Welcome to the Independent Alliance’s children’s author event pack. Here you will find children’s authors who are available for bookshop, school and festival events.
The Independent Alliance is an alliance of 18 independent publishers representing shared core values: Independence, Integrity, Quality and Range.
Many of the authors have a fee structure for schools events. Please note that in some cases this may be negotiable, especially around a new title’s publication.
If you would like any more information, or if you would like to arrange an event with any Independent Alliance author, please write to independent.alliance@faber.co.uk
Authors
04.Tasneem Abdur-Rashid | DFB
05. Patience Agbabi | Canongate
06. Amy Beashel | Rock the Boat
07. Emma Beswetherick | Rock the Boat
08. Jeffrey Boakye | Faber
09. Moira Buffini | Faber
10. Neill Cameron | DFB
11. Emma Carroll | Faber
12. James and Lucy Catchpole| Faber
13. Gillian Cross | DFB
14. Jenny Downham and Louis Hill | DFB
15. Judith Eagle | Faber
16. Natasha Farrant | Faber
17. Candy Gourlay | DFB
18. Julia Green | DFB
19. Ravena Guron | Faber
20.T. K Hall | DFB
21. Alwyn Hamilton | Faber
22. Harry Heape | Faber
23. Kieran Larwood | Faber
24. Gill Lewis | DFB
25. Ben Martynoga | DFB
26. Janelle McCurdy |Faber
27.Thiago de Moraes | DFB
28. Chris Mould | Faber
29. Sai Pathmanathan | Faber
30. Christine Pillainayagam | Faber
31. Gavin Puckett | Faber
32. Amara Sage | Faber
33. S. A. Reyhani | Rock the Boat
34. SF Said | DFB
35. Alom Shaha | Scribble
36. Dave Shelton | DFB
37. Gabrielle and Satish Shewhorak | Rock the Boat
38. Josh Silver | Rock the Boat
39. AnnaTerreros-Martin | DFB
40. LindsayTurnball | DFB
41. SteveWebb | Faber
42. HayleyWells | Scribble
Events starting at £150 depending on duration and location of the event
- Workshops £250
Rashid
Tasneem Abdur-Rashid is a British Bengali writer born and raised in London. A mother of two,Tasneem has worked across media, PR and communications both in the UK and in the UAE.
Tasneem's adult rom-com Finding Mr Perfectly Fine was published by Zaffre/ Bonnier in 2022, and her second adult novel The Thirty Before Thirty List publishes in 2024. She co-hosts the award-winning podcast Not Another Mum Pod and is also a phenomenal home Odd Girl Out is herYA debut.
Tasneem has a wealth of experience at doing author events, including panels at festivals, councils, and libraries, discussing such as representation in literature, tackling Islamophobia through literature and comedy, growing up as a visible Muslim in London, the impact diversity in literature has on young as well as wider topics including the life of a writer, balancing work and family, inspiration behind stories/characters, journey to publication, challenges etc.
She has also held creative writing workshops at secondary libraries, and has done author visits at universities and wider institutions. She would be very happy to liaise with you and do events suited to your needs.
9781788453394
£8.99 | PB April 2025
Patience Agbabi
@PatienceAgbabi
Location
- Kent, willing to travel
Virtual events available
Patience Agbabi was born in London in 1965 to Nigerian parents, spent her teenage years living in NorthWales and now lives in Kent with her husband and children. She has been writing poetry for over twenty years, and her first novel for children, The Infinite, the first in the Leap Cycle series, won aWales Book of theYear Award.
Event
Elle and her friends are back! Leaplings, children born on the 29th of February, are very rare. Rarer still are Leaplings withThe Gift – the ability to leap through time. Elle Bíbi-Imbelé Ifíè has The Gift.
Join Patience Agbabi for a thrilling adventure through time as she talks about the Leap Cycle series. Expect participation, funny stories and lessons on why we need to protect our future and celebrate our differences.
School Fees | Expenses
- Available on request
Amy Beashel
@BeashelWrites
@BeashelWrites
Location
- Shropshire, willing to travel withinWiltshire, London, Kent, Sussex and Hampshire
Virtual events available
School Fees | Expenses
- £150 for half a day Plus expenses
Amy Beashel lives in Shropshire with her husband and two kids. The Sky is Mine was nominated for a CILIP Carnegie Medal 2021, longlisted for the Branford Boase Award 2021 and shortlisted for the BristolTeen Book Award 2020. Incidentally, she is also the fastest woman in the world on a space
Amy Beashel can talk about her career as a writer, what the publishing journey is like followed by a workshop about the research she’s done for both her books, focused on how to draw on darker / more difficult experiences to create fiction that’s still uplifting.
