In the Reading Corner

Frances Durkin believes in making history both accessible and fun. The Histornauts series is a well-conceived project from Small publishing in which a group of children from the present-day go back in time to explore life in different historical periods through their encounters with ordinary people.

Frances joined Nikki Gamble In The Reading Corner to talk about the series and her approach to historical study.

About The Histronauts: A Greek Adventure
When the Histronauts travel back in time to the ancient Greek era they'll need your help to uncover the secrets of the past. Visit the Acropolis, watch the activities that inspired the Olympic Games and paint masks for a thrilling Greek tragedy at the amphitheatre. An exciting mix of story, facts and activity!

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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

The third book in William Grill's series with publisher Flying Eye, Bandoola: the great elephant rescue, tells the story of war veteran James Howard Williams and his encounter with elephant trainer Po Toke in Burma (now Myanmar) between the wars. Drawing on Po Toke's experience of raising elephants with kindness rather than punishment, they introduce a new training regime. When war breaks out again, the elephant Bandoola is instrumental in helping them on a perilous journey getting them across the border to safety.

The story is set in the context of Burmese geography and history and is packed with fascinating information about elephants.

William Grill talks to Nikki Gamble about his fascination with true adventure stories set in wild places and his creative process.

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

Nick Crumpton is a zoologist and children's author. He has worked as a science communicator at the Natural History Museum and as a journalist and researcher for the BBC, He specialises in studying extinct mammals.

In this episode, Nick talks to Nikki Gamble about his book Everything You Know About Dinosaurs is wrong. Listen to learn about recent discoveries and the latest in scientific thinking.

About Everything You Know About Dinosaurs is Wrong
Dinosaur fans will quickly become dinosaur experts with this informative, inventive and entertaining take on a dinosaur book! Do you know all there is to know about dinosaurs? They're mean, green and not very smart, right? Well, this book is here to show you that you're WRONG! But don't worry, even the experts can't be right all the time . . .

So, let's uncover the truth! From fossilised feathers to long-necked lookalikes, this ingenious book is packed with so many amazing dinosaur discoveries, you'll soon become a palaeontology pro. Including jaw-dropping research that will debunk many myths about all kinds of prehistoric creatures - you'll never look at a pigeon the same way again! With fascinating, friendly and easy-to-understand text written by zoologist Dr Nick Crumpton and amazingly detailed colour artwork on every page, this beautifully produced hardback gift book with an incredible tactile cover will delight dinosaur fans of any age.

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

 Rob and Tom’s creative partnership began in the 1980s when Tom (the younger brother) was born. Now, Rob is a bestselling writer and Tom is an illustrator. They’ve created everything from zoo exhibitions and ice cream van designs to books, sitcoms, newspaper cartoons and movie scripts.

The Biggest Footprint was created as an experiment to try to understand the species that they are a part of.

In this episode, they talk with Nikki Gamble about what we can learn from big numbers and why it's important to maintain a sense of humour in the face of catastrophe!

About The Biggest Footprint
Meet the mega human: colossal, clueless . . .and the biggest hope for life on Earth.

There are eight billion of us humans. All breathing, eating, fidgeting and thinking deep thoughts. It's an unimaginably large number.

Or is it? The mega human is the result of smooshing all the people in the world together into one spectacular giant (don't try this at home). Even though the mega human is not the smartest of creatures, it is slowly beginning to understand the problems it has created for Planet Earth's future...and how it might be able to fix them. 
Making use of brain-bending stats and smoosh theory, The Biggest Footprint is a journey of self-discovery suitable for anyone and everyone identifying as human.

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

Alastair Chisholm has developed a reputation for writing exciting middle-grade science fiction. Orion Lost, a futuristic story about a the crew of a spaceship abandoned in deep space received widespread positive reviews. He is also the creator of picture books and puzzles.

In this episode, Alastair chatted to Nikki Gamble about his second thrilling science fiction adventure Adam-2.

About Adam 2
With incredible twists and turns and an action-packed story, this is a thrilling, unputdownable adventure. The robot Adam-2 has been locked in the basement of a lost building for over two hundred years - until one day he is discovered by two children, and emerges into a world ruined by a civil war between humans and advanced intelligence. Hunted by both sides, Adam discovers that he holds the key to the war, and the power to end it - to destroy one side and save the other.

But which side is right?Surrounded by enemies who want to use him, and allies who mistrust him, Adam must decide who - and what - he really is. From the author of the highly-acclaimed Orion Lost, Adam-2 is an exciting and hugely gripping science fiction thriller - perfect for fans of Eoin Colfer, Anthony Horowitz, and Philip Reeve. "Brilliant - one of the best middle grade books I've read this year ...

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

M G Leonard and Sam Sedgman are the co-authors of Adventures on Trains, a gripping, page turning mystery series that takes in train journeys across different continents.  The partnership has produced a clutch of very successful books, but I wanted to know more about the process of working together. Can friendship survive when there may be competing ideas and deadlines to be met. If you are curious then listen to this episode.

