The Highland Falcon Thief is nominated for the 2023 Sakura Medal in Japan

I’m delighted to discover that The Highland Falcon Thief has been nominated for the 2023 Sukura Medal in Japan.

The Sakura Medal program brings together students from international schools across Japan each year to vote for their favourite books. The mission of the Sakura medal award program is to create a community of lifelong readers in international schools in Japan. They aim for a diverse selection of fantastic and engaging books. You can learn more HERE.

Winners of the Sakura Medal are awarded a certificate, a medal, and an original piece of art by a student.

Keep your fingers crossed for us.

Cromwell Bottom Open Day 2022

I had the pleasure of attending the Cromwell Bottom nature reserve open day this weekend. I was their guest of honour, because Cromwell Bottom is the inspiration for Aves Wood (from my Twitchers books). If you don’t know it, Cromwell Bottom is a beautiful slice of heaven between Elland and Brighouse in Calderdale, Yorkshire.

I met lots of wonderful nature lovers and eager readers at the open day. I gave a select few a sneak peek of what they can expect in SPARK, the second in The Twitchers series, which comes out this September.

A personal highlight for me was meeting Kevin, the falconer who brought some incredible birds to the event. Here I am pictured with Mozart the falcon and Meg the Bengal eagle owl.

The Highland Falcon Thief wins the FCBG Younger Readers Award.

The Highland Falcon Thief won the Federation of Children’s Book Groups younger readers award! This is one of the most special awards a children’s author can win because it’s voted for by all the children in the book groups. Often prizes and awards are judged by learned adults, but to be awarded a prize by the people you actually write the book for is meaningful to me. It means I’m doing a good job, and that’s the best feeling in the world.

Sadly the award ceremony was cancelled because of the rail strikes, so the party has been postponed until later in the year, when I hope to meet our readers and thank them for this great honour. It’s really made my week.

Find out more about the FCBG awards here.

TWITCH is long-listed for the James Cropper Wainwright Prize 2022

It is with utter delight, I can tell you that TWITCH has been long-listed for the Wainwright Prize for Children’s writing on nature and conservation! This prize is a special one. Every year I read the shortlists and grow.

This means such a lot to me - and I’m humbled to be included. Massive congratulations to all the other long listees!

This long list features writers I respect, admire and - to be honest - fangirl over. I don't know how anyone picks a winner. I certainly couldn't.

You can find out more about the prize and the other books that are long-listed here.

KEY DATES: 

  • The Prize shortlists will be announced on 28th July at Foyles, London.

  • The Prize winners will be announced live on 7th September at the London Wetlands Centre.

Audible commissions a winter fairytale from M. G. Leonard!

I’ve got deliciously wintery news for audiobook fans. I’ve been working with Audible to create a magical Christmas present for you. You’ll be able to make a cup of hot chocolate, settle by the fireside and listen to The Ice Children with your family from November 2022. I cannot wait for you to hear it.

In 2023, Macmillan will be transforming this story into an exquisite book ready for Christmas stockings.

More exciting news concerning the project will be coming soon, so watch this space!

THE TWITCHERS book 2 is called SPARK

I’m very excited to be able to announce that there will be more books in THE TWITCHERS series. The second book will be called SPARK and published at the beginning of September.

The title is a reference to the Spark Bird - the bird that sparks an interest in birding, that opens your eyes to the wonder of birds & nature. A pivotal moment in which your world is changed. And this story is about Jack.

You can preorder a personalised, signed and dedicated, copy from my local children’s bookshop Book Nook Hove here. They will post to anywhere in the UK.

TWITCH wins Best Crime Fiction Novel for Children 2022

I’m utterly delighted to learn that today Twitch won the Best Crime Fiction Novel for Children 2022 at the CrimeFest awards.

I really enjoy plotting adventures and crimes in my stories, so this award means a lot. I hope my readers have intriguing and surprising journey through my books. I’m delighted when they do.

