Just yards away from where George Michael ‘whammed’ into a wall in his jeep, Tamarind launched its first novel.  Author Ken Howard’s local Waterstone’s on Hampstead High Street hosted the event, with posters displayed in the windows and 70 books ordered for sale and signing. The beautiful upstairs space was opened up and librarians, booksellers, supporters and friends gathered to celebrate The Young Chieftain.

From Ken Howard’s blog piece ‘Launched‘:

“Verna Wilkins, spoke movingly about her 23 year struggle to provide books for a multicultural society and quoted a glowing commendation for the imprint from Children’s Laureate, Michael Rosen.  Commissioning Editor Patsy Isles brought the company up to date with its first fiction title - The Young Chieftain - and I told the story of how it had originally been conceived as a movie with the giant Disney Corporation…

Suddenly it felt like the book  was really published and my Young Chieftain was setting out, hopefully to survive and prosper in a tough world.”

All the books sold out that evening, and The Young Chieftain remains among the Top 10 bestsellers in the shop. Thanks to all the staff at Waterstone’s Hampstead, to Adam, Boji and Daniel for their superb reading, to Jonathan Ricks for the photographs and to everyone who made this a warm and inspiring event.

We were delighted when, further to her charming review of The Young Chieftain, book blogger Tricia conducted an incisive interview with its author, Ken Howard. How did Ken conjure up his teen hero, Jamie MacDoran? Does he envisage ‘Young Chieftain tours’ of the Scottish Isles? Find out on Tricia’s blog, Black Book News.

Everyone in the office was shocked to hear yesterday that we’d had a chieftain in our midst all this time. Here is one of our colleagues at Random House in his role as the youthful chieftain of the McQuarrie clan in the TV show ‘Good Guys’. Who knew?

Become the darling of your reading group, or start one, by winning 8 copies of  The Young Chieftain! Share the book and discuss the themes of heritage, legend and leadership woven into the pacey story. Click through to the ReadersPlace website to enter.

Only three weeks to go til publication!
For those who still don’t know what the fuss is about, author Ken Howard reads a gripping extract from the forthcoming page-turner, The Young Chieftain.

Click for more about the book.

Click to watch the trailer.

Tamarind’s first fiction title release is fast approaching. For over 20 years, children have grown up with our sumptuous, fun and diverse picture books. Now, The Young Chieftain  provides the next step in their reading journey.

But all the images are not lost… Enjoy this book trailer by the BAFTA and EMMY nominated author Ken Howard.