TYGER USA!

Calling all American readers! I am beyond excited to announce that my new book TYGER will be published in the USA this July by Penguin Workshop!  It's already available for pre-order - you can find all the links on this publishers page for it - where you can also read an extract from Chapter One!

I'm delighted that it has the same cover art and interior illustrations by Dave McKean as the beautiful UK edition.  

And it has already received its first review – a wonderful starred review from ALA Booklist, who describe it as "an amazing fantasy that will change its readers"!  You can read it all on the Booklist website - and here's a screenshot:

World Book Day 2025

Every year, I am amazed and inspired to see all the ways that people celebrate books on World Book Day!  It's a wonderful thing for a writer to see.  So here are some of the things that I've seen (and one of things that I've done!) this year...

Here's a very proud reading ambassador on her way to school!

[image or embed]

— Helen Smith (@wordsmith.bsky.social) March 6, 2025 at 8:28 AM

Happy World Book Day 📚🌎 Varjak Paw & Lucia are inseparable! @whatSFSaid @EnglishMalmesb1 @malmesburypri 🐈‍⬛ pic.twitter.com/rhtd1TDXZd

— Dr Alessandra Pino (@Dr_Alessandra_P) March 6, 2025

UKS2 are enjoying a live virtual event with the amazing @whatSFSaid #WorldBookDay #Booktalk #Readingforpleasure #readingisoursuperpower pic.twitter.com/yMG0zrZfZZ

— Duke Street Primary (@DukeStPrimary) March 6, 2025

Diolch and thank you to @whatSFSaid #GPSClass11 have been so inspired by your session this morning with lots of brilliant questions. @WorldBookDayUK #wbd2025 pic.twitter.com/wzyTMq7OZH

— Gaer Primary School (@GaerPrimary) March 6, 2025

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Alessandra Pino (@dr_alessandra_pino)

Our school does #WorldBookDay on a Friday so today is photo of child with one of our cats being inspired by @whatSFSaid Varjak Paw but in keeping with character the cat in the photo is actually Varjak’s brother as he was off on an adventure! pic.twitter.com/KSdp0k4kFD

— Penny Morgan (@penny_morgan) March 7, 2025

Look at these amazing T-shirt designs inspired by one of our Year 4 core texts ‘Varjak Paw’ by author @whatSFSaid to celebrate #worldbookday2025 @McAuliffeSteph @CNicholson_Edu @LiftSchools @Literacy_Trust pic.twitter.com/rC0pIrlFKa

— North Ormesby Primary Academy (@N_O_P_A) March 6, 2025

 

For World Book Day I honoured my mesopotamian feline hero Varjak Paw by @whatsfsaid.bsky.social And unlike Varjak I stayed indoors ...

[image or embed]

— Little Miss Contrary (@eimanmunro.bsky.social) March 7, 2025 at 4:33 PM

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tyndale Community School (@tyndalecommunityschool)

 

Book characters - Winnie the Witch, Stick Man, Varjak Paw, Kiki, Anne of Green Gables, The Cat in the Hat, Kitty, Where's Wally, The Moon, Agent Moose, Queen of Hearts, Meg ( Meg and Mog) and Thing 1 and Thing 2 - took over Wandsworth Children's Libraries!#worldbookday2025 pic.twitter.com/VkbRJWOn2U

— Earlsfield Library (@Better_EarlsLib) March 9, 2025

Author Visits: Ark Byron Primary Academy & Ark Priory Primary Academy

I'd like to say a huge THANK YOU to the brilliant librarian Jennifer Ong and the fantastic booksellers of Waterstones Chiswick for organising my first school visit of the year – and to all the children and teachers at Ark Byron and Ark Priory Primary Academies for the wonderful welcome they gave me when I visited them last week!

I had the pleasure of talking to Years 6, 5 and 4 in both schools about reading and writing and books.  It was amazing to see that a lot of them had already read one or more of my books, from Varjak Paw to Tyger.  They were clearly fantastic readers, and I was very impressed at the range of reading they had done - a tribute to the work of their wonderful school librarian!

It was such an inspiring thing for a writer to see so much enthusiasm for books – and there were many more questions than we had time to answer on the day.  So if anyone who was at the visit has a question they would still like to ask, just leave me a comment below!

It was also a total pleasure to sign books for everyone who had ordered one, via the brilliant Waterstones booksellers.  So thank you to them again for organising this visit – and HAPPY READING to everyone at Ark Byron and Ark Priory!  

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ark Byron Primary School Library (@arkbyronlibrary)