for this lesson is: I am developing an interest, confidence and enjoyment in using drawing and colour techniques, manually or electronically, to represent ideas in different learning situations. TCH 1-15a Having evaluated my work, I can adapt and improve, where appropriate, through trial and error or by using feedback. TCH 1-14b / TCH 2-14b This novel is all centred around the castle-like house Green Knowe. It is a very old house which has been added to at various times in history. Because the house and the garden are the setting for the entire story, there is a lot of description of the rooms, and the outside of the house itself. Test your class' design skills with this lesson. Learning Intention To understand how to u...