Challenging Discrimination with Patrice Lawrence & Jason Reynolds

Two megastars of Young Adult literature come together for a special event for teens and schools, exploring class, the justice system and…knitting? New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds introduces his heartfelt urban coming-of-age novel, When I Was the Greatest. He's joined by award-winning writer Patrice Lawrence whose latest teen drama Needle sheds a light on the criminal justice system for young people. What would you do if you found yourself on the wrong side of the law – or the wrong neighbourhood? Discover how these authors help us empathise with their characters and manage to weave warmth and humour into tough narratives. Have your questions ready!

Book Festival News

Communities Programme participants celebrate success of 2024 Communities Programme participants celebrate success of 2024
Friday 13 December

Enjoying this event? You can help us produce more like it.

Donate

Share

Watch more

Ming Chen, Wah Chen & Carmen Vela: One Day We Had to Run Ming Chen, Wah Chen & Carmen Vela: One Day We Had to Run In their book Escape, authors Ming Chen and Wah Chen have drawn out powerful true stories of escape from around the world and throughout history. For this event, the authors bring to life two of these stories. The first is the incredible story of Syrian… Two Beano Editors Make Mega Mischief Two Beano Editors Make Mega Mischief Come and join the mischief in this interactive session with two Beano comic Editors, Craig Graham and Mike Stirling. Together they’re in charge of making sure that everything in Beano is as funny and naughty as it can possibly be! Mike and Craig will… Time Travelling with Patience Agbabi & Ben Miller Time Travelling with Patience Agbabi & Ben Miller Ever wondered what it might be like to be a time traveller? Leap into a black hole or jump through time in this event with authors Patience Agbabi and Ben Miller, as they unleash their out-of-this-world new books. In The Infinite, the first part of… Charms and Curses with Elle McNicoll  Charms and Curses with Elle McNicoll  In Like a Curse, the fantastic sequel, to Like a Charm, festival favourite Elle McNicoll takes us to her hometown of Edinburgh, but not as we know it. This thrilling and heart-warming conclusion to her enthralling fantasy duology sees our witch heroine… John Agard & Piet Grobler: A Poem for Our Planet John Agard & Piet Grobler: A Poem for Our Planet Join poet John Agard for a trip into the colourful jungle, with a reading from his glorious new picture book, where you get to meet a playful Coyote and leave with a powerful message about saving our planet. This book is packed with beautiful language… The Bolds Go Green with Julian Clary & David Roberts The Bolds Go Green with Julian Clary & David Roberts Give a hoot and don’t pollute! The Bolds have decided to do their bit for the planet and go green. They’re reducing, reusing and recycling as much as they can. But not all their ideas are welcome – especially when it comes to ‘watering’ the neighbours’… Garth Nix (2010 children's event) Garth Nix (2010 children's event) The engaging Australian fantasy writer Garth Nix  talks about his gripping The Keys to the Kingdom series… Fighting Food Poverty… and Bank Robbers! With Onjali Q Raúf Fighting Food Poverty… and Bank Robbers! With Onjali Q Raúf Join award-winning author Onjali Q Raúf to discover her new book The Great (Food) Bank Heist. Told with humour and heart, the book explores hunger, food poverty and food banks, while celebrating kindness and friendship. Onjali shares the real-life stories… Eilidh Muldoon: Sandy Toes and Inky Fingers Eilidh Muldoon: Sandy Toes and Inky Fingers From beautiful sandy beaches and flower-laden machair to dramatic cliffs and sea stacks (with just a few puffins thrown in!) The Scottish Coastal Colouring Book is the perfect way to celebrate the beauty of Scotland’s coastline in this year of staycations… Discover a World of Wildlife with Neal Layton Discover a World of Wildlife with Neal Layton All over the world, animals and plants are disappearing, and it’s a big problem. But you can help to make things better! Author, illustrator and environmentalist Neal Layton shows you how every plant and animal on Earth is part of an amazing web of life…