January
4 Never Evers by the authors of Lobsters, Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison, is published.
4 Costa category award winners announced. Check out the shortlist here.
7 Juno Dawson’s new book Mind Your Head is out (the writer formerly known as James Dawson). Plus publication of The Icarus Show by Sally Christie (the daughter of Tom’s Midnight Garden author Philippa Pearce).
9 #YAtakeover on Twitter, organised by YAfictionados bloggers - you can see the schedule here.
11 It’s a Little Baby published by former Children’s laureate Julia Donaldson and illustrator Rebecca Cobb.
14 See How They Run by Ally Carter comes out, as does The Many Worlds of Albie Bright by Christopher Edge, plus the highly anticipated first in the Changers series by T Cooper and Allison Glock-Cooper: Drew.
22 The 5th Wave film (based on Rick Yancey’s book) released in the UK, starring Chloe Grace Moretz.
26 Costa Book of the Year 2015 announced. Check out the shortlist here.
28 We are going to be discussing all things trans on Thursday 28 January from 7-8pm #Gdnteentrans. It’s the Guardian children’s book site’s first Twitterchat of the year and we invite everyone to join us on Twitter to talk about transgender representation in YA fiction @Gdnchildrensbks #Gdnteentrans. We have some great authors lined up to chat with you: confirmed are Lisa Williamson, author of our current teen book club read The Art of Being Normal @lisa_letters, transgender author Juno Dawson (formerly James) @junodawson, Robin Talley @robin_talley author of Lies We Tell Ourselves and hopefully Raziel Reid @razielreid author of When Everything Feels like the Movies, and Allison Glock-Cooper @AllisonGlock and T Cooper @RealTCooper, authors of Changers.
28 This is also a big publication day when we get to read the second book by Clare Furniss (author of The Year of the Rat) is out! It’s called How not to Disappear. Plus the debut Waiting for Callback by mother and daughter Perdita and Honor Cargill. Plus Jelly Breaks the Mould by Candy Guard. And finally, the highly anticipated latest Michael Grant book Front Lines!
30 (to 6 Feb) National Storytelling Week.
February
1 Holly Bourne’s How Hard Can Love Be? is published today.
4 Wands at the ready: it’s Harry Potter Book Night and the publication of Wild Lily, a new historical novel by award-winning author K.M. Peyton and Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton published today – a very hotly anticipated YA fantasy.
10 - 21 The Imagine Children’s Festival at London Southbank – take a look at the jam-packed programme here.
11 Another big publishing day: we get to read Victoria Aveyard’s Glass Sword, Elen Caldecott’s Spooks and Scooters, and Melissa Keil’s The Incredible Adventures of Cinnamon Girl plus Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard and It’s a Little Baby by Julia Donaldson and Rebecca Cobb.
14 Guardian children’s book site Twitterchat for Valentine’s Day on sex in YA fiction @Gdnchildrensbks – more info soon! It’s also Book Giving Day. And Raziel Reid’s When Everything Feels Like the Movies is also published today.
18 The Home for Peculiar Children, film adaptation of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children with Eva Green and Samuel L Jackson, is released in the UK.
23 Worcestershire’s Awesomest Book Award winner announced.
25 Another big day for new books: Abi Elphinstone’s follow-up to the much-loved The Dreamsnatcher is published, called Shadow Keeper; Alice Oseman’s Radio Silence, Francesca Haig’s Map of Bones and Katherine Woodfine’s The Mystery of the Jewelled Moth are also making an appearance. We also get to read 52-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton and experience the Moomin Colouring Book by Tove Jansson.
March
At some point... the winners of the Waterstones children’s book prize 2016 announced.
1 Call for entries to the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize 2016 opens.
2 Scottish Children’s Book Award winner announced – you can see who’s in the running here.
3 World Book Day – check out the £1 book titles here and find out which authors are coming to a venue near you in the Biggest Book Show on Earth tour! and winners announced in the Blue Peter Book Awards.
3 A(nother) great day for publishing books: Eve Ainsworth’s Crush comes out, as well as Perijee & Me by Ross Montgomery, Rebel Bully Geek Pariah Erin Lange and Holly Smale’s Head Over Heels and Maggie Stiefvater’s The Raven King. We also have Julian Clary and David Roberts’ The Bolds to the Rescue.
8 Children’s Books Ireland Book of the Year Awards shortlist announcement and winners of the South Gloucestershire Concorde Post Book Award (voted for by 10,000 young people).
9 Winners of the North East Teenage Book Awards 2015 announced.
10 Cassandra Clare’s Lady Midnight is published today! As is The Thing about Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin.
24th Little Red by Bethan Woolvin
11 Divergent: Allegiant is released, the final film in Veronica Roth’s trilogy.
15 Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medal shortlist announced.
18 Worcestershire Teen Book Award winner announced.
21 World Poetry Day.
22 You’ll hear lots about William Shakespeare this year, as it’s 400 years since he died. This book sounds great: Will’s Words: How William Shakespeare Changed the Way You Talk, written by Jane Sutcliffe and illustrated by John Shelley.
23 World Book Night.
29 Sally Green’s desperately yearned for Half Lost, the final instalment in the Half Bad trilogy, is released.
April
2 International Children’s Book Day.
2-10 Oxford literary festival – see the programme here.
4 Winner announced in the 2016 Hans Christian Anderson Award (at the Bologna Book Fair which runs from 4 – 7).
5 The winner of the 2016 Astrid Lindgren Memorial award is announced and another hotly anticipated debut, this one a time-travel-meets-romance called The Square Root of Summer by Harriet Reuter Hapgood.
