Children's Events at the Literary Festival

Wood Green Literary Festival 

A one stop guide to the kids events happening throughout the weekend 

As well as all the events listed here, there'll also be lots of FREE book related craft activities for kids to enjoy at the school, so please come along and help ensure that we can do this again next year!

For more information about the Festival, please visit woodgreenlitfest.org.uk

All children's events will be taking place in 

Noel Park Primary School. Gladstone Avenue N22 6LH 

(3 minutes walk from the Bookshop)

Saturday October 12th

1.00pm - London’s biggest and most explosive songs & stories for under 5s (and older if you like).

BIG SONGS!! BIG STORIES!! BIG FUN!!

Join in the fun with Tim and friends, as he entertains your little ones in his own inimitable style.

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2.00pm - GUY BASS.  LIVE and UNTAMED!! - FREE

Here’s your chance to witness something quite remarkable.

The award winning writer, author, actor, singer and oh, I don’t know, lots of other things too will be joining us for an hour of spectacular entertainment.

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3.00pm - How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth with Michelle Robinson and Kate Hindley - FREE

Does your mammoth need a wash? I imagine if it was woolly it probably would. Thankfully Michelle Robinson and Kate Hindley have written a very useful book which will show you how to do it!

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3.00pm-4.00pm - Comic Book Workshop with Zoom “The Zoom”Rockman. £5

We’re thrilled to be putting on a comic workshop event with the amazing Zoom Rockman, creator and artist of ‘The Zoom’ comic.

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4.00pm - Sally Nicholls Exclusively Reveals her New Novel, Close Your Pretty Eyes. - FREE

Sally Nicholls is the multi-award-winning author of novels including the bestselling Ways to Live Forever and All Fall Down.

In her new book, Close Your Pretty Eyes, Sally has weaved a story around real-life Victorian mass-murderess Amelia Dyer. The book isn’t published yet, and the Festival will be the first opportunity you’ll have to get your hands on copies!

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5.00pm - Monsters, Magic and Mayhem with Sam Enthoven, Steve Feasey and Conrad Mason. FREE

Demons, trolls, vomiting bats, werewolves, elves, hybrid monsters. This has it all! Meet three of our most magical kids authors for an hour of out of this world fun. Sam, Steve and Conrad will be taking you through their fictional worlds, chatting about fantastical fiction and offering great advice to anyone interested in writing.

Sunday October 13^th

1.00pm - Ciaran Murtagh – The Man, The Legend, The Author. - FREE

Have you ever watched The Legend of Dick and Dom?

How about Hotel Trubble or The Slammer?

Maybe you’ve watched Planet Ajay, , Shaun the Sheep or The Numtums?

If you have, there’s a very very good chance that Ciaran Murtagh wrote the script to it. Because that’s just one of the things that he does!

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2.00pm - Uncovering Ancient London with Catherine Johnson and Lydia Syson. FREE

Together, and maybe with your help, Catherine and Lydia will be talking about how they’ve used London as a location in their novels and the importance of building a realistic sense of place for their readers. There’ll be fascinating insights into how they researched for their books and no doubt a few surprises on the way.

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2.45pm - 45minutes of Ellie May-hem with Marianne Levy - FREE

Here are some things you need to know about Marianne Levy

1. She likes cheese
2. She owns a horrible cat called Boots*.
3.  When she was young she wanted to be an incredibly famous actress
4. Thankfully she isn't an incredibly famous actress, because if she was, her amazing Ellie May books might not exist

Marianne's live events are always a real treat and we couldn't be happier that she's coming to join us at the festival.

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3.45pm - Edgy Fiction, with Keren David and Hilary Freeman. FREE

There’s a big debate about the way some modern Young Adult fiction tackles gritty realistic subjects, and a number of people have questioned whether teenagers should be exposed to it like this. Recently, American Library censors were targeting this genre and removing titles from their shelves.

