Kids Events at the Book Festival

This article is from 2009.

It’s a jumble of big names and intriguing unknowns at the Book Fest this week, luckily Lizzie Mitchell is on hand to point out the best events for kids

Old favourites for kids include Michael Morpurgo (22 Aug), Malorie Blackman (22 Aug), Jacqueline Wilson (23 Aug), Anne Fine (23 Aug), Julia Donaldson (24 Aug), and Terry Deary of horrible history stardom (28 Aug), but there’s a whole lucky-dip of events out there, and some of the titles look good enough to take a chance on even if you’ve got no idea what’s coming.

Try Grubtown Tales (26 Aug), H.I.V.E. (the Higher Institute for Villainous Education; 24 Aug), Sir Charlie Stinky Socks (22 Aug) or Vampirates Ahoy! (21 Aug), or, if you’re a budding illustrator-detective, go solve The Mystery of Harris Burdick (24 Aug) – the adults haven’t managed it yet.

For those who really want to venture into uncharted literary territory, there are Scroll Stories from India (20 Aug), African Legends (23 Aug) or Egyptian Adventures (23 Aug). And if you’re completely at a loss for where to begin, Dr Recommenda Book will be on hand for much of Friday (21 Aug) to prescribe cures for all your reading ills. Just don’t let the end of the week catch you without a book in hand.

See edbookfest.co.uk for full details of events.