Bedford book festival returns and promises to be bigger than ever

BookTastic is coming back to Bedford and promises to be bigger than ever.

Comprising 10 interactive events across five days in July, the festival will welcome 10 of the biggest names in children’s fiction with live readings, Q&As and immersive workshops.

The festival – which has been going for nine years – kicks off on Monday, July 3 with an appearance from Luton-born, bestselling author Sharna Jackson who shares a reading from her latest book The Good Turn, before award-winning writer Patrice Lawrence reads extracts from her new novel The Elemental Detectives.

On the following days: They’ll be Maz Evans who will talk about her hugely popular Vi Spy series; Jasmine Richards who will give an exclusive reading of her latest offering Future Hero; Jamie Smart showcases his popular Bunny vs Monkey series; Katie and Kevin Tsang unveil their new book Space Blasters; Lee Newbery reads The First Shadow Dragon; Vashti Hardy talks about her smash hit series about a young inventor and adventurer Harley Hitch; Sarah McIntyre and Philip Reeve showcase their bestselling Adventuremice series; and AF Harrold and Mini Grey read extracts from their poetry book The Book of Not Entirely Useful Advice.

The festival organisers have invited selected schools from across the county to attend the live events – hosted at the University of Bedfordshire – with a focus on supporting students who have very limited access to books.

Every child who attends will be given a free copy of the book from their session to take home.

Visit here to find out more about BookTastic