The North Recommends: The Blue House Bookshop
The Blue House Bookshop is an independent children’s bookshop in York. We opened in October and are situated on Bootham, close to the city centre and just yards from the famous Minster. Our charming Tudor building backs onto the wall of St Mary’s Abbey which dates from the 13th Century and the beautiful historic surroundings perfectly complement our cosy contemporary inside space.
Our aim for the bookshop is to provide a warm and welcoming environment for local people and visitors to York to use and enjoy, and with our lovely collection of books to encourage and cultivate the love of reading in children and families. Children today have access to a whole digital world which past generations didn’t have to navigate; we believe that books are as important as ever. Once they have the feel of a book and the turning of a page, it can be a powerful and joyous lifelong companion!
As an independent children’s bookshop, part of our ethos is to support and stock local authors. Part of the joy of bookselling is engaging with writers and illustrators who are passionate about their writing and creating.
Through every bookshop door there are thousands of new worlds to explore and in The Blue House Bookshop many of our local families come in with babies and young children to explore our picture books. The choice is just fabulous and they are the perfect way to be introduced into the wonderful world of reading…
Santa’s Special Gift by Catherine Jacob
This year local author Catherine Jacob has her first Christmas book published. Following the success of There’s a Troll on my Toilet, Santa’s Special Gift, Illustrated by Ag Jatkowska, is a delightful story of a little girl’s Christmas Eve surprise in a lovely interactive lift the flap book.
Agnès And The Birdman by Stephen Munzer
For history fans, Agnès and the Birdman by Stephen Munzer is a children’s historical novel
about a young girl who meets Leonardo Da Vinci. This is a lovely educational journey, with facts at the back of the book, and a lesson in how young and old can learn from each other.
The Boy Who Went Magic by A.P. Winter
The Boy Who Went Magic is a swashbuckling children’s novel by A.P. Winter. Aimed at 9-12 year olds this book is great for anyone who loves fantasy and adventure.
Outwalkers by Fiona Shaw
Fiona Shaw writes fiction for adults and children and has had one of her books turned into a major film. Outwalkers is a young adult dystopian novel set in a near future England, following a gang of kids attempting to escape the government controlled society imposed on them.
Contact The Blue House Bookshop:
Facebook: @bluehousebookshop
10 Bootham, York YO30 7BL