Tower and Town, October 2019

  (view the full edition)

Children's Events For 2019

The children’s events have always been a striking part of our programme and as this is our 10th year we decided to mark it by inviting authors who have ‘made it good’ .

A former Children’s Laureate, Chris Riddell is holding an event when he will use his beautiful illustrations (such as his design for our brochure cover) to tell us about the Cloud Horse Chronicles. As he talks, Chris Riddell will draw and show us how he gets inspiration for his illustrations.

The Comedian, David Baddiel, who believes in audience participation, is giving a talk at Marlborough College, sponsored by St Francis School to entertain fans who have enjoyed reading The Parent Agency and Birthday Boy. This time he will be bringing his latest. Book The Head Kid

We also have Cressida Cowell who, little did we know at the time, would become our new Children’s Laureate and would be a sell out! She will be telling us about her latest edition of the Wizards of Once series. A wonderful story of the clash between the Warrior and Wizarding worlds and the heroic deeds of their teenage leaders. Sprites and witches lead us through the world of ‘once there was magic’…

Younger children can listen to and act out a storytelling session at Marlborough Library on Friday 27th September. There will then be a lively talk from Kristina Stephenson on the Saturday about her intriguing picture book Why are there so many Books about Bears?. Good question!

To mark our 10th anniversary, we also decided to hold extra ‘outreach’ events. St Margaret’s School in Calne is hosting Maz Evans, author of Who Let the Gods Out for local primary schools. Secondly, and in partnership with Save the Children we have encouraged primary schools in and around Marlborough to look at the difficulties overcome by child refugees and to study and respond to Sarah Garland’s book, Azzi in Between. Results will be exhibited in the Town Hall and Library. There will also be talks by the award-winning dyslexic author, Tom McLaughlin, at St Mary’s. Don’t forget too the dancing displays that will take place in the High Street as the festival begins.

John Dougherty will entertain 400 Marlborough area primary schoolchildren with music and jokes from Stinkbomb and Ketchup Face and teenagers will be able to hear Geraldine McCaughrean at St John’s Academy talking about Where the World Ends - an extraordinary dystopian book that will surely lead to a fast paced discussion afterwards.

Over our 10 years, several thousand children have listened to such talks and walked away from meeting their favourite authors holding a signed copy, full of inspiration.