To launch the Naval Childrens Charity’s 2022 writing competition, a copy of “Arctic Star” has been on tour.

Pictured on Britain’s biggest warship, HMS Prince of Wales, a Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier is Lt Duckworth RN.

Pictured on HMCS Sackville, a Flower-class corvette that served in the Royal Canadian Navy and Canada’s oldest warship is William Woodburn, Chair of the Canadian Naval Memorial Trust.

Thanks for sharing these photos with us and congratulations to all the entrants and the overall writing competition winners Molly and Maggie.

Find out more about the Naval Childrens Charity here

Find out more about HMCS Sackville here.

Refugee Week 20-26 JUNE 2022

Refugee Week is a UK-wide festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary.

I will be writing a new FREE 5 part read aloud story with the National Literacy Trust to mark Refugee Week 2022.  If you would like a reminder of when it and other resources will be available please use the contact form below.  Please be patient.  Our replies are not automated so you will get a personal reply.

[contact-form to=”admin@tompalmer.co.uk” subject=”Refugee week resources request by email via the website”][contact-field label=”Name” type=”name” required=”1″][contact-field label=”Email” type=”email” required=”1″][contact-field label=”Please keep me informed about ” type=”checkbox-multiple” options=”Refugee Week”][/contact-form]

Tom on “Why I featured refugee child characters in recent books…”

“Several of my latest published books have featured child refugees who have made it to the UK to be taken in by families and communities.

I did this because I have visited many schools and communities that have children who are refugees from Syria (and other troubled places in the world) and met them and heard their stories.

That – and reading books and articles about the war – motivated me to develop Yusra, Galip and Aylan as characters in my children’s books.

I did it, also, because I want children who are in all schools to be able to read about how we – in our relatively safe and stable country – can help people whose lives have been smashed to pieces and how we need to remember this country has a history of taking in and accepting refugees.

D-Day Dog (Barrington Stoke)  I wanted to think about how today’s refugees are part of our history, part of our future and that is why it is so good to welcome them to the UK.

Gus the Fantastic Football Cat (Egmont, KS1) is about a Syrian girl and her dad who look after a rescue cat when they arrive in the UK from Syria. The parallel of the girl taken in by a UK community and her, in turn, taking a rescue cat in is the only thing about the story that relates to her background. The rest of the story is hopefully a lot lighter, as the cat reveals it can predict World Cup football results.

Pitch Invasion (Barrington Stoke) is a bit more direct. The story is about a haunted hillfort in Cornwall and a ghostbusting duo – Seth and Nadiya – who realise there is a parallel between the ghost of Iron Age refugees escaping the brutal Romans by heading west and two Syrian boys – Galip and Aylan – who have recently been taken in by a Cornish family, after tragedy in Syria. The refugees I describe could well have been some of your Iron Age ancestors, people who might have been part of Boudica’s Iceni tribe after she was killed fighting them. I wanted to think about how there are refugees now just as there always have been. People have always had to flee. Then and now.”

More resources :

“Them” – is a FREE 5 part read aloud story set in 1945, from the point of view of the children in the Lake District community who received 300 child refugees from the Nazi concentration camps after the end of the Second World War.  This was written for Holocaust Memorial Day 2022 for the National Literacy Trust but can be used all year round.

• Read “Them” here
• A powerpoint introducing “Them” here
• 5 short films and worksheets to support “Them” story and inspire pupils to write their own responses here
• A teacher guide with ideas and sources to support your delivery of “Them” and children’s writing here
• 5 short films of Tom reading out loud “Them” available from here

“The Question” is a FREE 5 part read aloud story set today, from the point of view of pupils meeting a Holocaust survivor at their school and asking them about their refugee experience.  This was written for Holocaust Memorial Day 2021 but can be used all year round for the National Literacy Trust but can be used all year round.

•  Read “The Question” here for you to read aloud / stream / share or as a series of 5 films of Tom reading the story for you to use however suits your school here ).

You can also find out more about the Windermere children’s story in my children’s book “After the War from Auschwitz to Ambleside” here.

More resources from Holocaust Memorial Day 2021 here.

More resources from Holocaust Memorial Day 2022 here.

My children’s book White Fear tackles environmental fiction and activism through fiction.

Lily, Lesh, Hatty, Adnan and Kester are the Squad.  They have been summoned to the deadly and frozen land of the Arctic Circle by the British Prime Minister who has heard of their growing reputation as brilliant young spies.  An unknown criminal is trying to hijack a world conference about the precious and much fought-over fuels that lie below the arctic ice.   To prevent an international war breaking out, Lily, Lesh, Hatty, Adnan and Kester go undercover to find out who it is and stop them.

