In the Reading Corner

Nikki Gamble talks to CLiPPA shortlisted poet JonArno Lawson about his co-authored poetry collection (with John Agard) Wise Up! Wise Down! Jon talks about why writing poetry excites him and his thoughts about performing poetry. About Wise Up! Wise Down! How can laughter be more powerful than a sword? Why do days have names but not weeks? And do pigeons ever get a craving for cake? Two friends, int...

In the second of our podcasts with CLiPPA shortlisted poets, Nikki Gamble talks to Brian Bilston about his collection of pet poems, Let Sleeping Cats Lie. Brian talks about why he writes, his thoughts about performing and reflects on whether he intentionally writes for children. Support the show Thank you for listening.  If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us by subscribing to our channel....

Nikki Gamble talks to Jan Newbery about her CLiPPa shortlisted collection, Big Red Dragon, and writing verse for very young children and their adults. Support the show Thank you for listening.  If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us by subscribing to our channel. and by purchasing books from our online bookshop, Bestbooksforschools.com In the Reading Corner is presented by Nikki Gamble, Di...

Jenny Downham and Louis Hill are the mother and son writing partners of the YA novel Let the Light In. In this interview, they talk with Nikki Gamble about the discoveries made when writing together. They reflect on the complexities of their book's characters, themes and social context. Support the show Thank you for listening.  If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us by subscribing to...

Anders Sparring and Per Gustavsson are the creative duo behind The Pinchers. Originally published in Swedish, the books have been translated into English by Julia Marshall and are published by Gecko Press. About The Pinchers The Pinchers is a funny chapter-book crime series about a well-behaved child who doesn’t fit into his family of criminals. It features a prison break, a diamond heist, and a l...

Jeremy Strong's final novel, Fox Goes North , is a beautifully written fable about a brave, loyal and quirky group of friends who travel together in a topsy-turvy caravan on a quest to see the Northern Lights. For the old, wise fox, this will be her final journey and resting place. Full of wisdom and humour, the themes of friendship, love and loss are handled with compassion and understanding...

In this episode, Elle McNicoll talks to Nikki Gamble about her novel, Keedie, the prequel to her novel, A Kind of Spark, now a BBC television series. About Keedie Set in Juniper five years before A Kind of Spark comes a powerful coming-of-age story from award-winning author Elle McNicoll. As Keedie and her twin Nina approach their fourteenth birthday, they seem to only be growing further apart. Ke...

In this episode, Nikki Gamble talks to award-winning poet, novelist, playwright, and literary critic Clare Pollard about her debut children's novel, The Untameables. About the Untameables Under the bloody rule of King Arthur – as the cruel Knights of the Round Table wage wars and hunt magical creatures – the ordinary people of Camelot are getting sick. Really sick. Something is poisoning the...

Jodie Lancet-Grant is the author of The Pirate Mums and The Marvellous Doctors for Magical Creatures . and The Legend of the Wild West Twin s, The Pirate Mums made history as the first book with a two-mum family to be read as a Cbeebies Bedtime Story, when it appeared in 2021, read by Sue Perkins. In her day job, she is Associate Publisher at Bluebird, Pan Macmillan, where she commissions high-pro...

After training as an actor and working as an English teacher, Lucy published her first novel, The Secret of Nightingale Wood, which won the 2014 Montegrappa First Fiction Prize; further novels, Our Castle by the Sea, The Ghost of Gosswater, and Sisters of the Lost Marsh have been published with critical acclaim. Hilary Mckay called the latter the 'book of the year.' The Island at the Edg...

Nikki Gamble talks to science journalist and author Maya Wei-Haas about her recently published book, What A  Rock Can Revea l. The discussion ranges from the creation of volcanic rock to stromatolites, the earliest known form of life on Earth. Maya also makes suggestions for engaging young readers with geology, no matter where they live. Support the show Thank you for listening.  If you enjoyed th...

It's 20 years since the publication of Terry Pratchett's The Wee Free Men, the first book in the Tiffany Aching arc within the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. To celebrate, Terry's daughter Rhianna Pratchett and Gabrielle Kent have produced a handsome gift book, Tiffany Aching's Guide to Being a Witch, stunningly illustrated by Paul Kidby. Rhianna and Gabrielle joined Nikk...

