Take advantage of the free online events available for the rest of this Spring term to bring best-selling authors into the classroom and help you create a buzz  around books and reading.

Events for Pupils

• Find out what life was like for children in past civilisations with Chad Strathie, the award-winning author of the So You Think You’ve Got it Bad? series. A fun-filled Authors Live event for fans of history, jokes and storytelling on Thursday 16th March. Suitable for ages 7-11.
• Space scientist Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock will be introducing her new book Am I Made of Stardust and answering questions about the wonders of the universe in a BookTrust Represents virtual talk and Q&A for Years 5, 6 and 7 on Friday 17th March.
• Celebrate British Science Week with two events from the Scholastic Schools Live programme: Annaliese Avery, author of The Nightsilver Promise and The Doomfire Secret will be sharing her love of astronomy and some top creative writing tips on Thursday 16th March. Vashti Hardy will be joined by the Lapworth Museum of Geology on Friday 17th March for a discussion of all things fossils, inspired by her latest book Harley Hitch and the Fossil Mystery. For younger readers there is a chance to celebrate the start of Spring with Alice Hemming and Nicola Slater, author and illustrator of That’s My Flower on Monday 20th March. And if your school has pledged to take part in the Great Big School Clean, you can sign up for the first ever live Litter Legends Quiz with author Sarah Roberts on Friday 24th March.
• Join author Philip Reeve and illustrator Sarah McIntyre for an hour of author chat, book readings, draw-along fun, poetry readings and an adventure quiz in the next Mr Dilly Meets on Tuesday 21st March. Suitable for ages 6-11.
• Put four of the experts behind the best-selling DK Eyewitness series to the test by submitting your pupils’ toughest questions for the ‘Ask an ‘Ologist’ webinar on Wednesday 22nd March. Schools can submit questions on the topics of Dinosaurs, Ancient Egypt, Science or Animals and there’s the chance to win a set of 50 Eyewitness books and a school visit from one of the ‘Ologists.
• Award-winning author Gill Lewis will be introducing her latest title Moonflight, talking about her creative process and answering questions from participating schools at a Waterstone’s Virtual School Event on Wednesday 22nd March.
• ReadingZone Bookclub events take place on a Friday afternoon and are a great way to end the week. As Women’s History Month draws to a close, join author Rhian Tracey on Friday 24th March to hear about her thrilling new adventure I, Spy: A Bletchley Park Mystery.  Set during WWII, the story is based on true events and is a tribute to Rhian’s great-aunt Audrey and the thousands of women and young girls who worked at Bletchley Park during the war. Find out more about Rhian’s writing journey in her blog for Just Imagine. Suitable for ages 9-11.
•  Learn some amazing facts about space and the science of light with Dr Sheila Kanani, planetary physicist, science ambassador and author of Can You Get Rainbows in Space?. Schools can download a first chapter extract from the book and submit pupils’ questions to Dr Sheila ahead of this Puffin Books Virtual Visit event on 24th March. Suitable for ages 7-11.

Events for Adults

• Helen Rutter talks to Nikki Gamble to celebrate the publication of The Funniest Boy in the World, the sequel to her best-selling title The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh, on Wednesday 15th March.
• Engineers Making a Difference celebrates the vital role engineers play in our modern world as they use their problem-solving skills to tackle the many challenges we face. Join author Dr Shini Shomara and Nikki Gamble to find out more about the book and why she wrote it.
• Celebrate the launch of Anna Goodall’s second Maggie Blue story, Maggie Blue and the White Crow, on Thursday 23rd March at 7pm. Anna will be in conversation with UKSLA School Librarian of the Year Lucas Maxwell. Email liz@lizscottpr.co.uk to receive the event link.

If you are interested in hosting a live author event, don’t forget that Authors Aloud, Authors Abroad and Speaking of Books are all organisations dedicated to helping schools spark a love of reading by bringing children and authors together.