Amid the whirlwind of nativity plays and carol concert rehearsals, take a moment to celebrate the joy of books with our roundup of FREE online author events. Connect students with real writers, spark imaginations, and build excitement around reading as we head toward the Christmas holidays.

Events in November

• National Literacy Trust: Young Poet Laureate ambassadors Laura Mucha and Zohab Zee Khan lead an interactive poetry masterclass to help pupils generate ideas, experiment with language and shape their writing into poetic form to kickstart Young Poets Week.
  • Date: 24th November.
  • Suitable for pupils aged 7-11.
• National Literacy Trust: Young Poet Laureate ambassadors Nikita Gill and Karl Nova share tips and techniques to inspire young poets in an interactive masterclass as part of Young Poets Week.
  • Date: 25th November.
  • Suitable for pupils aged 11-14.
• Empathy Action Month: Start small, but think BIG with author and broadcaster Konnie Huq as she discusses her Cookie series and helps children consider ways that they can look after the environment and help protect our planet.
  • Date: 25th November.
  • Suitable for pupils aged 7-11.
• Authors Live: Multi-award-winning author and current Waterstones Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce takes young readers behind the scenes of his latest title The Blockbusters and shares his own writing journey (including writing for Doctor Who and the 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony) in this special episode of Authors Live.
  • Date: 26th November.
  • Suitable for pupils aged 8-12.
• BookTrust Represents: Join Abiola Bello for an interactive workshop where she introduces the first title in her new wildlife series Wild Magic: Black Lion, with the chance to receive copies of the book for your class. A recording of the event will be available to view on demand.
  • Date: 26th November.
  • Suitable for pupils aged 7-9.
• Just Imagine Children’s Authors Live: Graphic novel creator Mark Bradley leads an interactive workshop based on his best-selling Bumble & Snug series.
  • Date: 28th November.
  • Suitable for pupils aged 5-8.
• Just Imagine Children’s Authors Live: Blind activist broadcaster and author Lucy Edwards talks about her edge-of-your-seat adventure Ella Jones vs The Sun Stealer in which blind heroine, Ella Jones, must work out a plan to defeat a pagan god of light who has brought darkness down on the world.
  • Date: 28th November
  • Suitable for pupils aged 9-12.

Events in December

• Scholastic Winter Reading Festival: Enjoy seasonal storytelling, live draw-alongs and plenty of festive fun with this 15-day programme of online events to help primary schools celebrate books and reading. Martin Brown, Julia Donaldson, Michael Foreman, Liz Pichon and Jim Smith are just some of the authors and illustrators in the line-up and, if you can’t make the scheduled event, recordings will be made available to all registered attendees.
  • Dates: 1st – 15th December.
  • Suitable for pupils aged 3-11.
• Mr Dilly Meets: Join Mr Dilly and authors Sarah Ann Juckes, Andy Shepherd and Angie Thomas for a magical mix of heart-warming stories, creative inspiration and festive fun to celebrate the season.
  • Date: 3rd December.
  • Suitable for pupils aged 6-11.
• Book Squad: Sign up for a virtual visit with award-winning author Sir Michael Morpurgo as he introduces his moving adventure Cobweb – the story of a little dog on an extraordinary journey – and answers questions from pupils. (Teaching notes available to download, and a recording will be sent to everyone who registers.)
  • Date: 4th December.
  • Suitable for pupils aged 7-11.
• Just Imagine Children’s Authors Live: Test your pupils’ general knowledge with an interactive Christmas Quiz hosted by Christopher Lloyd. Choose a team of five pupils to represent you if you would like to join in with the interactive element, or take part informally with your class.
  • Date: 4th December.
  • Suitable for pupils aged 7-12.
• British Library: As part of the the British Library’s Secret Maps exhibition, award-winning author Katherine Rundell introduces her latest book The Poisoned King and explores the role of maps in fantasy fiction in this live-streamed event.
  • Date: 8th December.
  • Suitable for pupils aged 9-13.
• British Library: Explore how maps and visual communication have shaped the modern world with Chris Haughton, author and illustrator of The History of Information at this live-streamed event inspired by the British Library’s current exhibition Secret Maps.
  • Date: 8th December.
  • Suitable for pupils aged 9-13.
• National Literacy Trust: Explore the theme of diversity and how it can be celebrated through poetry with award-winning poet Joseph Coelho and radio host Lauren Layfield. Created in partnership with Premier League Primary Stars, this fully-resourced workshop uses the No Room for Racism campaign as a springboard for pupils to create their own poem that reflects the central theme of Greatness Comes from Everywhere.
  • Date: 9th December.
  • Suitable for pupils aged 7-11.
• National Literacy Trust: Join best-selling author Robin Stevens as she shares her top tips for solving mysteries and introduces A Stocking Full of Spies, the latest title in her murder mystery series The Ministry of Unladylike Activity.
  • Date: 10th December.
  • Suitable for pupils aged 7-11.
• National Literacy Trust: Create your own Cracking Christmas Character with illustrator Phil Shepherd in this festive draw-along workshop for KS1 pupils.
  • Date: 12th December
  • Suitable for pupils aged 5-7.

If you are interested in hosting a bespoke event for your school with an author, poet, storyteller or illustrator there are a number of organisations that can help. Check out your options here.