BA selects Arnott and Mistry as Indie Books of the Month

Robbie Arnott’s Limberlost (Atlantic) has been named the Booksellers Association (BA) Fiction Book of the Month for November, while The Midnight Panther by Poonam Mistry (Templar) is the children’s pick. 

Independent bookshops around the UK and Ireland will be promoting Limberlost and The Midnight Panther throughout November on social media and in store. The BA will be supporting the promotion of the Books of the Month through social media and promotional material. 

Limberlost is a coming-of-age story about the cost of dreams, war and human violence on the natural world. The novel tells the story of Ned West, who dreams of sailing across a river on a boat of his very own. To Ned, a boat means freedom. His two older brothers are away fighting in a ruthless and distant war, becoming men on the battlefield while Ned, too young to enlist, roams the land in search of rabbits to shoot, selling their pelts to fund his secret boat ambitions. Ned falls for Callie and together they learn the lessons of love, loss and hardship. When a storm decimates the Limberlost crop and shakes the orchard’s future, Ned must decide what to protect: his childhood dreams, or the people and the land that surround him.

Arnott said: “I often find that every great community has at its heart a great independent bookshop — those wonderful places where thinking, storytelling and imagining are accessed and celebrated. I was lucky enough to work in one for seven years, and these days I seek them out wherever I go. To find shelter in a bookshop is one of the great pleasures of life."  

The Midnight Panther is a fable about courage and finding your place in the world. Panther is not like the other cats. Leopard has beautiful spots, Tiger has impressive stripes and Lion has a magnificent mane. Panther is small, shy and dark. One night he decides to go and find out where in the jungle he really belongs. Finally summoning the courage to scale the treetops, he answers the call of moonlight and ink-black night. Perhaps up among the stars, he will find out something about his own strength and beauty.  

Kirsty Woods, from Kibworth Books and member of the selection panel, said: “I defy anyone to open a book filled with Poonam Mistry’s illustration and not audibly gasp. Her artwork is truly extraordinary and this latest book, The Midnight Panther, is no exception. Written in fable form, this beautiful book is a story about a small and shy panther’s journey to self-acceptance. A fabulous story for opening up conversations about courage, difference and learning to embrace our own brilliant individuality, this is a perfect gift book for any child in need of confidence building — and simply a gorgeous addition to any collection of books for wildlife lovers.” 

The Indie Book of the Month titles are selected by panels of booksellers from publisher submissions.