The Booksellers Association has today announced Great Expectations by Vinson Cunningham as Fiction Book of the Month, and How To Roller-Skate with One Leg by Ella Dove as Children’s Book of the Month for March.

A cornerstone initiative of Books Are My Bag’s year-round calendar of bookshop celebrating activity, Indie Book of the Month will see Independent bookshops around the UK and Ireland promoting Great Expectations and How To Roller-Skate with One Leg throughout March on social media and in-store, with Books Are My Bag supporting through social media and physical promotional material.

From The New Yorker critic and a Pulitzer Prize finalist Vinson Cunningham comes an extraordinary first novel that was a finalist for The National Book Critics Circle Award. Described in The Wall Street Journal as ‘one of the smartest and most involving political novels I’ve read in ages’, Great Expectations tells the story of a historic presidential campaign that changes the trajectory of a young Black man's life forever.

When David first hears the Senator from Illinois speak, he feels deep ambivalence. Intrigued by the Senator's idealistic rhetoric, David also wonders how he'll balance the fervent belief and inevitable compromises it will take to become the United States' first Black president. Great Expectations is about David's eighteen months working for the Senator's presidential campaign. Along the way David meets a myriad of people who raise a set of questions--questions of history, art, race, religion, and fatherhood--that force David to look at his own life anew and come to terms with his identity as a young Black man and father in America.

Vinson Cunningham, author of Great Expectations said: “Independent bookshops have been a kind of lifelong classroom for me. Every impulse and area of knowledge that sneaks its way into GREAT EXPECTATIONS can be tracked back, in one way or another, to a long afternoon spent trawling the shelves of an indie bookstore. I can't imagine my life without them.”

From inspirational speaker, novelist, amputee and Features Editor at Woman and Home Ella Dove, comes How To Roller-Skate with One Leg with illustrations from Jennifer Jamieson. A funny and uplifting story celebrating friendship, family and overcoming adversity, and described by Jacqueline Wilson as ‘a book to race through, heart thudding, cheering Maya's courage - a book to keep forever because it's so subtle, so surprising, so very special’.

Hi! I'm Maya Bright. Last year was the worst - I lost my leg in an accident. But I'm still me, and I'm not going to let anything - or anybody - stop me from living my best life!
When Maya finds a list she made before losing her leg, she decides she's still going to do everything on it - even though her former bestie has ditched her for the cool kids.
Before she turns 13, she's going to . . . * Get her ears double-pierced * Learn how to roller-skate * Stay up all night at a sleepover * Go viral * Have the best birthday party ever * MAKE HER EX-BEST-FRIEND SOPHIE REALISE WHAT SHE'S MISSING!!!

Ella Dove, author of How To Roller-Skate with One Leg commented: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be selected as March’s Children’s Book of the Month. I can’t wait for the world to meet Maya Bright and see that disability does not mean inability.”

Jennifer Jamieson, illustrator of How To Roller-Skate with One Leg commented: “Indie bookshops are my absolute favourite place on earth, and I cannot wait to celebrate this wonderful, important book in my local shop.”

The Indie Book of the Month titles are selected by panels of booksellers from publisher submissions. The Fiction panel were from Literary Cat in Machynlleth, The Wedale Bookshop in Galashiels, Cover to Cover in Swansea and Red Lion Books in Colchester. The Children’s panel comprised of members from Booka Bookshop in Oswestry, Owl and Pyramid in Seaton, Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights in Bath and Kenilworth Books in Warwickshire.
 
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