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Introducing Lenny Henry’s hilarious new adventure  Publishing 13th October 2022 Hardback £12.99 Audio edition read by Lenny Henry is also available Recommended for readers ages 9+   The Book of Legends is the new middle grade novel from the award-winning and much-loved author, comedian and actor, Lenny Henry. Highly illustrated throughout by Keenon Ferrell. Two ordinary kids are about to go on one EXTRAORDINARY adventure! Monsters? Check. Magic portals? Check. A dangerous adventure? Check. Bran and Fran’s mum is the storyteller at Once Upon a Wow bookstore, but when she goes missing and her stories turn out to be a portal to another world, they're going to have a huge, magical adventure on their hands. Luckily, they have Wilma, the Wizard's Wife, and Zack, the wisecracking Zebracorn, to help them on their journey. And they're going to need help because there are evil princes, mud monsters and Viking armies all standing in their way... “There are very few kids of colour - and even fewer kids of colour who are also deaf - going on adventures to magical kingdoms, and I feel so privileged to be publishing this book that will make sure this generation of kids can have the experience of seeing themselves in a story that I wished for when I was their age." Lenny Henry  About the Author
Sir Lenny Henry has risen from being a star on children's television to becoming one of Britain's best known comedians, as well as a writer, philanthropist and award-winning actor. He is co-founder of Comic Relief. Lenny is a strong advocate for diversity and co-authored the book Access All Areas: The Diversity Manifesto for TV and Beyond. His first middle grade adventure story for children, The Boy With Wings, launched in 2021 and this year sees the publication of The Book of Legends. The second volume of his memoir, Rising To The Surface was published on 1st September. Twitter: @LennyHenry
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 MAMA’S SLEEPING SCARF CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE’S DEBUT INTO CHILDREN’S BOOKS A joyful exploration of family life, written by one of the most outstanding contemporary authors of our generation HarperCollins Children’s Books will publish Mama’s Sleeping Scarf by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, writing as Nwa Grace James. This stunning picture book was published on the 5th September and is illustrated by the brilliant Joelle Avelino. This beautiful family story follows a young girl called Chino as she plays with her mama’s sleeping scarf through the day. Running with the scarf, Chino weaves together little incidentals of home life into a glorious celebration of the power of a mother-daughter relationship, and the gentle joys that build a perfect day. Exquisitely written with compelling simplicity, this is a heartfelt homage to family love. A compelling debut picture book from one of the most important voices in literature today, brought into glorious technicolour through the vibrant and contemporary illustrations of Joelle Avelino. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie wrote Mama’s Sleeping Scarf for her daughter, who was three years old at the time. The story, energetic and full of joy, is inspired by the Adichie family and portrays an ordinary day in Lagos. Mama’s Sleeping Scarf is a picture of family life happening, with its natural hourly rhythms, and all the miracles of the everyday, as seen through the eyes of a child. Chimamanda said, “I decided to write as ‘Nwa Grace James’ which is roughly ‘daughter of Grace and James’ because I wanted to honour my parents. I lost them both recently, I adored them, and it’s become so important to me to hold on to their beautiful memories. It is even more meaningful to write this book as a daughter, for my daughter. It feels like a metaphor for how love never dies, how we remain connected to those we love even after they are gone.”  Chimamanda Ngozi is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels Purple Hibiscus, Half of a Yellow Sun and Americanah – which was a New York Times Best Book of the Year – as well as such essays as We Should All Be Feminists. A recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, she divides her time between the United States and Nigeria. This is her debut children’s book.