But the beauty of the icy mountains and deep fjords hide some dangerous secrets and someone will do anything to make sure that the Squad don’t discover them . . .

Read the first chapter for free here.

Learn more about reading and writing The Squad with Literacy Resources here.

Watch the fantastic Squad : White Fear book film trailer, made by Cameron McTeare here.

Available from your local library, bookshops and Amazon and Kindle.

Published by Puffin Books.

Themes in White Fear – 1 Protecting the Environment

I am proud to be a signatory to the International Declaration on the Future of the Arctic.

White Fear was inspired by reports I read in newspapers about how quickly the Arctic ice is melting – and the numerous predicted catastrophes :

•     the seas will rise

  

•     rare wildlife will die out
•     communities that live in the Arctic will lose their way of life
•     without the ice in place, the seabed is accessible and some countries will begin to drill for oil, gas and other valuable resources – AND that they will start to jostle for who owns which part of the sea bed.

White Fear draws mostly on the last two threats.

It is set at a fictional conference of the Arctic Powers (Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and USA) in Tromso, Norway. These countries are trying, in a last chance to avoid war, to decide who owns which part of the seabed. But evil forces are at large. Forces that profit from war and oil exploitation. Forces that don’t want peace.

The only way to avert war is for The Squad – five British child spies – to infiltrate the conference and stop the evil-doers. It involves mountain-top anxiety, abseiling, chases on ocean liners and even a submarine.

It also involves an ecological protest group made up of Inuit people – called White Fear – that is trying to make the Arctic Powers see sense and help reverse the ice melt.

Sadly, recent events have re-highlighted the problems the Arctic faces.

The Arctic ice is now at its smallest and thinnest since records began. The melt is accelerating year on year, meaning that some Arctic Powers are already exploring, looking for oil and gas and minerals. Not so long ago the Russians placed a Russian flag on the seabed, appearing to claim it for themselves.

Only very recently Greenpeace has been trying to prevent Russian drilling ships from searching for oil beneath that newly-exposed seabed, facing a very aggressive response from the Russians.

When I researched White Fear, I was on board a Norwegian ship, looking at the waters and land that the Arctic Powers are fighting over.

I hope this book does something to raise awareness in children about something that is vital to the future of our planet.

Daily update on the Arctic ice visit http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/

News from Greenpeace’s Save the Arctic campaign visit www.greenpeace.org.uk/.

Read my blogs about Climate Change week here and here.

Learn about my research trips here

• On-deck
• Norway

Check out how I used my research to write Black Op and White Fear on my blog writing about Norway.

Themes in White Fear – 2  a character in a wheelchair

“Children’s fiction has a huge lack of disabled characters, which means many children find they do not have characters that they can relate to in the books they read.” Phoebe Kirk

It was really important to me to make a spy series believable and to stress the extreme risks the members of a child spy team would take.  Sadly, this meant from the outset – in Chapter 1 of Black Op – a character is killed in the field.  And in the sequel, White Fear, a character called Lesh has a terrible fall, but survives to stay on the Squad.  It was really important to me to demonstrate what an important contribution he continues to add to the team as a boy in a wheelchair. My dad spent a long time in a wheelchair, so it is something I’ve spent time thinking about.

Discover other children’s books with characters who have a disability suggested by Scope here  and here  and here .

Real Reader Reviews

‘Hi Tom your book called The Squad White Fear is great I love the way you made Lily like jump off the cliff to get to a cable car, when you made Frank Hawk hunt Kester and Lily it was cool and when Frank tricks them into thinking the detonator that was a scary part of the book. Is Tromso a real place? My name is Scott and… I LOVE YOUR BOOKS! ‘ Scott, Ysgol Esgob Morgan

“Tom Palmer books are usually extremely popular with my pupils at school, and this one will be no exception. It is the second book in the series ‘The Squad’, following the adventures of a group of teenage spies. They manage to stay undercover by being part of an elite youth football team that travel the world playing in matches and tournaments.

The book has sets off at a great pace and wastes little time in getting to the action. It is extremely current, as the group are involved in an adventure based around drilling for oil in the Arctic ocean. The characters of the children are varied enough to be interesting, and the main adult in the story is an archetypal evil genius (of sorts)…

Highly recommended. I have found Tom’s previous books to be a perfect way in to reading for some of my more disengaged pupils, due to the links with sport and simple-to-read, fast paced style of the books. White Fear will continue that trend.” Jonnybid

“What a great book! I am looking forward to White Fear and can’t wait.” Saad Siddiqui

Tell me here what you thought about White Fear.

