Members' News June

Welcome to the June round-up of Scattered Authors news. The weather has already swung from scorching to torrential and the school summer holidays are looming. We have a lovely batch of informative and fun books for young readers this month - clearly the month of non-fiction. Do take a look at them and help celebrate.

BODIE AND THE GHOST SHOWDOWN, Ffion Jones. Illustrated by Kara McHale

Ffion Jones is well-known for writing books supporting kids' mental health. Her latest book from Jessica Kingsley Publishers will be published on June 18th. 

Bodie has a secret fear: being sick. She is haunted by a ghost who whispers warnings and worries, convincing her to avoid buses, sleepovers, and even her favourite basketball games. She misses out on all this fun to keep her "safe" from the scariest thing she can imagine - throwing up!

At first, Bodie listens. The more she obeys, the stronger the ghost becomes. But with the support of her best friend Mina, Bodie learns to challenge his tricks, find her courage, and take back control of her life.

Bodie and the Ghost Showdown is a heartwarming story that gives children 7+ the tools to understand and overcome emetophobia. Blending humour and hope, with relatable characters, it's an empowering read for any child facing anxiety. The book also includes a guide for parents, carers, and professionals offering step-by-step suggestions for supporting kids with emetophobia. With practical tips and discussion prompts, it equips adults to assist children in applying the lessons of the story to real life.

Buy here

Ffion has set up a youth mental health and wellbeing story-based coaching Community Interest Company called Mind Chapters. It has just released its first two titles, THE GREAT GLIMMER HUNT: A STORY ABOUT NOTICING GLIMMERS and RABBIT AND THE WHISPERING WIND: A STORY ABOUT THOUGHTS AND WORRIES. Do take a look!

LOOK WHAT I FOUND AT THE PARK, Moria Butterfield, illustrated by Jesus Verona

Discover a world of wonder on a walk in the park with this beautiful picture book. Set off on a trip to the park to find natural treasure, from a big green leaf to sweet smelling rose petals, then learn more about the found object with irresistibly illustrated and informative nature notes.

Packed full of fascinating facts alongside a gentle rhyming narrative and encouraging children to get outside and explore their surroundings, this is a nature treasure hunt for the whole family!

Fun fact from Moira - the artist broke his hand so the book is a year late.

Buy here

THE ANIMAL DETECTIVES by Moira Butterfield, illustrated by Merle Goll

Another book from Moira this month.

What's the truth behind those strange mysteries we come across when we're out and about in nature? A pile of feathers... a broken egg... a hole in a shell... Time to investigate.

This engaging educational reference book encourages young readers to think like a detective in order to discover the secrets of the animal kingdom. Featuring crime-scene photos, suspect line-ups, witness interviews, evidence collections, surveillance footage and much more.

Buy here

YOUR WILD AND WONDERFUL BRAIN, Alice Harman, Illustrated by Buse Kaçer

Learn to harness, celebrate and love your wonderfully wild ADHD brain! This is the book that its author, Alice Harman, WISHES she’d had, growing up with ADHD. It helps children and young people explore their ADHD brains’ unique strengths and struggles, and learn to work with them rather than fight against them – in a fun, totally non-judgemental, ADHD-friendly way! 

Twelve different ADHD traits are each represented by a wild animal – from an all-seeing chameleon and a forgetful squirrel to a charmingly chatty parrot and a busy, busy bee. The book is full of practical tips, charming illustrations (from the brilliant Buse Kaçar), fun facts about brain science and animals, mini games and puzzles, creative activities and more. This is a must-have book for anyone interested in understanding more about our wonderful, wild and one-of-a-kind brains! Available as a paperback, ebook and audiobook, all out on 4 June 2026.

Buy here

ANIMATION RIGHTS FOR AMY WILD

Diana Kimpton's AMY WILD - ANIMAL TALKER series has been optioned for animation. The series is about a little girl who can talk to animals and who works with her animal friends to put wrong things right. The books have sold more than 350,000 copies in Japan where the series is called Animal Detective Mia.

This sample video is in Japanese and is based on the Japanese illustrations. It's being used to launch book 15 in the series but Diana also hopes it will catch the attention of the companies who can help turn the taster into a fully-funded project. Please share the link, it'd be fantastic if lots of people can see it. And look out for the English version coming in July.

That's all for this month. If you have any new books or good news you'd like to share in July, please send the details to Claire Fayers.