Thankfully, there are authors like Keren David and Hilary Freeman, who despite this, continue to write realistic, thought provoking books, which don’t shy away from tough subjects.

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4.30pm - Here's our big Finalé.

The LONDON FACTOR?- With judges Holly Smale, Sophia Bennett and CJ Daugherty

We want you to write a story, no longer than 200 words, with the title

"A London Journey"

The best stories will reach the final where you'll have a chance to read out your story LIVE in front of an expectant audience and our 3 ace judges.

All finalists will receive a £5 Big Green Bookshop Voucher, but there are three incredible prizes for the winners.

The winners can choose from these three amazing prizes;

- Having a character in Sophia Bennett's new book named after them!

- CJ Daugherty will write the winner into her next novel!

 - You and 3 friends can enjoy a slap up meal with Holly Smale!

All entries MUST be in by midnight on Wednesday 9th of October.

Please email your entries to woodgreenlitfest@gmail.com, with your name, age and the best way to contact you.

The competition is open to EVERYONE.

Marianne Levy joins us for 45 minutes of Ellie May-hem

Sunday October 13th. 2.45pm at Noel Park Primary School

Here are some things you need to know about Marianne Levy

1. She likes cheese
2. She owns a horrible cat called Boots*.
3.  When she was young she wanted to be an incredibly famous actress
4. Thankfully she isn't an incredibly famous actress, because if she was, her amazing Ellie May books might not exist

Ellie May, however, is an incredibly famous actress and film star and Marianne's hilarious stories about her antics have been flying off the shelves. And rightly so. 

Now here's your chance to meet Marianne as she tells you about what got her into writing books and some of the fun things she's done. her stories may or may not include centipedes, hairbrush singing and her first film role in the Ali G movie!

Marianne's live events are always a real treat and we couldn't be happier that she's coming to join us at the festival. 

Her books will be available throughout the Festival and also at the event and Marianne will be very happy to sign copies for you. 

This is a FREE event, but please contact the Big Green Bookshop to reserve a place, either by email on enquiries@biggreenbookshop.com or by phone 020 8881 6767

*I'm sure Boots is lovely really

Sally Nicholls Exclusively Reveals her New Novel, Close Your Pretty Eyes

Saturday October 12th. 4.00pm at Noel Park Primary School

Sally Nicholls is the multi-award-winning author of novels including the bestselling Ways to Live Forever and All Fall Down.

In her new book, Close Your Pretty Eyes, Sally has weaved a story around real-life Victorian mass-murderess Amelia Dyer.

The book isn't published yet, and the Festival will be the first opportunity you'll have to get your hands on copies!

"Eleven-year-old Olivia has been in care since she was five, and is just beginning her fifteenth placement. But her new home holds dark secrets. Olivia discovers that it was once a notorious baby farm, where unwanted children were left to die. She becomes convinced that the place is haunted, and is desperate to save her new family from the ghosts. The danger is real - but does it come from the twisted mind of a very disturbed child?"

Sally will be reading from and discussing the fascinating characters in the book, including the horrific Amelia Dyer, who is believed to have killed over 400 people in her lifetime. 

As a past winner of the Waterstones Children's Book Prize, we are delighted that Sally can join us at the Festival

Suitable for young people aged 9+

This is a FREE event, but please contact the Big Green Bookshop to reserve a place, either by email on enquiries@biggreenbookshop.com or by phone 020 8881 6767

Holly Smale, CJ Daugherty & Sophia Bennett judge The LONDON FACTOR!

Sunday October 13th. 4.30pm at Noel Park Primary School

Have You Got the LONDON FACTOR?

With Holly Smale, Sophia Bennett and CJ Daugherty

AMAZING PRIZES UP FOR GRABS!

Do you want to have a character in a book named after you? 

Do you want to go for a slap up meal with on of the UK's most exciting new authors?

 Now's your chance!!

We want you to write a story, no longer than 200 words. The title of the story is 

"A London Journey"

Once you've written it, email it to woodgreenlitfest@gmail.com

include in the email. 

