Category: Ages 6-8

Fox Update, Foreign Editions… and a Dash of Las Vegas!

A boy and a girl running towards a lake with a boat rowing towards them. Watercolour style. Woodland around them. The front cover of the Japanese edition of The Secret Lake by Karen Inglis

November News

I hope you’re keeping cosy as the colder weather closes in! It’s been a busy few weeks here, both on the Ferdinand Fox front – and with The Secret Lake travelling the globe again. 😊

Ferdinand Fox Saves the Day — early reviews + a Black Friday FREE eBook offer! 🦊 📚

Illustration of a fox navigating city rooftops with scenes of mischievous activity in the background, including thieves in black and a moonlit urban landscape.

Thank you so much to everyone who has already shared reviews of Ferdinand Fox Saves the Day. I’ve been bowled over by the wonderful feedback — from parents, teachers, and young readers alike. It’s always nerve-racking launching a new book and your responses have been amazing! Below are just a few excerpts from Amazon and Goodreads – you’ll find more online. I have a Zoom visit in a couple of weeks with a class in Bulgaria, whose pupils all have the book and apparently love all of the stories! I’ll share photos next time. ❤️

Meanwhile, in the spirit of upcoming Black Friday week, if you’d like to road test the collection with your children for free (or simply read it for your own enjoyment!), scroll down to find details of a time-limited free eBook offer! 😊

Amazon and Goodreads early reviews

Collage of book reviews for 'Ferdinand Fox Saves the Day' featuring positive feedback and star ratings from readers, set against a fall-themed background.

Free eBook — Black Friday Week (Hurry! Ends midnight 25th Nov!)

If you’re after a Christmas gift for a child in your life, Ferdinand Fox Saves the Day is a lovely option for boys and girls aged 6–8 — or a cosy read-aloud for ages 5+.

With that in mind, and as an early nod to Black Friday week, the Kindle/eBook edition is FREE to download on Amazon for the next three days (link below – offer ends midnight your time on Tuesday 25th November). This way you can simply enjoy the digital version with your children, or sample it and buy in print as a surprise gift if you enjoy the stories. 😊 To read it on your phone or tablet, download the free Kindle App if you don’t have it already.

Cover image of the children's book 'Ferdinand Fox Saves the Day' featuring a fox and text promoting the book's rhyming stories, with a background of candles and a cozy setting.

I do hope it brings you and the children or grandchildren in your life a smile – Ferdinand is such a kind and endearing character. And always misunderstood by humans. ❤️

If you do enjoy the collection, please do take a moment to leave a short review online — it will help Amazon show it more widely. 😊 🦊

Thank you. And, of course, if you go on to buy it in print, that would be wonderful!

The Secret Lake — new foreign editions on the way

In other news, I’m delighted to share that two more translated editions of The Secret Lake series are coming very soon:

  • 🇯🇵 The Japanese edition of The Secret Lake — publishing at the end of November. Below is the front and back cover spread. I love the water colour. What do you think? I can’t wait to receive my print copies and will share photos when they arrive.
  • 🇨🇳 The Simplified Chinese edition of Book 2, Return to the Secret Lake — arriving in December. The cover looks absolutely wonderful but I’m not yet allowed to share it. I’ll do so next time.

The series is in 13 languages in all — proving that children everywhere love escaping into traditional adventure stories with portals to other times or worlds..!

The Secret Lake – Japanese front and back cover artwork

Two children runningg along a path in a lush forest, heading towards a serene lake with a small boat in the distance. The Japanese edition cover for The Secret Lake by Karen Inglis

Meeting and hearing from my readers — from Georgia to New York!

I’ve had more book club visits over the last couple of months, including another lovely mother-and-daughter group in New York.

Meanwhile, fifth-grade pupils at GRACEPOINT School in Georgia wrote to me this week to tell me how much they enjoyed The Secret Lake. Their letters, seen in the collage below, were beautifully written, and so thoughtful! This is a specialist school for pupils with dyslexia, which looks and sounds amazing.

