The Booksellers Association has today announced The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa as its Fiction Book of the Month for September, while Julia and the Shark by Kiran Millwood Hargrave with Tom de Freston is named Children’s Book of the Month.
The Cat Who Saved Books, by award-winning Japanese novelist Sosuke Natsukawa, is the story of student Rintaro and talking cat Tiger, who join together on a mission to save books that have been imprisoned, destroyed and unloved. On their travels, the pair meet those who treat books poorly in an enthralling tale of love, fantasy, and friendship. The Cat Who Saved Books is published by Picador and is available to buy in bookshops now.
Author Sosuke Natsukawa said: “As far as I am concerned, books are my friends and bookstores are my schools.
Between large bookshelves, I met many people and learned a great deal from them.
Romain Rolland taught me courage.
Samuel Johnson taught me wisdom and humour.
Spinoza taught me poverty and spirit of inquiry.
Fromm taught me how to love.
Other books from around the world taught me to keep cowardice at bay and live with integrity.”
Julia and The Shark, written by The Girl of Ink & Stars author Kiran Millwood Hargreaves and illustrated by Tom De Freston, follows Julia who is living on a remote Scottish island for the summer while her dad works and her mum tries to find the elusive Greenland shark. When her mother’s obsessions threaten to submerge them all, Julia embarks on an adventure with dark depths and a lighthouse full of hope. Julia and The Shark is published by Hachette Children’s and is available in bookshops now.
Kiran Millwood Hargrave and Tom De Freston said of their book’s selection, “We never dared dream that our story would be selected as Indie Children’s Book of the Month, but we couldn’t be more delighted. Julia and The Shark is not only made for people who love stories: it’s also a celebration of books – full of colour and texture and depth and movement, it’s made to be held. We are so honoured that those champions of the book world – independent booksellers – will be putting it into the hands of the readers who need it most.”
Independent bookshops around the UK and Ireland will be promoting The Cat Who Saved Books and Julia and The Shark throughout September on social media and instore. The Booksellers Association will be supporting the promotion of the Indie Books of the Month through social media and promotional material.
