It seems that Children's Publishing in Ireland is going through a golden age and long may it last. The announcement of a new Laureate Na Nóg; Eoin Colfer and Marie Louise Fitzpatrick winning the CBI award have both brought Irish books for children into the limelight. However there is so much more going on in the world of publishing for children at the moment, especially for older children and teens and it seems O'Brien Press are in the vanguard. O'Brien publish Erika McGann who has recently won a UK books award for The Demon Notebook which was also chosen for a nationwide UK schools reading programme. They also publish Sheila Agnew's debut Evie Brooks is Marooned in Manhattan the first of a series which is getting fantastic reviews and great coverage in the media. Another outstanding O'Brien author is Nicola Pierce whose latest book City Of Fate was recently picked as a Lovereading book of the month. O'Brien have also branched into the YA market with the incredibly successful Missing Ellen by Natasha Mac a 'Bhaird pitched in today's Irish Independent as a a teen "Gone Girl" and the award winning Rebecca series by Anna Carey. Later in the year O'Brien will be releasing a fantastic YA Fantasy series based in Dublin from Ruth Long and bound to appeal to fans of former CBI winner Celine Kiernan.
Not to be left behind Poolbeg have brought out some fantastic non fiction titles the In a Nutshell series of Irish myths and legends. These will soon by followed by a new historical title from Claire Hennesey called Seeds of Liberty. Little Island champion some fantastic fiction in translation as well as home grown talent like Sheena Wilkinson and the amazing YA author Deirdre Sullivan. Mercier meanwhile have been quietly publishing the brilliantly written Arthur Quinn series by Alan Early which are perfect for fans of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson and deserve more attention.
I am only mentioning a fraction of what is out there and I think the efforts of all the writers and publishers working in children's books is enormous. Thanks to you all for producing such brilliant books.
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