By Parul Bavishi – Editor 

It seems that every day I’m adding to the list of fans for Now is the Time For Running by Michael Williams. This book was acquired quietly, thus without an auction or much fanfare so perhaps you haven’t heard of it… yet. Of course, it can be fun (and nerve-racking*) to win a book in a heated auction, but there is a particular delight in acquiring a book quietly, like finding a precious gemstone which you slip into your pocket and treasure, sure that you will delight everyone when they finally see it…And delighted they are:

Today I received a lovely email from the latest fan, Jason Wallace, who said: Thank you for letting me read it, that said, I did find it quite difficult keeping my enthusiasm down to a minimum number of words!!!!. Jason’s quote (see below) will join the inimitable Bali Rai whose quote will also feature on the front cover. And there’s more: Michael Williams has fans at the Bookseller, Bookbag, Goodreads and Kirkus. That comes on top of a marketing, sales and publicity team who have phoned and emailed me to say that they were touched by Michael’s writing, that they shed tears and that they simply love the book. High praise indeed – our sales team don’t cry easily.

 With all this good will, what next? Well, the book hasn’t been published in the UK yet, so we wait and hope that it will find a home in the hearts and bookshelves of those who love children’s and YA literature. As a reader, an editor, I wish this with all my heart.

 *obviously not nerve-racking like heart surgery but for the delicate sensibilities of an editor, auctions can be rather heart pounding.

 REVIEWS SO FAR  

 The triumph of human endeavour against a harrowing landscape… A gripping, powerful tale that will more than touch your soul. Quite simply, this story needs to be read. Jason Wallace

A wonderfully written, thought-provoking novel that brings the grim reality of life for ordinary Zimbabweans into sharp focus. It deserves a wide audience. Bali Rai

Heartbreaking, unputdownable tale of prejudice, resilience and brotherly love.  Fiona Noble, Bookseller

I found this story incredibly troubling and moving; Deo and Innocent will stay with you.  Clare Poole, Bookseller

 Extremely powerful and it wrings every possible emotion out of its readers. The football is as exhilarating to read about as it is for Deo to play. Bookbag

 Gripping, suspenseful and deeply compassionate. Kirkus Review

 Wonderful. A must-read for anyone who loves international YA fiction . . . very brave. Goodreads

Camp Gold: Running Stars and Camp Gold: Going for Gold by Christine Ohuruogu (June)

 Just in time for the London Olympics is the exciting new Camp Gold series.  Written by British running champion Christine Ohuruogu, Running Stars and Going for Gold follow the story of Maxine – a young girl with an extraordinary running talent. 

Maxine is crazy about sports and is thrilled to be going to Camp Gold, an elite sports summer camp. At the camp she meets good friends, cute boys and, best of all, she discovers her hidden talent – running. Soon she’s training for the Nationals, which will be watched by Olympic champions. It’s tough but it’ll be worth it if she wins. Then the pranks start and her things go missing.  Someone is out to sabotage her chance of winning…

 This series is set to kick start the summer with a bang.  We can’t wait.

 Tamarind Stars: Sporting Heroes  (June)

Also in June comes Sporting Heroes.  This title is from our Tamarind Stars series and will provide a fun guide to today’s sporting heroes. What does an Olympic champion eat for breakfast? How can you become the fastest runner in the world?  This book is full of interesting facts and never seen photos of some of the best-known sporting heroes including boxer Amir Khan and runners Mo Farah and Christine Ohuruogu.

 This exciting book will inspire young people to follow their sporting dreams. 

 Now is the Time for Running by Michael Williams (June)

A striking, page-turning novel about the plight of young Zimbabwean refugees and the power of brotherly love.

Meet Deo: a great footballer, a fierce protector of his older brother, Innocent
Meet Innocent: easily nervous, easily happy and good at keeping score on the dusty fields of Zimbabwe where they boys play.

When the soldiers come, they destroy the only home they’ve ever known. Now Deo has nothing but his brother, and a football stuffed with billions of worthless dollars. And so starts their journey to find their father. But with soldiers everywhere, they have only one chance to cross the border, one chance to escape.

 This is an incredibly emotional and important book. We defy anyone not to hold back the tears as they read about the incredible journey of Deo and Innocent as they flee the violence and corruption that has taken over their home. This harrowing story is based on the true accounts of Zimbabwean refugees.

Nina and the Travelling Spice Shed by Madhvi Ramani (October)

 Follow Nina on a magical adventure as she enters her Aunt’s spice shed and ends up finding her self in the bustling and colourful streets of India. But how will she get home? A charming series featuring a feisty heroine who finds herself on a set of thrilling and unexpected missions.

