Best-selling children’s authors to headline Derby Book Festival

Three of the country’s best-loved children’s authors will feature in the seventh Derby Book Festival
with events at Derby Theatre during the schools’ half term. Lauren Child will reveal her latest book,
Clarice Bean: Scram! on Monday 30 May at 2pm, David Baddiel will discuss his latest, The Boy Who
Got Accidentally Famous on Tuesday 31 May at 2pm and Jacqueline Wilson will talk about her latest
book, The Magic Faraway Tree: A New Adventure on Wednesday 1 June at 2pm. Tickets go on sale
today (25 March) for Lauren Child and Jacqueline Wilson’s events with David Baddiel’s on sale on
Monday 4 April.
Derby Book Festival is funded by Arts Council England and the University of Derby with additional
sponsorship from local businesses. It will include around 70 events from 20 – 28 May in venues
across the city with these three special events offered the following week during the schools’ half
term to enable children and parents to attend the matinée performances.
Lauren Child’s new book features how Clarice Bean’s family came to have a dog and how he got his
name in this hilarious and joyous new novel. Her event will be sponsored by local firm, Smith
Partnership.
The award-winning author and illustrator and former Children’s Laureate is also the creator of
family favourites including Charlie and Lola and Hubert Horatio. She will discuss her new book with
Fun Kids Radio’s Bex Lindsay.
The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton was best-selling author Jacqueline Wilson's favourite book
as a young child. Now, Jacqueline, creator of Hetty Feather and Tracy Beaker, has written an
irresistible new story set in this glorious magical world, perfect for the next generation of young
readers. Featuring the popular characters from the original books as well as fantastical new lands
and a new group of modern-day children. Jacqueline’s event will be sponsored by local children’s
supplier, Cosy.

Million-copy best-selling author and comedian David Baddiel’s latest novel, (The Boy Who Got)
Accidentally Famous, is a laugh-out-loud story that takes you on a roller-coaster ride of fame and
friendship, which asks the question – what if everyone suddenly knew your name?
The Festival is now a well-established part of the city’s cultural calendar and celebrates the joy of
books and reading. It has a successful schools’ programme involving around 90% of the city’s
primary schools with their popular Meet the Author events held at Derby Theatre and live streamed
to schools. This year’s events will feature authors Onjali Q Rauf and Zanib Mian.
Tickets cost £8 for children and £10 for adults (plus £1.50 booking fee per ticket). You can buy
tickets online from the Festival website: www.derbybookfestival.co.uk or from Derby Theatre’s box
office, either in person or by phone.

The Festival is chaired by Liz Fothergill, who is also Lord-Lieutenant of Derbyshire. Liz said: “The
Festival is back in full force in 2022 and we are delighted to welcome three much loved children’s
authors to our Festival to appeal across a range of ages. We believe that children should be
inspired from a very young age to develop their creativity through a love of reading and by
experiencing the joy that books can bring to their lives, taking them to new worlds and helping
them to understand our own.

“Our Festival is putting Derby firmly on the literary map and attracting world class authors each
year. We believe it is the largest and most successful literary festival in the East Midlands and
something Derby can be proud of in its ambition to be a City of Culture.”

Other Festival authors will be announced in the coming months and tickets for all the other events
to be featured in the Festival will be available from Wednesday 6 April. Tickets will be available
online from the Festival website: www.derbybookfestival.co.uk where you can find full details of all
events. You can also visit the box offices at Derby Theatre, QUAD or Déda for the events they are
hosting.

To find out more, visit the Festival website and sign up for more information. You can also follow
the Festival on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.