Biggest Book Show on Earth Newcastle line-up to include:
Steven Butler, David Almond, Cathy Cassidy
Chris Riddell and David Roberts
Friday 6th March at Newcastle City Hall, in partnership with Seven Stories
World Book Day has today (Thursday 13th November) revealed the line tour line-up for 2015’s The Biggest Book Show on Earth, which will be bigger than ever in scope and size, with the show featuring over 40 top authors and illustrators and visiting ten locations throughout the UK and Ireland. The Biggest Book Show on Earth was first established by World Book Day in 2012 as a London-based event and the first tour in 2014 saw the show visit five regions.
The events will run from 23rd February – 6th March, hitting regions all over the country and in Ireland, including Bath, Glasgow, Rhyl and Dublin. The tour will come to an end on 6th March at Newcastle City Hall. Each stop on the tour will give local children a chance to see up to six of their favourite writers and illustrators up close. Participating authors range from picture book creators such as Lydia Monks and Jonny Duddle, to YA sensations like Holly Smale, alongside bestselling mega-stars Jacqueline Wilson, Cressida Cowell and Michael Rosen. New on the children’s book scene will be 2015’s World Book Day illustrator Sophy Henn and bestselling author and presenter Danny Wallace.
Participating writers and illustrators already include (in alphabetical order by author surname):
David Almond
Simon Bartram
Martin Brown
Steven Butler*
James Campbell
Cathy Cassidy
Steve Cole
Frank Cottrell Boyce
Cressida Cowell
Jonny Duddle*
Heather Dyer
Sophy Henn
Chris Judge
Derek Landy
Gill Lewis
Jon Mayhew
Karen McCombie
Sarah McIntyre
Jonathan Meres
Lydia Monks
David O’Doherty
Guy Parker-Rees
Liz Pichon
Philip Reeve
Chris Riddell*
David Roberts
Michael Rosen
Nick Sharratt
Francesca Simon
Holly Smale*
Jim Smith
Jeremy Strong
Jonathan Stroud
William Sutcliffe
Danny Wallace
Holly Webb
Jacqueline Wilson
* Indicates one of World Book Day’s 2015 £1 book authors.
Chris Riddell, author of the Goth Girl series, will appear as one of the performers in Newcastle. Riddell says: “World Book Day is one of the most exciting times in an author’s year – a time to celebrate books and the power of reading. As a World Book Day 2015 author I’m delighted to be involved in these celebrations, particularly working with the fantastic Seven Stories Centre for Children’s Books in Newcastle whose hard work embodies all that World Book Day stands for.”
The Biggest Book Show on Earth was conceived and coordinated by Kirsten Grant, Director of World Book Day, alongside hand-picked local partners and organisers who will be working with local schools to fill the venues as well as coordinating the book-selling for each of their events. Grant says: “World Book Day’s ultimate mission is to encourage a love of reading in all children, and by doubling our tour stops we’ve made a major step towards achieving this ambition with The Biggest Book Show on Earth. We’re bringing an amazing selection of children’s author and illustrator talent to over 14,000 children all over the country. I hope that enjoying performances by so many brilliant authors will inspire children to see the endless possibilities and fun to be had between the covers of a book. It’s also wonderful to work with local organisers who are vital in bringing books to their communities, during World Book Day and all year round.”
Lisa Moll, Learning Partnerships Manager at Seven Stories National Centre for Children’s Books, organised the event in Newcastle along with Grant. Moll says: "Here at Seven Stories we are tremendously excited to be hosting The Biggest Book Show on Earth at City Hall. It’s going to be a fantastic show and we are thrilled to be bringing a host of inspirational role models to the North East, giving our children and young people an amazing opportunity to meet authors and illustrators."
More details about World Book Day and The Biggest Book Show on Earth can be found at www.worldbookday.com.