This is a fun and uplifting tale for children of 5+.

 Spike in Space by Malaika Rose Stanley (September)

A feel-good story which explores the theme of ‘being different’ with refreshing warmth and humour. This is a brilliantly funny sequel to the 2010 Spike and Ali Enson filled with quirky illustrations and plenty of slapstick moments.

Depicting an adoptive, multicultural family, this story deals with issues of bullying and challenging stereotypes. 

To celebrate a successful year, we at Tamarind Books are running a competition to encourage new writing for fiction and picture books.

How to enter

Fiction

To enter email an A4 page outline of your story and two chapters to tamarindbooks@gmail.com.

Picture Books

Please send the text through (no longer than 600 words)

Note: We are not accepting illustrations – just text

Dates

The competition runs from Dec 20^th 2011 through to midnight January 31^st 2012

Prizes

Two entries will be chosen for a professional review and will also receive a copy of the Writers and Artist’s Yearbook 2012.

Rules

• All entries must follow the Tamarind ethos. Please see the ‘About Us’ section on the Tamarind website
• This must be on a word document, double spaced in font size 10
• We can accept no more than 2 submissions per entrant

Good Luck!

Meera Syal commented, ‘What can be more important in building a love of reading, than for children to see themselves reflected in the books they read? As a writer and mother, the ethos of Tamarind is close to my heart and I’m proud to be a supporter of its achievements and future ambitions.’

Jamila Gavin added, ‘I am very proud to be an ambassador for Tamarind Books. I have always believed that children need to see their mirror image. As a dedicated publisher reflecting our multicultural society, Tamarind do just that.’

Jamila Gavin

Michael Rosen also commented, ‘Part of the way we can progress as a society is to find out about each other, find out each other’s histories, and find out the tragedies and injustices alongside the moments of great achievements. Tamarind has done just this. Tirelessly, patiently, in the face of what has at times been indifference, Tamarind has gone on producing books that inform, educate, delight and amuse. We are extremely lucky to have them amongst us.’

Michael Rosen

It is an exciting time for Tamarind Books.  In addition to our new patrons, we have a new look website and logo, a fantastic new team and of course, some wonderful new titles coming up.  

Random House Children’s Books MD, Philippa Dickinson, commented, ‘We have expanded our fiction list for Tamarind and have exciting plans over the coming year. The team is thrilled about the support of our Patrons. It’s an honour to add their voices and names to our list.’

Tamarind was set up by Verna Wilkins in 1987 when she found that her young children believed that only white children could feature in children’s books. Since then it has produced high quality books featuring children from all backgrounds.

Verna Wilkins - Founder of Tamarind Books

For the past fifteen years, Tamarind books have been featured on BBC children’s television, on the national curriculum and it was awarded the 2008 British Book Award for cultural diversity. Bestsellers on the list include The Life of Stephen Lawrence and Dave and the Tooth Fairy, the latter of which has remained in print for over twenty years and has sold over two hundred thousand copies. Tamarind was brought into Random House in 2007.

Publisher Annie Eaton and Fiction Editor Parul Bavishi said, ‘We feel passionately about the role of Tamarind in children’s publishing – we urgently need more books that reflect the diverse world we live in, and for this we need talented authors and strong writing. This is about publishing stories that simply have to be told.’

Deputy Publisher Sue Buswell and Picture Book Editor Joe Marriott are planning a re-issue of select Tamarind’s picture books in 2012 with fresh new cover designs, including Boots for a Bridesmaid by Verna Wilkins and Mum’s Late by Elizabeth Hawkins. Several brand new picture books are also in development for 2013.

Highlights for the fiction 2012 list include Now is the Time for Running by Cape Town Opera Director, Michael Williams, a raw and beautiful tale of two brothers on a journey of their life; GB Olympic Gold Medal holder Christine Ohuruogu is also releasing two Camp Gold fiction titles about a girl who discovers her talent for running. Verna Wilkins and Doreen Lawrence will be updating the Stephen Lawrence biography, which will be released in paperback early next year. The Tamarind Stars series will continue with Sporting Heroes released in June 2012. It will highlight the careers of young sporting heroes and include as-yet-unseen personal photos from the family albums of stars such as the boxer Amir Khan and the gymnast Louis Smith.

With so much to look forward to, 2012 promises to be a great year for Tamarind Books.  We hope that you are as excited as we are.

