Tower and Town, September 2021

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Marlborough LitFest Children's Events

The children’s programme has always been an integral part of the Marlborough LitFest, but the past two years have, according to the Institute of Government & Public Policy, ‘been the most disrupted years for children for nearly a century’. Promoting the joy of reading and literature to young people has perhaps never been more important than it is now.

As well as the public events taking place during the festival weekend, the LitFest also gives local primary schools the opportunity to bring pupils along to free author events and the chance to take part in a creative competition is also on offer.

The festival weekend offers two children’s author events and a Sixth Form panel discussion which are open to the public.

Emma Carroll. (Saturday 2nd October 2pm, Town Hall)

Budding bookworms can join Emma Carroll, the Queen of Historical Fiction and award-winning author of Letters from the Lighthouse and Secrets of a Sun King. Emma will share tips for writing and will introduce her enthralling new historical adventure and 12th book, The Week at World's End (publication Sept 2nd 2021).

Inspired by her mum’s account of living through the terrifying days when the Cuban Missile Crisis became public knowledge, Emma Carroll’s new thriller explores life in the 1960’s under the threat of war. Set over seven days in World’s End Close where nothing much usually happens, a tense, clever and touching thriller unfolds.

Emma Carroll has won numerous awards and according to Waterstones is “the finest practitioner of historical fiction for children writing today”.

Eileen Browne. (Saturday 2nd October 10.30am, White Horse Bookshop Gallery Room (under 5’s free))

Bring your little ones along for a fun and enjoyable hour with best-selling author and illustrator Eileen Browne. Everyone will hear animal sounds from Eileen’s latest book, Handa’s Noisy Night, find out where Handa lives, do some drawing and take part in music and movement from Handa’s Surprise and Handa’s Hen.

Eileen is a local author who champions female representation and diversity in children’s picture books. Her books have been translated into over 20 languages.

Sixth Form Debate. (Thursday 30 September 4.00 – 5.30pm, Town Hall)

“ ‘All that glisters is not gold’: Is there still a place for Shakespeare in a 21st-century curriculum?” Sixth formers from St John’s Academy battle it out in front of a public audience. Prepare to have your views challenged!

Free events for schools are part of the LitFest Outreach Programme. This year almost 700 local primary school children from Marlborough, Pewsey and surrounding villages are booked in to come along to hear one of two authors:

Tom Palmer, award-winning author of D-Day Dog and After The War, will be sharing valuable tips for research, planning, writing and editing, as well as introducing his new book Arctic Star to children in Marlborough Town Hall.

Natasha Farrant, author of The Children of Castle Rock, will be talking to children from Pewsey and the surrounding area about her latest book The Voyage of the Sparrowhawk - a thrilling adventure story that follows an epic and perilous voyage from England to France in the aftermath of WW1.

All local primary schools have been asked to let their pupils’ imaginations run wild and take part in this year’s Primary Schools Competition: Create a Mini-Book. Pupils were shown how to create a mini-book using just one A3 piece of paper and invited to fill the book entirely with their own content. So far, we have around 430 entries, so it’s going to be a tough job for the judges to choose the six winners who will each receive a £25 book token (courtesy of Haine & Smith Opticians) to spend in The White Horse Bookshop.

Laura Briscall