This event has moved to our collection of Past Event Videos where you can access all past festival events for a small one-off fee of £5. Please click here to sign up or log in if you are already a member.
Age guideline 7-11, 11-13
About the event
Funny books are great aren’t they?! We all love to be made to laugh out loud. But laughter is powerful and important too. Laughing at ourselves, seeing the humour in difficult situations, and finding joy at times when life is hard are all powerful.
Join three joyful authors, who love to write books that make you laugh, as they chat about the power of laughter. What made Frank Cottrell Boyce decide to break the internet in his latest book Noah’s Island (not very funny if we can’t watch funny Youtube videos)? What real-life, laugh-out-loud moments from her life did Burhana Islam use in her hilarious, and chaotic adventure story about Yusuf Ali Khan, Mayhem Mission? And how did Maz Evans come up with the idea for Scarlett Fife, a girl who makes things really explode whenever she pushes her feelings down - like elephant poo at the zoo and her teacher's slimy green smoothie?
Super-funny author Jenny Pearson is going to ask them all these questions, and more in this super-fun event that will show you just how powerful laughter can be!
Buy the Book here: Noah’s Gold - Frank Cotrell Boyce
Mayhem Mission - Burhana Islam
The Exploding Life of Scarlett Fife - Maz Evans
How to access the event
From 1 January 2022, this event will move to our collection of Past Event Videos where you can access all past festival events for a small one-off fee of £5. Go to the top of the page to view Past Event Videos. Please click here to sign up or log in if you are already a member.
About the Authors
Frank Cottrell Boyce is the author of Runaway Robot, Millions, Sputnik’s Guide to Life on Earth, Framed, Cosmic, The Astounding Broccoli Boy and the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang sequels. Frank’s first book, Millions, won the CILIP Carnegie Medal in 2004 and he later won The Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize for The Unforgettable Coat (Walker Books). Frank's latest book, Noah's Gold was published in May 2021. Frank is also a highly successful British screenwriter whose credits include The Railway Man, Millions, Goodbye Christopher Robin and the 2012 opening ceremony for the London Olympics. He is also a judge for 500 Words and a mentor for BBC One Show’s ‘As You Write It’ competition. He resides in Merseyside with his family.
Born in Bangladesh, raised in Newcastle and currently residing on the outskirts of Manchester, Burhana Islam is a storyteller who is passionate about exploring themes of heritage, belonging, identity and faith in her work. She studied English Literature at Newcastle University before deciding to become a secondary school teacher, sharing her love for stories with a new generation of curious, young minds. Mayhem Mission is her debut children's fiction book, and she is also the author of Amazing Muslims Who Changed the World (Puffin, 2020).
Maz Evans is one of the funniest authors writing today. She visits hundreds of schools, libraries and festivals across the world each year to talk about her books. Her bestselling debut novel Who Let the Gods Out? has received over 20 award shortlistings, and sold in countries all over the world. Maz has been an award-winning songwriter, TV journalist and scriptwriter. As an author, she has won the hearts of thousands of children. As a nuclear physicist, she has been completely rubbish.
Originally from Salisbury, but now based in Durham, Jenny Pearson is a mum-of-two and a primary school teacher, every bit as funny in real life as she is on the page. Her 2020 Costa-shortlisted and Waterstones Children’s Book of the Month debut, The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates, was bought in an eight-way publisher auction and established her as a talented new voice in ‘heart and humour’ middle grade fiction. It has also been selected as a 2021 Read for Empathy title as part of EmpathyLab’s annual contemporary collection of empathy-boosting books for young people.
The Incredible Record Smashers is Jenny’s second hilarious and heart-warming adventure, illustrated by Erica Salcedo of Kid Normal renown, and already gathering rave reviews, including one from legend Frank Cottrell-Boyce who calls it ‘funny and tender’!
Jenny loves her job and willingly admits to ‘stealing’ from the children she has taught. She says, “Not their lunch money – that is frowned upon at school – but their characters. If you’re writing for children, it helps to know what they like but also what they’re like.”
Jenny brings warmth and wisdom to the page, along with characters that steal your heart. Her books are funny but she doesn’t shy away from difficult issues and writes them with a precision that packs an emotional punch yet is never over-sentimental or mawkish.
Twitter: @burhana92 | @MaryAliceEvans | @frankcottrell_b | @J_C_Pearson
Instagram: @burhanawrites | @frankcottrellboyce | @j_c_pearson
Facebook: Frank Cottrell Boyce
Website: https://www.burhanaislam.com | https://maz.world/
About the festival partner
This event has been programmed by Bath Children’s Literature Festival
Bath Festivals is a charity that brings you the Bath Children’s Literature Festival, Europe’s largest dedicated children’s literature festival with a vibrant array of talks and activities for children. They are also responsible for The Bath Festival in the summer which bring the city alive with a celebration of music and books in the beautiful venues and spaces of the world heritage city. By creating innovative and diverse programmes, their festivals inspire and provide unique experiences for residents and visitors to Bath and surrounding areas. Their year-round creative learning programme of hands-on music and literature projects gives children and young people opportunities to gain real-world experience, building their inner confidence and improving communication skills through the arts.