Amy has got great energy and the workshop would work particularly well with girls aged 14+
Emma Beswetherick works in publishing and lives in SouthWest London. Emma is also theWriter in Residence at Radnor House School where she holds creative writing sessions throughout the year.
Event
The Playdate Adventures is a series of eight illustrated chapter books aimed at 5-8-year olds, each with an underlying message about our planet and an emphasis on teamwork.
Creative writing workshops:These lessons can last from 45 mins to an hour, depending on lesson time, and are divided into three parts: 1) Introduction from Emma, short reading, an explanation of the task 2) Children work together to fill in their story grids 3) Children present their ideas back to the class, with feedback from Emma.
Planning adventure stories (Years 2–6), Setting and Atmosphere (KS2 –Years 4–6), Character development (KS2 –Years 4–6) Cliff-hanger endings KS2 –Years 4–6)
Full school or year group assemblies on How I Became aWriter (all years) and How a Book Becomes a Book (all years)
Meet the author: Readings and Q&As with younger children (perfect for reception andYear 1).
- Hull, willing to travel Virtual events available
School Fees | Expenses
- Fees are set
Please contact sophie@jeffreyboakye.co. uk to discuss
Jeffrey Boakye is an author, broadcaster, educator and journalist. He has a particular interest in issues surrounding education, race and popular culture. His books include Hold Tight, Black, Listed and Musical Truth:A Musical History of Modern Black Britain in 28 Songs. He is also the co-author of What is Masculinity?Why Does it Matter? And Other Big Questions. Jeffrey has contributed articles and comment pieces to publications including The Guardian,The Financial Times and the Royal Society of Arts Journal. He is also cohost of BBC Radio 4's Add to Playlist with Cerys Matthews.
Event
Kofi and the Rap Battle Summer, Jeffrey’s debut middle-grade fiction, is a fun moneymaking adventure set at school and on an estate in the 90s. For ages 7-12, expect Jeffrey’s events to include lots of musical references and interactive rap-writing activities.
For ages 12+, Jeffrey is available to discuss his non-fiction, Musical Truth.This session is designed for school students, exploring modern Black British history through songs.The book is aimed at 11- to 15-year-olds, but this session can be tailored to be suitable for KS2, KS3 and KS4 students.
- Fees negotiable but in line with Society of Authors guidelines.
Moira Buffini is one of the UK’s leading scriptwriters. She has written acclaimedTV, films and plays, including The Dig (Baftanominated), Harlots, Jane Eyre,Tamara Drewe, Dinner and Handbagged. She co-chairs the board of trustees ofTonic, a charity which supports equality, diversity and inclusion across the performing arts . She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and the Royal Society of Arts. Songlight is her debut novel. Moira lives in London.
Event
Moira can offer interactive assembly presentations for large year groups focusing on her background as a screenwriter and playwright and her journey to becoming an author. Moira will discuss her experience working in film and television, and talk about the inspirations behind writing Songlight.
Moira is also available for classic in-conversation format events, Q&As and signings.
Target audience 14+ (Years 9 upwards)
Neill Cameron
@neillcameron
@neillcameron
Location
- Oxford, willing to travel
Virtual events available
School Fees | Expenses
- £150 - 60 minute event
- £275 - for half a day
- £375 - for a full day
Neill Cameron is the creator of the award-winning Mega Robo Bros, FreddyVs. School and How to Make Awesome Comics. Since 2011 Neill's work has appeared in the weekly children's comicThe Phoenix. Neill works closely withThe Story Museum in Oxford, where he has contributed several large-scale comic strip installations including KA-BOOM! The art of creating comics and is involved in comics-based education and activities.
Event
Neill can give illustrated talks and run workshops on writing and drawing comics, designing robots, and all sort of fun things like that. His events are suitable for boys and girls aged 6+, and for audiences of 10-200, depending on the format of the event. Neill has a couple of standard event formats and is happy to tailor events.
Emma Carroll
@emmac2603
@emmacarroll2603
Location
- Somerset, willing to travel
Virtual events available
School Fees | Expenses
Virtual Events
- £150 - 30 minute Q&A
- £275 - 60 minute talk, reading and Q&A
- £500 - 2 hours, as above with creative writing session
In Person
- Fees negotiable but in line with Society of Authors guidelines. Plus expenses
Emma Carroll taught English for twenty years until a life-changing cancer diagnosis meant that she felt brave enough to give her dream of being an author a try. Nowadays, she’s a bestselling author and the 'Queen of Historical Fiction' (BookTrust). She has been nominated for and the winner of numerous national, regional and schools awards – including the Books Are My Bag Readers' Award, Branford Boase, CILIP Carnegie Medal,Young Quills, Teach Primary and theWaterstones Book Prize.
