We've reached the terrible twos!

Recently, the We Sat Down blog passed its second year anniversary. We were quiet about it online but have been very reflective about it offline. Much like toddling children and their parents, Little M and I are at a crossroads (or a more complex) junction with We Sat Down.

Many of you will know that this blog is a personal reading journey for us. The original aim was to find content appropriate fiction for Little M and to have fun with it. She had outgrown reading suggestions from my childhood and (for various reasons) librarians and booksellers weren't filling that gap. And somehow, I thought jumping from 'Harry Potter' or 'The Famous Five' to The Testament of Jessie Lamb, or The End of Mr Y, was a jump too far. So we went looking.

We Sat Down took us in directions we never would have anticipated nor dreamed. It has been fantastic. We've found a whole new world in children's (and teen/young adult) literature that would mostly have passed us by. We've had long, complicated and exciting chats about so many things (including age and content guidance on books, which for us were helpful, but we appreciate that it can cause obstacles for others). We've met authors, publishers, other readers; we've interviewed people we never thought we'd even meet; we've been invited to award ceremonies, publishing parties and laureate announcements; M has judged and Little M has reported; we've set up a real world book club which Little M organises now; and we've shadowed the Carnegie medal. Each and every one of those things has been a highlight and we'd like to thank everyone - especially the publishers and authors who have made this happen.

But, we're finding that we don't have time to do as much of this anymore. Because of this, Little M has decided not to accept further review copies. I am accepting some (on a very limited basis so, publishers, please contact us before sending anything) but I'm putting much of my spare time into my own writing (newly turfed) and other publishing related projects (all of which have been sparked by the enthusiastic and inspiring children's publishing industry into which we've been welcomed).

So, expect to see some changes from us. But, this is not a goodbye nor a hiatus. It's another book related journey. And once again, we're really not too sure yet where it's going! As Katherine Rundell's Rooftoppers suggests, never ignore a possible. We're following our possibles.