Emily McDonnell

Commissioning Editor at Walker Books. Book lover, beauty obsessive, keen traveller. All opinions my own. She/her.

[Jack Dart @JackWDart]

If people genuinely believe Burnham won’t receive the exact same media onslaught, they’ve not been paying attention.

Starmer is not, objectively, bad. This idea that he is somehow the worst PM in British history is frankly laughable.

Liz truss lasted 49 days, crashed the pound and was laughed out of Downing Street.

Since Labour took office, Keir Starmer’s government has:

• Scrapped the two-child benefit limit, lifting hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty and putting money back into some of the hardest-pressed households in the country.

• Expanded free school meals, cutting costs for families and making sure more children get a proper meal during the school day.

• Expanded funded childcare, reducing one of the biggest monthly costs facing working parents and making it easier for people to stay in work.

• Raised the National Living Wage, increasing pay for millions of low-paid workers.

• Strengthened workers’ rights, giving people greater protection against insecure work and bad employers.

• Introduced statutory sick pay from the first day of illness, so workers are less likely to choose between their health and their wages.

• Ended no-fault evictions, giving renters more security in their homes.

• Brought rail operators back into public ownership, taking key services out of failed private hands and giving the public a stronger stake in how they are run.

• Cut NHS waiting lists from their post-pandemic peak, meaning more patients are being seen sooner.

• Raised the state pension through the triple lock, protecting pensioners’ incomes against rising costs.

• Scrapped the old non-dom tax regime, making some of the wealthiest people in the country pay more fairly.

• Added VAT to private school fees, raising money from those most able to contribute.

• Removed business rates relief from private schools, ending an unjustified tax break.

• Increased neighbourhood policing, putting more officers and PCSOs back into communities.

• Helped bring knife crime down, meaning fewer families face the devastation of serious violence.

• Recorded the lowest homicide rate since the 1970s, a material improvement in public safety.

• Created Great British Energy, giving Britain a publicly owned clean energy company.

• Created the National Wealth Fund, backing investment in industry, infrastructure and clean energy.

• Passed planning reforms aimed at getting homes and major projects built faster.

• Improved relations with the EU, reducing diplomatic hostility and rebuilding practical cooperation.

• Agreed a UK-EU security partnership, strengthening cooperation on defence and European security.

• Signed a long-term partnership with Ukraine, reinforcing Britain’s support against Putin’s invasion.

• Secured new trade agreements, opening up markets for British businesses.

• Helped restore seriousness to government after years of scandal, chaos and decline.

People do not have to like Starmer. They do not have to vote Labour. But pretending this is the record of the worst Prime Minister in British history is absurd.

[Walker Books @WalkerBooksUK]

A giant adventure or a summer camp diary? Two new middle grade books are available to request on our NetGalley!
https://t.co/ORtzdVI9GY
🦴The Thing About Giants @ChrisGalvin1981
☀️Really Rubie: A Diary

[Walker Books @WalkerBooksUK]

CONGRATULATIONS to our @CarnegieMedals shortlisted author and illustrators! We are so proud 🎉

Baljinder Kaur, for The Sleeper Train by Mick Jackson

Linh Dao, for The Endless Sea by Chi Thai

Patrick Ness, for Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody illustrated by Tim Miller

[PNorfolk_BookReviews @PNorfolk_BookRe]

Cosy up for more magical adventures in @Rach_Khoo & #LauraCatalán’s enchanting series #SilverthornForest @WalkerBooksUK @CourtInABook https://t.co/Q3R0PtxxNA Reviews also @leponline this week!

[Walker YA @WalkerBooksYA]

The @Waterstones pre-order sale is back - and lots of @WalkerBooksUK are included! 😀🎉🥳 Get 25% off upcoming books with the code FEB26 between now and 20 Feb. Your TBR will thank you!

Not sure what to pick? We've got something for every taste 👇

[Christopher Harrison @MrHtheteacher]

There's a lovely looking @WalkerBooksUK delivery on my desk today!

