As grown-ups enjoyed the Books by the Beach literature festival in Scarborough, three children’s authors visited schools in Whitby, Scarborough and Filey to share their love of reading, writing and books. Each author visited three schools that will particularly benefit from the visit. Each author has also kindly provided teaching resource for schools across the area.
Described by The Guardian as ‘one of the best football writers of our time’, Tom Palmer is the author of three Puffin football children’s series, Football Academy, Foul Play and The Squad and 14 books for Barrington Stoke. Foul Play was short listed for the 2009 Blue Peter Book Award. Tom’s children’s novel Armistice Runner is currently shortlisted for the FCBG Children’s Book Award.
A proud Yorkshireman now based in Leeds, Tom said: ‘I am thrilled to be working with the National Literacy Trust in Scarborough. I got into reading through my love of Yorkshire sport and reading about it in newspapers, so I jumped at the chance to try and encourage Yorkshire children to do the same.’
Bali Rai has written over forty young adult, teen and children's books, and won multiple awards. His culturally diverse writing often pushes boundaries and tackles a variety of issues. Extremely popular in schools across the world, he is passionate about the promotion of literacy and reading for pleasure.
His newest book Now or Never: A Dunkirk Story, is the first in a new narrative non-fiction series for 8-12 which highlights BAME protagonists in key periods of history. With a recent CLPE survey highlighting the lack of diverse representation in children’s books, the VOICES series will explore a range of authentic BAME characters’ stories throughout British history. The VOICES series is intended to offer inclusive and empowering reads, underlining the importance of all children being able to see themselves in books. A Dunkirk Story is a gripping adventure told from the perspective of a young Muslim soldier during the evacuation of Dunkirk.
Now or Never: lessons plans and activity sheets
Saviour Pirotta lives in Filey and is a firm favourite in schools and libraries on the North Yorkshire Coast. He loves myths and legends but also detective stories, mysteries and adventures. His first book, a play called The Idiot King, was published by Samuel French in 1985. Since then he has written many kinds of books, including pirate stories, non-fiction and more recently detective stories. Saviour’s events focus on the writing process and what inspires him to write. He also speaks about his journey to the UK, and how he became a professional author.
Mark of the Cyclops - An Ancient Greek Mystery: teaching notes