Joelle Avelino is a Congolese and Angolan illustrator who grew up in the UK. She obtained a BA (Hons) in Illustration with Marketing from the University of Hertfordshire. Joelle has illustrated several titles, including the twenty-fifth anniversary edition of Baroness Floella Benjamin’s classic memoir Coming to England.  We had the summer scaries at the UK premiere in Leicester Sq with some of our faves on the haunted carpet 👻 A single mom named Gabbie hires a tour guide, a psychic, a priest and a historian to help exorcise her newly bought mansion after discovering it is inhabited by ghosts. Directed by Justin Simien, the film features an all-star ensemble cast including LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, Rosario Dawson, Chase W. Dillon and Dan Levy, with Jamie Lee Curtis and Jared Leto as The Hatbox Ghost. Inspired by the classic theme park attraction, Haunted Mansion is about a woman and her son who enlist a motley crew of so-called spiritual experts to help rid their home of supernatural squatters  Lil’ Muffin Drops the Mic mixes up classroom capers, relatable characters and heartfelt moments from comedy superstar Romesh Ranganathan. Lil’ Muffin Drops the Mic is inspired by Romesh’s well-known love of hip-hop, rap music and his less well-known love of baking! At the heart of this funny and heart-warming book is that everyone (just like Romesh) can - with a little help from their friends – find something they’re good at. Ever since James's dad left, he can't seem to stop worrying about everything. Luckily his favourite hobby, baking, is a fun (and delicious!) distraction. But no matter how many amazing brownies James makes, he still feels like there's a missing When James hears someone rapping in the playground one breaktime, he's completely hooked and starts writing his own raps featuring all of his favourite things – music, his giant pet rabbit Graham and of course – cake! Then he discovers that grime artist Brukka is on the hunt for new talent and James wonders if this is his chance to share his muffins, his music, and maybe even his feelings with the whole school. If he can just find the confidence… Puffin will publish Lil’ Muffin Drops the Mic on 20th July 2023 in hardback, RRP £14.99, ebook and audio. The books is now available for pre-order  About the author
Multi award-winning comedian Romesh Ranganathan is best known for fronting such series’ as The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan, The Ranganation, Rob & Romesh Vs, A League Of Their Own, Asian Provocateur, and as the new presenter of BBC One’s Weakest Link. Host of his own BBC Sounds and Radio 2 show For The Love Of Hip Hop, Romesh also co-hosts hit podcast Wolf & Owl with comedy mate Tom Davis. A Sunday Times Bestseller with his autobiography Straight Outta Crawley: The Memoirs Of A Distinctly Average Human Being, Romesh had his second book As Good as It Gets: Life Lessons from a Reluctant Adult published worldwide in October 2020. Romesh’s last tour The Cynic’s Mixtape sold out across the UK including fourteen nights at London’s Eventim Apollo, culminating in a taping at his hometown venue The Hawth in Crawley, which was released as a special on Netflix in 2022 and is available to stream here now.  Disney and Pixar’s stunning new animation Elemental is out now! 🍿 We had a lot of fun with some of our favourite content creators at the UK screening and after party - hosted at the infamous Ballie Ballerson in Shoreditch. Disney and Pixar’s Elemental is a new, original feature film set in Element City, where Fire-, Water-, Earth- and Air-residents live together. The story introduces Ember, a tough, quick-witted and fiery young woman, whose friendship with a fun, sappy, go-with-the-flow guy Wade challenges her beliefs about the world they live in. The film is packed with stunning animation, a story full of heart, quirky one-liners and a brilliant score. Most definitely one to watch this summer!  An accessible, engaging and essential introduction to the British empire for readers aged 9+, by the bestselling author of Empireland, Sathnam Sanghera.
