Cardiff-based publisher Candy Jar Books are offering a wide selection of their children’s books for free from today as part of their Great World Book Day Giveaway, including several titles set within the Doctor Who universe
World Book Day has been celebrated annually across the globe for almost 25 years, although this year’s event will be rather different to previous years. To mark a World Book Day like no other, Candy Jar Books are today launching The Great World Book Day Giveaway, which will run from Thursday 4th to Monday 8th March 2021.
Among the array of children’s books that will be available for free as part of this giveaway are several titles set within the Doctor Who universe. These include three novels from Candy Jar’s Doctor Who spin-off series The Lucy Wilson Mysteries:
- ‘Avatars of the Intelligence‘ by Sue Hampton
- ‘The Bandril Invasion‘ by Wink Taylor
- ‘Lucy Wilson and the Bledoe Cadets‘ by Tim Gambrell
This series features a lead female character of mixed heritage who lives in Ogmore-by-Sea.
As well as these, three further titles from Candy Jar’s Lethbridge-Stewart series are included as part of the World Book Day giveaway:
- ‘The Forgotten Son‘ by Andy Frankham-Allen
- ‘Mind of Stone‘ by Iain McLaughlin
- ‘A Very Private Haunting‘ by Sharon Bidwell
Elsewhere, Candy Jar are offering several other titles for free until Monday 8th March, suitable for children aged 8 to 12, as well as titles aimed at young adults. These include titles from their affiliate imprint Jelly Bean Self-Publishing, such as Gemma Greening‘s ‘Messy Dad Goes to the Beach’, and Molly Arbuthnott‘s picture book ‘Oscar the Ferry Cat’. Phillip Davies‘ sci-fi adventure ‘Borc Attack’ is also part of the giveaway.
Davies has said, “Having spent over thirty years teaching children and encouraging a love of reading, I feel it is a story most children will thoroughly enjoy. However, I realise that buying new reading material for children can be an expensive business. This giveaway will be great for children and parents alike.”
Head of Publishing at Candy Jar, Shaun Russell, has said: “As a whole, publishers have been relatively lucky throughout the pandemic. While like everyone we have faced exceptional pressures, lockdown has reintroduced many to the escapism that only reading can offer.
“It is well-established that reading leads to higher educational achievement in children, so perhaps in the long run this newfound enthusiasm might prove a silver lining to all of the disruption young people have faced when it comes to their education.
“As hopefully some semblance of normality begins to return to our lives, we thought it would be in the spirit of things to furnish young readers with something to keep their reading habits going for the months and years to come.”
Shaun concludes: “There hasn’t been much to celebrate this past year, but there has at least been a recognition that we’re all in this together. It’s a spirit we will hopefully take with us as we return to the patterns of our previous lives. With so many parents feeling the pinch, with so much uncertainty as to what the future holds, we thought making our titles available for free was only one way to truly embrace the spirit of the times.”
Candy Jar Books‘ Great World Book Day Giveaway runs from Thursday 4th – Monday 8th March 2021, with further details available via their website.