Event
Emma has a PGCE in English and 18 years classroom experience. She also has an MA in CreativeWriting. She has appeared at the Edinburgh, Bath, Cheltenham and Hay Festivals, and is a tutor for the Arvon Foundation on their creative writing courses for schools and adults.
- Fees negotiable but in line with Society of Authors guidelines.
James and Lucy Catchpole runThe Catchpole Agency from their home in Oxford.Their popular Instagram, @thecatchpoles, discusses disability representation in literature. James is an amputee like Joe. His debut picture book, What Happened toYou?, received impressive critical acclaim and awards. You’re So Amazing! comes out May 2023 is the first book Lucy and James have written
Event
Have you ever tried to put yourself in someone else’s shoes? In this event authors James and Lucy Catchpole will encourage the audience to do just that!
James and Lucy will begin by introducing their new picture book, You're So Amazing! Throughout their events, they will explore with children how we respond to disability, asking them to think about the stories and feelings abled people attach to disability.
Gillian Cross
@gilliancross
Location
- North Dorset, willing to travel locally
Virtual events available
School Fees | Expenses
- Not required for promotional visits
Gillian Cross has written over sixty books for children including the very popular Demon Headmaster series. She has won many prizes, including the Carnegie Medal and the Little Rebels Award and has travelled all over the world to speak about her work. Gillian is a keen orienteer and an adventurous reader. She and her husband live in Dorset.
Event
Happy to do school visits, talks, signings, interviews – anything you like really!
Jenny Downham and Louis Hill
Jenny Downham's first novel, Before I Die, is an international bestseller and was made into a blockbuster movie. Her follow on You Against Me, Unbecoming and FuriousThing have all won majorYA fiction prizes. Let the Light In is her first literary collaboration.
Louis Hill is a writer and actor. As an actor, his credits include a wide variety of stage, screen and voiceover work. As a writer, he has written a number of plays and short films. Let the Light In is his debut novel.
Event
Location
- London, willing to travel
Virtual events available
School Fees | Expenses
- Happy to discuss on a case by case basis, depending on travel and prep time etc.
A unique perspective on storytelling and creativity from a mother and son writing team. Their talk lasts 45 minutes and offers an entertaining insight into how they wrote Let the Light In together. Both trained actors, they encourage 'no pressure audience participation' as they share what inspired them to become storytellers and why they believe eavesdropping, rule breaking and lying can be useful skills. There is a strong focus on the themes of their book: mental health, relationships and family. By the end of the session, they hope your students will feel as enthusiastic about story as they do. No one needs to have read the book first and there will be an opportunity for questions.
Judith Eagle
@EagleJudith
@judith.eagle
Location
- London, willing to travel Virtual events available
School Fees | Expenses
- Fees negotiable but in line with Society of Authors guidelines.
Judith Eagle’s career thus far has included stints as a stylist, fashion editor and features writer. She currently works in two secondary schools as a librarian and library assistant and is the author of The Secret Starling,The Pear Affair and The Accidental Stowaway.
As a school librarian, Judith is very well-versed in speaking to children about books and reading for pleasure. Judith's fun-filled events are always very interactive with props and costumes. Her events often focus on the historical eras explored within her novels. For events about The Accidental Stowaway, Judith discusses what life was like on board an ocean liner in the early 20th century.
Natasha Farrant
@NatashaFarrant1
@natasha_farrant
Location
- London, willing to travel
School Fees | Expenses
- Fees negotiable but in line with Society of Authors guidelines.
Natasha Farrant is the author of the Costa Award winning novel, Voyage of the Sparrowhawk, bestselling middle-grade novel, The Children of Castle Rock, the acclaimed Bluebell Gadsby series and Carnegie-longlisted and Branford Boase-shortlistedYA historical The ThingsWe Did For Love. She was shortlisted for the Queen ofTeen Award 2014. She lives in London with her family.
Reading for pleasure can change lives. My talks about my books and writing as well as my creative workshops celebrate the joy of reading, of creativity and connection. I am available for work with all age groups, from Key Stage 2 upwards, both virtually and in person.The format of all events can be adapted to the time available to the ages of the participants and to the platform. I am also available for panels, judging, festivals and other events.
Candy Gourlay was born in the Philippines, grew up under a dictatorship and met her husband during a revolution. Her books range from Greenaway-nominated Is It a Mermaid illustrated by Francesca Chessa to Carnegie-shortlisted novel Bone Talk.The sequel, Wild Song, transports its characters to the 1904World Fair in America. “Wild Song is a stunning achievement” The Bookseller
Event
Bone Talk/Wild Song (45min.Year 7 to adult audiences)
This is a presentation about how history leaves out many voices. It explores the undiscovered history behind these books and the difficult legacy of imperialism. It explores the fascinating world that made these stories possible.
