Tom Palmer getting kids reading...

I was deep in to Chelsea and Fulham FC territory yesterday for a visit to Fulham Library as part of the Premier League Reading Stars Scheme. The PLRS Scheme is run by the sports’ charity Football Foundation (www.footballfoundation.org.uk) and is in its 8th year of encouraging children to read using the dual powers of sport and libraries.  Included in the package is that the children involved get to meet an author.  Tom Palmer is the main man who does this - and does it brilliantly through his Reading the Game project but sometimes I get to be The One.  Go me!

The librarian in charge at Fulham, the uniquely-named Zedh Foley, gallantly met me at Parsons Green tube station to escort me to the venue. I wished he’d been at South Kensington tube station before that to ensure I caught the right tube to Parsons Green in the first place. it would have saved me heading for Ealing and diving off at Earl’s Court to retrace my steps!  It’s ironic not being able to read a map for the underground when you’re on your way to give a talk on the importance of reading but hey…. nobody’s perfect.

The group I met - nine boys, one girl with assorted family members - were delightful. Keen and interested but reluctant readers, these are just the sort of children the scheme is targeting. This year they are being mentored by Chelsea defender Paulo Ferreira whose favourite book is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.  I don’t know if they get to meet him in person but I’m sure Mr Abramovic will have some amazing package up his sleeve. A trip on his yacht for the kids who read most books maybe??

Anyway, hello to everyone I met yesterday. You were great!

The reason Tom couldn’t take the Chelsea session was because he’s in the middle of a sponsored bike ride to raise money to buy books for a children’s library in Ghana. One of Tom’s Foul Detective titles, Off Side, is set there and he wants to help. So far on his bike ride he’s had his hotel door kicked in and been bitten by a rottweiler. Well, if you will cycle through Harrogate, Tom…  You can check out his progress on his blog. Go to www.tompalmer.co.uk

He ends his ride at the London Fairtrade Festival this weekend. Go along and say hello if you live nearby.

National Football Museum Preston

‘The Old Year’s gone away

To nothingness and night’

- John Clare

It’s been a busy one. My writing highlights include:

1. Having the first 6 books in the GIRLS FC series published by Walker Books. Being particularly proud of ‘What’s Ukrainian for Football?’

2. Launching the series at the National Football Museum, Preston, in August.

3. Accidental Friends being shortlisted for three awards and losing out to Theresa Breslin by 1 vote at the Catalyst Book Award.

4. Meeting Tom Palmer (www.tompalmer.co.uk) and setting up ‘Reads United’ with him in time for the 2010 World Cup

5. Being invited to join the Children’s Writers and Illustrators Group (CWIG) Committee. I join Gillian Cross, Steve Barlow, Roz Asquith, Anne Cassidy, Am Vrombaut, Michaela Morgan, Bali Rai and Jeremy Strong to debate topical issues concerning children’s writers and illustrators.

6. Attending the Ultimate Book Guide Launch at the Groucho Club and meeting people like Cathy Hopkins and Jan Pienkowski.

7. ‘Doing’ not only the Oxford, Northern and Cheltenham book festivals but also all the school visits up and down the country.

Meanwhile, in the rest of the universe…

2009 will be remembered for Barack Obama becoming President of the USA, Swine Flu, Credit Crunch/Recession/Banks going bankrupt/MPs claiming for bath plugs, moat cleaning, duck houses and certain videos/ England Women’s football team getting to the Final of EURO2009, Tiger Woods digging a hole in one/ Ryan Giggs rightly being awarded Sports Personality of the Year/ my mum surviving not one, not two, not three but four operations in one week. That’s tough Yorkshire women for you.

But it was goodbye to:

Borders bookshops

Keith Waterhouse (journalist, playwright, Leeds lad made good)

Frank McCourt (writer of Angela’s Ashes, the best misery memoir ever)

Sir Bobby Robson (footballer and football manager, legend)

Michael Jackson (though I haven’t liked anything he did since Man in the Mirror, to be honest)

Leeds vTown

Ask any football supporter and they will tell you that there are some matches in a season that matter more than others.  For a Huddersfield Town supporter, it’s when they play Leeds United.  Judging by the attendance at Saturday’s match - a massive 36,726 - the feeling is mutual. Town did the double (won home and away) over Leeds last season but by virtue of being top of the league had every chance of reversing that this time.  It was not to be.  The match sounded brilliant (not being season ticket holders we had no chance of getting tickets to see it) with Anthony Pilkington coming so, so close to scoring the match winner in injury time for Town.  Leeds have a reputation for snatching three points off opponents in the last minute so it would only have been fair for them to have a taste of their own medicine. We’ll have to wait until February to do it now.

I suppose the good thing about the draw  is that Tom Palmer, my Reads United partner, can’t crow over me when we meet. Not that he does crow. Tom’s not the crowing kind - unlike me.  Anyway, no crowing.  Honours even. Onwards and upwards.