Buy the books

The Squad 1 : Black Op Amazon
The Squad 2 : White Fear Amazon

PRIVACY & COOKIES POLICY                            TERMS & CONDITIONS

Tom has written a FREE new 3 part Classroom Read, set in First World War Leeds. Suitable for years 5-8. Thanks to Leeds SLS.

• 3 x 15 minute read chapters to read aloud released 8, 9, 10 November
• 3 x films of Tom reading the story
• 3 x films about how and why Tom wrote the story
• Additional support materials for teachers
• Live Virtual Event-11 November 2021

All free to use and download from my Leeds SLS webpage here

For the past few years I have asked teachers, TAs and librarians if they would be kind enough to nominate a child they think would benefit from the gift of a book for Christmas. My family and I would like to do the same for Christmas 2021.

Our idea is to work with schools and libraries to help us gift books to fifty children who have had a difficult year at school or home in the hope that a book would be a boost for them; to children who do not have any books at home; or to children for who one special book might help engage them with a lifetime of reading for pleasure.

Each book will be personally dedicated, signed, gift-wrapped and will come with a Christmas card from me. Those nominating can choose from any of my books for children.

The Christmas card will have this year’s illustration by the wonderful Yorkshire artist James Innerdale.

If you’d like to nominate a child, please email the following information to admin@tompalmer.co.uk by Sunday 21st November 2021:

1. the child’s name (this will not be published and will be kept in full confidence)
2. a short paragraph explaining why you are nominating that child (this will not be published and will be kept in full confidence)
3. your choice of book for them from one of my  books listed at https://tompalmer.co.uk/about-tom/books-for-children/.
4. your name and school address (where I will send the book)

I am sorry, we cannot promise to send a book to every child nominated. We have set an upper limit of 50. But I will send a personal Christmas card to each nominee and a poster pack for each school.

My family and I will choose the recipients and aim to have the books dispatched to schools in the first week of December 2021.

You will be under no obligation to disclose to the child why they are receiving the book or to present it to them publicly.

(For more information about special offer schools book packs, FREE signed bookplates and signed books to purchase as gifts see here. )

PRIVACY & COOKIES POLICY                            TERMS & CONDITIONS

I’m often asked about my career in writing, reading, publishing, bookselling, libraries and book festivals.

Listen to my recent interview with The Careers Podcast
here .

And I’ve made a FREE short introductory film about my career and how it has been based around the world of reading and writing – in bookshops, libraries, book festivals and literacy charities.

It is for classroom use in careers, English or PHSE lessons, aimed at people who might like a career in the book world.

Watch or download from my advert free YouTube site here.

If you would like me to make an extended pre-recorded film for your school including or focusing on :

• careers in writing
• careers in reading
• careers in publishing
• careers in bookselling
• careers in Libraries
• careers in book festivals

please do get in touch below or email me here.  

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Buy Books

Signed and dedicated copies of all my books are available personalised to order from my local independent children’s bookshop “The Thoughtful Spot” here. 

With an extra special Christmas or birthday card from me on request!

Overseas : FREE Delivery worldwide from The Book Depository.
Australia: Boomerang
Canada: Amazon Canada
New Zealand: Wheelers
USA :  Indigo books

Visit my bookshop or support your local bookshopHIVE

Schools bumper 35 book pack offer here

35 books
£190 saving £60 – over 20% discount
FREE DELIVERY & SIGNED BOOKPLATES

Please email rosie@rosemaryhillbooks.co.uk.

Schools class set offer here.

15 copies 20%+ discount
30 copies 25%+ discount
100 copies 30% + discount

FREE DELIVERY & SIGNED BOOKPLATES

Please email rosie@rosemaryhillbooks.co.uk for a quote

Email me here for more information or use my contact form here to ask me a question.

Thank you.

PRIVACY & COOKIES POLICY                            TERMS & CONDITIONS

Read His Name is Ben – a short story for children by Tom Palmer illustrated by James Innerdale – about Sir Ben Helfgott, one of The Boys who came to Loughton and went on to become an Olympic weightlifter.

Tom Palmer is the author of “After the War – from Auschwitz to Ambleside” about the 300 Windermere Children, who came from Auschwitz to Ambleside over 75 years ago.  More here.

Find out more about what happened next to the Holocaust Survivors at a new Epping Forest District Museum exhibition here . 

On Saturday 14 August, I will be following the route the Windermere boys made from Carlisle to Windermere raising money over 75 years ago to continue fighting  racism and  intolerance.

“It is a story from the past, told in the present, with lessons for us all for the future.” Trevor Avery

“A powerful and moving novel, following meticulous research and with the support of the Lake District Holocaust Project” Jewish News