Magellan (45min.Year 5 to adult audiences)
This is the thrilling story of the explorer Ferdinand Magellan, told against the backdrop of theWestern discovery and exploitation of resources – from spices to tomatoes – in the east. It's quite a romp and invites the audience to see the Age of "Discovery" from the point of view of the peoples who were "discovered" by explorers like Magellan, whether they liked it or not.
Julia Green
@JGreenAuthor
@jgreenauthor
Location
- North East, willing to travel
Virtual events available
School Fees | Expenses
- £150 and over for Festivals
- £450 for school events
- Happy to attend bookshop events for free Plus expenses
Julia is the award-winning author of more than 25 novels and stories for children, including Carnegie-longlisted To the Edge of the and The House of Light, and her picture bookThe BoyWho Sailed theWorld. She founded and until 2019 was Course Director for the MAWriting forYoung People at Bath Spa University which has launched the careers of more than 70 authors. She is Emeritus Professor inWriting forYoung People. Julia is passionate about the natural world and many of her novels are set in wild places.
Event
Author talk about my writing process – the ‘story behind the story’; background to new novel, Ettie and the Midnight Pool (and my other novels), including showing my notebooks, short reading etc. I can also lead creative writing workshops for children (and adults), to help them begin writing their own story. I’m very flexible, will tailor my events to individual needs of audiences.
Festivals – happy to be part of panel events talking about writing for children, our relationship with the natural world, how to live a happy life! Also, about ‘darkness’ and peril in children’s books more widely- myth, fairy tales, and in my novels - balanced with need for hope.
Ravena Guron
Location
- London, willing to travel
Virtual events available
School Fees | Expenses
- Fees negotiable but in line with Society of Authors guidelines.
Ravena Guron is a British Indian biochemist turned lawyer turned MG author, a superb new voice who brings her own captivating brand of energy, wild adventures and joy to the genre. The Thief of is the first in the series following Jude Ripon, and was shortlisted for Penguin’sWriteNow scheme, as well as being highly commended in the FAB Prize. Ravena also writesYA, including the acclaimed This Book Kills. Ravena is a Londoner through and through: born, raised and educated in London, she lives there still.
Event
Ravena can offer an interactive assembly presentation for large year groups, followed by a Q&A, which would discuss her journey to becoming an author, creating a fantasy world and how to create your own magic. Her workshop events would involve children designing their own edible magic.
Ravena has previous experience with events for 11+ with herYA bookThis Book Kills.
Target audience 8 – 13
T. K. Hall
Tim Hall is a former journalist who has written for various national newspapers and magazines. He spent two years in Bermuda, reporting for the Bermuda Sun, and has travelled extensively in South America. He now lives near Stroud in Gloucestershire with his wife and two daughters. In addition to writing, he works for the Stroud-based charityThe Door, which supports disadvantaged young people and their families.
Location
- Bisley, near Stroud, Gloucestershire , willing to travel
Virtual events available
School Fees | Expenses
- £350 per day, negotiable depending on the event
Plus expenses
Event
The legends of Robin Hood, origins and evolution. Including the outlaw’s latest iteration in Shadow of the Wolf – how a journey to the Amazon Rainforest inspired a startling new take on Sherwood and its immortal hero.
Alwyn Hamilton
@AlwynFJH
@alwynhamilton
Location
- London, willing to travel
Virtual events available
School Fees | Expenses
- Fees negotiable but in line with Society of Authors guidelines.
NewYork Times bestselling author Alwyn Hamilton was born in Toronto and spent her early years bouncing between Europe and Canada until her parents settled in France. She moved to the UK when she was 18 and has been here ever since as an Author/ Bookseller. Her first novel Rebel of the Sands was sold in 14 territories and won the Goodreads Choice Award for best debut. Her fourth book The NotoriousVirtues will release in 2025.
Event
For schools, Alwyn offers assembly presentations for large year groups and writing workshops for smaller classes. Her events tend to focus on all areas of fantasy writing and writing in general. She is also available for bookshop panel events and signings.
Alwyn’s target audience is 12+.
Harry Heape
@HarryHeapeBooks
@harryheapebooks
Location
- NorthWest, willing to travel Virtual events available
School Fees | Expenses
- Fees negotiable but in line with Society of Authors guidelines.
The hilarious author of funny fiction including the Indiana Bones and Shiny Pippin series. Harry Heape is an artist, a visionary, and a very successful none-of-your-businessman. A shy and quiet man, he lives and writes in deepest, darkest Hahahahalifax.
Event
Very interactive. I like to get everyone involved in talking and asking questions.We talk about how to create characters and build stories. I like to use props from my books to make sessions larger than life. I have done as few as 2 and as many as 400. Ideal would-be small groups, class sizes, or up to a hundred plus in an assembly.
