In the Reading Corner

Alexandra Page and Stef Murphy introduce their new book, The Fire Fox. Based on Sami myth about the origins of the Northern lights. It's a beautiful story about loss and recovery, sadness and happiness. Nature, space and time all contribute to Freya's recovery. Alex and Steff joined me to explore a little deeper.

About The Fire Fox
An uplifting, magical book perfect for sharing at bedtime that will leave children feeling warm, cosy and loved. Freya and her mum have gone to a little cabin to get away for a while. The light has gone out of their lives since Freya's dad passed away.

Freya isn't sure about going sledging, but when she meets a magical fox in the snow, she can't help but follow him into the forest - and on to a thrilling adventure. A heartwarming bedtime story inspired by the Finnish Saami myth of the revontulet, or fox fires - the sparks that fly from the fur of a mystical fox to become the Northern Lights. The Fire Fox is a gloriously illustrated, beautifully written story about the nurturing light of love that can't be dimmed, written by debut author Alexandra Page and illustrated by the exciting talent Stef Murphy.

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In the Reading Corner is presented by Nikki Gamble, Director of Just Imagine. 

Follow us on Youtube for more author events YouTube.com/@nikkigamble1

For general news and updates: follow us on X @imaginecentre  Bluesky  https://bsky.app/profile/justimaginecentre.bsky.social  Instagram https://www.instagram.com/justimagine_books/

Full details about the range of services we provide can be found on our website www.justimagine.co.uk

Sophie Kirtley is a prize-winning poet and children's. She grew up in Northern Ireland where she enjoyed a childhood closely connected to nature. It is these early memories that in part inspired her children's stories, The Wild Way Home and The Way to Impossible Island. Sophie joined Nikki Gamble In The Reading Corner to talk about her timeslip adventures.

About The Way to Impossible Island

Born with a serious heart condition, Dara has been waiting for his Big Operation forever, and this summer it's finally going to happen. The moment his heart is fixed he'll row out to the island in the bay all by himself just like he's always dreamed. But when his op is postponed, Dara snaps.

When will he get to live his real life? Maybe the adventures he dreams of are just silly fantasies. And then he finds a girl hiding in the boat shed. She wears animal skins.

She has a real live pet wolf. She is, simply, impossible. Could Mothgirl really be from the Stone Age? And what is she seeking on Lathrin Island? As Dara and Mothgirl set out on a wild, windswept sea journey Dara begins to realise that when you stop worrying about what's impossible, you can do anything.

A brave, life-affirming middle-grade timeslip adventure about finding your family and finding yourself, from the author of The Wild Way Home.

Support the show

Thank you for listening. 

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us by subscribing to our channel. and by purchasing books from our online bookshop, Bestbooksforschools.com

In the Reading Corner is presented by Nikki Gamble, Director of Just Imagine. 

Follow us on Youtube for more author events YouTube.com/@nikkigamble1

For general news and updates: follow us on X @imaginecentre  Bluesky  https://bsky.app/profile/justimaginecentre.bsky.social  Instagram https://www.instagram.com/justimagine_books/

Full details about the range of services we provide can be found on our website www.justimagine.co.uk

Owen Davey's bold graphic style is widely recognised, and his animal series published by Flying Eye is hugely popular.  From Monkeys to Octopuses, Frogs to Crocodiles and Cats to Beetles, we can't get enough of these informative, beautifully produced books.

In this episode, Owen talks to Nikki Gamble about the most recent addition to the series, Curious About Crocodiles. Who knew there was so much to know about these fascinating reptilians?

About Curious About Crocodiles
Did you know that crocodiles can live to be over 100 years old, and can climb trees to sunbathe? They can even sense the vibrations from a single drop of water falling from the mouth of a drinking wildebeest over twenty metres away.

Discover more about these mysterious creatures and their cousins the caimans and the alligators.

Support the show

Thank you for listening. 

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us by subscribing to our channel. and by purchasing books from our online bookshop, Bestbooksforschools.com

In the Reading Corner is presented by Nikki Gamble, Director of Just Imagine. 

Follow us on Youtube for more author events YouTube.com/@nikkigamble1

For general news and updates: follow us on X @imaginecentre  Bluesky  https://bsky.app/profile/justimaginecentre.bsky.social  Instagram https://www.instagram.com/justimagine_books/

Full details about the range of services we provide can be found on our website www.justimagine.co.uk

Andrea Beaty and David Roberts are the creative duo behind the Questioneers series featuring the young children in Miss Greer's class. Iggy Peck, Ada Twist, Rosie Revere and Sofia Valdez. Now they are joined by Aaron Slater, Illustrator.

In this episode, Andrea and David talk about how they spark off each other's ideas and tell us more about the background to Aaron Slater.

