Royal Celebrations!

Dress Up Dollys and Knitted Princesses

To celebrate the upcoming royal nuptials, we decided to enter into the spirit and put in this lovely Royal London window display. Walker Books kindly supplied us with the cut-out of Westminster Abbey (an illustration from their beautiful new London Souvenir Cityscape) and our very own Holly and Annie put the window together around it.

We've carefully selected from the avalanche of books about the Royal Wedding and we think there will be something for everyone. One of our favourites is the William and Kate Dress Up Dolly Book, which is a perfect way to while away the time until the big day (for grown-ups too!). As well as it's eye-catching cover, this book has dozens of different outfits for the royal couple to model.

For your own mini princess, this Royal Wedding Activity Book from
Scholastic is a great way to keep little hands busy over the Easter holidays. From designing the dress to decorating the wedding cake, this book has everything necessary to join in the wedding fun!


We haven't forgotten about the grown-ups, don't worry! We also have the brilliant new Alison Jackson book Kate and Wills Up the Aisle, with hundreds of her trademark lookalike photographs of the Royal Family, as well as the bestselling Knit Your Own Royal Wedding, a joy for those knitting fans among you.

So however you'll be spending the 29th April 2011, don't forget that there are some great books to keep you company and provide a perfect souvenir of the
historic event.

Long Lankin by Lindsey Barraclough

What a party! We were very pleased to have hosted the launch party for local author Lindsey Barraclough's stunning debut novel Long Lankin.

A thrilling tale that has kept us gripped and on the edge of our seats. Look out for the staff review on our sister blog site thegoldentreasuryreviews.blogspot.com

Thank you to the publicity team, all at Random House who came and of course to Lindsey and her wonderful friends and family. We were so happy that we could share this special day with such a promising author!

Mother's Day Competition Winners

A BIG congratulations to our two Mother's Day competition winners! Bea (age 3) and Cathlyn (age 7) created really beautiful pictures and won a goodie bag for themselves and one for for their mum. We hope Cathlyn and Bea have a lovely day with their mums tomorrow!

We also want to say thank you to everyone else who entered the competition, choosing the winners was a really difficult decision as always. It was one of our most popular competitions and with all the entries stuck up in the window it's been a bit dark in the shop!

Well done everyone and congratulations again to winners Bea and Cathlyn!

Douglas Competition

G.N. Hargreaves, author of Douglas, recently came to The Golden Treasury for a story time and book signing event. To celebrate the publication of this brand new picture book, we are holding a competition inspired by the story.

Douglas is a dog who doesn't know how to have fun. Basil the bird makes suggestions, but nothing seems to work. What do you do to have fun? We want you to tell us about your most fun day. You can draw us a picture or write a description.

This competition is open to children aged 2-6, and entries are due by 26th April. The winner will receive a copy of Douglas as well as a signed drawing by the author himself! We look forward to hearing how you have fun!

Department 19

There are a couple of very exciting new title releases this week, including Anthony Horowitz's last Alex Rider book, Scorpia Rising. One we're all super-excited about though, is the debut novel by Will Hill called Department 19.

You might think you've had enough vampire novels to last you an eternity, but we urge you to think again! Will Hill has managed to come up with a book that is so original, fast-paced and thrilling that you'll literally be on the edge of your seat!

Without giving too much away, we can tell you that Department 19 is the official government department which has been protecting us mere mortals from supernatural threats ever since Van Helsing defeated Dracula. Everything Bram Stoker wrote was true, and teenager Jamie Carpenter is about to discover just how dangerous vampires really are. Forget the garlic though, these creatures are tougher than that, and Department 19 is at the cutting edge of high-tech weaponry.

Department 19 is definitely a book for teens - it's fairly bloody, but it's equally excellent for boys and girls, and would be just the thing for a reluctant teen to get their teeth into.

Two of our favourites for Mothering Sunday!

Mothering Sunday is 3rd April this year and here are two of our favourite books that are just perfect to give.

How to Crack an Egg With One Hand is a humorous guide to parenthood, including everything from the deeply serious to the hilarious. With fascinating facts such as when the epidural was invented, and how to write your child's name in Chinese.

I Love my Mummy is a wonderful lyrical read, all about the simple things in a baby's relationship with his mummy.

Also come in and see our range of cards and gifts perfect for a special mum.

*We are also running our Mother's Day competition this year. Pop into the shop and pick-up a coulouring sheet and also write a lovely Mother's Day message to your mum. Closing date is 1st April and there are prizes for the winner and the winner's mother! Look out for your entry in our window display*

Douglas by Giles Hargreaves *FREE EVENT*

Meet Douglas, not your average dog! We are very lucky to have Giles Hargreaves (son of Mr Men creator Roger Hargreaves) visiting the shop on Thursday 31st March at 4.15pm, for a very special storytime/drawing session and then a signing.

Come along and meet Giles and find out what Douglas really, really wants to be able to do!

Please book your place as space is limited. Contact the shop for more details.