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In the Reading Corner

500 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 months ago - ★★★★★ - 4 ratings

In the Reading Corner is created by Just Imagine for anyone interested in children's books and reading. It is hosted by Nikki Gamble, author of Exploring Children's Literature and co-author of Guiding Readers.Listening to this podcast you will find out about the latest children's books, learn more about the creative processes of writing and illustrating, discover different viewpoints about topical issues and more.Whether you are a teacher, librarian, parent, bookseller, publisher, writer or illustrator, this podcast is made with love for you.

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Episodes

Rhianna Pratchett and Gabrielle Kent

December 21, 2023 19:00 - 26 minutes - 18.4 MB

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 Nikki Gamble In The Reading Corner to talk about the joint venture. Support the show Thank you for listening. If you ...

Peter Brown - Running wild with robots

October 08, 2023 11:00 - 34 minutes - 23.9 MB

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 episode, he talks with Nikki Gamble about the third novel in the series, The Wild Robot Protects, Su...

We've Got This! Reflections on empathy with Rashmi Siredeshpande and Miranda McKearney

October 04, 2023 09:00 - 29 minutes - 20 MB

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 Your Empathy Superpower, written by Rashmi Sirdeshpande in partnership with EmpathyLab, is the essential empathy ...

Pippa Funnell

September 15, 2023 10:00 - 25 minutes - 17.4 MB

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 work hard to achieve them. Support the show Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed this podcast, please...

Roland Chambers - The Adventures of Billy Shaman

September 05, 2023 21:00 - 32 minutes - 22.6 MB

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 explorer, Charles Darwi., It's an exciting adventure, told with wisdom and humour. In the first ad...

Jo Ellen Bogart and Maja Kastelic

August 22, 2023 08:00 - 16 minutes - 11.7 MB

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 and the Gargoyle A boy befriends a baby gargoyle in this magical wordless story from award-winning ...

David Wolstencroft - The Magic Hour

June 05, 2023 19:00 - 26 minutes - 18.4 MB

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 always late! To everything - her own birth, school, and even her own house exploding! Although it is cer...

Mark Bradley - Bumble and Snug

May 27, 2023 16:00 - 21 minutes - 14.9 MB

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 Snug developed out of characters he kept drawing in the margins of other projects until he launche...

Jasmine Richards

April 09, 2023 20:00 - 34 minutes - 23.5 MB

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 from the Storymix studio include Aziza and the Fairy Door,  Future Hero and Granny Jinx. Jasmine joined Nikki ...

Kwame Alexander - The Door of No Return

April 05, 2023 16:00 - 35 minutes - 24.4 MB

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' themes. In Booked, the sport is football, And in his most recent book, The Door of No Return, the main charact...

Mariajo Illustrajo -

March 24, 2023 13:00 - 23 minutes - 15.9 MB

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 Awards. To date, Mariajo has produced two children's books: Flooded and Lost, published by Frances Linc...

Mariajo Illustrajo - Lost

March 24, 2023 13:00 - 23 minutes - 15.9 MB

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 Awards. To date, Mariajo has produced two children's books: Flooded and Lost, published by Frances Linc...

Shirley Marr - All Four Quarters of the Moon

March 14, 2023 23:00 - 26 minutes - 18.6 MB

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 the relationship of two young sisters and the comfort they find in each other's company, storytelling ...

Deborah Ellis - One More Mountain

March 05, 2023 11:00 - 24 minutes - 17.1 MB

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 Movement. Later she got involved in the Women's Movement, focusing on women's rights and economic justice...

Abi Elphinstone - Saving Neverland

February 07, 2023 00:00 - 29 minutes - 20 MB

Abi Elphinstone is a writer of children's fantasy stories, including The 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 for the 21st century. Read our review of Saving Neverland on the Just Imagine website Purchase Saving Neverland ...

Peter Lantos: The Boy Who Didn't Want to Die

January 15, 2023 17:00 - 23 minutes - 16.2 MB

Neuroscientishttps://justimagine.co.uk/review/the-boy-who-didnt-want-to-die/t and Holocaust survivor, Peter Lantos, has written a children's book about his childhood experience of being sent, aged 5 years old,  with his family from Hungary to Bergen Belsen.  In this episode, he talks to Nikki Gamble about his reasons for writing a children's book, his experiences, and his hopes for future generations. Read our review of The Boy Who Didn't Want to Die on the Just Imagine website Purchase  T...