You've probably heard the word 'empire' before. Perhaps because of the Roman Empire Or maybe even the Star Wars films. But what about the British Empire? Why don't we learn much about this? And what even is an empire, anyway? This book will answer all the important questions about Britain's imperial history. It will explore how Britain's empire once made it the most powerful nation on earth, and how it still affects our lives in many ways today - from the words we use, to the food we eat, the sports we play and even to every grown-up's fixation with a good cup of tea. Because how can we ever make the world a kinder, better place for the future, if we don't know the truth about the past? Sathnam Sanghera was born to Punjabi immigrant parents in Wolverhampton in 1976. He entered the education system unable to speak English but went on to graduate from Christ's College, Cambridge with a first-class degree in English Language and Literature. He has been shortlisted for the Costa Book Awards twice, for his memoir The Boy With The Topknot and his novel Marriage Material. In 2022 Sanghera’s Empireland published to widespread critical acclaim, debuted at number two in the Sunday Times bestseller charts and won the British Book Awards’ Book of the Year for Non-Fiction. He lives in London. Jen Khatun is a children’s book Illustrator of Bangladeshi/Indian heritage, who grew up in the beautiful quaint city of Winchester. She has published work with Macmillan Children’s Books, Oxford University Press, Walker Books and many more. Inspired by her natural surroundings, her favourite childhood stories and the hidden magical moments found in everyday life, Jen loves nothing better than to weave colourful illustrations that dance with playfulness, hum with nostalgia and bring a sense of uplifting appreciation to life and family. She now lives quietly by the coast of East Sussex, and you will often find her walking the South Downs or by the sea with her fiancé and their dog Juno, exploring away in their new adventure!  One of our favourite events (and films) of this summer. We had a blast at the special screening of The Little Mermaid, one of the year’s biggest films so far 🧜♀️ The live action release of the classic Disney animation has gone down a storm worldwide 🌎 With some of our faves (and their amazing families) at the special screening at Cineworld Leicester Sq 🍿  Malala loves Polite Society and so do we! Last night was the UK premiere where cast, crew and some of our faves walked the green carpet. A merry mash up of sisterly affection, parental disappointment and bold action, @politesocietymovie follows martial artist-in-training Ria Khan who believes she must save her older sister Lena from her impending marriage. After enlisting the help of her friends, Ria attempts to pull off the most ambitious of all wedding heists in the name of independence and sisterhood 💥 Last night acclaimed writer & director Nida Manzoor joined cast Priya Kansara,Seraphina Beh, Shona Babayemi, Shobu Kapoor, Jeff Mirza, Nimra Bucha, Akshay Khanna and more to celebrate the release of the film. Special guest Malala posted on Instagram afterwards saying “I adored @politesocietymovie, such a clever and captivating film about the lengths sisters will go to protect each other and support their dreams. @priyakansara and @rituarya delivered such dynamite performances and I loved watching the whole cast perform all the martial arts and stunts. It’s so wonderful to see Nida Manzoor continue to share positive and complex portrayals of South Asian Muslim women.” Polite Society is out in UK cinemas on 28th April - be sure to catch it! 🍿 @universalpicturesuk @focusfeatures @workingtitlefilms  Ramadan Tent Project is an award-winning charity that brings communities together and spreads the spirit of Ramadan through various initiatives. They want to help create a world where everyone coexists in harmony. Their passion lies in creating spaces for conversation, mutual understanding, and a sense of belonging. We work towards bridging gaps between individuals of all faiths and none, through increasing representation and cultivating a deeper understanding of Islam.
The Ramadan Festival is a yearly celebration of art, culture, and creativity
that seeks to unite people of all backgrounds through captivating experiences. Through these events, they foster unity, awareness, and deeper understanding to build bridges and bring communities together. Open Iftar is the UK’s largest community event in Ramadan. Since 2013, they’ve connected over 500,000 people across the country at some of Britain’s most loved & iconic cultural spaces, from the Royal Albert Hall, Wembley Stadium, and Trafalgar Square, to our regional events at BALTIC Museum, Bradford’s Centenary Square, Coventry Cathedral and many more!  Green Carpet gala launch of the incredible BBC Earth Experience! Below are some of our favourites from a very special evening 📸 Narrated by the legendary Sir David Attenborough, who turned 97 this week, BBC Earth Experience takes guests on a journey through the natural world to explore the extraordinary diversity of the seven continents in one epic digital experience 🌍 Be sure to grab tickets and check out BBC Earth Experience if you haven’t already.  An essential and practical guide to arguing, debating and public speaking from award-winning journalist, anchor, and expert debater, Mehdi Hasan. ‘Packed with tips and techniques, as well as insights into the historical importance of disputes, negotiations and rows. Dale Carnegie focused on friends but Hasan has written its contemporary equivalent - How to Win Arguments and Influence People’ SUSANNA REID Hasan isn’t one to avoid arguments. He relishes them, as the lifeblood of democracy and the only surefire way to establish the truth. Arguments help us solve problems, uncover new ideas we might not have considered, and nudge our disagreements toward mutual understanding. A good argument, made in good faith, has intrinsic value – and can also simply be fun. Arguments are everywhere – and especially given the fierce debates we’re all embroiled in today, everyone wants to win. In this riveting guide to the art of argument and rhetoric, Hasan shows you how. As a journalist, anchor, and interviewer who has clashed with politicians, generals, spy chiefs, and celebrities from across the world, Hasan reveals his tricks of the trade for the first time. WIN EVERY ARGUMENT shows how anyone can communicate with confidence, rise above the tit for tats on social media, and triumph in a successful and productive debate in the real world. Whether you are making a presentation at work or debating current political issues with a friend, Mehdi Hasan will teach you how to sharpen your speaking skills to make the winning case.  MEHDI HASAN is an award-winning British-American journalist, anchor and author. He is the host of The Mehdi Hasan Show, which airs on both MSNBC and NBC’s streaming channel Peacock. He has interviewed everyone from General Michael Flynn and Erik Prince, to Bernie Sanders and AOC, to Russell Brand and John Legend. Hasan is a former columnist and podcaster at The Intercept, and his op-eds have also appeared in The New York Times and The Washington Post. In Britain, he was formerly the political editor of The New Statesman. Win Every Argument is his second book.