• Your Name
• Your age (if under 18)
• Your story
• Your contact number (if you don't check your emails very often!)

The best of these will then be put through to the final. 
Those lucky enough to reach the final will have a chance to read out their story on Sunday October 13th, LIVE in front of an expectant audience and 3 ace judges

Holly Smale - Holly is the author of the huge bestselling Geek Girl series. She spent her teenage years hiding in the school toilets followed by two years modelling, falling over on catwalks and breaking things she couldn't afford to replace. These experiences inspired her to start writing Geek Girl.  

Sophia Bennett - In 2009, Sophia won the Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition with her debut novel, Threads, set in the world of London fashion. This was followed by the two sequels in the THREADS trilogy. The LOOK, a sensitive and wittily observed take on the modelling industry was published in 2012. YOU DON’T KNOW ME, Sophia’s latest book was published earlier this year.

CJ Daugherty - CJ Daugherty has been a travel book writer, a journalist for Reuters and a crime and investigative reporter for newspapers and magazines here and there.

Over the years she's also worked as a hostess at a Cajun restaurant in New Orleans, a researcher for a university, a typist for an oil company, a ham seller at a Honey Baked Ham store, and a civil servant. She quite liked selling hams.

These days she writes thrillers. The third in her bestselling Night School series has just been published.

All finalists will receive a £5 Big Green Bookshop Voucher, but there are three incredible prizes for the winners. 

The winners can choose from these three amazing prizes;

- Having a character in Sophia Bennett's new book named after them!
- CJ Daugherty will write the winner into her next novel!

 - You and 3 friends can enjoy a slap up meal with Holly Smale!

All entries MUST be in by midnight on Wednesday 8th of October. 

The competition is pen to EVERYONE. 
GOOD LUCK!

Writing Edgy Fiction with Keren David and Hilary Freeman

Sunday October 13th. 3.45pm at Noel Park Primary School

There's a big debate about the way some modern Young Adult fiction tackles gritty realistic subjects, and a number of people have questioned whether teenagers should be exposed to it like this. Recently, this has been further highlighted during "Banned Books Week", where it was suggested that, particularly in America, Library censors were targeting this genre and removing titles from their shelves. 

Thankfully, there are authors like Keren David and Hilary Freeman, who despite this, continue to write realistic, thought provoking books, which don't shy away from tough subjects.  And They'll be here to read from their books and discuss why this is such an important genre.   

There'll be a chance to ask them questions and they'll be happy to offer advice to budding writers.

Keren David is the author of When I was Joe a contemporary thriller about  the life changing dangers of knife crime. It was shortlisted for the prestigious Branford Boase Award and was followed by a sequel, Almost True, which explored further gang culture.

She's also written Lia's Guide to Winning the Lottery, a lighthearted novel about a teenager who wins £8 million on the Lottery.

Hilary Freeman is a journalist, agony aunt and novelist, who has now published six books for young adults. Mainly focusing on relationships, her Camden Town Tales series, follows Sky, Rosie and Vix as they hang around the Market, celeb spot and head off to gigs. What Hilary manages to do is give the reader an insight into the mind of the modern teenager.

Their books will be available throughout the festival and also at the event, and Hilary and Keren will be happy to sign copies for you. 

Suggested Age. 10+

This is a FREE event, but please contact the Big Green Bookshop to reserve a place, either by email                           on enquiries@biggreenbookshop.com or by phone 020 8881 6767

SMOKE: A London Peculiar.

Wednesday October 9th. 7.00pm at The Big Green Bookshop

 

Tickets £3 (redeemable on any purchase on the night)

BUY TICKETS HERE

 

Smoke: a London Peculiar was a small magazine of words and images inspired by the capital. After sixteen issues, its editors, Jude Rogers (Guardian, Observer, Q, New Statesman, Elle, Red, The Word, the BBC) and Matt Haynes (Sarah Records, NCP car parks), were inspired by the collapse of Borders to relaunch the magazine as a website (www.smokealondonpeculiar.co.uk) and embark on a series of one-off projects.