Berlie Doherty: The Haunted Hills

December 28, 2022 23:00 - 19 minutes - 13.7 MB

Berlie Doherty is one of our foremost fiction writers for children and young adults. She is a double recipient of the Carnegie Medal with her novels Granny was a Buffer Girl (1986) and Dear Nobody (1991). She is also the author of the popular middle-grade novel Street Child and its sequel, Far From Home, which are read extensively in primary schools. Berlie has written many more books for children and teenagers, from picture books, young fiction, retellings of fairy stories and Bible storie...

Emily Gravett - on picture books

December 23, 2022 12:00 - 25 minutes - 17.3 MB

Emily Gravett achieved instant success with the publication of her debut picture book, Wolves - a university project that was awarded the Macmillan Prize and was published by Macmillan Children's Books. It won the Kate Greenaway Medal in 2005. Since then, Emily has produced many well-loved picture books, including Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears, Meerkat Mail,  The Odd Egg, Monkey and Me,  Tidy and Too Much Stuff. She has also illustrated novels for A F Harrold, Nick Lake and Matt Haig. A...

Libby Scott and Rebecca Westcott - All the Pieces of Me

December 04, 2022 10:00 - 24 minutes - 16.7 MB

Neurodivergent teenager, Libby Scott tells us how she came to be a published author and her partnership with author Rebecca Westcott. Libby and Rebecca talk about co-authoring, the importance of own voices literature and their latest book All the Pieces of Me. About All the Pieces of Me Year 9 can be tough for everyone, but for Tally,  it feels even tougher. Make-up, boys, social media, GCSE prep - why is everything starting to feel so different? Tally has always known that being autisti...

Kelly Yang - a Chinese American Experience

December 03, 2022 13:00 - 24 minutes - 16.9 MB

Kelly Yang is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Front desk series, two YA novels and a non-fiction book about the Chinese American experience. in 2019, she was awarded the Asian Pacific American Award for Literature and the Parents; Choice Gold Medal, along with several other accolades. Kelly immigrated to America when she was 6 years old and grew up in Southern California, where she and her parents worked in three motels. She eventually left the motels and went to college at...

David Atherton - Baking with Children

December 02, 2022 14:00 - 18 minutes - 12.7 MB

David Atherton is a food writer and presenter. In 2019, he won The Great British Bake Off on Channel 4 and has since been featured on Steph’s Packed Lunch, ITV’s Good Morning Britain, and the BBC’s Blue Peter. In 2022, David partnered with the North York Moors National Park for four short travelogues exploring the region as the “capital of cakes”. In 2020, David released the first in a series of three cookbooks aimed at children – My First Cook Book (2020); this was followed by My First Gre...

Peter Kalu - One Drop

November 29, 2022 15:00 - 29 minutes - 20.5 MB

Peter Kalu is a poet, fiction writer and playwright. He was a member of  Manchester, UK’s Moss Side Write black writers workshop and has had nine novels, two film scripts and three theatre plays produced to date.   With writers Melvin Burgess and Tariq Mahmood, Peter has written one story in what will be a triptych of novels set in a dystopian near future England ruled by white supremacists. Peter talked to Nikki Gamble about the triptych and his novel, One Drop. Purchase  One Drop from o...

Kandace Chimbiri - The Story of Britain's Black Airmen

November 28, 2022 17:00 - 26 minutes - 18.3 MB

Kandace Chimbiri (writing as K.N. Chimbiri) started as a self-published author. She didn’t grow up wanting to be a writer. However, she was greatly disturbed by the lack of diversity in children’s books, particularly in Black history.  In 2009, Kandace set up her own one-woman publishing house to address this inequity. Over the next decade, she researched, wrote, published and distributed four Black history books for children from her spare bedroom. She has also worked with museums on chil...

Malcolm Duffy - Read Between the Lies

November 27, 2022 20:00 - 28 minutes - 19.6 MB

Newcastle-born author, Malcolm Duffy, has a background in advertising.  And has won numerous awards for copy, press, TV and radio. He worked for Comic Relief as Creative Director, creating campaigns for Red Nose Day and Sport Relief. He has written three novels for young people.  His debut novel Me Mam. Me Dad. ME.  dealt with domestic abuse and won several awards, including Sheffield Children's Book Award, Redbridge Children's Book Award and was a World Book Night title for 2019. This was...

Greg Jenner - You Are History

November 27, 2022 15:00 - 33 minutes - 22.8 MB

Greg Jenner is a public historian specialising in public engagement. He's an author and award-winning podcaster. His smash hit podcast 'You're Dead to Me' pairs up top comedians with top historians to deliver funny, fascinating summaries of the most interesting subjects from global history. He has worked on the Horrible Histories and Corpse Talk the animated show based on the graphic novels by Adam and Lisa Murphy. Greg's latest children's book, You Are History, is published by Walker Boo...