 What’s Love Got To Do With It? is storming the UK cinemas 🍿 The UK premiere a couple of weeks ago where the stars of the film including Lily James, Shazad Latif, Emma Thompson, Sajal Aly, Asim Chaudhry, Mim Shaikh and more walked the pink carpet at Odeon Leicester Square! Make sure to catch the brilliant British rom com What’s Love Got To Do With It? in cinemas and if you’ve seen it already show us some love ❤️ @studiocanaluk @workingtitlefilms @instinctproductions @khanjemima @shekharkapur  Zoe is a documentary filmmaker who uses a dating app that only delivers an endless stream of Mr. Wrongs. For Zoe's childhood friend and neighbor, Kaz, the answer is to follow his parents' example and opt for an arranged marriage to a bright and beautiful bride from Pakistan. As Zoe films his hopeful journey to marry a stranger, she begins to wonder if she might have something to learn from a profoundly different approach to finding love.  Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania is out now! Some of our favourites entering the Quantum Realm to enjoy the film this week 🍿 The cast including Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Jonathan Majors, Kathryn Newton and Michael Douglas joined director Peyton Reed at the UK premiere in London this week. The third instalment of Marvel’s Ant-Man opens Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and introduces the new big bad Kang The Conqueror, played by Jonathan Majors. Be sure to catch Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania in cinemas now 🎟 @marvelstudios @antmanofficial  'Utterly charming and deeply moving . . . Maddie's journey will resonate with anyone who's had to grow up - or who's still trying to' CELESTE NG, bestselling author of Little Fires Everywhere MEET MADDIE To her mostly-absent mum, she's Maame, the woman of the family. To her dad, she's his carer - even if he hardly recognises her. To her friends, she's the one who still lives at home, who never puts herself first. IT'S TIME TO BECOME THE WOMAN SHE WANTS TO BE. The kind who wears a bright yellow suit, says yes to after-work drinks and flirts with a thirty-something banker. Who doesn't have to google all her life choices. Who demands a seat at the table. BUT TO PUT OURSELVES TOGETHER, SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO FALL APART... With tenderness, hilarity and raw emotion, the novel sharply depicts Maddie’s sense of being torn between two worlds as she navigates flatshares, dating apps, microaggressions at work, the shock of grief, and learning how to become the woman she wants to be – one frantic Google search at a time. MAAME is an assured debut that shines in its iridescence and range of emotion; it is a blisteringly funny and deeply heartbreaking novel for fans of Chewing Gum, Such a Fun Age and Queenie - Maddie's story stays with the reader long after turning the final page, ensuring it will be the standout debut of 2023.  JESSICA GEORGE
was born and raised in London to Ghanaian parents and studied English Literature at the University of Sheffield. After working at a literary agency and a theatre, she landed a job in the editorial department of a publishing house. She now lives in North London with an incontrovertible sweet tooth. MAAME is her deeply personal, debut novel. A high-stake YA mystery thriller that follows three boys at a Washington DC charter school who are forced to investigate their principals murder in a twenty-four-hour period, in order to clear their own names  The Urban Promise Boys Preparatory School promises to turn boys into men, to help the city’s young people avoid society’s cracks. They promise to transform roughneck boys from being at risk, to upstanding and successful young men. J.B., Ramón, and Try have inherited the program’s routine muscle memory: shirts tucked, yes sirs and no mamas, no rough-housing, no missing curfew, rigorous test prep, and more. This is what is takes to be college bound, to avoid the fates of the men in their neighbourhoods. Or so they have been told. But when their principal ends up dead and the cops come sniffing around, the trio comes face-to face with a slew of rotten secrets about their school. And they soon become the case’s prime suspects. With no one to help them, they must find out what really happened in order to avoid arrest. An exquisitely taut mystery combined with social commentary about the way American society too often fails boys of colour, Promise Boys is a Black and Latinx A Separate Peace meets One of Us is Lying.  Nick Brooks is an author and award-winning filmmaker from Washington, DC.