 

 

The first of these, Soho!, was a board game based on the two things for which that small, historic patch of London is famous around the globe: its pubs and its one-way system.

 

And the second is From the Slopes of Olympus to the Banks of the Lea, a book about the ways in which London changed between the summer of 2005, when it was awarded the Olympic Games, and the summer of 2013, when the 97 was re-routed via Stratford International. It features ghosts in Bow, missiles on Blackheath, and the loss of Tom Cruise’s hands in Leicester Square, but very little running, jumping or splashing: instead, there’s cough syrup made out of rose petals gathered from a sunken Lea barge, the melancholy song of a nocturnal Greenwich dustman, and the unexpected kidnap of Boris Johnson by a flock of seagulls (the birds, not the band, though in retrospect that might have been even better). Oh, and Will Self consoles Iain Sinclair when the latter discovers that some of the ley lines dug up to build the Basketball Arena had been there since the time of King Lud.

Tonight’s event will feature readings and a chat/Q&A with the editors, who’ll be more than happy to discuss such things as how to make and sell your own book/magazine, how to befriend someone who owns a copy of Adobe InDesign, and how to respond to poets while staying within the law.

 

Buy tickets HERE.

Speed Pitching. Pitch your book to a Top Literary Agent.

Sunday October 13th 2.30pm at Wood Green Library

£5. BUY TICKETS HERE

Calling All Writers.

Here's an amazing opportunity to get five minutes face to face with a top literary agent. And
we're delighted to introduce to you Ajda Vucicevic and Amanda Preston from The LBA Literary Agency, who'll be here to listen to your pitches.

Ajda and Amanda

Ajda Vucicevic:

I look after critically acclaimed debut and established authors, including John Lucas, Niki Valentine, Bernadette Robinson and Robson Green’s Extreme Fishing. I have been part of the LBA team since 2007 and have been building my list since 2011. I am on the lookout for outstanding new voices in fiction. I am particularly interested in literary works of fiction with a commercial edge. I am looking for debut authors and am keen to develop their careers. My interest lies in literary fiction with an outstanding voice and original plot lines, women’s fiction, YA and narrative non-fiction.

Amanda Preston:

I am a director of LBA and have been a literary agent for fifteen years. I represent a wide range of authors including Simon Kernick, Karen Swan, Sarah Alderson, Jo Carnegie and Jonathan Trigell.  I am looking for incredibly strong central characters, compelling storytelling,  a killer concept and I want to be hooked from the start.  Ultimately I’m looking for unforgettable books that demand to be talked about and shared, regardless of genre, and that I’m still thinking about days after finishing. I’m particularly interested in finding new authors in psychological suspense, YA, women’s fiction (high concept reading group / commercial) and crime / thrillers. 

  Whether commercial or literary LBA is always on the lookout for captivating storytelling, original ideas and novels that stand out.

The event will begin with a workshop from one of the agents, giving guidance on presentation, what works, what doesn't and the areas you might be able to take your idea in. There will also be a chance to ask general questions about the role of an agent and the industry in general.

Any specific questions about your piece will be addressed in the face to face.

What you will need:

• An extract from your piece, roughly 200 – 300 words, on paper
• An outline of the book – again 200 – 300 words, on paper
• Copies of your contact details (maybe bring a few). If you have a business card, that's great, otherwise you can write your details on paper.
• Bring your manners. Getting this to run smoothly will require you to be polite if you are rejected, and to leave the table when the bell rings.

It's £5 to book your place, and you can get tickets HERE. 

Ciaran Murtagh - The Man, The Legend, The Author

Sunday October 13th. 1.00pm  at Noel Park Primary School 

Have you ever watched The Legend of Dick and Dom?

How about Hotel Trubble or The Slammer?