Sarah Roberts - When Somebody Woke Wilson

November 08, 2022 13:00 - 24 minutes - 16.8 MB

Naturalist, eco-journalist and activist Sarah Roberts is the author of three children's picture books about environmental concerns. Somebody Swallowed Stanley addressed the problem of plastic waste in the oceans and Somebody Crunched Colin looked at the issues of the careless disposal of crips packets. Sarah's latest book, Somebody Woke Wilson, looks at a more complex topic - the need to keep carbon underground. She joined Nikki Gamble #InTheReadingCorner to tell us more. You can find out...

Nyanda Foday and Joelle Avalino

November 08, 2022 12:00 - 26 minutes - 18.1 MB

Nyanda Foday was Birmingham's Young Poet Laureate 2016-2018, and is inspired by the impact that words can have to create, unite, explain and enjoy. She strives to connect with others where she can by sharing and listening to others’ work. Joelle Avelino is a Congolese and Angolan illustrator and animator. She graduated from the University Of Hertfordshire in 2012 with a BA (Hons) in Illustration with Marketing. She has worked with many clients, including; BBC, Malala Fund, Elle Magazine, T...

Juliette Forrest

November 08, 2022 11:00 - 28 minutes - 19.8 MB

Scottish author Juliette Forrest is the award-winning author of Twister,  The True Colours of Coral Glen and The Night My Dream Came Alive Twister was a Sunday Times Book of the Week and chosen by The Guardian as the one must-read kid’s book of the summer. It was longlisted for the Branford Boase Award and won Calderdale Book of the Year. The True Colours of Coral Glen was picked by the Evening Times as a best book of 2020 by a Glasgow author. Juliette says, 'I write children’s fiction...

Juliette Forrest - The Mountain Rescue Dog

November 08, 2022 11:00 - 28 minutes - 19.8 MB

Scottish author Juliette Forrest is the award-winning author of Twister,  The True Colours of Coral Glen, and The Night My Dream Came Alive. Twister was a Sunday Times Book of the Week and chosen by The Guardian as the one must-read kid’s book of the summer. It was longlisted for the Branford Boase Award and won Calderdale Book of the Year. The True Colours of Coral Glen was picked by the Evening Times as a best book of 2020 by a Glasgow author. Juliette says, 'I write children’s fictio...

Sophie McKenzie - Truth or Dare

October 23, 2022 10:00 - 24 minutes - 16.8 MB

Sophie McKenzie is the undisputed queen of the teen thriller. After being made redundant from her job in 2003, she started a year-long 'Writing for Children course' at the CityLit Institute in London. She finished her first novel, Girl Missing, at the beginning of 2005; it was then published by Simon & Schuster Children's Books in 2006. Sophie joined Nikki Gamble  In the Reading Corner to talk about her thriller Truth or Dare. Purchase Truth or Dare from our bookselling partner Best Books...

The Wainwright Prize

October 23, 2022 10:00 - 29 minutes - 20.5 MB

Named after nature writer Alfred Wainwright, the  Wainwright prizes are awarded to the work which best reflects Wainwright’s core values and include a celebration of nature and our natural environment or a warning of the dangers to it across the globe. In 2022 for the first time, a children's prize is awarded. Naturalist Dara McAnulty and founder of the Outdoor Guide Gina Bradbury Fox joined Nikki Gamble to talk about the importance of the children's prize and support for getting children i...

Philip Ardagh and Ben Mantle

October 23, 2022 10:00 - 29 minutes - 20.1 MB

Philip Ardagh is one of the funniest children's writers, and Ben Mantle is a well-loved illustrator. The combination of talents produced the explosively hilarious Bunnies on the Bus, which provided a much-needed laugh for children and families during lockdown. Now they have produced another riotous story, Bunnies in a Boat, so it was a huge pleasure to invite them both to The Reading Corner. About Bunnies in a Boat. !The bunnies are back! And this time, they've commandeered a BOAT! Watch ou...

A M Dassu - Fight Back

October 23, 2022 09:00 - 27 minutes - 18.7 MB

A. M. Dassu is an English writer of fiction and non-fiction. In 2017, Dassu won the international. We Need Diverse Books mentorship award. Her bestselling debut novel, Boy Everywhere, was published in October 2020 and was shortlisted for the 2021 Waterstone's Children's Books Prize.  Az talks about the book in the previous In The Reading Corner episode. In this episode, she talks with Nikki Gamble about her latest novel, Fight Back. Read our review of Fight Back on the Just Imagine website...