7 OK, this is a big one, deep breath: published today are Tidy by Emily Gravett, winner of two Kate Greenaway awards, AND Sputnik’s Guide to Life on Earth by Frank Cottrell Boyce AND the debut children’s book by TV historian Lucy Worsley, called Eliza Rose AND Sophia Bennett’s Love Song AND The Imagination Box: Beyond Infinity by Martyn Ford. AND T he Big 8 by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. Phew!
12 - 14 London Book Fair.
13 Young Romantics Prize winners announced – entries are open till Monday 1 Feb (more info here) so sharpen those pencils and get writing.
15 The Jungle Book, based on Rudyard Kipling’s classic, starring Scarlett Johansson, Idris Elba and Bill Murray is released.
16 - 24 Cardiff Children’s Literature Festival – the programme is here.
24 (to 1 May) Stratford Literary Festival, including events with Julia Donaldson.
May
All this month it’s National Share-a-Story month, on the theme of stories in unusual places.
5 Sarah J Maas publishes “A Court of Thorns and Roses 2” (title TBA). The Monstrous Child by Francesca Simon comes out AND Taran Matharu’s The Inquisition AND The Square Root of Summer by Harriet Reuter Hapgood AND There is a Tribe of Kids by Lane Smith will also be gracing shops and libraries near you.
7 Little Rebels Children’s Book Award winner announced.
7 - 29 Brighton Festival.
19 Sees the publication of Kill the Boy Band by Goldy Moldvsky and There’s an Owl in My Towel by Julia Donaldson and Rebecca Cobb.
23 Children’s Books Ireland Book of the Year winner announced.
24 The Last Star, the final instalment in Rick Yancey’s The 5th Wave trilogy, released.
26 ( – 5 June) Hay Festival, where the YA book prize winner will be announced (who will scoop the crown won by Louise O’Neill on its debut last year?)
27 Alice Through the Looking Glass – a cinematic return to Wonderland with Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Anne Hathaway.
28 The Children’s Book Award (formerly Red House Children’s Book Award) winners announced - check out the shortlist here.
June
At some point... Carnegie and Kate Greenaway winners announced.
2 The Nest by Kenneth Oppel is published – eerie, lyrical, surreal; do not read this late at night! Plus Sophie Cleverly’s third Scarlet and Ivy book, The Dance In The Dark. Plus Highly Illogical Behaviour by John Corey Whaley (the man who gave us Noggin), Archie Greene and the Alchemist’s Curse by D.D. Everest and Squishy McFluff, Seaside Rescue by Pip Jones and illustrated by Ella Oakstad. Plus Nightwanderers by CJ Flood. Plus You know me Well by Nina Lacour and David Leviathan and The House of Humming bird Island by Sam Angus.
6 – 10 Booktrust National Bookstart Week.
9 Last ever CHERUB book by Robert Muchamore, called New Guard, is published today.
16 Remade by Alex Scarrow comes out.
18 – 25 Independent Bookshop Week – there will be a range of events at local and independent bookshops across the country, find those closest to you here.
24 (– 3 July) Manchester Children’s Book Festival – the programme will be posted here.
28 Launch of Guardian Young Critics competition and announcement of the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize longlist
30 Oh joy! The Hunting of the Snark by Chris Riddell comes out!
July
At some point... the winners of the Bransford Boase Award 2016 and the winners of Queen of Teen 2016 and the winners of the CLPE Poetry Award 2016 will all be announced.
7 Strange Star by Emma Carroll is published today, also James Nicol’s The Apprentice Witch.
8 Winners of the UKLA Book Awards announced.
16-17 Guardian children’s books festival – more details soon!
22 Steven Spielberg’s The BFG released, adapted from Roald Dahl’s novel and starring Mark Rylance and Rebecca Hall.
28 It’s the 150th anniversary of the birth of Beatrix Potter.
29 – 31 Yalc and Comic Con – more info here.
August
4 We get to read Keren David’s Cuckoo, Kate Boorman’s Heartfire and Natasha Farrant’s Time for Jas – summer holiday reading sorted!
5 - 29 The Edinburgh international festival – programme here.
19 - 21 Just So Festival in Cheshire.
September
At some point... UKYA Extravaganza and UKMG Extravaganza 2016 in Newcastle.
1 Ross Montgomery and David Litchfield’s The Building Boy, as well as Laura Eve’s The Graces, are published today.
13 Roald Dahl Day and the 100th anniversary of his birth!
22 Oh wow! Ottoline and the Purple Fox by Chris Riddell is out! Also Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake and The Darkest Dark by Chris Hadfield .
30 (– 9 Oct) Bath Kids Literature Festival.
October
All this month it’s The Big Draw – keep looking here for events near you.
6 National Poetry Day, and Foyles Young Poets of the Year award winners announced. We can also tell you that Podkin One Ear by Kieran Larwood is published.
14 90th anniversary of the publication of Winnie the Pooh.
21 A Monster Calls – yes it’s actually a film! Adapted by Patrick Ness himself and starring Liam Neeson, Felicity Jones and Sigourney Weaver.
22 Provisional date for YA Shot, a YA and middle grade library festival in Uxbridge and (this year) beyond.
November
All this month it’s National non-fiction month.
At some point... National Short Story Week and the winner of the Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize is announced. Also the Book Trust will be holding their Children’s Book Week.
17 Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize and Young Critics Award winners announced.
18 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them film is released, starring Eddie Redmayne and Colin Farrell.
December
This is way too far in advance, folks!