Maybe you've watched Planet Ajay, Diddy Movies, Shaun the Sheep or The Numtums?

Well how about The 4 O'Clock Club, Dennis and Gnasher, Tickety Toc or even Mr Bloom's Nursery.

If you have, there's a very very good chance that Ciaran Murtagh wrote the script to it. Because that's just one of the things that he does!

There's also a possibility that you will have seen him in one or more of these shows, as Ciaran regularly appears on CBBC and Cbeebies.

Not only that, Ciaran is the author of some of the funniest kids books we have ever read!

His first book, Dinopants is about a caveboy called Charlie, who's so sick of standing in dinosaur poo that he invents pants for them to wear (but try telling a Tyrannosaurus Rex to wear pants…). This was followed by the equally funny Dinopoo (Charlie invents toilets for dinosaurs in this one), Dinoburps (his fizzy drinks have mixed results) and Dinoball (Gareth Bale might struggle to score against a brontosaurus!).

Not content with just the caveboy market, Ciaran then intoduced us to Jamie Quinn!

When Jamie's Gran gives him a battered old teapot for a birthday present he reckons she's gone doolally! But when Jamie gives the teapot a clean out pops a banished genie - Balthazar Najar! Jamie accidentally wishes to be a genie too, he's whisked off to genie school where angry headmasters, deadly magic carpets and exploding lamps are the least of his worries!

So began the Genie series, of which there are now three.

Ciaran is one of our most popular and requested authors and having visited some of Haringey's primary schools with him over the last couple of years, I cannot recommend his live performances enough.

So please come along, sit back and relax as the incredible Ciaran Murtagh brightens your day with an hour of fun and frolics.

His books will be available to buy throughout the festival and  at the venue and Ciaran will be very happy to sign copies for you.

Suggested age, 6+

This is a FREE event, but please contact the Big Green Bookshop to reserve a place, either by email on enquiries@biggreenbookshop.com or by phone 020 8881 6767

GUY BASS - LIVE

Saturday October 12th. 2.00pm at Noel Park Primary School

Here's your chance to witness something quite remarkable.

GUY BASS.

LIVE and UNTAMED

The award winning writer, author, actor, singer and oh, I don't know, lots of other things too will be joining us for an hour of spectacular entertainment.

Guy  won the Blue Peter Book Award for Most Fun Book With Pictures for Dinkin Dings and the Frightening Things and has twice won the Portsmouth Book Award (Shorter Novel) for his Dinkin Dings series. This was followed by more great series' for kids, including Gormy Ruckles and his latest creation, Stitch-Head (a mad scientist's forgotten experiment). Guy grew up dreaming of being a superhero – he even had a Spider-Man costume. The costume doesn’t fit anymore, so Guy now contents himself with writing children’s books and drawing the occasional picture.

Have you ever seen a Guy Bass live performance??

You have?? Well, you'll know how amazing it is then, won't you?

You haven't?? Now's your chance.

Guy's books will be available to buy throughout the Festival and at the venue and he's very happy to sign copies for you. 

This is a FREE event, but please contact the Big Green Bookshop to reserve a place, either by email on enquiries@biggreenbookshop.com or by phone 020 8881 6767

Book Launch: Skulk by Rosie Best

Saturday October 12th. 5.00pm at the Big Green Bookshop

 

Join Strange Chemistry in launching Rosie Best's Skulk in the Big Green Bookshop. 

Skulk features Meg Banks, whose life may look perfect as she lives in a huge house in West London, goes to a prestigious school, and has famous parents, but looks can be deceiving.

Join Meg and her shape-shifting friends as they are plunged into the shadowy underworld of London, and a terrifying fight for their lives...

Angry Robot Presents.....

Saturday October 12th 12.30pm - 3.00pm the St Mark's Church Hall

Throughout Saturday, we're giving a carefully chosen selection of the most exciting and innovative publishers around an opportunity to share with you what makes them so special.