Frances Hardinge - Unraveller

October 02, 2022 14:00 - 29 minutes - 20.2 MB

Frances Hardinge is a British novelist whose debut novel, Fly by Night, won the Branford Boase Award in 2006 ( awarded to the writer and editor of the best debut children's novel). In 2015 she won the 2015 Costa Book Award for her novel The Lie Tree, the first time a children's book was awarded the overall category since Philip Pullman's The Amber Spyglass in 2001. Her latest novel, Unraveller, is an otherworldly story of curse making and breaking (the unravelling of the title). Reviewing ...

Naomi Walmsley - Live Like a Hunter Gatherer

October 02, 2022 14:00 - 26 minutes - 18.3 MB

Naomi Walmsley runs Outback2Basics with her husband, Dan. She has a passion for teaching young people Stone Age education and Bushcraft, and she also runs some workshops for adults. Naomi says, 'I like to think my writing reflects my own experiences, linking nature with education and imagination.' She has co-authored Forest School Adventure and Urban Forest School with Dan. Her most recent book is Live Like a Hunter Gatherer, a perfect book for any class studying The Stone Age. Read our r...

Petr Horacek - A Best Friend for Bear

September 30, 2022 13:00 - 26 minutes - 17.9 MB

Petr Horacek is a children's picturebook creator with a background in fine art. He was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia and at the age of 15 attended the High School of Art in Prague, where he developed skills in printing, photography, sculpture and painting. After working for a design agency, he went on to further study at the Academy of Fine Art and was awarded his Master of Fine Art degree in 1994. His first books, Strawberries are Red , and What is Black and White? were published by Walke...

SF Said - Tyger

September 30, 2022 12:00 - 28 minutes - 19.5 MB

SF Said is a British children's writer with a Middle Eastern background. He was born in Beirut and spent his early childhood in Jordan. His first novel, Varjak Paw, illustrated by Dave McKean, was published in 2003. It was the winner of the Nestle Smarties Book Prize. The sequel, The Outlaw Varjak Paw, won the Blue Peter novel. His third book, Phoenix, was shortlisted for the Guardian Fiction Prize. SF Said was selected to represent the UK for the IBBY Honour List for 2016. SF joined Nikk...

Angela Sangma - Mountains and Rivers

September 29, 2022 19:00 - 26 minutes - 18 MB

Angela Sangma Francis, writing as Sangma Francis, worked as an in-house editor and writer for publisher Flying Eye before branching out as a full-time author. Her two books, Everest and Amazon River provide a fresh approach to physical geography. She joined Nikki Gamble In The Reading Corner to tell us all about it. It is the highest spot on planet Earth, known to many as the roof of the world, and the ultimate challenge for mountain-climbing adventurers. Welcome to Mount Everest. Mount Ev...

Ian Livingstone - Fighting Fantasy

September 26, 2022 01:00 - 27 minutes - 19 MB

Ian Livingstone is the co-founder with Steve Jackson of the phenomenally successful Fighting Fantasy Series.   Fighting Fantasy, which employs role play and board game strategies in the printed book, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Two new titles,  Secrets of Salamonis and Shadow of the Giants, will delight faithful fans and new converts too. Ian is also co-founder of Games Workshop and founder of The Livingstone Academy in Bournemouth -  all through academy (4 - 18 years) wh...

Manon Steffan Ros - The Blue Book of Nebo

September 26, 2022 01:00 - 24 minutes - 16.9 MB

Manon Steffan Ros is a Welsh novelist, playwright, games author, scriptwriter and musician (being one half of the acoustic duo 'Blodau Gwylltion'). She is the author of over twenty children's books. Llyfr Glas Nebo, won the 2018 Prose Medal at the National Eisteddfod and the 2019 Welsh Book of the Year Award. It is her first novel to be translated into English (by the author) Manon has also written three novels for adults, all in Welsh. Her award-winning novel Blasu has been translated (...

Rashmi Sirdeshpande - Dadaji's Paintbrush

September 26, 2022 00:00 - 23 minutes - 16 MB

Rashmi Sirdeshpande is a lawyer turned children's author who loves taking big ideas and making them accessible and exciting for young readers. Rashmi writes non-fiction picture books that ignite children's curiosity and fictional stories that crackle with imagination. When she's not playing with words, you'll find her on her yoga mat twisting herself into all sorts of shapes. Rashmi has had huge success with her hilarious stories about dinosaurs who shouldn't be taught to read, draw or do s...

Patrice Lawrence - The Elemental Detectives

September 01, 2022 16:00 - 28 minutes - 19.5 MB

Patrice Lawrence was born in Brighton and raised in an Italian and Trinidadian household. Her first book for young adults, Orangeboy, was shortlisted for the Costa Children’s Book Award and won the Bookseller YA Prize and Waterstone’s Prize for Older Children's Fiction. In 2021 she won the Jhalek Prize's inaugural children's and young category for her book Eight Pieces of Silva (2020). In this podcast, Patrice talks to Nikki Gamble about her middle-grade fantasy novel, The Elemental Detect...

