Hamish McHaggis and The Great Glasgow Treasure Hunt.
On Saturday  28th April I’ll be at the Kelvingrove Museum and on Sunday 29th April at the Riverside Museum in Glasgow with Hamish illustrator Sally J. Collins and you might even catch a glimpse of Hamish himself!

It’s all free and there will be lots of fun things to do.  Come and listen to the story and draw alongside Sally.  There will be activities and Sally and I will be signing books.

see the website for further details  Kelvingrove Museum

EAST LOTHIAN LAUNCH

If you live closer to Edinburgh there will be a launch at Merryhatton Garden Centre  on the afternoon of Friday 4th may. We have added an extra session due to popular demand!

Free but ticketed.  For more details see the Merryhatton website

I am also planning a bit of a revamp to this website, but that has had to be put on hold for a while, too.

To recap on some of the things that have been going on…at the end of 2011 the latest Hamish McHaggis book (number 10 in the series) HAMISH McHAGGIS AND THE GREAT GLASGOW TREASURE HUNT was completed and it will be officially launched at the end of April – 28th at Kelvingrove Glasgow, and on the  29th at The Riverside transport Museum in Glasgow.  More details on the author visits and events page or see the Glasgow Life website Kelvingrove Museum book launch

More details about this and other book launches on my visit page and coming soon here, too.

I have been visiting a lot of schools and you can find out where I’m going to be by looking at my author visit and events page and by scrolling down to the foot of that page to see  Previous Events you can also see all the places I’ve been

A couple of highlights which I shall be blogging about  in the next few days on my blog BOOKWORDS are

My visit to MES the Modern English School in CAIRO, a couple of weeks ago

The wonderful animation of Hamish McHaggis stories written by P3 children from Gylemuir Primary which was inspired by their visit to see me at the Edinburgh International Book Festival last year,

and some of the great school visits I’ve had in the last few months.

I’ll be back soon with updates on all the fun things that happened in the last few months of 2011.

HAMISH McHAGGIS AND THE GREAT GLASGOW TREASURE HUNT

Once again illustrator Sally J Collins is working her magic!

…………………

‘Working with all of the books to explore themes across the curriculum – any or all of these suggestions could be incorporated into a Scottish topic or a Scotland week

there are also  short ideas for using each individual book in the classroom’

Why not  check them out!

Hamish McHaggis book based teachers’ resources

Hamish McHaggis, himself will be there to cheer Jack and Jim off on their first run!

 

One in six run | National Literacy Trust

www.literacytrust.org.uk

The National Literacy Trust is a UK charity that changes lives through literacy. We have a vision of a society in which everyone has the reading, writing, speaking and listening skills that they need to fulfil their own and, ultimately, the nation’s potential.

Jack Sallabank and Jim Sells will run 160 miles, over 10 days, during October 2011.Each day Jack and Jim will run 16 miles in a different region of Britain. The 15th mile of each leg will take them to a primary school where they will deliver a fun literacy session and lead the children, and a local or national celebrity, on the final mile of the day. Schools can use this as an opportunity to raise funds for the National Literacy Trust. 

The run will commence on Monday 3 October 2011 and will take 10 days. You can sponsor Jack and Jim through a Justgiving page -  www.justgiving.com/1in6/, or though JustTextGiving, by texting READ16 to 70070.

There will be a chance to hear Hamish McHaggis stories and meet Hamish himself and there are lots of other fun activities.  Three other authors will be there, too Franzeska Ewart, Maggi Gibson and Frank Rodgers and we will all be reading from our books and taking part in interactive  events. There are also Bookbug sessions for tinies and other fun things going on, too. You can visit Little Turnberry Farm and go on a Woodland Treasure Hunt – in what looks like being a great day out!

‘In partnership with The Herald and Scottish Book Trust, four of Scotland’s renowned children’s authors will be offering interactive sessions and readings from a selection of their books.  The event will also feature four Book Bug sessions, supported by Scottish Book Trust.  Books by each author will be available for sale.’

more information can be found here  -

Children’s family book day at Turnberry

This very morning the first copies of my latest book, a Collins Big Cat Phonics book arrived.

This is what it looks like!

It is the story of a little beetle who likes to sing (but is not very good at it!) When the other little beetles send her away she is almost eaten by Harry the mouse.  But Poppy does something very brave and rescues him from sneaky Jake the snake. So they become friends instead and share their love of singing- even though neither of them can sing very well!

You can find out more about the book or buy it- here

I love the fact that the green leafy city centre garden is transformed into a quite magical world of books in August every year, and a little like Brig o’ Doon it vanishes again soon after!

I am delighted that I have been invited again this year.  Below are some of the details of my events at the Book Festival.

If you are around come and say hello.

On Thursday 18th August 2011 – 5.30pm

Along with other writers, I will be reading as part of the Amnesty International Imprisoned Writers series

Friday 19th August 2011 5.00pm

I will be talking about the research I did for SPIDER and DEAD BOY TALKING

(This event is to be chaired by Philip Ardagh – I am really looking forward to that!)

On Friday 26th August 2011 – 11am

I will be running a writing workshop-

Making it as a Children’s writer

(THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT)

and finally, as part of the

Edinburgh International Book Festival Schools programme

I will be speaking to primary school children  about  Hamish McHaggis and friends on 30th  August 2011.
This is on the Schools Gala Day

( NB -The Book Festival is closed to the general public on 30th August)

Here is Hamish at a previous festival appearance, with the fabulous staff in the Author’s Yurt I wonder -did he need an author pass to get in ???)