Target Audience: Ages 5-11 or 3-6
Kieran Larwood
@kmlarwood
@kieranlarwood
Location
- Isle ofWight, willing to travel
Virtual events preferred
School Fees | Expenses
- Fees negotiable but in line with Society of Authors guidelines.
Kieran Larwood was born in Kenya. He moved to the UK when he was two and lived in various places before settling on the Isle of Wight, where he can still be found: exploring rockpools, climbing trees and writing. He taught Reception class in a primary school for fifteen long years before becoming a full-time author. Kieran’s books have won several awards, including the Blue Peter Best Story and the Prix Sorcières.
Event
Kieran often offers virtual Skype school visits throughout the year. His in-person events tend to focus on the Five Realms series and now his latest standalone, The Treekeepers. Kieran usually includes a fantasy world map-making workshop within his event format.
Gill Lewis
@gill__lewis
@gilllewisbooks
Location
- Pembrokeshire, willing to travel locally,Wales preferred
Virtual events available
School Fees | Expenses
- £350 per day
Plus travel and accommodation where needed
Multi-award winning vet and children's author, with a love of animals and the wild world, and our human place within it.
Wild swimmer, walker and tea drinker. Olympic day-dreamer.
Event
In a world of many stories, finding the truth can mean being prepared to search for the truth of your own self.
An interactive event, exploring riches and plunder, the value we give to possessions. Gill will talk about the inspiration behind Moonflight, a story of a cursed and stolen diamond; and the gemstones that have left a trail of greed and bloodshed in their wake.
She will introduce the main characters and involve the audience in a game of consequences as the map ofTilbury's world is explored.
The audience will be taught to sing a sea shanty too!
Ben Martynoga
@mountainogre
@benmartynoga
Location
- Near Penrith, willing to travel nationwide
Virtual events available
School Fees | Expenses
- Happy to discuss on a case by case basis, depending on travel and prep time etc.
Ben Martynoga is a biologist and writer. After a decade scrutinizing brains, he swapped his white coat for a pen. He wrote TheVirus, his first book for young readers, in Spring 2020. He's written for the Guardian, New Statesman, FinancialTimes, the i and beyond. He lives, works, wanders and wonders (often all at once) in the Lake District.
Event
Biology is full of extraordinary, mind-bending stories. Ben wants to share them far and wide.
- How would it feel to climb inside a cell?
- How did life begin?
-What your DNA can (and can't) say about the way you are today?
-What is 'gene editing' and will it shape your future?
His illustrated and interactive talks can cover these questions and many more. Content can be tailored for different age groups.
- Fees negotiable but in line with Society of Authors guidelines.
Fantasty author with a passion for video games and martial arts, winner of the 2020 FAB Prize. Janelle is an author and fullyfledged gamer. Having started writing and querying at only sixteen years-old, she joined JULA in her early twenties. After graduating from Royal Holloway University with a Criminology and Sociology degree, Janelle began writing. In her free time, you can find her holed up in her room, gaming and watching anime or attending numerous comic cons and gaming events.
Event
The UmbraTales are heavily inspired by the author's love of video games and martial arts.
From Janelle: 'The UmbraTales trilogy was born from my love of gaming, anime and fantasy books. Growing up, I hardly saw anything fantasy with Black girls and boys front and centre. Mia and the Lightcasters is a nod to all the anime, manga, fantasy books and games I loved both now and as a child. It's a book about finding your inner strength, friendship and hope. I want kids to know that they are enough, they're resilient and stronger than they think. I want them to get lost in this world and let their imaginations run wild.'
Will do pro bono work for libraries, state schools that don’t benefit from extra PSA income
Thiago de Moraes writes and illustrates books and comics about ancient myth, legend and history. Myth Atlas, a guide to global mythology, has been translated into over 20 languages. He also created a historical time-travel series which started with A Mummy Ate My Homework. Among other prizes, he has won the Sheffield Children’s Book Award and was twice nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal.
Event
For Old Gods, New Tricks Thiago will tell some traditional stories about trickster gods from around the world, some funny, others scary or unexpected.Then he will invite the audience to take in part in a fun live-drawing session where together we’ll create an original scene of mayhem featuring some of our favourite characters from myth and legend.
Fees negotiable but in line with Society of Authors guidelines.
Chris Mould has illustrated the gamut from picture books and young fiction, to theatre posters and satirical cartoons. As well as writing his own fiction and illustratingTed Hughes' The Iron Man to much critical success, he has teamed up with author Matt Haig for the bestselling A Boy Called Christmas, A GirlWho Saved Christmas, Father Christmas and Me and The Truth Pixie. He lives in Yorkshire with his wife, has two grown-up daughters, and when he’s not drawing and writing, you’ll find him . . . actually, he’s never not drawing or writing.
