Signed Independent Bookshop Edition of Hunt for the Golden Scarab with sprayed edges

At the end of January 2025 my brand new time travelling adventure series, TIME KEYS, is launched. I cannot wait for you to read it.

To celebrate the wondrous independent bookshops up and down the country, my publishers are printing a limited run of books will gorgeous sprayed notation edges.

To be sure to get one for you bookshelf, you’ll have to pre-order from your local bookshop.

If you would like a super extra special DEDICATED one, then you can pre-order from my local bookshop, Book Nook Hove. I will be popping into the shop in the week before publication to sign and dedicate all your books.

So if you know a young reader who enjoys non-stop adventures, why not pre-order NOW!

Hunt for the Golden Scarab - Cover Reveal

The Hunt for the Golden Scarab pack shot

It is with deep gratitude and enourmous delight, that I can finally reveal artist Manuel Sumberac’s incredible cover for my new book, HUNT FOR THE GOLDEN SCARAB, the first in the TIME KEYS series.

I can also share some of Manuel’s dramatic internal artwork, which perfectly illustrates the story. There are around forty of these spectacular illustrations through-out the book. My publishers, Macmillan Children’s Books, have done an amazing job. I’m beyond excited for readers to dive in.

You can pre-order a special SIGNED first edition of this book from Waterstones NOW.

M. G. Leonard’s new series: TIME KEYS

I am unbearably excited to finally be able to tell you about a top secret writing project that I’ve been working on for the past two years.

Ever since I first learned of string theory, the concept of time travel and music has been linked in my imagination. That was the first seed of an idea that has grown into my newest project.

Next year, I’m launching an epic new adventure series of books called TIME KEYS. The first book will be published in January 2025 and is titled HUNT FOR THE GOLDEN SCARAB.

This is the most ambitious series I’ve ever written and will be illustrated throughout by the incredible Manuel Sumberac. I really hope you’re going to love it.

For all the juicy details please read the official press release below.

Page one of press release

page two of press release

NFL Reading Challenge 2024

As part of the neev literature festival 2024 in India, I’m taking part in the young readers Reading Challenge. They are reading The Ice Children and I did an online event with them asking me questions about my modern fairy story.

I really enjoyed this event. The readers had some truly great questions to ask me. If you’d like me to read you a short passage from The Ice Children and are interested in my answers, you can watch the thirty minute event here.

M. G. Leonard at Hay Festival 2024

I had a wonderful time at the brilliant Hay Festival.

I was on the schools programme this year and had the absolute pleasure of talking to nearly 2000 children about birds and books.

I also had the honour of chairing Antony Horowitz’s event, which was so brilliant because everyone in my home loves the Alex Rider books. He’s a bit of hero to us.

My favourite part of the festival was meeting lots of wonderful young readers who really knew their birds, and plenty more who were excited to discover the wonderful world of birds.

I want to thank all the brilliant people who work so hard to make Hay Festival such a celebration of books. It truly is a great festival and I’m proud to have taken part in it.

Watch M. G. Leonard on BBC Authors Live

I had a lovely time in Glasgow with Scottish Book Trust and the BBC sharing my love of birds and talking about The Twitchers series. If you were unable you tune in to the live broadcast, don’t worry, the program is now on iPlayer and will be for the foreseeable future. WATCH NOW.

If you are a teacher and reading the books in your classroom, you may prefer to access the program via the Book Trust website, where it’s cut into small chunks and accompanied by suggested learning activities and resources connected to the books. LINK HERE.

The Ice Children Shortlisted for Sheffield Children's Book Award 2024

The Ice Children has made it onto the shortlist for the Sheffield Children’s Book Award Shortlist 2024. This is such a wonderful award, run by the Schools Library service in Sheffield. I’m delighted that t The Ice Children, my frosty magical homage to winter, has been shortlisted in the Shorter Novels for 9-11 year olds category with two other fantastic books. I cannot wait to go to the Crucible Theatre for the award ceremony. Keep your fingers crossed for me and Penny Neville Lee the illustrator.

If you want to find out more about the award, follow this link.

BBC Authors Live - M. G. Leonard - Thursday 9 May 2024

I will be bringing my love of birds, storytelling, reading and detective mysteries to BBC Scotland, in partnership with the Scottish Book Trust, for Authors Live!

If you are a teacher or home educator in Scotland, you can watch the live stream in your classrooms when it’s first broadcast. And if you are outside of Scotland, the program will be available on the iPlayer to all of the UK for at least a year. It will be available to everyone to watch.

Authors Live is a series of world class children’s author and illustrator events brought directly to your classroom, library or home for free, live on the web. There are live events available to watch on demand from authors, including Cressida Cowell, Joseph Coelho and Mark Bradley. MORE HERE

M. G. Leonard on Sky News talking about the importance of World Book Day.

It was a delight to be invited to Sky News to talk about the great work World Book Day does to promote reading for pleasure, along with fellow author Will Mabbet.

Right now, growing numbers of children don’t own even one book, and literacy levels are sinking among those struggling in a cost of living crisis. Schools have had budgets slashed to the bone and cannot afford a library, let alone a librarian, and councils are closing public libraries. Is it any wonder that fewer than three in ten children are reading daily?

Reading is the single most beneficial and life-altering skill a person can learn. It certainly changed my life and I’m grateful for it.

A special thanks goes out to Sketchley Hill school who gave me permission to use photographs from my visit on World Book Day this year. I had a great time plotting crimes with their pupils, reading to them, and sharing the joy of reading.

Come with me to The Island of Brilliant!

There’s a brilliant island, far far away, where the wonderful author illustrator Nadia Shireen lies in a hammock reading books and chatting about them with her cast away friend Frank Cottrell Boyce. This week I jumped on an underground steam train and paid them a visit. I brought a hamper of treats and as we ate them we talked about writing stories, our new favourite reads, and how hard it is to do magic tricks. I would have loved to stay longer, but I had to steam away to get ready for World Book Day,

World Book Day 2024

Every year, it is a huge joy to see your wonderful costumes on World Book Day.

I like to celebrate readers’ awesomeness by gathering the images I’m sent online into a gallery so that you know that I’ve seen your costumes and how wonderful they are! This year the costumes were off the chart levels of amazing. I’m truly blown away.

I hope you all had a wonderful World Book Day!

If you dressed up as a character from one of my books this year, I would like to thank you, because I am honoured that you have enjoyed my stories enough to make this effort to create a costume, and it makes me so happy to see them.

If you want to send me a picture to add to the gallery, you can post it on a social media platform and @ me in or email it to info@mgleonard.com

The Ice Children audiobook is nominated for an AUDIE in America

The Ice Children has been shortlisted for an Audie Award in America!

The Audie Awards are American awards given out by the Audio Publishers Association for achievements in excellence (performance and production). You can learn more here.

I am over the moon that The Ice Children has been nominated in the UK-produced books category. It’s a wild list of finalists. The books are all so different. I have no idea how they choose a winner. Considering the competition I have realistic expectations about not winning, but it’s a wonder to me that The Ice Children is a part of the mix. I’m so pleased because I love what Audible has done with the story. The music, the acting, and the production are all so creative and, I believe, first-class.

Keep your fingers crossed for us!