Children's writing

A few years ago, I was surprised to open a newspaper and read that the head teacher of a London public school had decided to ban my books from his library. He described the adventures of Alex Rider, which have sold around 20  million- copies worldwide, in terms so derogatory that I have no mind to repeat them. Suffice it to say that the article quite put me off my cornflakes.  Read more

It was mostly sunny throughout the seventh edition of the China Shanghai International Children's Book Fair (CCBF), which concluded its three-day run on November 17. The mood of the exhibitors and visitors was equally sunny and positive. And the same could be said for event co-organizer BolognaFiere, which was back for its second outing with a more ambitious (and successful) agenda.

As a child, I cavorted in Oxford colleges, rode atop armoured bears and swanned off to Svalbard to witness the majesty of the northern lights - all while remaining within the walls of an Edwardian terrace in Cardiff.  Read more

There was a spat the other week about a children's book, Equal to Everything: Judge Brenda and the Supreme Court, which is about an encounter between a little girl called Ama and the nation's pin-up, Brenda Hale. The book's author is the Guardian columnist Afua Hirsch. It's written in vague rhyming couplets with the worst illustrations I've ever seen in a book for children.

Guardian research shows that the top 100 illustrated children's books last year showed growing marginalisation of female and minority ethnic characters