For further information please contact: Liz Hyder, Lija Kresowaty or Lauren Ace at Riot Communications on: 07939 372 865 / 020 3174 0118 / liz@riotcommunications.com lija@riotcommunications.com / lauren@riotcommunications.com
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Notes to Editors
1) Tour schedule, including dates, venues and line-ups to date (including the partnering organization or bookshop):
Monday, 23rd February / Norwich, OPEN (Partner: Jarrolds)
James Campbell, James Mayhew, Karen McCombie, Chris Riddell, Holly Webb
Tuesday, 24th February / Nottingham, Nottingham Playhouse (Partner: The Bookcase)
Steve Cole, Jonathan Meres, Lydia Monks, Jim Smith
Wednesday, 25th February / Rhyl, Rhyl Pavilion (Partner: The Welsh Books Council)
Jonny Duddle, Jon Mayhew, Shoo Rayner, Heather Dyer
Thursday, 26th February / Bath, Bath Pavilion (Partner: The Bath Children's Festival)
Martin Brown, Sophy Henn, Gill Lewis, Jeremy Strong, Jonathan Stroud
Friday, 27th February / Dudley, The Earls High School (Partner: The Federation of Children’s Book Groups)
Simon Bartram, Guy Parker-Rees (further names to be confirmed later in 2014)
Monday, 2nd March / Glasgow, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall (Partner: Glasgow Libraries)
Jonathan Meres, Liz Pichon, Nick Sharratt, William Sutcliffe, David O’Doherty and Chris Judge
Tuesday, 3rd March / London, Walthamstow Assembly Hall
Sarah McIntyre and Philip Reeve, Michael Rosen, Francesca Simon, Holly Smale, Jacqueline Wilson
Wednesday, 4th March / Dublin, The Printworks in Dublin Castle (Partner: World Book Day Ireland)
David O’Doherty and Chris Judge, Derek Landy (further names to be confirmed later in 2014)
World Book Day, Thursday, 5th March / Preston, Preston North End Football Club (Partner: Silverdell Bookshop)
Frank Cottrell Boyce, Cathy Cassidy, Cressida Cowell, Jonny Duddle, Danny Wallace
Friday, 6th March / Newcastle, Newcastle City Hall (Partner: Seven Stories)
David Almond, Cathy Cassidy, Chris Riddell, David Roberts
(Please note author Steven Butler will be compering all ten events)
2) About World Book Day
World Book Day was designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, and is marked in over 100 countries around the globe.
World Book Day is a partnership of publishers, booksellers and interested parties who work together to promote books and reading for the personal enrichment and enjoyment of all. A main aim of World Book Day in the UK and Ireland is to encourage children to explore the pleasures of books and reading by providing them with the opportunity to have a book of their own.
To mark the day, school children are entitled to receive a World Book Day £1 Book Token (or equivalent €1.50 Book Token in Ireland) supplied by National Book Tokens Ltd. The £1 Book Token can be exchanged for one of ten (eleven in Ireland) specially published World Book Day £1 Books, or is redeemable against any book or audio book of their choice costing £2.99 or more at a participating bookshop or book club. The World Book Day £1 Book Token will be valid from 2nd to 29th March 2015.
3) World Book Day’s £1 books
From early March 2015, children in the UK and Ireland will be given a £1 (€1.50 in Ireland) Book Token in their nurseries and schools, which they can use to claim their World Book Day title in bookshops across the country from 2nd March 2015.
The 2015 books in full:
Age 2+:
- The Dinosaur That Pooped A Lot! by Tom Fletcher & Dougie Poynter, illustrated by Garry Parsons (Random House Children’s Books)
- Elmer’s Parade by David McKee (Andersen Press)
Age 5-7:
- A Pirate’s Guide to Landlubbing by Jonny Duddle (Templar)
- Magic Animal Friends: Lucy Longwhiskers Finds a Friend by Daisy Meadows (Orchard Books)
Age 7-9:
- The Diary of Dennis the Menace: World
Book Menace Day by Steven Butler (Puffin)
- Goth Girl and the Pirate Queen by Chris Riddell (Macmillan)
Age 9+:
- Best Mates by Michael Morpurgo (HarperCollins)
- Dork Diaries: How to be a Dork! by Rachel Renée Russell (Simon & Schuster )
YA:
- Killing the Dead by Marcus Sedgwick (Orion)
- Geek Girl: Geek Drama by Holly Smale (HarperCollins )
Ireland only:
- The Fairytale Trap by Erika McGann (O’Brien)
4) About National Book Tokens
National Book Tokens are the perfect gift for book lovers of all ages and are the only gift cards sold and accepted in bookshops across the UK and Ireland, including all the major chains and local independents. They also now come with Caboodle – fantastic rewards for book lovers like free books, exclusive competitions and local offers. As proud sponsors of World Book Day, National Book Tokens supports lifelong learning and improving literacy and access to reading for everyone. Visit www.nationalbooktokens.com for more information.