He is a 2020 graduate of USC's TV and Film Production program. His short film, Hoop Dreamin', earned him the George Lucas Scholar Award and was a finalist in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Film Fest. He is currently in development for his first feature film, We Were Born Kings, with Mandalay Pictures. Before becoming a filmmaker, Nick was an educator working with at-risk youth and many of his stories are colored by his experiences with the children and families of his community. Winner of the #Merky Books New Writers Prize ‘Brilliant.’ Candice Brathwaite ‘Incredible.’ Guz Khan 'Effortlessly Weaving intricate intergenerational stories across time, Jyoti has written a poignant funny debut.’Christian Adofo, author of A Quick Ting on #Afrobeats  This moving coming of age story explores what it means to be a person of colour in Britain today, discussing themes of identity and the stories that we tell ourselves to manage trauma. Nik yearns to know more about his father, who died before he was born. His mother, Avani, held hostage by her guilt surrounding his death, refuses to share any information with her son. Nik is forced to create a fragmented image of his father, pulled together from hushed whispers at family gatherings and photos stolen from his mother’s bedroom. When his grandfather dies, secrets are revealed, and everything Nik thinks he knows about his father is turned on its head. Nik makes it his mission to discover the truth about his father and the circumstances of his death, uncovering painful truths in the process. The Things That We Lost is a beautifully tender exploration of family, loss, and the lengths we go to, to protect the ones we love.  Jyoti Patel was born in Paris to British Indian parents and grew up in North West London. She is a graduate of the University of East Anglia’s Prose Fiction MA and winner of the 2021 #Merky Books New Writers’ Prize. Her writing has previously been published as part of We Present's ‘Literally’ series and in the anthology for the 2022 Bristol Short Story Prize, for which she was shortlisted. The Things That We Lost is her debut novel.
#Merky Books This year we’re excited to launch the third #Merky Books New Writers’ Prize, an annual writing competition that is open to young, underrepresented, and unpublished writers from across the UK and ROI. The winner of the New Writers’ Prize will receive a publishing contract with #Merky Books. The prize will also aim to provide all applicants with the tools, information and access they need to develop their ideas, progress their writing and set off on the path to publication.  Set a good 1200 years prior to the events of The Witcher, Blood Origin sets up a wholly original story of the Seven, a group of warriors who band together to topple a tyrannical regime known as the Golden Empire. Although this trope has been done to death, there’s still hope that Blood Origin will turn it on its head or offer some value, right? Wrong. The story unravels in the most lackluster manner possible, with the false promise of a tale that is supposed to inspire rebellion and true change, with a neat little prophecy of doom hedged towards the end.  Have you seen Avatar: The Way Of Water yet? 🙋🏽♂️ and in IMAX? 🤩 Blue carpet at the special screening last week at Odeon Leicester Square 🍿 Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, Avatar: The Way of Water begins to tell the story of the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri and their kids), the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive and the tragedies they endure. Directed by James Cameron, Avatar: The Way of Water stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Cliff Curtis, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Edie Falco, Jemaine Clement, Giovanni Rabisi and Kate Winslet. Be sure to catch it in cinemas now! @avatar @20thcenturystudios @20thcenturyuk #AvatarTheWayOfWater  A Book of the Year in The Observer and The Times and winner of the Visionary Honours Award. 'David Harewood writes with rare honesty and fearless self-analysis about his experiences of racism and what ultimately led to his descent into psychosis . . . This book is, in itself, a physical manifestation of that hopeful journey.' - David Olusoga, author of Black and British This powerful and provocative memoir charts critically acclaimed actor David Harewood’s life from working class Birmingham to the bright lights of Hollywood. He shares insights from his recovery after an experience of psychosis and uncovers devastating family history. Maybe I Don't Belong Here is a groundbreaking account of the impact of everyday racism on Black mental health and a rallying cry to examine the biases that shape our society. As a young actor, David had a psychotic breakdown and was sectioned under the Mental Health Act. He was physically restrained by six police officers, sedated, then hospitalized and transferred to a locked ward. Only now, thirty years later, has he been able to process what he went through. What caused this breakdown and how did David recover to become a successful actor? How did his experiences growing up contribute to a rupture in his sense of his place in the world? David’s compelling story poses the question: Is it possible to be Black and British and feel welcome and whole? 'One of the best books on mental health, race, Britain and the thrill of acting I have ever read.' – Stephen Fry  About The Author
