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Well, summer is coming and your thoughts are probably turning to holidays - and books to take with you. We're busily reviewing away and we think you'll have plenty to choose from over your 2011 sojourn, wherever you're going. Make sure you have a super and relaxing time whatever you read, but if you're looking for some inspiration, you can check out our reviews of the books on [[Richard and Judy's Summer Reading List 2011|Richard and Judy's Summer Reading List]].
The [[The Guardian Children's Fiction Prize 2011|The Guardian Children's Fiction Prize]] longlist has been published and there are some corkers on there. We've a sneaky feeling [[My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher]] will win, but each book on the list is wonderful and has a good shot. Which one would you vote for if you were on the panel? Leave a prediction on our [[The Guardian Children's Fiction Prize 2011|list]]!
And while we're on the subject of children's literature, the fantabulous Julia Donaldson has been named the new [http://www.childrenslaureate.org.uk Children's Laureate]. Congratulations to her and lucky kids - she's going to be great.
It is always a little worrying when an author finishes a popular and well-loved series to start something new. Will the new characters be as interesting as the old, familiar ones? Will the books just be a pale retelling of the plots in a new context? But fans of Caroline Lawrence's [[The Prophet from Ephesus (The Roman Mysteries) by Caroline Lawrence|Roman Mysteries]] need not worry. She's gone Western! To introduce us to the genre, and her new series, Caroline [[Caroline Lawrence's top 5 Western films for kids (and adults!)|called into Bookbag Towers]] to tell us all about her favourite Western movies.
In support of his book [[Mathematics of Life by Ian Stewart|Mathematics of Life]], Ian Stewart [[Should we popularise mathematics? If so, how?by Ian Stewart|looks]] at the pros and cons of popularising mathematics, through books and other means.
We've been busily interviewing, too. We talked to [[The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Bali Rai|Bali Rai]] about his super book [[Killing Honour by Bali Rai|Killing Honour]], an honest and hard-hitting look at an important and controversial issue. Bali is one of Bookbag's most trusted teen authors and you'll enjoy reading what he has to say. [[Candle Man: Society of Dread by Glenn Dakin|The Candle Man]] returns in a second volume about a British - yes, British! - teen superhero. Pacy and packed with rather marvellous villains, this steampunk and comic book-inspired series will be a big hit with tween readers. We [[The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Glenn Dakin|asked]] author Glenn Dakin all about it. [[Farmer Buckley's Exploding Trousers by Stephanie Pain|Farmer Buckley's Exploding Trousers]] is another fantastic book from New Scientist, this time looking at odd events on the way to scientific discovery. It's brilliantly written and compiled, and endlessly fascinating. We leapt at the chance to [[The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Stephanie Pain|interview]] editor Stephanie Pain.