Monthly Archives: September 2011

Louis Sachar won my heart with Holes, his YA novel about a bunch of boys sent to dig holes in the middle of a desert as a punishment. If you haven’t read it, you should - it’s full of wonderful characters and … Continue reading →

I performed at the Bath Kids Lit Festival yesterday.  I was doing a Reads United event with Tom Palmer at the Mission Theatre. As our performance didn’t start until 2.45, rather than stay in a hotel overnight I drove down that … Continue reading →

Who says kids don’t read? Of course they do.  Roll up, roll up and behold the evidence!  These children were at Balderton Library just outside Newark in Nottinghamshire yesterday to receive their certificates and medals for taking part in the Summer … Continue reading →

Yikes!  I’ve been asked to write a short (3000 words) non-fiction book on girls’ football. It’s for girls who struggle to read so has to have a simple sentence structure but must be attention-grabbing. I’m really looking forward to the challenge but … Continue reading →

I woke up really early yesterday – about 04.45 – and could not get back to sleep. I came downstairs, picked up Wendy Cope’s new volume of poems ‘Family Values’ lying on the side of a chair and chanced upon the poem … Continue reading →

I watched the Larry Lamb (Gavin’s dad in Gavin and Stacey) on Who do you think you are?(the TV programme that traces famous people’s ancestry) last week.  It was fascinating. Lamb’s grandparents’ family were a big name in the world of travelling … Continue reading →

I can’t believe it’s the 1st of September already. September is my sister’s birthday. Happy birthday sis! It’s also my Uncle Kevin’s birthday. He died in a road accident when he was 13. I was 8. I was next to him … Continue reading →