Event
For schools, Chris can offer assembly presentations for large year groups with a focus on illustration and classic adaptations (The Iron Man,Animal Farm and War of theWorlds).This would be for a wide range of ages from KS2 to KS4. Chris is also available for bookshop panel events, signings and window illustrations.
Sai Pathmanathan
@sai_path
@sai_path
Location
- Hertfordshire, willing to travel
Virtual events available
School Fees | Expenses
- Fees negotiable but in line with Society of Authors guidelines.
Dr Sai Pathmanathan has over 20 years of experience in science education. She develops activities and resources for all ages and abilities, and runs science clubs and community events. She also consults on science communication and public engagement projects. Sai has a neuroscience doctorate from the University of Oxford. Her debut book, Utterly Jarvellous was the winner of the 2021Teach Primary Book Award for STEM.
Event
For her events, Sai is available for hands-on science experiments e.g. mixing bicarbonate of soda with cider vinegar to watch the fizz (how cake batters rise), stretching some flour mixed with water (how gluten develops in bread), watching cold water and warm water not mix (or oil too; one is denser than the other), and maybe even testing out what dropping consistency means (and other culinary glossary terms in the book) by mixing an easy batter.
The events she's done in the past are usually done in groups, such as in her science clubs, and other afterschool/community events. This could work as a workshop with groups of children sat around tables or even on the floor with wipe-clean surfaces/ mats. For larger audiences, a visualiser or camera set up would be ideal for demonstrations. 9780571370641
| HB
Christine Pillainayagam
@CPillainayagam
Christine Pillainayagam is a writer and retail strategist, who lives in North London with her young family and a collection of records, CD’s and minidiscs (remember those?).A mild obsession withThe Beatles and the desire to write a story that reflected her own experiences growing up as a first-generation immigrant, led her to put that love of music and words into a book. Ellie Pillai Is Brown is her debut novel.The sequel, Ellie Pillai is (Almost) in Love, is out in May 2023.
@christine_pillainayagam
Location
- Kent, willing to travel
Virtual events available
School Fees | Expenses
- Fees negotiable but in line with Society of Authors guidelines.
Event
Throughout her debut year, Christine has done school visits and events up and down the country including major UK literary festivals, Hay, Cheltenham and Edinburgh, to name a few. In Christine's events, you'll hear about Ellie’s disastrous experiences navigating first love, strict parents, friendships and a dramatic personality. Plus, there's a fun-filled interactive workshop element where young readers will learn the ingredients for writing their own lyrics.
- Fees negotiable but in line with Society of Authors guidelines.
Gavin is the hilarious author of funny fiction including the Fables from the Stables series, My Daddy is Hilarious picture book and his upcoming middle grade Blanksy the Street Cat.
Gavin lives in South Wales with his wife, his young son and their cat, George. He spends his days working as a school liaison officer with the police and won the Greenhouse Funny Prize in 2013 with his debut book, Murray the Horse. His favourite word is bibliobibuli and he was once bitten by a squirrel when he was twelve.
Event
Gavin has an extensive history of exciting and hilarious events from the past couple of years. His events are interactive and get the children learning, moving and having fun! Gavin tends to follow the themes within his books, creating activities around the storyline. Some of his activities include, singing and creating rhyming songs, creating your own craft of characters in the book and hilarious quizzes.
Gavin’s previous events include school visits, bookshop events and festivals.
Target audience: Ages 6-11
Amara Sage
@amarasagewrites
Location
- Bristol, willing to travel
Virtual events available
Amara Sage graduated from the Bath Spa MA forWriting forYoung People with a distinction and lives in Bristol with her husband and two dogs. She writes contemporary, own-voiceYA fiction that explores issues of body image, mental health, racial identity, and the impact that social media has on all of the above. Influential is her debut novel. Her next novel, Girl Ultra-Processed, will publish in January 2025.
Event
For schools, Amara offers assembly presentations for large year groups and writing workshops for smaller classes. Her events focus on specific issues covered in her writing including social media, body image, mental health and racial identity. She is also available for bookshop panel events and signings. Amara’s target audience is 12+.
School Fees | Expenses
Fees negotiable but in line with Society of Authors guidelines.
S. A. Reyhani
@sareyhani
Location
- Athens, Greece
- Between 20th March –20th April and June 2025, S. A. Reyhani will be in the South-East of the UK and happy to travel.
Virtual events available
School Fees | Expenses
- Events around publication are free of charge. Contributions towards expenses would be welcome.
S. A. Reyhani is half Iranian and moved to the UK at the age of nine, discovering fish ‘n’ chips and skies that go black at 4pm. Prior to becoming a mother of three avid middle-grade readers, she worked in journalism and consulting. She now divides her time between the UK and Greece where she gives English lessons to middle grade and high school children.