5th Grade pupils from GRACEPOINT school in Georgia after reading The Secret Lake

A group of seven children standing in front of a world map, each holding up copies of 'The Secret Lake' book, smiling and celebrating.

Letters from 5th graders at GRACEPOINT School

A collage of handwritten letters from students expressing their thoughts about 'The Secret Lake', placed against a green background with trees.

A week in Las Vegas — and a key tip for writers

We authors don’t get out much (!), but at the start of November I did make it over to Las Vegas for a week-long writers’ conference. The weather was fantastic (around 80°F / high 20s all week!) — and my husband and I took the chance to visit the West Rim of the Grand Canyon the day after we arrived. It’s been on my bucket list forever and I’m so glad I finally made it – it was truly breathtaking!

Collage of three pics. View of the Grand Canyon West Rim from a glass bridge with visitors enjoying the scenery. Hand holding a copy of The Secret Lake against a backdrop of the 'Eiffel Tower' at Paris, Las Vegas

The rest of the week was packed with fascinating sessions on writing craft, book marketing and new technologies — including tools for creating personally signed eBooks (yes, really!). These are still in testing, but I’m excited to see where they lead and I have early access to the beta program.

The conference took place in a hotel on the Las Vegas Strip, just by ‘Paris’ – seen in the snap above with my handy copy of The Secret Lake, which I later donated to another author’s daughter. I had no idea that Las Vegas was made up of all of these replica European landmarks! The photo below was taken in ‘Venice’ which had waterways and gondolas on the second floor, along with fake blue sky. LOL! What fun 😆 — but rather an assault on the senses!

A person poses in front of a colorful display inspired by The Wizard of Oz at a shopping center in Las Vegas, while on the right, gondolas glide through a canal in a replica of Venice, showcasing ornate architecture and vibrant lights.

The conference closed with a live interview with half-billion (!) selling thriller author James Patterson, who shared his key tip for new (and all) writers: “Be there.”

He said he has these two words written at the top of each blank manuscript before he starts writing.

By this he means, ‘be in the scene with the characters– experience the action and emotion with them as you write.’ This is what will draw your reader in. This resonated hugely with me. When I’m deep in a story, I’m right there with the characters — if my thoughts could project onto the wall you’d wonder where you were! (BTW, James Patterson writes everything in longhand! Can you imagine?!)

Until December…

Don’t forget: Ferdinand Fox Saves the Day is FREE on Kindle until Tuesday 25th November, midnight your time. 🦊

Feel free to share the link with friends, and don’t forget to take a quick moment to leave a review! 😊

I’ll be back in touch again in early December with more news, including photos from an upcoming event I have at The Notting Hill Bookshop (yes the bookshop from the film with Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts ❤️ ❤️!).

With warm (or freezing cold, rather!) wishes from London,

Karen

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Autumn updates from London — and a fox who saves the day 🦊🍂

Hello from a sunny London!
It’s a crisp and beautiful autumn day here with the blue skies a welcome change after recent rain and grey clouds. As the leaves start to turn, here’s hoping for some spectacular colours after such a warm summer. (I once followed the changing autumn colours down the east coast of the US— it was breathtaking!)

Moving on to my writing life, I have some exciting news about Ferdinand Fox — and a few new adventures that I think you and your young readers will enjoy.

🦊 Ferdinand Fox Saves the Day — Out Now!

I’m thrilled to share that Ferdinand Fox Saves the Day — a six-story illustrated collection for readers aged 6–8 — is now available!

Fox trotting across a building ledge late at night

Encouraging reading for pleasure

This special edition brings together three brand-new stories with my three original picture-book fox tales in a lively illustrated chapter-book format designed to inspire a love of reading. My aim was to create a book that bridges the gap between picture books and early chapter books — keeping the rhythm and fun of rhyme while offering enough text to stretch early reading skills and hold a child’s attention.

The short, self-contained stories are designed to make it easy for children to dip in and out, revisit their favourites, or share them with younger siblings — perfect for home reading or classroom story time. 😊

Four of the tales are action-packed page-turners full of adventure, mischief, and quick thinking, while the remaining two show Ferdinand’s gentler, big-hearted side — the qualities that make him so endearing to readers of all ages.

