In advance of publication of her new book Boys Don’t Cry, Malorie Blackman stopped by our office. She reminded us why she writes best-selling titles starring black protagonists.

Click to find out more about Boys Don’t Cry.

We love all our books, but if you need recommendations, here they are: 10 books every library and school must have! Click on the titles to find out more.

10
Dave and the Tooth Fairy

Themes: jobs, losing teeth, Down’s Syndrome, wheelchair use, fairies

9
Choices, Choices…

Themes: jobs, poetry, humour

8
Amina and the Shell

Themes:  climate change, giants, agriculture

7
The Day the Rains Fell

Themes:  environment, water, creation, animals, African jewellery and pottery

6
The Silence Seeker

Themes:  immigration, making friends, noises and silence, urban life, ESL, SEN

5
Miss Bubble’s Troubles

Themes:  humour, poetry, school, hospital, pets

4
Ferris Fleet the Wheelchair Wizard

Themes:  space, humour, wheelchair use, single-parent family, working mums, moving house 

3
Accessible biographies of well-loved icons

Themes:  Black History Month, non-fiction, biography, careers

2
Spike and Ali Enson

Themes:  humour, aliens, sibling rivalry, adoption

1
The Young Chieftain

Themes:  dual heritage, bereavement, family history, responsibility

And a little something for bed time…
The Night the Lights Went Out

A soothing, lyrical story for anyone who’s afraid of the dark.

Tamarind Books staff were swamped at the NUT Black Teachers Conference, selling £400 worth of books in just 30 minutes. Eager teachers were three people deep around the Tamarind stand during the first break of the annual conference at Stoke Rochford Hall in Lincolnshire, with popular titles such as Barack Obama, Malorie Blackman and Benjamin Zephaniah selling out by the end of the day. All 140 delegates also received a Tamarind catalogue as part of their conference pack.

Over 100 books were sold, making it Tamarind’s most successful year as an exhibitor at the event. “Your stand was so popular I thought you were giving the books away for free!” said one teacher later in the day. A testament to the lure of Tamarind…

Tamarind’s first activity pack is now available for free in hard copy and to download. The pack includes six pages of activities with a maze, word games and quizzes, plus a double-sided poster.

Each sheet is connected to one or more Tamarind titles:

Choices, Choices… and What Will I Be? for 5+
The Silence Seeker for 7+
The Black Stars biographies for 9+

The pack is proving to be a popular resource for primary teachers, parents and librarians. Packs are also distributed at events and by Readathon, Askews Library Services and Peters Library Services. Email info@tamarindbooks.co.uk for hard copies.