This will culminate in a discussion at The Big Green Bookshop in the evening, where a representative of each of these publishers will be on a panel discussing the book industry and its future.

We've given each publisher completely free reign to do whatever they like, but each of them has come up with something that should tempt you give them a visit.

ANGRY ROBOT BOOKS

12.30pm London: The Character

Strange Chemistry present Kim Curran and Rosie Best as they discuss how London plays a central role in their respective books. Kim's sci-fi Shifter series, Shift and Control,is set in modern London with buildings such as The Shard taking centre stage. Rosie's Skulk shows a different side of London, a grimy, underground world of simmering pot of cultures and life. Rosie and Kim will be reading from their novels and discussing how London inspires them in their writing.

1.15pm

Mad, Magical, London

Angry Robot authors are no strangers to mad and magical worlds, but let Mike Shevdon and Anne Lyle show you their fantastical London. Anne's Night's Masque series is set in an alternative history Elizabethan England, where the Virgin Queen married and had children while fanged and tattooed creatures from the New World walk the streets of London. Mike's Courts of the Feyre follow the adventures of Niall Petersen as he uncovers a hidden world of fey magic, strange history and uncanny creatures. Come along to hear Anne and Mike read from their latest books, whilst also opening this mad and magical London.

2pm

Historical London

Join Exhibit A's William Sutton and John Matthews to discover what hold the 19th century has on them, their characters, and their books. William Sutton's Lawless and the Devil of Euston Square introduces Detective Campbell Lawless in a pre-Sherlock London, as he tries to keep the streets, sewers, and stations safe. 

Letters From A Murderer by John Matthews brings one of London's most prolific murder mysteries - The Ripper - across the Atlantic to New York, where aristocratic English pathologist Finley Jameson must work with Joseph Argenti, a streetwise New York cop, to solve this case, once and for all. 

Come along for music, songs, and readings, and to meet William and John for an afternoon's entertainment!

Uncovering Ancient London with Catherine Johnson and Lydia Syson

Sunday October 13th. 2.00pm at Noel Park Primary School

Award winning Catherine Johnson is the author of over a dozen books, including Nest of Vipers, Stella and Brave New Gil. Her new book, "Sawbones", is steeped in London's fascinating history.      

It’s 1792 and 16 year old Ezra McAdam is an apprentice surgeon and anatomist. He’s used to dealing with the cadavers that come into his Master’s lecture room, and he can read a dead body as thoroughly as you or I can read a book. When a corpse comes in with a strange tattoo it sets Ezra off on a wild adventure he really would rather not have.  From the drinking dens of London’s resurrection men to the operating theatres of St Bartholomew’s Hospital, join Ezra and sword-happy magician’s assistant Loveday Finch as they hurry to stop an international catastrophe.

Lydia Syson is a fifth-generation North Londoner who now lives south of the river. Her latest novel, "That Burning Summer" is being published in October, just in time for the Festival.

Romney Marsh, July 1940. When invasion threatens, you have to grow up quickly. Sixteen-year-old Peggy has been putting on a brave face since the fall of France, not least for the sake of her anxiety-prone younger brother Ernest.  But now the enemy is overhead, and the rules are changing all the time. It’s getting harder and harder to ignore the rumble of guns, the rumours of spies and the malicious gossip in town.  When Henryk, a young Polish pilot, crash-lands on the Marsh, Peggy quickly finds she’s taken on more than she bargained for.

Everything changes in one extraordinary burning summer.

Together, and maybe with your help, they'll be talking about how they've used London as a location in their novels and the importance of building a realistic sense of place for their readers. There'll be fascinating insights into how Lydia and Catherine researched for their books and no doubt a few surprises on the way. 

Catherine and Lydia's books will be available to purchase at the festival and at this event, and they'll be happy to sign copies for you. 

Suggested Age 10+

This is a FREE event, but please contact the Big Green Bookshop to reserve a place, either by email on enquiries@biggreenbookshop.com or by phone 020 8881 6767