A huge thank-you to my advance readers who helped me shape the format for this edition; all were adamant that they wanted scattered illustrations throughout! I suspected this would be the case, but wanted to be sure. 😊

Illustration from 'Ferdinand Fox, the Kittens and the Alley Monster' showing Ferdinand Fox with kittens and a background of flowers.

And, needless to say, a huge thank-you to Andrew Smith, whose beautiful artwork perfectly captures Ferdinand’s character and the different settings!

Illustrated pages from 'Ferdinand Fox and the Break-In', featuring a fox on a ledge and in a kitchen with food, capturing a whimsical and adventurous scene.

👉 Available now on Amazon if you search in your country, and coming soon to all online and high-street bookshops. Quick links below. (US and UK are affiliate links from which I earn a small fee at no cost to you.)

Order on Amazon US →
Order on Amazon UK →
Order on Amazon CA →
Order on Amazon AUD →

I hope you and your children enjoy! Please do write or comment and let me know. 🦊

🎄 Coming Soon — The Christmas Tree Wish in Italian!

I’m also delighted to share that the Italian edition, Il Desiderio dell’Albero di Natale should be out next week!

The front cover of the Italian edition of The Christmas Tree Wish by Karen Inglis, translated by Elena Papaleo. Four smiling fir trees and a snowy background.

It’s been wonderful seeing this gentle festive story translated by the hugely talented Elena Papaleo — she took great care in explaining her interpretations, and I can’t wait for Italian readers to meet the little tree who dreams of being chosen for Christmas. 🇮🇹✨

Don’t forget that you can order The Christmas Tree Wish in English, French (Martin le Sapin de Noël), or German (Chris Christbaums Weihnachtstraum). Search by title online.

📚 The Secret Lake — Japanese Edition on the Way!

In other foreign news, I’ve heard that the Japanese edition of The Secret Lake is due out in late November. The cover, which I’ll be able to share later this month, features stunning watercolour artwork — a truly magical interpretation that I think readers will love. My son will be in Japan in November so I’m hoping he can snap a picture in a bookshop!

💬 Virtual Book Club Visits

I recently had a wonderfully relaxed session with a mother and daughter book club in Florida, chatting with 9–11-year-olds who’d just finished The Secret Lake. We talked about their favourite books, how I get story ideas, and how I plan characters and plots. They even had a sneak peek at Ferdinand’s upcoming cover!

Two young girls holding copies of 'The Secret Lake' by Karen Inglis during a virtual book club session, smiling at the camera. A woman with glasses and a scarf is also smiling in the bottom half of the image, indicating active participation in the discussion.

Clara has apparently already gone on to buy books 2 and 3 and devoured them! I have another US session coming up later in the month which I’m equally looking forward to – like most authors, I love meeting my readers!

If you’d like to book a virtual author visit — for your home book club or school class — do get in touch. Sessions can be from 30 up to 60 minutes, and I love connecting with readers wherever they are in the world.
👉 Contact me via my website →
👉 View my School visits page

🐦 Garden Robin Update

Finally, a little wildlife news! Those who follow me on Instagram will know that I have a pair of friendly robins in my garden. By early 2025, both were feeding from my hand. I named them Robbie and Roberta.

Robbie first appeared on his own two years ago, and I was thrilled when I discovered that he had a ‘mate’ last November. They had a very busy nesting season, but I haven’t see Robbie since late July. The last time he visited, he sat on my hand with a distant look and not feeding. Roberta – who has that same look in the picture below taken a few weeks ago – is still visiting and still takes mealworms from my hand — though she’s far quicker and shyer than Robbie, who used to perch calmly and look me in the eye while eating.

I’m hopeful Robbie will reappear before winter sets in. I think she’s missing him!

A close-up of a garden robin perched among green leaves and buds.

You can see more photos and videos over on my Instagram.

That’s it for now. I hope your children or pupils enjoy Ferdinand Fox Saves the Day if you order a copy. Please do let me know. And if you can take a moment to leave a short review on Amazon, Goodreads or your preferred store it would mean a lot to me, and help other families discover these fun stories.

