[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":11},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-post-world-book-day-2015-biggest-book-show-on-earth":3},{"_type":4,"body":5,"bodyHtml":6,"excerpt":5,"featuredImage":5,"publishedAt":7,"slug":8,"tags":9,"title":10},"blogPost",null,"Today \u003Ca href=\"http://worldbookday.com/\">World Book Day UK\u003C/a> hosted my co-author \u003Ca href=\"http://philipreeve.blogspot.co.uk/\">Philip Reeve\u003C/a> and me along with a stupendous line-up of book people. Do we look excited? \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/reeve_instagram_zpsbn8qxsnb-726c242a8f.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nIt's been a ten-city, ten-day tour, and we were the London stop. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/bbsoe15_poster_zpspdr0qutl-a27b6a57e0.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI never thought I'd be on stage with the amazing \u003Ca href=\"http://www.jacquelinewilson.co.uk/\">Jacqueline Wilson\u003C/a>, \u003Ca href=\"http://www.michaelrosen.co.uk/\">Michael Rosen\u003C/a>, \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/simon_francesca\">Francesca Simon\u003C/a>, \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/HolSmale\">Holly Smale\u003C/a> and \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/sbutlerbooks\">Steven Butler\u003C/a>! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/bbsoe_lineup_zpsxbfneswp-650b74ad6d.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThe venue was a big surprise. I'd never visited Walthamstow Assembly Hall before, and it felt like the big People's Palaces I'd seen during my student days in Moscow. Heavy, grand, and a bit imposing. But cool! \\r\n\\r\n\u003C!--more Click here for more under the cut!-->\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/bbsoe15_hall2_zpsa0jukmy6-0148432369.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nCheck out the words above this doorway: FELLOWSHIP IS LIFE AND THE LACK OF FELLOWSHIP IS DEATH. ...WHOAAAA. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/bbsoe15_hall3_zps2wcqjed3-0a46eacd84.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI guess it's the Fellowship of the Rings, check out the ceiling pattern. Here's what the hall looked like before the school coaches rolled in. (That's Reeve ahead, carrying my red Sea Monkey bag and his ukulele.)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/bbsoe15_hall_zpsf3dj3ikk-16dab08976.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd here's our presenter, magnificent ringmaster Steven Butler, who grew out his twirly moustache just for the occasion. You might know him as the guy who writes the Dennis the Menace books. He's been ringmaster for the whole tour, and he's still on his feet. Wow! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/stephen_stage_zps9in6b14f-70b8e08f80.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nSteven memorized 'three unknown facts' about each of the speakers, which was rather impressive. My facts were: \\r\n1. When Sarah was born, her parents thought she was a sea monkey.\\r\n2. When she escaped from the zoo, they were sure of it. \\r\n3. She now draws sea monkeys in an attempt to distance herself from these silly creatures. \\r\n\\r\nPhilip's facts: \\r\n1. Philip wrote his first book when he was five, and it was called \u003Ci>When Spike and Spook went to the Moon\u003C/i>. \\r\n2. Philip is actually a highly advanced android named Wilf. \\r\n3. Philip hates being called Wilf; please never call him that. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/bbsoe15_hall_full_zpsnv8ava1w-d1cce526d4.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere we are, just before going on stage. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/bbsoe15_reevemc_greenrm_zps9qxxf97u-1bb6473bc5.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd we did our thing, drawing a Sea Monkey, singing some songs, reading from \u003Ci>Oliver and the Seawigs\u003C/i>, demonstrating the Power of Science with the Nom-o-Tron from \u003Ci>Cakes in Space\u003C/i>. (I told the kids that if they wanted to learn how to \u003Cb>draw their own Sea Monkey\u003C/b>, they could \u003Ca href=\"http://www.jabberworks.co.uk/oliver-and-the-seawigs/\">find out on my website\u003C/a>.)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/bbsoe15_reevemc1_zpsuo0qqs6q-f2ff1f5b44.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI love meeting other authors at festivals and things, but I hardly ever get to sit and watch their talks; I either have to leave or we're on at the same time. So it was great to get the chance to watch Holly Smale, writer of the \u003Ci>Geek Girl\u003C/i> books, in action! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/bbsoe15_holly_zpsbpjrfyif-51ffd408ff.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHolly got almost as much fanfare as Jacqueline Wilson, who entered to screams that rock stars would envy. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/bbsoe15_jacqui_zps71pj0rvg-f2de4e64d8.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nJacqueline's famous not only for her books, but also for the chunky rings she always wears. So Steven decided he had to give her a run for her money on that front. Check out all the BLING! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/steve_jacqui_hands_zpsnugvxw9a-344ee3483e.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nWe got to hear Michael Rosen tell stories:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/bbsoe15_mike_zps819qza9r-16e61efb5e.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd Francesca Simon talk about Horrid Henry (and Perfect Peter):\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/bbsoe15_francesca_zpshiv35w1p-b00b6a4440.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHolly accidentally left her phone on-stage, so Steven took a big selfie. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/bbsoe15_steveselfie_zpswnrbgona-ebbf0ea4bd.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI thought, with that many other amazing authors present, we'd have a great time but probably not sell a lot of books. But I was WRONG! Oxford University Press brought a big table full of books and sold every single one, and kids were sad not to get even more! The kids were going absolutely mad buying everyone's books and getting them signed, it was awesome. And even kids who didn't get our books brought Holly Smale's World Book Day edition of Geek Girl up for me to sign. So I drew geeky Sea Monkeys, which was fun.  \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/reevemc_signing_zpsxbzifhwa-61a62e4ac7.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHuge thanks to the colourful \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/KirstenGrant2\">Kirsten Grant\u003C/a> and her team, who organised the tour, Steve who did our tech, Steven for being a wonderful ringmaster, \u003Ca href=\"http://www.newhambooks.co.uk/\">Newham Bookshop\u003C/a> for organising books, our lovely OUP publicists Harriet Bayly & Camille Davis, and the local libraries for the use of the venue. And, of course, to all the schools who came along, and to my fellow authors, who made the day such fun. I'm excited to see which book characters people are going to dress up as on Thursday, World Book Day! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cfont size=\"5\"> WORLD BOOK DAY DRESSING UP: \u003C/font>\\r\nIf you dress up as a character in one of my books with Philip or any of the other books, please please send along a photo, I'd love to see! Here are a few ideas from past years, if you're looking for some inspiration: \\r\n\\r\nFrom \u003Ca href=\"http://www.jabberworks.co.uk/theres-a-shark-in-the-bath/\">\u003Ci>There's a Shark in the Bath\u003C/a>\u003C/i>:\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/shark_costume_zpsjkkv4cnq-75098e470a.jpg\">\\r\nFrom \u003Ca href=\"http://www.jabberworks.co.uk/oliver-and-the-seawigs/\">\u003Ci>Oliver and the Seawigs\u003C/i>\u003C/a>:\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/seawigs_costumes_zpsbxmygqzr-dcb7463d7d.jpg\">\\r\nFrom \u003Ca href=\"http://www.jampires.com\">\u003Ci>Jampires\u003C/i>\u003C/a> (you can \u003Ca href=\"http://www.jampires.com/activities/\">print a free mask from here\u003C/a>!)\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://www.jampires.com/activities/\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/jampires_mask_zpsvcmhb784-aa5d0fdd77.jpg\">\u003C/a>\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/jampires_bookseller_zpspnvptnnb-0d0f527979.jpg\">\\r\nPrincess Spaghetti from \u003Ca ehjrf=\"http://www.jabberworks.co.uk/you-cant-eat-a-princess/\">\u003Ci>You Can't Eat a Princess!\u003C/i>\u003C/a> and \u003Ca href=\"http://www.jabberworks.co.uk/you-cant-scare-a-princess/\">\u003Ci>You Can't Scare a Princess!\u003C/a>\u003C/i> (tiara-making tips \u003Ca href=\"http://www.jabberworks.co.uk/you-cant-eat-a-princess/\">here\u003C/a>): \\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/pspag_costumes_zps1cnutgxl-d94c80b91b.jpg\">\\r\nAnd you can \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/515178.html\">download and print a free GOBLIN mask\u003C/a> from Reeve's \u003Ca href=\"http://www.philip-reeve.com/goblins.html\">GOBLINS books\u003C/a>!\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/goblin_mask_photo_zpset7nhy4h-d071fd2439.jpg\"> \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cfont size=\"3\">Reeve and I would love love \u003Cb>LOVE\u003C/b> to see some \u003Ca href=\"http://www.jabberworks.co.uk/cakes-in-space/\">\u003Ci>Cakes in Space\u003C/a>\u003C/i> costumes! Astra, Pilbeam the robot, Poglites, killer cakes....DO IT DO IT DO IT! \u003C/font>","2015-03-03T20:15:00.000Z","world-book-day-2015-biggest-book-show-on-earth",[],"world book day 2015: biggest book show on earth!",1776628727412]