In this episode, Elle McNicoll talks to Nikki Gamble about her novel, Keedie, the prequel to her novel, A Kind of Spark, now a BBC television series. About Keedie Set in Juniper five years before A Kind of Spark comes a powerful coming-of-age story from award-winning author Elle McNicoll. As Keedie and her twin Nina approach their fourteenth birthday, they seem to only be growing further apart. Keedie instead feels drawn to, and fiercely protective of, their quiet younger sister Addie – who on the surface is the opposite of loud and fiery Keedie, but in fact they have more in common than anyo ..read more

In this episode, Nikki Gamble talks to award-winning poet, novelist, playwright, and literary critic Clare Pollard about her debut children's novel, The Untameables. About the Untameables Under the bloody rule of King Arthur – as the cruel Knights of the Round Table wage wars and hunt magical creatures – the ordinary people of Camelot are getting sick. Really sick. Something is poisoning the land. No one in Arthur's court seems to care, but a spark of hope remains... The Holy Grail could save them all, and two children embark on a quest to find it. Shy, gentle Roan, a young dog keeper who wor ..read more

Jodie Lancet-Grant is the author of The Pirate Mums and The Marvellous Doctors for Magical Creatures. and The Legend of the Wild West Twins, The Pirate Mums made history as the first book with a two-mum family to be read as a Cbeebies Bedtime Story, when it appeared in 2021, read by Sue Perkins. In her day job, she is Associate Publisher at Bluebird, Pan Macmillan, where she commissions high-profile non-fiction books. Jodie is the chair of judges for the Polari Prize for Children’s Books, which celebrates LGBTQ+ books and creatives. She lives in East London with her wife and their twin daughte ..read more

After training as an actor and working as an English teacher, Lucy published her first novel, The Secret of Nightingale Wood, which won the 2014 Montegrappa First Fiction Prize; further novels, Our Castle by the Sea, The Ghost of Gosswater, and Sisters of the Lost Marsh have been published with critical acclaim. Hilary Mckay called the latter the 'book of the year.' The Island at the Edge of Night is Lucy's fifth novel. About The Island at the Edge of Night Abandoned at a boarding school on a bleak and remote Scottish island, Faye discovers that she and the other pupils have been sent there ..read more

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 enjoyed this podcast, please support us by subscribing to our channel. And if you are interested in the bo ..read more

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, Support the show Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us by subscribing t ..read more

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 handbook for young readers. In just SIX simple steps, readers will be taught how to harness empathy as t ..read more

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 support us by subscribing to our channel. And if you are interested in the books we have feat ..read more

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 adventure of the series, Billy, travels to the Arctic Circle, where he meets an Inuit girl Ahnah, a G ..read more

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 creators Jo Ellen Bogart and Maja Kastelic. Anthony wakes up one morning to find his favorite rock has c ..read more