Peter Brown is an American writer and illustrator. He is the recipient of the Caldecott Medal for his illustration of Creepy Carrots (written by Aaron Reynolds) and the author-illustrator of picture books Mr Tiger Goes Wild , My Teacher is a Monster, Fred Gets Dressed and The Curious Garden . His novel series about Roz, the Wild Robot has garnered lots of critical praise and many fans. In this epi...

Rashmi Sirdeshpande is the author of We've Got This! Six Steps to Build Empathy and Miranda McKearney is a founder and director of Empathy Lab . In this episode, they talk about the science behind empathy and ways to develop it with young people. An extended version of video version of this talk is available on our website. About We've Got This We've Got This! Six Steps to Build You...

Pippa Funnell is well-known for her equestrian achievements. She's an Olympic medalist and Rolex Grand Slam winner 2003.  She is also the author of a series of books for children, Pippa's Pony Tales.  In this episode, Pippa talks to Nikki Gamble about how her love of horses inspired the books and how she hopes the books will encourage children to follow their dreams and be prepared to wo...

Roland Chambers is a writer, illustrator and storyteller. He is the author of a biography about Arthur Ransome and the children's stories, Nelly and the Quest for Captain Peabody and Nelly and the Flight of the Sky Lantern. His new series, features Billy Shaman - a  shaman by name and by nature, who embarks on a voyage of self discovery from the museum that is the former home of scientist and...

Jo Ellen Bogart and Maya Kastelic are the joint creators of the wordless picture book, Anthony and the Gargoyle. In this episode, they talk about their different roles in producing the book. Jo Ellen Bogart is a US and Canadian writer of children's books living in Ontario. Maja Kastelic was born in Slovenia, where she studied painting, philosophy and the theory of visual arts. About Anthony a...

David Wolstencroft is a screenwriter who has notched up a number of BAFTA awards, including one for the TV spy drama Spooks. He has also written two spy thrillers, Good News, Bad News and Contact Zero. In this episode, Nikki Gamble chatted to David about his debut children's book, The Magic Hour, a thrilling and pacy magical adventure. About The Magic Hour Eleven-year-old Ailsa Craig is alway...

Mark Bradley is a comics writer and artist who lives in Yorkshire with his family. He grew up reading stories about ghosts and monsters and promptly decided that he preferred them to humans. Having worked for the probation service for many years, he saw first-hand how important emotional literacy is and hopes his debut series will help young readers explore feelings in a fun setting. Bumble and Sn...

Jasmine Richards is an author, editor and entrepreneur. She's the founder of Storymix, a company with a mission to increase the visibility of characters of colour in children's books and to mentor writers of colour in the early stages of their writing careers. Jasmine's books include Oliver Twisted and The Unmorrow Curse and Oliver Twisted (under the pseudonym J D Sharpe). Books fro...

Kwame Alexander is an American poet and author of books for children, including the verse novel The Crossover , which was awarded the Newbery Medal in 2015 and is the basis for a new series from Disney Plus (2023). It is also available in a graphic novel adaptation illustrated by Dawud Anyabwile. Kwame's novels often use sport as a metaphor for the characters' struggles or the books&apos...

Mariajo Illustrajo is a Spanish designer, printmaker and illustrator living in the UK. After studying at the art school in Madrid, she moved to Bath, where she completed a degree in Graphic Communication.  Later she graduated from the Cambridge School of Art at Anglia Ruskin University with an MA in Children's Book Illustration. In 2020 she was the overall winner of the World Illustration Awa...

Shirley Marr is a Chinese-Australian author who migrated from Singapore with her family in the 1980s. Her novel, A Glasshouse of Stars , which won the Children's Book Council of Australia Award, is based on this early experience. It was nominated in the UK for Cilip Carnegie Medal. Her latest novel, All Four Quarters of the Moon , also draws on this early childhood experience but focuses on t...

Deborah Ellis works as a mental health residential counsellor in Toronto. She is the winner of the Governor General's Award in Canada (equivalent to the Carnegie Medal) for her first novel Looking for X . She was raised in Paris, Ontario, and from the time she was 17, she has been a political activist advocating non-violence. After high school, she went to Toronto and worked in the Peace Move...

Abi Elphinstone is a writer of children's fantasy stories, including T he Dream Snatcher , Sky Song and Rumblestar . She has also written picturebooks, The Snow Dragon and the Frost Goblin . Many of Abi's stories are set in magical cold places, inspired by growing up in the North of Scotland. This is true of her latest book, Saving Neverland , which reimagines J M Barrie's Peter Pan...