Author Talks

Explore our rich library of authors talks recorded at previous events!

There are free for teachers to use. Where possible we have also included teacher’s links to downloadable resources that can help spark ideas and lesson plans. 

Author Talks for Junior School Students

Author Joseph Coelho & Illustrator Fiona Lumbers Luna Loves Workshop for World Book Day

Suitable for: Key Stage 1, Years 1-2 

What the books are about: The Luna Loves books are colourful, inclusive series of picture books from poet Joseph Coelho and illustrator Fiona Lumbers. This special workshop is dedicated to a special story for World Book Day and sees Joseph read the story and Fiona show children how to draw their very own Luna. 

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Author Emma Carroll talks about The Week At World’s End

Suitable for: Upper Key Stage 2, Years 4-6 

What the book’s about: Nothing ever happens in Worlds End Close. So when Stevie discovers a runaway girl in her coal shed, the first thing she does is fetch her best friend, Ray. Both are dying for a bit of adventure, and when the girl begs for help, they readily agree. Yet they soon realise theyve taken on more than they bargained for. The girl, Anna, reveals shes on the run from people who are trying to poison her.  

Meanwhile, on the news, the Americans and Russians are arguing over missiles in Cuba. As the threat of war grows, Annas behaviour becomes more mysterious. And when Stevie unearths a dark family secret, she wonders if Anna has come to Worlds End Close on purpose, with a special message just for her . . . 

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Author Sophia Thakur & Illustrator Denzell Dankwah on their graphic novel Superheroes

Suitable for: Upper Key Stage 2, Years 4-6  

What the book’s about: Discover new daring tales of inspiration from over fifty iconic British icons today, who have each harnessed their curiosity and ambition and turned it into their own superhero power. 

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Author Michelle Paver talks about the Viper’s Daughter

Suitable for: Upper Key Stage 2, Years 4-6 

What the book’s about: Fans of Michelle Paver’s Wolf Brother books are once again immerse in the stone age world of Torak and Renn.  

For two summers Torak the spirit walker and Renn of the Raven Clan have been living in the Forest with their faithful pack-brother, Wolf. But their happiness is shattered when Renn senses an appalling truth about herself – and disappears. 

Torak and Wolf set off to find her. Their journey takes them beyond the furthest reaches of the Far North, where they must vanquish a deeper evil than has ever threatened them before… 

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Author Sita Brahmachari talks about finding ideas for writing and The River Whale

Suitable for: Upper Key Stage 2, Years 4-6 

What the book is about: Sita Brahmachari is the bestselling author of the children’s books Artichoke Hearts and Where the River Runs Gold. For World Book Day 2021 she wrote The River Whale in a mixture of free verse and prose.  In this special workshop, Sita shares how she turns snippets of ideas into stories including The River Whale which is about a girl called Immy who has a vivid dream of a distressed whale in a river only to discover that her nightmare has leaked into reality. The story sees Immy and her friend Cosmo head to the River Thames on a mission to save a trapped river whale and guide it home. 

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Author Giles Terera talk on his book Hamilton and Me: An Actor’s Journal

Suitable for: Key Stage 4-5 , Years 10-13  

What the books about: Giles Terera portrayed Aaron Burr, in the musical Hamilton. Through rehearsals, previews and preparations he kept a journal, recording his experiences of the production and his process of creating his award-winning performance. A must read for all Hamilton fans and an insight for drama students at GCSE onwards as to the work that goes on behind the scenes to make an award winning theatre production. 

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Author Jess Phillips MP on her book The Life of an MP

Suitable for: Key Stage 4-5, Years 10-13 

What the books about: Drawing on her tenure as an MP, Jess Phillips explains the process of running for government; changing a law; serving her constituents; wrangling with her fellow MPs and so much more. This is the perfect book for politics students from GCSE onwards who want to more about the political process and how it works. 

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Authors Yvonne Bailey-Smith & Ify Adenuga share their experiences of setting up home in a new country through Ify’s memoir Endless Fortune and and Yvonne’s novel The Day I Fell Off My Island

Suitable for: Key Stage 4-5 Years 10-13 

What’s the books are about: Endless Fortune documents Adenuga’s journey from war-torn Nigeria to 1980s London and the raising of four remarkable children, Skepta, Jme, Julie and Jason Adenuga. 

The Day I Fell Off My Island tells the story of Erna Mullings, a teenage Jamaican girl uprooted from her island following the sudden death of her beloved grandmother. When Erna is sent to England to be reunited with her siblings, she dreads leaving behind her elderly grandfather, and the only life she has ever known. A new future unfolds, in a strange country and with a mother she barely knows. 

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