David Harewood MBE is an actor, director, author and activist. With a career spanning almost 35 years, David has performed on stage with some of the most prestigious theatres and across TV and Film on some of the biggest networks in the world. In 2021 David wrapped the final season of Supergirl, a role that alongside DC Comics and Warner Bros saw him make his directorial debut, adding yet another string to his bow of creativity and talent. Through his exploration of important and often difficult subjects, David has become a driving force for systematic and cultural change. From his documentary ‘David Harewood: Psychosis and Me’ highlighting his battle with mental health in his twenties, to the influences and injustices that come from simply being born as a person of colour in documentaries such as Black is the New Black, Could Britain Ever Have a Black Prime Minister and Why Is Covid Killing People of Colour?, in addition to his work with UNICEF to protect children in danger – David is a true change maker in every sense of the word. He has helped raise awareness as well as millions of pounds for so many charities, organisations and individuals across our collective global communities. The magical sequel to the New York Times bestseller AMARI AND THE NIGHT BROTHERS, new for 2022! B. B. Alston is an incredible talent, with a fresh and funny voice that perfectly combines fantasy adventure, magic, monsters and relationships full of heart.  After finding her brother and saving the entire supernatural world, Amari Peters is convinced her first full summer as a Junior Agent will be a breeze.
But between the fearsome new Head Minister’s strict anti-magician agenda, fierce Junior Agent rivalries, and her brother Quinton’s curse steadily worsening, Amari’s plate is full. So when the secretive League of Magicians offers her a chance to stand up for magiciankind as its new leader, she declines. She’s got enough to worry about! But her refusal allows someone else to step forward, a magician with dangerous plans for the League. This challenge sparks the start of the Great Game, a competition to decide who will become the Night Brothers’ successor and determine the future of magiciankind. The Great Game is both mysterious and deadly, but among the winner’s magical rewards is Quinton’s last hope . . . so how can Amari refuse? The stunning sequel to AMARI AND THE NIGHT BROTHERS, which was a Sunday Times Bestseller, spent 30 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and has landed 27 book deals worldwide. AMARI AND THE NIGHT BROTHERS is soon to be a major motion picture with Universal Pictures, with Black-ish's Marsai Martin producing and starring as Amari, and Don Cheadle also producing. 'As a former black girl misfit who wanted nothing more in the world than to be magical, this book is a song to my soul. Amari is the heroine we all need.' - Nic Stone, New York Times bestselling author of Dear Martin ‘An outstanding fantasy series’ – The Guardian ‘This thrilling new fantasy adventure is already set to be made into a film and it’s easy to see why.’ – The Week Junior ‘[A] beguiling debut’ – The Observer Instagram: @bb_alston  Known for her legendary baking skills, Nadiya Hussain is back with a new cookbook that will show readers how to use their oven every day of the week. The oven is a faff-free way of making delicious, easy food and Nadiya's Everyday Baking features a wide range of recipes for every meal: from simple weeknight dishes and quick-fix lunches to user- friendly bread recipes and beautiful celebratory cakes. One of Britain’s most beloved bakers, Nadiya brings all her trademark shortcuts, hacks and tips back to the table to demystify baking and make even beginners want to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in. Recipe highlights from Nadiya’s Everyday Baking include: meringue cake, surprise snickerdoodle cookies, cheats almond croissant rolls, no-knead bread, achari chicken pie, and aubergine brioche burgers - just a small selection of Nadiya’s stress-free recipes that demonstrate that anyone can bake, all you need is an oven.
