The Third Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Author is Announced!

Eleven Doctors. Eleven months. Eleven authors. Eleven stories.
A year long celebration for the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who!

The third instalment in a sensational series of stories celebrating the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who is written by Marcus Sedgwick, multi award-winning author of ‘Floodland’, ‘My Sword Hand is Singing’ and ‘Midwinterblood’. 'The Spear of Destiny' is out on the 23rd March 2013.

Doctor Who is the longest running sci-fi TV show in the world and celebrates its 50th anniversary on 23rd November 2013. To celebrate, Puffin – in partnership with BBC Worldwide – is publishing an exclusive series of eleven ebook short stories each based on one of the Eleven Doctors, priced at £1.99 and released on the 23rd of each month from January to November 2013. Each story is written by a different author, bringing together some of the most exciting names in children’s fiction, from commercial blockbusters to literary award-winners. These authors will each bring their own interpretation and reimagining of their chosen Doctor to create a unique Doctor Who adventure in their own inimitable style.

On 23rd January Artemis Fowl author Eoin Colfer launched the series with his story based on the First Doctor, A Big Hand for the Doctor, followed on 23rd February by Michael Scott’s adventure based on the Second Doctor, The Nameless City. The authors of the subsequent eshorts will continue to be unveiled on the BBC Worldwide Doctor Who Facebook page on the first Tuesday of every month throughout the year.  A promotional video featuring the author will be released on the 11th of each month on the BBC Worldwide Doctor Who YouTube channel.

Marcus Sedgwick commented: “To me, Jon Pertwee is the quintessential Doctor – a hero of both thought and action. When I was young he seemed like a schoolmaster you were a bit afraid of, and yet really liked at the same time. Bringing him back to life and pitting him against his old nemesis, The Master, was a huge thrill for me and I hope fans will recognise Jon in the pages of my story."

The Third Doctor and Jo Grant are trying to track down the magical spear of Odin when they find themselves caught up in a vicious battle between two Viking tribes. But one of the Vikings is even more dangerous than he appears to be. Can the Doctor stop the spear getting into the wrong hands before it’s too late ... ?

 

Photo credit Maureen Hansman, 2012

About Marcus Sedgwick

Marcus Sedgwick was born and raised in East Kent in the South-east of England. He now divides his time between a small village near Cambridge and the French Alps. Alongside a 16 year career in publishing he is established as a widely-admired writer of YA fiction and winner of many prizes, most notably the Branford-Boase Award for a debut novel ('Floodland'), and the Booktrust Teenage Prize ('My Swordhand is Singing'). His books have been shortlisted for over 30 other awards, including the Carnegie Medal (four times), Edgar Allan Poe Award (twice) and Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize (four times). His latest title in the UK is for younger readers: 'Monster Mountains', book two of the Elf Girl and Raven Boy series. 

Find out more at www.marcussedgwick.com.  
You can follow Marcus on Twitter @marcussedgwick

Eleven Doctors. Eleven months. Eleven authors. Eleven stories. A year long celebration for the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who!

Doctor Who is the longest running sci-fi TV show in the world and celebrates its 50th anniversary on 23rd November 2013. To celebrate, Puffin – in partnership with BBC Worldwide – is publishing an exclusive series of eleven ebook short stories each based on one of the Eleven Doctors, priced at £1.99 and to be released on the 23rd of each month starting in January 2013.

Each story is written by a different author, bringing together some of the most exciting names in children’s fiction. These authors will each bring their own interpretation and reimagining of their chosen Doctor to create a unique Doctor Who adventure in their own inimitable style.

The author of the first story, featuring the First Doctor played by William Hartnell (1963–1966), is Eoin Colfer, which is published on 23rd January 2013. The authors of the subsequent eshorts will be unveiled on the BBC Worldwide Doctor Who Facebook page on the first Tuesday of every month throughout the year.  The next reveal will be the 5th February. A promotional video featuring the author will be released on the 11th of each month on the BBC Worldwide Doctor Who YouTube channel.

A paperback anthology of the eleven ebook short stories, the Doctor Who Anniversary Anthology priced at £7.99 will publish, alongside the final eshort featuring the Eleventh Doctor, on 23rd November 2013.

Juliet Matthews, Publisher, Penguin Children’s says: ‘Penguin Children’s has been the proud home of children’s Doctor Who publishing for eight years and to be part of the 50th anniversary is incredibly exciting. We are delighted to have eleven sensational children’s authors involved in the series, all bringing an individual style, imagination and interpretation to their eshort tribute to The Doctor. This is a who’s who of children’s fiction coming together to celebrate the much-loved Doctor Who.’

"A Big Hand For The Doctor"
By Eoin Colfer
Published by Puffin on 23rd January 2013
Ebook, £1.99,
ISBN: 9781405912051

For readers aged 7+

Puffin is thrilled that Eoin Colfer will be launching this unique series with his story about the First Doctor. The author commented: “As a boy I had been reading the Doctor Who books for years before I ever saw a single episode and I found that the on-screen version of the First Doctor was almost identical to the version in my imagination.”

London. 1900. The First Doctor is missing his hand and his granddaughter, Susan. Faced with the search for Susan, a strange beam of soporific light, and a host of marauding Soul Pirates, the Doctor is promised a dangerous journey into a land he may never forget …

For further information about Eoin Colfer please visit www.eoincolfer.com.

ARTEMIS FOWL AND THE LAST GUARDIAN is out NOW - the final instalment!

As fans of the Artemis Fowl series, we recommend this final instalment of the exciting series and wonder what Eoin Colfer will create next ...
 

IS THIS ARMAGEDDON FOR ARTEMIS FOWL?

Opal Koboi, power-crazed pixie, is plotting to exterminate mankind and become fairy queen.

If she succeeds, the spirits of long-dead fairy warriors will rise from the earth, inhabit the nearest available bodies and wreak mass destruction. But what happens if those nearest bodies include crows, or deer, or badgers - or two curious little boys by the names of Myles and Beckett Fowl?

Yes, it's true. Criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl's four-year-old brothers could be involved in destroying the human race. Can Artemis and Captain Holly Short of the Lower Elements Police stop Opal and prevent the end of the world?

On the 9th July 2012, Eoin Colfer took part in a Puffin Virtually Live webcast broadcast from the library in Fowl Manor.  He read from 'ARTEMIS FOWL AND THE LAST GUARDIAN' for the first time and answered viewers' questions. You can now watch the video on demand at www.puffinvirtuallylive.co.uk

To find out more about Eoin Colfer and his work check out www.eoincolfer.com!

Puffin Virtually Live with Eoin Colfer 9th July 2012

The next webcast is taking place with Eoin Colfer, the bestselling author of the Artemis Fowl series, broadcasting live from the library at Fowl Manor.  Hear the first ever global reading of "ARTEMIS FOWL AND THE LAST GUARDIAN", the final book about the teenage criminal mastermind and put your questions for Eoin to answer LIVE.

Monday 9th July at 4.30pm ...  Click here to register to watch live online.

 

PREVIOUS EVENTS:
Catch up with on-demand webcasts from Quentin Blake, Rick Riordan and Charlie Higson at www.puffinvirtuallylive.co.uk

Book a Poet recommends Virtually Live - we've watched interviews before and they are great! We even had Eoin Colfer answer our question once during the live streaming - if he could be any character from fiction he's be James Bond!