About Danger at Deadman's Pass
A mysterious letter from an old friend asks Hal and Uncle Nat to help investigate a spooky supernatural mystery. Legend has it the Kratzensteins, a family of rich and powerful railway tycoons, are cursed, but there is no such thing as a curse, is there . . .? Hal and Nat take the night train to Berlin and go undercover. From a creaking old house at the foot of the Harz mountains, they take the Kratzenstein family's funeral train to the peak of the Brocken Mountain. Can Hal uncover the secrets of the Brocken railway and the family curse before disaster strikes?

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

Chella Quint coined the term ‘period positive’ in 2006 while touring her free Adventures in Menstruating comedy show and workshops in school holidays while teaching drama and PSHE. She kept meeting audiences who wanted her to speak at their school or university and share the concepts she was developing around period positivity more widely. Finally, she went back to university, completed an MA in education, and started researching issues in menstruation education to find out how she could do more.

Chella developed Period Positive and devotes her time to promoting period positivity to counteract the frequently negative public discourse about menstruation.

Read more about Period Positive

Chella chatted to Nikki Gamble in The Reading Corner about her new book, Own Your Period, a guide for young people about periods and the reproductive cycle. 

About Own Your Period
This fact-filled guide to periods is bursting with positive, honest advice on managing and understanding menstruation. Having a period is an incredible thing - Own Your Period celebrates what the body can do and provides young people (age 9+) with everything they need to be prepared... and empowered.

Includes the fascinating science behind why things happen, with all the details of menstruation through to menopause. Answers all essential questions like what's a vulva and what does it look like, what do periods actually feel like, and what happens if blood stains your clothes? Chella Quint's witty text slays superstitions, busts common myths and fights period shame, while providing practical information about menstrual products, tracking cycles and sharing her own personal stories. Funny, insightful and warm illustrations with friendly chatty text make this an everything-you-need-to-know essential handbook, which pre-teens can refer to before their periods start, and will appreciate when their cycle is more established.

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

Flavia Drago is an illustrator with a broad portfolio covering branding, packaging, character development and children's books. She is a recent graduate of the MA in Children's Book Illustration from Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge.

Flavia was born and raised in Mexico and the influence of the traditions on the patterns, colours and artefacts can be seen in her debut children's book Gustavo: The Shy Little Ghost. Flavia has been awarded the Klaus Flugge Prize for being the most exciting and promising newcomer in children's book illustration.

About Gustavo: The Shy Ghost
With exquisite detail and humour, Flavia Z. Drago's vivid illustrations tell a sweet and offbeat story of friendship and courage. "A great story about making friends by being yourself and the illustrations are a constant visual delight" Malorie BlackmanGustavo is a ghost.

He is good at doing all sorts of paranormal things, like walking through walls, making objects fly and glowing in the dark. And he loves playing beautiful music on his violin. But Gustavo also has a problem.

He is SHY. This means some things are harder for him to do, like getting in a line to buy eye-scream or talking to the other monsters. But Gustavo longs to be a part of something, he longs to be seen.

More than anything, he wants to make a friend. So, plucking up all his courage, he sends a very special letter: "Dear Monsters, I would like to invite you to my violin concert at the Day of the Dead party..."

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

Sudanese-Australian writer and media presenter, Yasmin Abdel-Magied is something of a superstar. Following an early career as a mechanical engineer and formula 1 commentator, she is now a published writer for children. 

Yasmin was named Young Queenslander of the year in 2010 and Queensland Australian of the Year in 2015 for her engagement in community work.

In this episode, Yasmin talks about her clever, forthright and well-meaning heroine, Layla.

About Listen, Layla
The hilarious follow-up title to You Must Be Layla by Yassmin Abdel-Magied. I am Layla Kareem Abdel-Hafiz Hussein, the greatest Sudanese Australian inventor the world has ever seen. And if they don't know my name yet, they soon will. Inshallah!

School's out for the summer! And Layla's going to spend it getting her inventions ready for the Grand Design Competition. But when her grandmother falls ill and her family must rush to Sudan to be with her, Layla feels like she's being pulled in many different directions. Family, friends, home, inventions - there's a lot to navigate.

With big protests looming in Sudan, could Layla save the day with her revolutionary ideas?

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

Sara Pennypacker's Pax was a huge hit with children and adults alike. Many readers wanted to know what happened to Peter and his pet Fox after the story ended and now Sara Pennypacker has written a sequel.

In this episode, she talks to Nikki Gamble about why she felt compelled to write a sequel and the things that are important to her in the stories.

About Pax: Journey Home
It's been a year since Peter and his pet fox, Pax, have seen each other. Once inseparable, they now lead very different lives.

Pax must protect his litter of kits in a dangerous world. Meanwhile, Peter, orphaned after the war, has left his adopted home and joined the Water Warriors, a group determined to heal the land from the scars of the war. When one of Pax's kits falls desperately ill, he turns to the one human he knows he can trust.

And no matter how hard Peter tries to harden his broken heart, love keeps finding a way in. Now both boy and fox find themselves on journeys toward home, healing - and each other. A breathtaking novel about chosen families and the healing power of love.

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