[Walker Books @WalkerBooksUK]

With just over a week to go until #ValentinesDay, we've got a selection of precious picture books and love stories guaranteed to fill your heart over on our website 💘

https://t.co/EKSeSWQfpj

[Walker Books @WalkerBooksUK]

Walker Books is proud to be supporting the National Year of Reading! 📚

Whether it's football, music, baking, family-time, sci-fi, or...anything, reading helps you get more out of the things you love.

https://t.co/qTAb8JPFcI

@Go_All_In_2026

[Walker Books @WalkerBooksUK]

Immerse yourself in the Noise once again, with these bold new editions of the globally bestselling #ChaosWalking series #PatrickNess.

"Intelligent, compelling and utterly devastating, Chaos Walking is one of the seminal YA series of this century." Juno Dawson

Coming soon.

[Jill Bennett @JillBennett18]

Combining magic and science @writemeera #Snow @walkerbooksuk - perfect for the chilly winter months is #RedReadingHub’s #kidlit #fiction book of the day reviewed on the blog now https://t.co/8DULP52hcu

[Emily McDonnell @ems_worth]

So delighted to finally be able to shout about this acquisition! The Unchosen One is a perfect blend of hilarity, magic and adventure.

[BookBrunch @BookBrunch]

.@WalkerBooksUK has announced The Unchosen One, a 'brilliantly imaginative' new trilogy by Amy Sparkes

https://t.co/TqF5yMujz9 (£)

[School Reading List @SchoolReading]

Our December books of the month
Fiction: Snow by Meera Trehan
Nonfiction: What If… Every Volcano Erupted at Once? by Emma Young
Picture book: Hot Food Nice! by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Neal Layton

📚 https://t.co/VxxVmchzgt 📚

#kidlit #teachersofx

[Emily McDonnell @ems_worth]

Really Rubie is SO good - funny, joyous and perfectly pitched for readers aged 9-12. Cant wait for it to publish next summer.

[The Bookseller @thebookseller]

.@WalkerBooksUK has snapped up Maddie Frost’s first middle-grade novel, Really Rubie, in a two-book deal 👇

[Walker Books @WalkerBooksUK]

Our Christmas sale has arrived!

Head to our website to discover an amazing array of Christmas picture books, bestselling titles, box sets and bundles with big savings, and free UK delivery on orders over £30.

https://t.co/PCEAZgjKne

[Walker YA @WalkerBooksYA]

ICYMI, last week we revealed the cover for The Game of Oaths by @scbandreddi - and isn't it a beauty!

Publishing next June, this is a high-stakes fantasy thriller of dark magic, sisterhood and revenge. Think The Hunger Games meets Caraval.

Stunning artwork by @micaelaalcaino.

[Emily McDonnell @ems_worth]

Look at this absolute beauty!! The Hunger Games meets Caraval meets Six of Crows. I cannot wait for it to publish next summer - @scbandreddi is an incredible new talent, and this book will blow you away.

And thank you @micaelaalcaino for the most beautiful cover artwork!

[soumya | updates only @scbandreddi]

✨COVER REVEAL✨

i’m thrilled to finally share this beautiful cover with the world!!

THE GAME OF OATHS is out june 2nd in the US / june 4th in the UK! preorder & goodreads links are in my bio + down below! 🎪✨

cover art: micaela alcaino
cover design: faith leung

[Walker YA @WalkerBooksYA]

We are so excited that the stunning cover for The Game of Oaths by @scbandreddi is out in the world!

If you love dark fantasy, magical circuses and deadly tournaments, this book is for you.

Absolutely stunning cover artwork by @micaelaalcaino.

https://t.co/6RAoMgwIsQ

[Walker YA @WalkerBooksYA]

We are SO excited to be publishing graphic novel The Victors, written by @wren__james and illustrated by Beth Fuller, next May.

Also, have you ever seen anything more beautiful than that cover?!

Pre-order now: https://t.co/qXIzdrywkf

[Walker Books @WalkerBooksUK]

"Come on! Let's do it! Let's celebrate poetry!"

Two days to go until Michael Rosen Day!

https://t.co/T9kULcPHZu

#MichaelRosenDay @MichaelRosenYes

[Justyn Edwards | the Great Fox series @justynedwards]

This is the cover for the Greek version of The Great Fox Illusion, which was released in the last few weeks by the fantastic @EkdoseisPataki. Also, a pic of some of the other recent editions. 🤩