Nadiya Hussain was the winner of 2015’s Great British Bake Off in a finale watched by over 15 million viewers, and she has since become a national treasure. Born in Luton to British Bangladeshi parents, Nadiya now lives in Milton Keynes with her husband, Abdal, and their three teenage children. Nadiya has presented several of her own BBC2 cookery series to great acclaim and was recently awarded an MBE for services to broadcasting and the culinary arts.
Her previous cookery titles include Nadiya’s Kitchen, Nadiya’s British Food Adventure, Nadiya’s Family Favourites, Time to Eat, Nadiya Bakes, and Nadiya’s Fast Flavours. PENGUIN Michael Joseph has revealed the cover for their highly anticipated 2022 fiction title Mika in Real Life by Emiko Jean. Mika in Real Life will publish in Hardback, eBook and Audio later this year and is the debut adult novel from Jean, a New York Times bestselling author whose YA has previously been selected for Reese Witherspoon’s YA book club.  AT 35, MIKA SUZUKI IS STRUGGLING. She's been fired (again). Her last relationship went up in flames. Her mother is perpetually disappointed in her. And now, she's had a phone call from sixteen-year-old Penny Calvin: the baby she reluctantly gave up for adoption when she was just a teenager herself.
Penny has questions – and Mika is desperate to meet her girl. But she barely feels like she can take care of herself. Is she ready to show Penny who Mika Suzuki really is? Emiko Jean is the author of the New York Times bestseller Tokyo Ever After, a Reese's Book Club YA pick, as well as Empress of All Seasons, an Indie Next pick, and We'll Never Be Apart. She lives in Washington with her family. When she's not writing, she is reading. Most of her friends are imaginary. Before she became a writer she was an entomologist (fancy name for bug catcher), a candle maker, a florist, and most recently a teacher. She lives in Washington with her husband and children (unruly twins). She loves the rain. Mika in Real Life is her first adult novel. Cornish said: ‘With one of the most powerful opening scenes I’ve read in a long time, Mika in Real Life takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions as Mika, her daughter Penny, and Penny’s adopted dad discover more about each other, and themselves. A celebration of the families we’re given, and the families we choose, this book will make you laugh, make you cry and leave your heart full – proving that just because life is messy, that doesn’t mean it isn’t perfect. I fell head over heels for Mika, and can’t wait to work with her international teams to introduce her to the UK.’ @michaeljbooks @emikojeanbooks 
An exciting debut picture book from writer, musician and presenter Jordan Stephens and illustrator Beth Suzanna, this heartfelt, warm and wise story celebrates the power of family bonds, the joy of making new friends, and the importance of finding what makes you feel whole Sunny loves jigsaw puzzles – the bigger the better. When she completes one, she gets a warm, happy honeybee buzz. One day, her Gran gives her a ONE-THOUSAND-PIECE puzzle. Piece after piece, all by herself, she puts together the picture, until ... DISASTER! The final piece is missing. Sunny may be small, but she is very determined – so she sets off to find it. As the day whizzes by in a whirl of new places and friends, Sunny discovers that looking for something is every bit as finding it, and that perhaps the missing piece was there all along… Jordan Stephens is a writer and performer best known for being one half of pop duo Rizzle Kicks, achieving fame at only 19. Jordan is now a writer, performer and campaigner. He’s also passionate about books and reading. The Missing Piece is his first picture book. Having been publicly open about his own struggles surrounding mental health, Jordan has also been very active in creating awareness around the stigma attached to it and helping young people to open up about how they feel. His mental-health campaign #IAMWHOLE reached over 120 million people online and made enough of an impact to be mentioned in the Houses of Parliament. Beth Suzanna is a Bristol-based illustrator and designer with a love of bold colour and shape. She's an advocate for diverse representation, and her work often comments on recurrent issues in modern society. The Missing Piece is her first picture book.  Netflix’s The Sandman is out today and looking devilishly good 😈 The stellar cast joined creative genius Neil Gaiman at the World Premiere this week at the BFI Southbank in London. When the Sandman, aka Dream, the cosmic being who controls all dreams, is captured and held prisoner for more than a century, he must journey across different worlds and timelines to fix the chaos his absence has caused. STUDIOCANAL AND WORKING TITLE CONFIRM SHEKHAR KAPUR’S WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT? TO WORLD PREMIERE AT TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL STARRING LILY JAMES & SHAZAD LATIF SHABANA AZMI, SAJAL ALY, ASIM CHAUDHRY, JEFF MIRZA AND EMMA THOMPSON STUDIOCANAL and Working Title Films today confirm that cross-cultural British rom-com WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT? will receive its World Premiere at the 47th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival. The film will screen as a Gala Presentation at the Roy Thomson Hall on Saturday, 10th September.
