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So you’ve written your children’s novel – or perhaps you’re planning on writing one before our 18 December deadline! – but either way you’re probably curious about what we’re looking for. Here’s a little info on past winners for an insight into who, and what, has won in the past … (more…)

April has been a really exciting month for us at Chicken House HQ - not only have we announced the winner of the 2015 Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition, but we've also got four brand new books publishing!

SALT & STONE by Victoria Scott (12+)

One hundred and twenty-two began. Only sixty-four remain.
Tella's made it through the first terrains of the Brimstone Bleed - but the contest isn't over yet. If she wants to save her brother, she must face oceans and icy mountains, all for the chance of winning the Cure.
And even if Tella survives these deadly places, the greatest threat will still be her fellow Contenders - even the ones she trusts the most ...

The explosive sequel to FIRE & FLOOD is finally here! A must-read for all YA fans, SALT & STONE is an action-packed journey which will leave you on the edge of your seat all the way to the end. You'll read it in one sitting!

Follow Victoria Scott on Twitter: @victoriascottya

IF YOU WERE ME by Sam Hepburn (12+)

Not long after Aliya's family escapes Afghanistan for Britain, her brother is accused of a bomb attack. Aliya is sure of his innocence, but when plumber's son Dan finds a gun in their bathroom, what's she to think?
Dan has his own reasons for staying silent: he's worried the gun might have something to do with his dad. Thrown together by chance, the two of them set out to uncover a tangled and twisted truth.

From award-winning author Sam Hepburn comes an exciting new teen crime mystery following two teenagers who face the very real issues of contemporary London. You can also get your hands on a beautiful new edition of Sam's first books, CHASING THE DARK, this month too!

Follow Sam Hepburn on Twitter: @sam_osman_books

THE BIG WISH by Brandon Robshaw (9+)

Eleven-year-old Sam has a problem. Well, quite a few problems. So when he sees a shooting star, he naturally wishes on it - for a million wishes. Of course, he doesn't expect the wish to come true, but somehow it does.

Sam has fun experimenting with wishes - he can change anything he wants. But then he discovers that changing stuff has consequences he hadn't anticipated. And what's the point of doing anything, if you can just wish for it and make it happen?

A story that will make you laugh out loud as well as think about the big themes behind it! THE BIG WISH combines comic fantasy and exciting ideas to create a perfect read - what in the world would you wish for?

Follow Brandon Robshaw on Twitter: @brandonrobshaw

THE SOUND OF WHALES by Kerr Thomson (10+)

Three children are spending their summer on a wild Scottish island. Fraser is desperate for adventure and Hayley is fed up she's even there, while Dunny spends his days staring out to sea. He hasn't said a word in years.

But everything changes with the discovery of two bodies on the beach: a whale and a man. Fraser and Hayley see a mystery-adventure to be solved, but Dunny is inconsolable. And in the end, it will take someone who listens to the sea to put it right.

Winner of the 2014 Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition, THE SOUND OF WHALES is a classic story that explores the importance of our environment, our relationship with animals and how the truth isn't always straightforward. A magical adventure set on the Scottish coast!

Follow Kerr Thomson on Twitter: @kerr_thomson

Follow Chicken House on Twitter: @chickenhsebooks

Kerr Thomson is a teacher of geography in Glasgow.

After studying geography at universities in Glasgow and Arkansas he worked at various jobs in various places including hospitals, sports centres and country parks, but eventually could resist no longer and entered the teaching profession, which is something of a family business. He has taught in several schools in Manchester and the west of Scotland.

He enjoys cycling and runs an occasional half-marathon. In every place and at every time he has always written stories.

Kerr Thomson, the 2014 Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition winner, shares his experience of being published ... (more…)