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Helping children to fall in love with the magic of reading…

The authors we have been lucky enough to have working with children in Cranbrook schools or at community events over the years of the festival have been: Joshua Siegal, Ben Miller, Eve Wersocki Morris, Helen Peters, Natasha Farrant, Matt Killeen, Tom Palmer, Jonny Duddle, Philip Ardagh, Lou Kuenzler, Sophy Henn, John Rice, Kevin Brooks, Arji Manuelpillai, Jenny McLachlan, Gianna Pollero, Sue Hendra and Thomas Taylor. Long may this continue…

Children’s author Thomas Taylor visited Benenden Primary School and Hawkhurst Primary School on Wednesday 11th March organised by the Cranbrook Literature Festival. Thomas is the author of the Erie on Sea series of books and illustrates the books himself. He gave a presentation to children in KS2 in both schools during the day and a scribble workshop with groups of Year 5 pupils. The schools report that Thomas captivated the children with his talk about finding inspiration on the beach for his stories and got them drawing their own characters and writing about them in the workshops.

He then returned to Cranbrook again on Tuesday 19th May to visit Goudhurst and Cranbrook Primary Schools.

“The author visit from Thomas Taylor was outstanding: our expectations were literally blown out of the water, when Thomas started sharing his inspiration from various sea-side-expeditions. The children (and adults!) were truly engaged and inspired.”

Mr Emmett, Benenden Primary School

“We are incredibly grateful to the Cranbrook Literature Festival for their continued support in bringing inspiring authors into our school. As we celebrate the National Year of Reading, opportunities like these are more valuable than ever in fostering a genuine love of books among our pupils.

The recent visit from Thomas Taylor was truly exceptional. His engaging approach, creativity and enthusiasm captured the children’s imaginations, leaving them excited about stories and eager to read and write themselves.

Experiences such as these play a vital role in promoting the joy of reading and helping to nurture lifelong readers. Thank you for your ongoing commitment to enriching the lives of children within our community.”

Ms Formby, Cranbrook Primary School

Cranbrook School Year 7 and 8 students enjoyed a visit by author Patrice Lawrence at the beginning of May. Patrice writes books for children and young adults, tackling important topics like racism, crime, and mental health with hope and understanding. Financed by the Cranbrook Literature Festival, the students were captivated by Patrice’s talk to them about her books and very happy to receive a donation of books for the school library.

Pupils at The Rosewood School, Staplehurst enjoyed a great morning of poetry on 12th March with London poet Arji Manuelpillai, organised by the Cranbrook Literature Festival. The students enjoyed working with Arji and loved the books donated by the festival to the school library. Thanks for a great morning Arji!

“I would like to say a massive thank-you to the Cranbrook Literature Festival for arranging Arji's visit. It was wonderful to see him engaging so well with our mixed-ability Year 8 students. There was immense value for the students in attending the workshop.”

Mr Case, Leigh Academy Snowfields

“There has been absolutely fantastic feedback from staff, and the young people so thank you very much for organising Arji’s visit to us.”

Ms Eade, Rosewood School

The children of Colliers Green Primary School were very excited to meet writer Gianna Pollero in January. Gianna came in to speak with each of the classes about the joys of writing, and ran some creative story-writing sessions where the children learned the key ingredients for crafting great stories coming up with some very imaginative ideas. They were all interested to learn more about the characters in her ‘Monster Doughnuts’ series and have the opportunity to have their books signed. Cranbrook Literature Festival also donated a set of Gianna’s books to the school library. A very successful visit!

Children’s author Rachel Burge came to Cranbrook and Sissinghurst Primary Schools on 14th October to talk to pupils about her new book Whispering Hollow, how she became an author and her experience as a writer of spooky stories.

Rachel spent time with some of the pupils at both schools, and delved into the art of crafting edge-of-your-seat-scares and presenting a workshop detailing tips and techniques on ‘how to write your own scary story’.

Cranbrook Literature Festival financed Rachel’s visit as well as gifted a selection of Rachel’s books to the schools and provided prizes for a creative writing competition.

Whispering Hollow

If you go down to the woods today . . . you’re in for a scary surprise. Creepy and atmospheric, join Pippa as she battles to overcome the dark powers lurking in the forest around her Grandpa’s cottage. Perfect for readers aged 9+.

Pippa Newton loves nature and being outdoors, and she’s looking forward to visiting her grandfather in his cottage in the forest. If only her older brother was as enthusiastic about it as she is. But their holiday soon turns into a dark and strange adventure when Pippa realises that malevolent forces are lurking in the trees – forces that watch, wait, and mean them great harm.

The National Literacy Trust published a report in 2020 which indicates that author visits to schools have a positive effect on children and young people’s reading and writing skills and aids their enjoyment and confidence in both. School budgets don’t always stretch to visiting authors or writing workshops and this where The Cranbrook Literature Festival can help.

The authors we have been lucky enough to have working with children in Cranbrook schools or at community events over the years of the festival have been: Joshua Siegal, Ben Miller, Eve Wersocki Morris, Helen Peters, Natasha Farrant, Gianna Pollero, Matt Killeen, Tom Palmer, Jonny Duddle, Philip Ardagh, Lou Kuenzler, Sophy Henn, John Rice and Kevin Brooks. Long may this continue…