Author of Skin Deep and Spike and Ali Enson, Malaika Rose Stanley, contributed a fantastic blog post for An Awfully Big Blog Adventure last week. In Black, White and Just Right Malaika compiles a list of children’s and young adult fiction which feature mixed-race and mixed-heritage main characters. The list includes titles from authors such as Bali Rai, Philip Pullman and Rick Riordan. However, it was not easy to put the list together. As Malaika says, ‘It’s a short list – and not in a good way – but in the end, isn’t quality always more important than quantity?’ We couldn’t agree more Malaika. 

To read the full article, follow this link: http://awfullybigblogadventure.blogspot.com/2011/11/black-white-and-just-right-malaika-rose.html

To celebrate Black History Month, we’re giving away a book a day between now and 31st October!  Each day, on Facebook (facebook.com/TamarindBooks) and Twitter @TamarindBooks), we’ll let you know which of our fantastic books could be winging their way to you.  All you have to do is email us at info@tamarindbooks.co.uk with your full name and address.  Winners will be picked at random and then notified by email.  Check out Facebook and Twitter NOW to find out about today’s amazing giveaway!

The list consists of inspirational black figures such as Barack Obama, Dame Kelly Holmes and the UK’s first black MP, Diane Abbot. Verna is a well desrved nominee having won many awards for her contribution to children’s literature. In 1987, she set up Tamarind Books  and since then Tamarind has published a range of books, many of which feature on the National Curriculum and on children’s television. Voting closes at 5pm on 24th October and an exhbition featuring the nominees runs until 31st October at the City Hall in Islington. Follow this link NOW to vote for Verna.
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/878059-who-should-be-crowned-most-inspirational-black-person

Cover for the US edition - more news on the UK edition soon!

You know a story is good when you get phone calls from your colleagues who gush about how they couldn’t put it down. And then they confess that they were so moved by the story that they were crying tears on the tube journey into work, snotty tissues and all.

The book we’re talking about is Now is the Time for Running by South African writer Michael Williams and it has been generating a trail of fans this side of Ealing. The story follows the journey of two brothers, Deo and Innocent, from Zimbabwe to South Africa. They are on the run from solidiers who have plundered their village and must now search for their father, the only person they can turn to. It’s a tough story that deals with harrowing subject matter, but it’s so much more than that, it’s also about the powerful of hope, brotherly love, and the kindness of strangers. It’s all the more poignant as we realise that Innocent isn’t like most boys, and that Deo, ten years younger, must keep him close and safe at all times.

Michael Williams, Director of Cape Town Opera, is coming to the UK in June 2012 to debut the Nelson Mandela trilogy in Cardiff. He will also be touring Porgy and Bess in the UK, ending with two weeks at the English National Opera. We hope to be able to set up some events in schools around the UK so please get in touch if you have an interest.

I’ve attached the American cover, we’re working on the UK edition at the moment…more news on this soon.

Parul Bavishi, Tamarind

Click here to see a lovely trailer for Skin Deep by Malaika Rose Stanley

So who are we exactly? As you will know Tamarind was set up by inimitable Verna Wilkins, who has grown this company from scratch, with a love and passion that has our greatest respects. Although retired, Verna still plays a role and is very much part of Tamarind.  A new team was formed to help take Tamarind forward – and we have been working hard to plan our strategy for 2012 and beyond.

Introducing the Tamarind Team…

Heading our team is Philippa Dickinson, the MD of Random House Children’s Team. She has been a tireless advocate for Tamarind (and the one who signs off all our cheques…)

Ruth Knowles and Parul Bavishi work on the Fiction list. Ruth Knowles, a Commissioning Editor at RHCB, has been with the company for five years and works across all age ranges and genres. Parul Bavishi, an Editor at RHCB, joined in 2011. Prior to this she worked at Quercus Publishing for a number of years. She is drawn to fantasy and high imagination, gutsy fiction, and light-hearted capers for 5+.

Together they are looking to publish high quality stories that feature a diverse range of characters. What does this mean? They will be books for all children, with characters that reflect the beautiful diversity of the world and of Britain today. Above all they will be books are picked up through the strength of their storytelling.

Sue Buswell is the Deputy Publisher for picture books with over twenty years of experience in the industry. Joe Marriott is a Picture Book Editor at RHCB. Prior to this he worked at Mantra Lingua, an award-winning multi-cultural publisher. 

Together they are responsible for commissioning new picture books for Tamarind. They are looking for fun, high-quality picture book texts featuring strong central characters from diverse backgrounds. They are also looking for exciting new illustrators.

So that’s us folks! Nice to meet you finally. There’s more to come. Deals to be announced, on here and on the Bookseller very soon…

Have a nice bank holiday weekend!