Happy autumn once again, if that’s your season right now! And happy reading and rhyming!

Karen 😊 🍂 🦊 📚

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Henry Haynes and the Great Escape gets off to a flying start!

It’s just eight weeks since I released Henry Haynes and the Great Escape – my fast-paced chapter book for ages 6-8 about a boy who falls inside his library book after complaining that it’s boring.  And I’m thrilled to report that I’m already well into my second box! This means that over 100 children have now either read or are currently reading or due to read Henry’s story.

As with all of my books, what really heartens me about this is knowing that the imaginary world I created is being enjoyed and shared by so many children, just as I had hoped and dreamed that it would be. For a writer, there’s nothing to beat that feeling!

Henry’s early journey to meet his first readers follows three school visits and two book signing events since publication. One book signing was held in Waterstones, Putney on 14 June and another at the delightful Wimbledon Books this Saturday, 21 June. This last event co-coincided with Wimbledon Village Fair. There was a great buzz all around the village and on the common – especially with Wimbledon tennis starting this week too. One little boy who bought Henry Haynes had already had his photo taken in another shop with one of the tennis stars!

Image of Wimbledon Books, bookshop
The delightful Wimbledon Books in Wimbledon Village – just off Wimbledon Common

Image of children's author Karen Inglis sitting at signing table at Wimbledon Bookshop
At Wimbledon Books – it was one of the hottest days of the year so I was glad to be by the open door!

Henry escapes up to Leamington Spa!

Prior to the signings I took Henry Haynes into three schools. One of these visits took me up to Milverton Primary in Leamington Spa – a delightful primary school attended by a friend’s daughter, Martha, who very kindly acted as my first beta (‘test’) reader back in December.

The visit to Milverton Primary couldn’t have gone more smoothly and the children were an absolute delight. Here’s a picture of Sasha, one of Henry’s fans from Year 4 at Milverton.

Image of boy reading Henry Haynes and the Great Escape
Sasha – from Yr 4 at Milverton enjoying Henry Haynes and the Great Escape

Thank you to Sasha and his parents for allowing me to use this photo!

Early feedback and pre-publication nerves….

Asking for early feedback on your book while it’s still in manuscript form is always nerve-wracking, as any writer will tell you. And what makes it worse is the waiting, which is often when doubts start to bubble up. But people are busy and rarely able to read your work right away, so the waiting is something you just have to learn to live with.

So when I emailed the manuscript of Henry Haynes and the Great Escape to Martha’s mother, I honestly didn’t expect to hear back for a few weeks, especially as it was in the lead-up to Christmas. In fact I didn’t even suggest an ideal turnaround time. Imagine, then, my delight, to receive an email back that very same evening to say Martha had refused to turn out the light until she had finished the story – and had loved it! She then insisted on reading it to her grandmother the following weekend!

Pre-publication nerves are very common – and I’ve experienced them with each of my books. (I was so nervous about The Secret Lake before its first library reading that I almost cancelled the event! Almost 6,000 sales later, and with rafts of great reviews both here and in the USA, I now know that I needn’t have worried!)

I should add that Martha was able to provide some really useful feedback to do with some of the characters’ names – and to point out where I’d made a mistake with who said and thought what 🙂  Thank you Martha!

And it seems Martha hasn’t been the only one to want to race through Henry’s story! Here’s a screenshot of a tweet message I received from a parent on the evening of my Putney Waterstones signing on 14 June:

Feedback received about Henry Haynes via Twitter

Image of a tweet
Tweet received following my Putney Waterstones signing

I’m looking forward to sharing Henry Haynes with more school children in coming weeks and months. Please do get in touch if you’d like me to visit your school – you can read more about my school visits here: I have four books which cover from Reception up to Year 4.

And if you’re looking for a summer read for your 6-8 year-old you can order your copy of Henry Haynes and the Great Escape online or from your local bookshop who should be able to get it in for you within a few days  🙂  In southwest London it’s stocked by Waterstones in Putney, Wimbledon Books, The Barnes Bookshop and Sheen Books. RRP is £4.99.

Happy reading!

Karen

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