Forge CPD Cloud

Cath Howe is a children's author and teacher in South West London. Cath runs workshops in schools on everything to do with writing and performing. My Life on Fire is her fifth novel following the highly acclaimed Ella on the Outside, How to be Me, Not My Fault and The Insiders.

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Gareth P Jones has written lots of brilliant books and series - quirky picture books, Pet Defenders, Dragon Detective, Solve Your Own Mystery - but the focus of this visit is The Thornthwaite Inheritance. Introduced to me by Debbie Billard, this is one fantastic book.

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Smriti Halls has written many books and perhaps her Sticking With You books are most well-known. One of my personal favourites is the beautiful Rain Before Rainbows -you can see The Duke from Bridgerton reading this on her website!

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Sufiya Ahmed was born in India and arrived in the UK as a baby. She lived in Bolton, Lancashire, before moving to London where she still lives. Sufiya has worked in advertising and in the House of Commons, but is now a full-time author.

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The legendary Tom Palmer is a Yorkshire man who written at least 57 books and we are beyond excited to be welcoming him for a Rotherham Loves Reading virtual visit via Zoom on 6th July 11-12.

If you haven't read one of Tom's books, where have you been?  you are in for a treat!

SF Said is an award-winning author.  He was born in Lebanon in 1967 but has lived in London since he was 2 years old.  He has published three novels for children Varjak Paw, its sequel, The Outlaw Varjak Paw and Phoenix.  In 2021, Varjak Paw was included in Book Trust's list of the 100 Best Children's Books from The Last 100 Years.

Ross was first published while working as a primary school teacher! His debut 'ALEX, THE DOG & THE UNOPENABLE DOOR'  (2013) was nominated for the Costa Children’s Book of the Year and the Branford Boase Award, and selected as one of The Sunday Times “Top 100 Modern Children’s Classics”.

Suzy Senior lives and works at the top of a huge hill in Yorkshire. She lives with her family, two guinea pigs, a hamster, some fish, a grumpy kestrel, twelve whippets and a family of cheeky ferrets.

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When not masquerading as a superhero, Neal Zetter is a London-based comedy performance poet, author, entertainer and educator with a huge following in schools. 

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From a very early age, Emma dreamed of being an author. She was a secondary school English teacher for many years before becoming a full time writer, though still has strong links within education and the teaching community.

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To read a Jess Butterworth book is to be carried away to another place. First she took me Running on the Roof of the Word in the Himalayas where I encountered Yak tea and the Dalai Lama. Then I went to Yellowstone Park- after a shooting - in Into the Volcano.  And most lately, I went to Gibbon Island. 

James Carter is one of those talented poets who can turn his hand to many poetic forms. Perhaps his most familiar work is a beautiful picture book called Once Upon A Raindrop. An anthology called Time-Travelling Underpants is a favourite of mine as it includes poems related to the wider curriculum

Beth Waler has written several  very funny books; the books that will be the focus for this virtual visit is the hilarious Olly Brown, God of Hamsters. For any kid who ever wanted a hamster: careful what you wish for!

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When I was eight years old I wrote my first book. It seemed like a good idea at the time to trade it in for two stickers and a couple of marbles.

 I landed my first book deal when I won the Greenhouse Funny Prize for my children’s story Dave Pigeon.

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Rotherham Loves Reading is proud to bringing Laura Mucha to join us in virtual visits via Zoom on 5th May 2023.

Laure Mucha has written lots of books and stories, a firm favourite is Dear Ugly Sisters and Other Poems

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Ian's latest release, Glitter Boy, is an absolute triumph that pulls no punches in its depiction of homophobic bullying but also in its depiction of friendship and of empowerment and of being the bigger person.

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Richard O'Neill is a master storyteller brought up in the nomadic storytelling tradition.  He was born into a large family in a small mining community in the North East of England in 1962.  His family travelled with the seasons all over the country. 

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Jennifer has always loved stories.  Growing up, she kept so many books hidden in her bed for reading after lights out that there was barely room for her!  She also loved writing stories – her first being a tale about a baby bird called Snowy, who hurt her leg and had to hop her way to safety.  

Bali Rai was born in 1971 and raised as a working class Punjabi in Leicester. He grew up in a deprived area of Leicester, a city which is almost unique in terms of cultural mix and his style of writing is firmly grounded in the reality that he has seen around him since he was a child.

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Andy Seed is the author of the international bestseller THE CLUE IS IN THE POO for kids and The SILLY BOOK series published by Bloomsbury which won the Blue Peter Book Award in 2015. His titles for adults include the hugely popular ALL TEACHERS GREAT AND SMALL series.

Bethan Woollvin won the Macmillan Prize for Illustration in 2014 for Little Red – her classy, bold interpretation of Little Red Riding Hood. It was a startlingly confident debut which she followed with an equally striking and feminist take on Rapunzel, with not a handsome prince in sight. 

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