Our super agent Lucy went to Manchester for the SCBWI conference to act as a picture book judge alongside Libby Hamilton from Rocket Bird books in The Hook pitch off, a blind date inspired pitching event for picture books, middle grade, and YA.
Each author or author/ illustrator got under 2 minutes to explain about their book, not an easy feat, and choosing a winner was very difficult!
The Mass Book Launch Celebration
We were treated to a brilliant 'Supercalifragalisticexpialodicoius' skit to showcase all of teh books featured in the Mass Book Launch Celebration, which included not one but two titles illustrated by our fabulous Plum Jen Jamieson: Bad Hair Day and Finn Jones was Here!
Jen and her friends also won the fancy dress competition as 'wild things' from Where The Wild Things Are- congrats Jen!
You can see Jen's, Irina's, and everyone else's brilliant books featured on this gorgeous cake too!
The SCBWI Crystal Kite Award
Our other talented Plum Irina Avgustinovich illustrated Call Me Lion, written by Camilla Chester and published by Firefly Press, which won the SCBWI British Isles Crystal Kite Award. Many congratulations to Irina, Camilla, and the Firefly Press team!
The theme for the event took inspiration from the classic world of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll. There was a long table full of whimsical decorations including fabulous flowers, giant playing cards, beautiful tea sets (even a tortoise teapot!), and a selection of hilariously kooky hats- it was a Tea Party the Mad Hatter himself would be proud of!
An event filled with fun, dressing up, and brilliant new books, the British Isles Conference 2023 was a SCBWI-califragalisticexpialidocious event enjoyed by all!
