The summer holidays are finally here! And with that hopefully there will be some time to relax, chill out – and maybe catch up on some reading . . .
If you’re not sure what to start with, why not check out our recommendations from the first year of our TPP Reading Club? We’ve had a brilliant first season, with a wide range of middle-grade fiction from a host of excellent Irish children’s authors, who really demonstrate just why Irish children’s fiction is so fantastic.
As a country, Ireland has always been known for its rich culture of storytelling however, in the past, the children’s book market was dominated by authors from the UK and US, with very few Irish children’s authors making their mark in what is a challenging market. But, fortunately, that is now changing. Although international books remain popular, Irish children’s books are in the bookshops alongside them, giving young readers a wonderful choice of reading material, both from Ireland and abroad.
When we started the TPP Reading Club we decided to focus on Irish children’s authors, the reason being that we already knew there were amazing Irish children’s books out there and we wanted to celebrate those authors and the wonderful books that they create. From the story of the vital role that an Co. Mayo weather station played in World War II, to the moving tale of the last chimney sweep; to understanding just what it means to be autistic, to a supernatural adventure in modern-day Ireland – we were so fortunate to have 10 incredible books as part of the 2024/25 inaugural season of the TPP Reading Club.
It really was a joy to interview the authors, as well as read and review their books, so a huge thank you to Sarah Webb, Natasha Mac a’Bháird, Serena Molloy, Alan Nolan, Judi Curtin, Eve McDonnell, Patricia Forde, Niamh Garvey, Brian Gallagher and Kevin Moran – each one of you helped to make our first season of the TPP Reading Club something to be really proud of.
Now we look forward to the new season of the TPP Reading Club, and with so many brilliant Irish authors out there, we really are spoilt for choice. So, we can guarantee another season of awesome authors, insightful interviews and magnificent books!