Directed by Shekhar Kapur (ELIZABETH) and written by Jemima Khan, WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT? stars the Primetime Emmy® Award nominated Lily James (PAM & TOMMY, BABY DRIVER, DARKEST HOUR, MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN, REBECCA), Shazad Latif (STAR TREK: DISCOVERY, PENNY DREADFUL, PROFILE, TOAST OF LONDON), Shabana Azmi (HALO, FIRE, RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST, IT’S A WONDERFUL AFTERLIFE, CITY OF JOY, MADAME SOUSATZKA), Sajal Aly (YAKEEN KA SAFAR, MOM, ALIF) and Academy Award® and BAFTA winner Emma Thompson (MATILDA, GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE, CRUELLA, SAVING MR BANKS). The film also stars Asim Chaudhry (BLACK MIRROR: BANDERSNATCH, PEOPLE JUST DO NOTHING, THE ELECTRICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN, THE SANDMAN), Jeff Mirza (ETERNALS, BLINDED BY THE LIGHT), Mim Shaikh (FINDING DAD, INFORMER, PLS LIKE, KING GARY), Iman Boujelouah, Mariam Haque (FINDING ALICE, HOMELAND, FLOWERS) and Sindhu Vee (MATILDA, STARSTRUCK, FEEL GOOD). The film is produced by Nicky Kentish Barnes (ABOUT TIME, ABOUT A BOY), Jemima Khan (IMPEACHMENT: AMERICAN CRIME STORY, THE CLINTON AFFAIR, THE CASE AGAINST ADNAN SYED, WE STEAL SECRETS: THE STORY OF WIKILEAKS) & her Instinct Productions, alongside Working Title Films’ Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner. Ivor Novello Lifetime Achievement Award-winning and Mercury Prize nominated composer, Nitin Sawhney CBE has created the music for the film, with British-Pakistani record producer, DJ, songwriter, and musician Naughty Boy bringing his production and writing skills to the soundtrack, alongside three-time BRIT Award and Mercury Prize nominee, Joy Crookes. Kanika Kapoor and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan will also feature on the soundtrack, with Rahat appearing in the film itself. STUDIOCANAL is fully financing and will release in their own territories – the UK, France, Germany, Australia & New Zealand – and are selling the film worldwide. WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT? is set to be released in UK cinemas on January 27th 2023. Synopsis How do you find lasting love in today’s world? For documentary-maker and dating app addict Zoe (Lily James), swiping right has only delivered an endless stream of Mr Wrongs, to her eccentric mother Cath’s (Emma Thompson) dismay. For Zoe’s childhood friend and neighbour Kaz (Shazad Latif), the answer is to follow his parents’ example and opt for an arranged (or “assisted”) marriage to a bright and beautiful bride from Pakistan. As Zoe films his hopeful journey from London to Lahore to marry a stranger, chosen by his parents, she begins to wonder if she might have something to learn from a profoundly different approach to finding love. |
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