Indie Book of the Month: All the Lives She Lived by Nathalie Abi-Ezzi Indie Book of the Month (Children's): The Bakery Dragon by Devin Elle Kurtz
The Booksellers Association and Bookshop.org, working in partnership for the National Year of Reading, are delighted to announce All The Lives She Lived by Nathalie Abi-Ezzi and The Bakery Dragon by Devin Elle Kurtz as Indie Book of the Month and Indie Book of the Month (Children's) for August. The year-long partnership brings together the Booksellers Association’s Books Are My Bag consumer campaign and Bookshop.org’s online platform to champion monthly Indie Book of the Month titles, supporting reading for pleasure and driving readers towards independent bookshops across the UK and Ireland. Each monthly selection benefits from coordinated promotion across the combined reach of the Booksellers Association’s and Bookshop.org’s social media channels, newsletters and digital platforms, ensuring independent bookshops remain central to reader discovery. Independent bookshops across the UK and Ireland will also promote All The Lives She Lived and The Bakery Dragon throughout August via in-store and digital promotional materials. All The Lives She Lived by Nathalie Abi-Ezzi (The Book Social) is a sweeping historical novel that follows Doris, a young woman whose discovery that the family she believed lost has been living just streets away upends everything she knows about herself. Spanning Birmingham, Baghdad and Beirut, the novel explores identity, family secrets and the enduring pull of the past in a richly evocative story of reinvention and belonging. Nathalie Abi-Ezzi, author of All The Lives She Lived, said: "Wherever I happen to be, independent bookshops pull me in like a magnet. I love these unique spaces that are less about mass marketing and more about titles that have been chosen with care. The booksellers are always ready to make recommendations, and can collectively have a real impact on the success of a book. Indie bookshops radiate excitement about the written word, and build a sense of community too, so what's not to love?" The Bakery Dragon by Devin Elle Kurtz (Walker Books) is a heartwarming picture book about Ember, a tiny dragon whose talents lie not in stealing treasure but in baking delicious bread. When an unexpected friendship with a baker helps him discover that generosity is more valuable than gold, Ember learns that the greatest treasures are the ones we create and share. Devin Elle Kurtz, author of The Bakery Dragon, said: "I'm equal parts gobsmacked and delighted to be selected for Children's Indie Book of the Month! Independent bookstores are bastions of community, education, and creative freedom. To be recognized in this way by dedicated booksellers across the United Kingdom is a tremendous honor. I feel especially lucky to be granted this opportunity to introduce my little dragon Ember to a new audience so far from my home in California. Thank you so, so much!" The Indie Book of the Month and Indie Book of the Month (Children’s) titles are selected by panels of independent bookshops from publisher submissions