Event
Engaging, informative assembly events or writing workshops for smaller groups.
An epic intergalactic adventure with a dash of darkness and lots of humour.We're going across the globe looking at the vast array of mythological marvels and monsters. Along the way, we'll dip into the origins of magic and question whether it really exists.Tour through Persian mythology and national epic tales. ponder the mind -bending stuff of science while throwing in some big philosophical questions like what's for dinner how might a parallel world look?
Important themes also include: positive disability representation of an upper limb difference - Sandie works with charity REACH; Arian was based on a childhood friend in Iran who had an upper limb difference, and she wants to show the support on offer for young people. Grief for a parent is dealt with in a very compassionate way.
@SA_REYHANI
SF Said
SF Said's first book, Varjak Paw, won the Nestlé Smarties Prize for Children's Literature, and was recently listed by BookTrust as one of the 100 best children's books of the past 100 years. The sequel, The OutlawVarjak Paw, won the BBC Blue Peter Book OfTheYear. His third book, Phoenix, was chosen to represent the UK on the IBBY International Honour Book List, and shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Award. He has described his new book as his best book yet; it was published in October 2022 by David Fickling Books, illustrated by Dave McKean, like his other books. SF Said is a passionate campaigner for literacy, libraries and reading for pleasure. @whatSFSaid
Event
Location
- North London, willing to travel
Afternoon events preferred No overnight stays
Virtual events available
School Fees | Expenses
- £200 for one session - £300 for two sessions on the same afternoon
Plus travel expenses
SF Said's sessions are usually around 45 minutes, and take the form of a talk about writing and books. He tells the story of how he went from being a young reader, like the children, to writing books such as Varjak Paw and Tyger. The talk includes insights into the writing process, lots of interaction for the children, and the opportunity for questions at the end. No special equipment is needed, and the material works equally well with children who've read his books and children who haven't.
Alom Shaha
Alom Shaha was born in Bangladesh but grew up in London. A parent, teacher, science writer, and filmmaker, he has spent most of his professional life trying to share his passion for science and education with the public. He has represented his community as an elected politician and volunteered at a range of charitable organisations. He teaches at a comprehensive school in London and writes for a number of print and online publications, including The Guardian.
Event
- London, willing to travel
Virtual events available
School Fees | Expenses
- £250 - 30/45 minute assembly
- £350 - 60 minute workshop
- £500 - half day with x2 60 minute workshops
- £600 - full day with x2 workshops and assembly Plus travel expenses outside of central London Location
Alom’s events are entertaining and inspiring, as well as educational. They’re filled with audience interaction and fun activities. He has a variety of different events suitable for students from KS1 all the way up to KS4: everything from school assemblies, workshops and ‘make-alongs’ based on his books, to his spectacular live science show, Science vs Magic, which can entertain the whole school community from students to teachers to parents.Alom is happy to do bespoke events for schools to meet your precise needs.
@alomshaha
@alomsworld
Dave Shelton
@daveshelton
@davidashelton
Location
- Bungay, willing to travel
Virtual events available
School Fees | Expenses
In Person
- £450 - full day
Virtual
- £200 - 45 minute talk and 15 minute Q&A
- Other virtual events available by negotiation
Dave Shelton is the author and illustrator of the Branford Boase Award-winning A Boy and a Bear in a Boat, among others, and creator of the comedy noir comic strip Good Dog, Bad Dog which has appeared inThe DFC,The Guardian and The Phoenix. He lives in Suffolk with his wife, step-daughter and one too many animals.
Event
Talk + Q&A - How I came to be a writer having started out as purely an illustrator (60 mins)
Cartooning workshop – Students create their own double act of comic strip characters (60 mins)
Writing workshop (60 mins)
Improvised storytelling sessions - I improvise and illustrate a story based on suggestions from the audience (30 mins)
Happy to adapt existing events or create bespoke sessions to suit school’s particular needs.
Gabrielle and Satish Shewhorak
@gabriellekent
@asianastroboy
@asianastroboy
Location
- Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, willing to travel locally
Gabrielle was born in the North-East of England. Before turning full time writer, she was a videogame developer and lecturer. She also writes middle grade, including Knights and Bikes, the Alfie Bloom series, andTiffany Aching’s Guide to Being aWitch, under the name Gabrielle Kent. Satish was born in the North-West and spent his summers in Mauritius, the tropical island in the Indian Ocean where his parents were born. Satish ran an animation studio before earning his doctorate in motion capture and becoming a games animation lecturer.
