Making Waves with the Margate Bookie

Cally, Jimmy and I have just got back from Ramsgate where we had a most excellent time joining up with the Margate Bookie, Tales on Moon Lane and Chilton Primary School. 

The Margate Bookie Literature Festival 2021 has been rescheduled to 2022 due to the pandemic, but there has still been the opportunity to deliver author events in schools and this was all made possible thanks to Andreas Loizou, founder of the Margate Bookie, fellow Andersen author Sam Gayton, Nicci Rosengarten of Tales on Moon Lane bookshop and Natalie Barrow, Deputy Headteacher at Chilton Primary School. 

The event was very well planned and organised so that everything went extremely smoothly and successfully on the day. I was warmly welcomed by the staff at Chilton Primary School, and the Year 3 & Year 4 children I worked with were so engaged and enthusiastic as we shared stories and writing tips and ideas together.  I was especially pleased to read what Head of School, Kate Law, said about it all in the press: “Zoe was so engaging and the children found her and her stories so relatable. After school she also did a book signing which was really well received. Her visit was clearly inspiring for our pupils and they loved finding out first hand from an author just what sort of processes she goes through to weave her stories onto the page. Literacy is a vital cornerstone of learning and engaging with an author like Zoe adds yet another dimension to their education – and she was great fun to be with too.”

You can read the full article in the Isle of Thanet News here Read the Full Feature

Moon Lane Bookshop have championed Cally & Jimmy from the start when Book 1: Twins in Trouble was first launched in September 2020 and then again in April 2021 with Book 2: Twintastic. Due to lockdown, launch events and communications were all online, so it was really great to visit the gorgeous shop on Addington Street and meet Nicci Rosengarten in person at last. She was a brilliant support with the after-school book sale at Chilton Primary too. 

I hope this is the first event of many with the Margate Bookie and the community of Thanet and I look forward to returning again soon.