77: Claire Linney on Diversity in Children’s Books, Middle Grade Fiction and Why Reading Is Political

In this episode of In My Good Books, Susie welcomes children’s author Claire Linney, creator of the award-winning Time Tub Travellers series for readers aged 8–12. This conversation is part of the Reading Is Political mini-series, where we explore how books shape empathy, understanding, and the way we see the world. For this episode it felt especially important to include a children’s author. If reading can broaden perspectives for adults, then the books children encounter early on can shape how they understand identity, history and each other for life. Claire’s middle-grade adventure series follows two friends who accidentally travel back to Tudor London in a mysterious antique bathtub time machine. But alongside the fun and adventure, Claire is also bringing real, often overlooked Black British history to young readers. Claire also shares a brilliant list of middle grade recommendations, from graphic novels about refugee experiences to books exploring the legacy of the British Empire, climate activism, and LGBTQ+ history. And if this really is the Year of Reading, then making sure children can see themselves in the stories they read has never been more important! Find Claire here: https://www.instagram.com/claire_linney/ Buy The Time Tub Travellers Here: https://www.clairelinney.com/ Books recommended in this episode: When Stars Are Scattered: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/when-stars-are-scattered-victoria-jamieson/2419499?ean=9780571363858&next=t Always Angel: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/angel-cake-kimberly-whittam/7730106?ean=9781803708072&next=t Hear Our Voices: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/what-was-the-british-empire-in-25-true-stories-radhika-natarajan/6737078?ean=9780711266933&next=t Save Our Forest: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/save-our-forest-nora-dasnes/7664072?ean=9780008653781&next=t We Are Your Children: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/we-are-your-children-a-history-of-lgbtq-activism-david-roberts/6557870?ean=9781529015362&next=t Monk & Robot: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/monk-and-robot-a-psalm-for-the-wild-built-and-a-prayer-for-the-crown-shy-becky-chambers/7823351?ean=9781250386335&next=t Vern Custodian of the Universe: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/vern-custodian-of-the-universe-tyrell-waiters/7412838?ean=9781838742744&next=t