About Aaron Slater, Illustrator
Aaron Slater loves listening to stories and dreams of one day writing them himself. But when it comes to reading, the letters just look like squiggles to him, and it soon becomes clear he struggles more than his peers. When his teacher asks each child in the class to write a story, Aaron can't get a single word down.

He is sure his dream of being a storyteller is out of reach . . .until inspiration strikes, and Aaron finds a way to spin a tale in a way that is uniquely his. 

Support the show

Thank you for listening. 

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us by subscribing to our channel. and by purchasing books from our online bookshop, Bestbooksforschools.com

In the Reading Corner is presented by Nikki Gamble, Director of Just Imagine. 

Follow us on Youtube for more author events YouTube.com/@nikkigamble1

For general news and updates: follow us on X @imaginecentre  Bluesky  https://bsky.app/profile/justimaginecentre.bsky.social  Instagram https://www.instagram.com/justimagine_books/

Full details about the range of services we provide can be found on our website www.justimagine.co.uk

Cornelia Funke is a fantasy writer whose work has garnered international recognition and has been adapted for cinema.  Her first book to be translated into English was The Thief Lord, followed by Dragon Rider, which was hugely successful, remaining on the New York Times bestseller list for 78 weeks and achieving the number one slot on the children's list. A second book in the series, The Griffin's Feather, was published over a decade later and now Funke returns to the world of Dragon Rider with a third book in the series, The Aurelia Curse.

Cornelia joined Nikki Gamble In The Reading Corner from her home in Volterra Italy and explained why there might be long gaps in writing new stories for her series and what prompted her to write this latest book.

About The Aurelia Curse
Ben and the Greenblooms must protect a mythical new creature rising from the ocean that can bring light or darkness to whoever it first meets - a vast, mythical Aurelia. It's a race against time to protect it, for if the Aurelia is hurt, all fabulous creatures will vanish from Earth. In the end, though, it may take the arrival of the original silver dragon, Firedrake, to help save them all ...

Support the show

Thank you for listening. 

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us by subscribing to our channel. and by purchasing books from our online bookshop, Bestbooksforschools.com

In the Reading Corner is presented by Nikki Gamble, Director of Just Imagine. 

Follow us on Youtube for more author events YouTube.com/@nikkigamble1

For general news and updates: follow us on X @imaginecentre  Bluesky  https://bsky.app/profile/justimaginecentre.bsky.social  Instagram https://www.instagram.com/justimagine_books/

Full details about the range of services we provide can be found on our website www.justimagine.co.uk

Philip Womack is a journalist and writer, whose work is infused with myth, legend and wild magic, in the tradition of Alan Garner and Susan Cooper. His fantasy trilogy, The Darkening Path, is inspired by Childe Roland's quest, as was Alan Garner's Elidor.

In this episode, Philip takes us into the faerie realm and discusses his latest novel Wildlord, published by Little Island.

About Wildlord
Something is menacing Mundham Farm. Does it come from outside - or within?

Who or what are the Samdhiya, the supernatural people described in the old handwritten diaries Tom finds in his uncle's house?

As Tom starts to uncover the truth and learn new details about his parents' death, he is confronted with a stark choice: on the one hand, infinite power; on the other, freedom. Which will he choose?'

Support the show

Thank you for listening. 

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us by subscribing to our channel. and by purchasing books from our online bookshop, Bestbooksforschools.com

In the Reading Corner is presented by Nikki Gamble, Director of Just Imagine. 

Follow us on Youtube for more author events YouTube.com/@nikkigamble1

For general news and updates: follow us on X @imaginecentre  Bluesky  https://bsky.app/profile/justimaginecentre.bsky.social  Instagram https://www.instagram.com/justimagine_books/

Full details about the range of services we provide can be found on our website www.justimagine.co.uk

With a background in bookselling, Jen Campbell is the author of Franklin's Flying Bookshop and the Sunday Times bestseller, Weird Things People Say in Bookshops.

She has a passionate interest in fairy tales and runs a YouTube channel dedicated to discussing the history of different tales.

In this episode, she talks about her own folk tale collection, The Sister Who Ate Her Brothers and other gruesome tales, fourteen stories that have been collected from across the globe.

About The Sister Who Ate Her Brothers

Jen Campbell's collection of terrifyingly gruesome tales lends a modern edge to fairy tale collections for young readers. Drawing on her extensive knowledge of fairy tale history, Campbell's stories undo the censoring, gender stereotyping and twee endings of more modern children's fairy tales, to return both classic and little-known stories to their grim versions, whilst celebrating a diverse range of characters. Featuring 14 short stories from around the globe, The Sister Who Ate Her Brothers is illustrated in a contemporary style by Canadian comic artist Adam de Souza.

De Souza's brooding illustrations are a highly original blend of 19th-century Gothic engravings and moody film noir graphic novels. 

Support the show

Thank you for listening. 

