This year we had a wonderful time celebrating World Book Day - we were lucky enough to be invited to set up a pop up book shop for a secondary school. We took the amazing Laura Coryton into a hall full of year 8 students to celebrate her book 'Speak Up' a book inspired by her campaign to stop the Tampon Tax . And then Amber Lee Dodd entertained the year 7 children with her journey to reading as a dyslexic child all the way through to writing her second book 'Lightning Chase Me Home'.
Then author/ illustrator John Bond visited Ottie and the bea and we were joined by 4 classes from a local school. John read to them and showed them how to draw Mini Rabbit and the results were wonderful.
We rounded World Book Day/ Week off with our very own #shareastory in the shop.Followed by a very sleepy Sunday spent reading proofs on the sofa- curled up in my fav blanket #seventhheaven.
I have spent this week at London Book Fair listening to some brilliant panel discussions about issues such as the future of the picture book. And my favourite event of the fair is always the #publishersassociation #bookassociation Publishers Pitch. Each Publishing house has 4 minutes to talk us Book Sellers through their upcoming titles. And it's a brilliant way to get an over-view of what books are coming out when and oh my goodness there are some corkers coming.
I am busy reading proofs as rapidly as I can but my stack of book proofs is teetering and tottering- I am hoping to share a few, if you are a keen book reviewer do let me know! I've just finished reading Malamander - a really exciting adventure story from Walker Books, written by Thomas Taylor who illustrated the Philosopher's Stone. Malamander is a gripping seaside adventure set in Eerie-on Sea with two brilliant central figures- Herbie Lemmon who is in charge of the lost and found at the towns hotel and Violet Parma who appears and is in need of Herbie's help to find her parents who disappeared 12 years ago. The community of Eerie-On Sea is wonderfully painted - we have a book depository with its very own book dispensing monkey- a community full of characters to rival any local high street- I can't wait to share it with you all.