Event
Gabrielle and Satish prepare engaging talks and workshops for bookshops schools and festivals for 7+
A typical event would focus on Rani Reports’ news theme and share facts about Mauritius e.g. did you know that the Dodo only existed in Mauritius?Where is Mauritius? Did you know that it was colonised by the French, the Dutch, AND the English? Children will learn some Creole words, there’ll be a reading, tips on sniffing out stories, writing news articles and creating exciting headlines, plus advice on fact checking and reliable sources of information. We’ll discuss how stories create awareness and can help change the future.
Workshops might include collectively naming an imaginary class/ school newspaper before our budding reporters write their own stories and columns to fill it.
School Fees | Expenses
- 1hr talk plus Q&A and signing: £175
-Half day: £250
-Full day: £450 Plus expenses
Virtual events available 9780861545032
Discounts available for schools in theTeesside area.
Josh Silver grew up on a farm in the Lake District, before moving to Manchester with his family, where he spent his teenage years loving the city. He moved to London to train at RADA as an actor, and after graduating performed in theWest End and on Broadway. After deciding to change careers, Josh began training as a mental health nurse and at the same time started writing his first book. Josh lives in Manchester with his boyfriend and their dog.
Event
An inspiring presentation by an author who took the brave decision to make a career change. Josh Silver’s had embarked on a successful career as an actor before he decided at 30 to change paths and train as a mental health nurse. Some people thought he was mad not to continue on his already star-studded career path as an actor, but he knew re-training was the only way he’d be happy. Retraining changed Josh’s life. For the first time he felt complete and settled and that’s when he started writing.
These themes of society’s obsession with wellness and happiness, pressure to perform and follow certain pathways are all explored in Josh’s novel Happyhead. It’s a page-turning adventure story, but it’s also an inspiring story to have confidence in one’s inner voice that will also appeal to LGBTQ+ audiences.
AnnaTerreros-Martin is an author and illustrator and has an MA in Children’s Book Illustration. Anna is passionate about animals and wildlife, finding inspiration, peace and magic in the natural world. Anna was born and grew up in Scunthorpe but is currently living in Nottinghamshire with her partner and rescue cat.
Event
Anna can give illustrated talks and run workshops on drawing techniques, illustration, character design and making your own picture book. Anna’s events are suitable for KS1 and KS2 classes and is happy to cater events and workshops to meet your specific needs.
Location
- Nottinghamshire, willing to travel locally
Virtual events available
School Fees | Expenses
- £150 - 45 minute reading, draw-a-long and Q&A
- £300 - half a day illustration workshop
- £600 - whole day with x2 illustration workshops
Plus expenses
@anna_terreros
Lindsay Turnball
@QueensOxBiology
Location
- Oxford, willing to travel locally
Virtual events available
School Fees | Expenses
- Available on request
LindsayTurnbull is a biologist at the University of Oxford. She is the author of Biology:TheWhole Story and the podcast series: Back Garden Biology. She has been a secondary school science teacher and Director of UndergraduateTeaching. She is currently a tutor atThe Queen’s College, Oxford.
Event
Lindsay can give illustrated talks about biology suitable for audiences aged 16+. She can give a general overview and more tailored talks on particular aspects, like cells or the history of life. Her emphasis is always on understanding biology better.
SteveWebb is a freelance graphic designer. Peng and Spanners is his debut graphic novel series, and is already a hit at festivals. He has written a middle-grade series was the magnificently bonkers Spangles McNasty. For younger readers he has written the fabulously silly picture book, Cows go BOO! and the rhythm and rhyme, syllable-tastic classic,TankaTanka Skunk.
@heyyouitsme_steve_webb
Event
Location
-Whaley Bridge , willing to travel
Virtual events available
School Fees | Expenses
Fees negotiable but in line with Society of Authors guidelines.
For schools, Steve offers interactive assembly presentations for large year groups and workshops for smaller classes.The events focus on graphic novels and illustration, followed by a Q&A. Steve is also available for bookshop events, signings and window illustrations. For a target audience of 7-9
HayleyWells
@HWIllustrator
@hwillustrator
Location
- Essex, willing to travel
Virtual events available
School Fees | Expenses
- £150 - one hour
- £250 - half a day
HayleyWells (they/them) is an Essex-based illustrator with an MA in Children’s Book Illustration from Cambridge School of Art.Their first illustrated picture book, The Spectacular Suit, was published by Scribble in 2021 and their author-illustrator debut, The More Monster, was published by Pavilion in 2022.When they’re not illustrating, Hayley can be found growing vegetables at their allotment or falling over on roller skates.
Event
Hayley has an MA in Children’s Book Illustration from Cambridge School of Art.They have experience running illustration workshops and assembly style events for children, teens and adults. An event themed around the The Spectacular Suit would see kids creating their own spectacular suit using all sorts of fun materials like glitter, feathers, stickers etc.