Donna and Vikesh Amey Bhatt: Lands of Belonging

August 13, 2022 12:00 - 27 minutes - 19.2 MB

Donna and Vikesh Amey Bhat are the husband and wife team who wrote Lands of Belonging, a history of the South Asian countries that are intertwined with British history. Vikesh is a Creative Director with a background in design who has worked in advertising for over 18 years. He loves exploring the past and retelling the somewhat strange stories from his childhood, and is passionate about accurate cultural representation in children’s books. Donna writes the kind of things she loves readin...

James Dixon - The Billow Maiden

August 12, 2022 19:00 - 21 minutes - 13.4 MB

James Dixon is a London-born, Glasgow-based novelist, poet, and playwright. His debut novel, The Unrivalled Transcendence of Willem J. Gyle (Thistle, 2017) was shortlisted for the 2018 Somerset Maugham Award by the Society of Authors. His debut children's novel, The Billow Maiden,  is published by Guppy publishing. Nikki Gamble caught up with James to talk about The Billow Maiden and writing for children, About The Billow Maden Ailsa's mum is ill, not the first time, so they spend the summ...

Ewa Josefkowicz - The Dragon in the Bookshop

August 07, 2022 14:00 - 25 minutes - 14.7 MB

Ewa Jozefkowicz grew up in Ealing, and studied English Literature at UCL. Her debut novel The Mystery of the Colour Thief, published by Zephyr in 2018, was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. She has written four further middle-grade novels, most recently The Dragon in the Bookshop, a fantasy adventure story with a deep soul, inspired by personal memories. About The Dragon in the Bookshop An old Polish city fizzes with fear. The townsfolk are at the mercy of a dragon who ...

Ewa Jozefkowicz - The Dragon in the Bookshop

August 07, 2022 14:00 - 25 minutes - 14.7 MB

Ewa Jozefkowicz grew up in Ealing, and studied English Literature at UCL. Her debut novel The Mystery of the Colour Thief, published by Zephyr in 2018, was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. She has written four further middle-grade novels, most recently The Dragon in the Bookshop, a fantasy adventure story with a deep soul, inspired by personal memories. About The Dragon in the Bookshop An old Polish city fizzes with fear. The townsfolk are at the mercy of a dragon who ...

Nicolette Jones - Writes of Passage

August 03, 2022 08:00 - 28 minutes - 15.9 MB

Nicolette Jones is the children's book editor of the Sunday Times, and she has been a reviewer, feature writer, diarist, and book-prize judge. In 2012, she was shortlisted for the Eleanor Farjeon award for her "outstanding contribution to the world of children's books. Nicolette joined Nikki Gamble In The Reading Corner to talk about her anthology, Writes of Passage, a personal selection of words to inspire young (and not so young) readers. About Writes of Passage An inspiring collection o...

Joanthan Tulloch - Cuckoo Summer

August 02, 2022 14:00 - 26 minutes - 14.4 MB

Former teacher, Jonathan Tulloch, is a journalist,  writer and naturalist whose nature features appear regularly in The Times and The Tablet, His debut children's novel, Cuckoo Summer, was published in July 2022, It's a wonderfully evocative novel set during the Second World War which captures Jonathan's childhood memories, and the stories passed down through generations. In this episode, Jonathan talks to Nikki Gamble about where it all began,,, About Cuckoo Summer Summer 1940. As the cuck...

Steve Cole - Stitched Up

August 01, 2022 19:00 - 26 minutes - 14.6 MB

Steve Cole has been a previous guest In The Reading Corner. We have talked about humour, comics and Dr Who. This time our conversation centres on four books important books that Steve has written for the dyslexia-friendly publisher Barrington Stoke. Each book takes as its subject one of the major concerns of our time. From waste management to the social justice issues associated with the fast fashion industry, Steve's writing takes a global perspective that prompts reader to consider their...

Craig Caudill - The Secret Signs of Nature

July 10, 2022 18:00 - 23 minutes - 15.6 MB

Craig Caudill is an award-winning educator, naturalist and writer. He spent his formative years hunting, fishing and playing in the woods of Kentucky. For five decades he has cultivated experiential knowledge of the natural world as well as skills for survival in the great outdoors, which he now shares through his education workshops. Craig has now shared some of that experience in his book for children, The Secret Signs of Nature.  Find out more in this episode of #InTheReadingCorner. Abo...