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us by subscribing to our channel. and by purchasing books from our online bookshop, Bestbooksforschools.com

In the Reading Corner is presented by Nikki Gamble, Director of Just Imagine. 

Follow us on Youtube for more author events YouTube.com/@nikkigamble1

For general news and updates: follow us on X @imaginecentre  Bluesky  https://bsky.app/profile/justimaginecentre.bsky.social  Instagram https://www.instagram.com/justimagine_books/

Full details about the range of services we provide can be found on our website www.justimagine.co.uk

Television presenter Yvette Fielding is well-known for her time on Blue Peter and as the co-creator and presenter of Most Haunted. In this episode, she talks to Nikki Gamble about her horror book for children, The House in the Woods. This is definitely not one for the faint-hearted.

About The House in the Woods
When Clovis, Eve and Tom decide to play with a ouija board in an old abandoned house on Halloween, none of them foresees the horrors they're about to unleash. What starts out as a bit of fun, soon transcends into something far more terrifying when a distressed and determined spirit follows them home.

Before long the friends are caught up in a series of events beyond their wildest imaginings and their journey as ghost hunters begins . . .

Support the show

Thank you for listening. 

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us by subscribing to our channel. and by purchasing books from our online bookshop, Bestbooksforschools.com

In the Reading Corner is presented by Nikki Gamble, Director of Just Imagine. 

Follow us on Youtube for more author events YouTube.com/@nikkigamble1

For general news and updates: follow us on X @imaginecentre  Bluesky  https://bsky.app/profile/justimaginecentre.bsky.social  Instagram https://www.instagram.com/justimagine_books/

Full details about the range of services we provide can be found on our website www.justimagine.co.uk

Oliver Jeffers is a visual artist and author working in painting, bookmaking, illustration, collage, performance, and sculpture. He best is one of the foremost illustrators of children's books working today.

Oliver talked with Nikki Gamble about There's a Ghost in This House, remarkable for its playfulness and seriousness, as well as the experimental design pushing the affordances of the book.

About There's a Ghost in This House

Hello, come in. Maybe you can help me? A young girl lives in a haunted house but has never seen a ghost.

Are they white with holes for eyes? Are they hard to see? She'd love to know! Step inside and turn the transparent pages to help her on an entertaining ghost hunt, from behind the sofa, right up to the attic. With lots of friendly ghost surprises and incredible mixed-media illustrations, this unique and funny book will entertain young readers over and over again!

Support the show

Thank you for listening. 

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us by subscribing to our channel. and by purchasing books from our online bookshop, Bestbooksforschools.com

In the Reading Corner is presented by Nikki Gamble, Director of Just Imagine. 

Follow us on Youtube for more author events YouTube.com/@nikkigamble1

For general news and updates: follow us on X @imaginecentre  Bluesky  https://bsky.app/profile/justimaginecentre.bsky.social  Instagram https://www.instagram.com/justimagine_books/

Full details about the range of services we provide can be found on our website www.justimagine.co.uk

Phil Hickes was born in the UK where he lived next door to a graveyard - a perfect breeding ground for a future writer of children's horror stories. He now lives with his wife in Portland, Oregon, where he works as an advertising copywriter.

Phil has a passion for horror, ghosts, and all things that go bump in the night. His short stories have been published in adult horror anthologies, but Phil turned his hand to writing middle grade as he wanted to create the same visceral thrill he remembers from reading Alan Garner, Clive King and Roald Dahl.

In this episode, Phil talks to Nikki Gamble about the Bewitching of Aveline Jones, the second book about a curious girl drawn to paranormal mysteries.

About the Bewitching of Aveline Jones
Turn on your torches and join Aveline Jones!
Aveline is thrilled when she discovers that the holiday cottage her mum has rented for the summer is beside a stone circle. Thousands of years old, the local villagers refer to the ancient structure as the Witch Stones, and Aveline cannot wait to learn more about them. Then Aveline meets Hazel.

Impossibly cool, mysterious yet friendly, Aveline soon falls under Hazel's spell. In fact, Hazel is quite unlike anyone Aveline has ever met before, but she can't work out why. Will Aveline discover the truth about Hazel, before it's too late?

Join the world of Aveline Jones, where mysteries are solved, spirits are laid to rest, and everybody gets to bed on time.

Support the show

Thank you for listening. 

If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us by subscribing to our channel. and by purchasing books from our online bookshop, Bestbooksforschools.com

In the Reading Corner is presented by Nikki Gamble, Director of Just Imagine. 

Follow us on Youtube for more author events YouTube.com/@nikkigamble1

For general news and updates: follow us on X @imaginecentre  Bluesky  https://bsky.app/profile/justimaginecentre.bsky.social  Instagram https://www.instagram.com/justimagine_books/

Full details about the range of services we provide can be found on our website www.justimagine.co.uk