Fantastic facts meet fascinating fiction in the Baillie Gifford Schools Programme

From 18 to 26 August over sixty events will keep the nation’s school children entertained, enthralled and informed.

Among the line-up are top names such as storytelling duo Sarah McIntyre and Philip Reeve with their culinary adventure tale Cakes in Space, and James Mayhew, our Illustrator in Residence and creator of Katie’s Picture Show, who’ll be celebrating Katie’s 25th anniversary and telling us about her latest adventure.

For older children there is an abundance of enticing topics to explore, from Viking tales to the First World War, while for senior pupils we welcome notable American author Maureen Johnson to talk about her uncompromising fiction for teens. Keith Gray will lead an insightful workshop on The Bridge by Iain Banks, and in this referendum year the Scottish Youth Parliament will explore what it means to have the right to vote.

*** New event not in the printed programme: Meet Malala ***

Malala Yousafzai, inspirational school girl and education campaigner, came to mainstream attention when, one morning in 2012 whilst on her way to school, she was shot by the Taliban for her outspoken views on education for all.

In this special event on Monday 25 August, Malala will be visiting the Book Festival to speak about her extraordinary life in an event for S2-S6 pupils.

Find out more about this event with Malala.

For teachers and educational professionals our Continuing Professional Development events offer the opportunity to learn something new. This year’s CPD programme includes an exploration of early literacy in community settings, coping with teenage stress, and Children’s Laureate Malorie Blackman examining human rights in fiction.

This year, thanks to Baillie Gifford, every pupil who attends an event in the Schools Programme will receive a £2 voucher to put towards the cost of a book in the bookshops in Charlotte Square Gardens.

Booking for the Baillie Gifford Schools Programme is now open. To see the full line-up of events and find out how to book, download the brochure, see our website, or request a printed copy by emailing mailinglist@edbookfest.co.uk.