There will be more crime thwarted in September when the second book in The Twitchers series is published.

I’d like to say a hearty thank you to all involved with the Crime Fest awards and my wonderful publishers Walker Books.

You can learn more about the Crime Fest Awards here.

The Highland Falcon Thief wins Belgium's Young Jury Prize!

De Juwelen Dief (The Highland Falcon Thief), translated by Marce Noordenbos and published by De Fontein has been voted the best children's book by reading groups of 10-12 year-olds winning Belgium's Young Jury Prize in its category! Sam and I were delighted by the news and he was able to pop over to Antwerp and pick up the award.

The Reading Jury is the largest young reading club in Flanders and Brussels. No fewer than 11,690 children and young people between the ages of 4 and 18 read and voted for their favourite books in the past year.

Each year, from September to April, children and young people read and discuss six or eight books and choose their winners. In each of the seven age categories, the book with the most votes wins. The children and young readers come together in groups in schools and libraries, or they can vote as an internet jury member.  You can learn more about it here.

Cover Reveal for The Arctic Railway Assassin

COVER REVEAL

COVER REVEAL

Behold Elisa Paganelli’s stunning cover for the 6th book in the Adventures on Trains series, The Arctic Railway Assassin. It will be arriving in bookshops in the UK on the 13th of October 2022, but you can pre-order your copy from Waterstones right now.

The bestselling, prize-winning Adventures on Trains series embarks on a thrilling sixth adventure as Harrison Beck and Uncle Nat climb aboard the night train to Narvik, travelling to the Arctic Circle to see the northern lights for Christmas.

But as their train leaves Stockholm, Hal and Uncle Nat realize they're being followed by a sinister figure, and Hal's powers of observation are tested when Uncle Nat's past comes back to haunt him. Journeying into the never-ending night of the arctic winter, our railway detectives must outsmart an assassin in their most chilling adventure yet, in which nothing is as it seems.

The Arctic Railway Assassin can be read as a stand-alone novel, or enjoyed as part of the award-winning Adventures on Trains series. Join Hal and Uncle Nat on more stops in this thrilling series with: Murder on the Safari Star, Danger at Dead Man's Pass and Sabotage on the Solar Express.

PRIX ENFANTAISIE - Le vol du Highland Falcon

The French edition of the Highland Falcon Thief, translated by Lilas Nord and published by Nathan, has won the Prix enfantaisie 2022!

I am so delighted, in particular, because the prize is voted for by the readers, of which there were over four-thousand-eight-hundred children in Switzerland, which means a hell of a lot to a children’s author.

Another reason that this is such an exciting award to win, is that a story often sinks or swims around the world on the strength of its translation, and so this award really is for Lilas Nord’s translation. It’s wonderful to know that they did such a good job, especially because they have more books to work on coming soon!

So a huge thank you goes to our French translator, Lilas Nord, and our French publisher, Nathan, and especially to all the readers who voted. I hope you continue to read Mysteres Sur Les Rails!

You can FIND OUT MORE HERE.

Twitch shortlisted for the CRIMEFEST 2022 awards!

I was delighted to discover today that Twitch, my story about a birdwatching detective, has been shortlisted for the CRIMEFEST awards, in the category of Best Crime Fiction Novel for Children.

Every book on the list is excellent and Twitch is up against some heavy hitters, so I’ll keep my fingers crossed, but I’m on cloud nine to have made the shortlist.

You can read more about the awards here.

World Book Day 2022

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

Sabotage on the Solar Express steams into Bestseller list.

I am astonished and delighted by the response to the newest Adventures on Trains mystery, Sabotage on the Solar Express. It steamed straight into the children’s Bestseller list, selling more copies than any of the other books in their first week.

I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who has pre-ordered, reviewed, purchased, sold, recommended and read our fifth book in this series. You are the people who put the book onto the bestseller list and I am very grateful.