Kate: Andy Stanton and the Big Smelly Picnic

Kate from the children’s team joined an army of school children from Fife to meet the wonderful and talented Andy Stanton last month. Kate drops by the blog this week to tell you all about the event and all the laughter that was had during the hour.

Last month I was lucky enough to join the hordes of kids who had turned up for a day in Dunfermline to spend a Big Smelly Picnic with the award-winning children’s author Andy Stanton. Andy was there to talk about his new book and to launch the Space Hop national children's summer reading challenge. Andy is the creator of the Mr Gum series, but I think he could be easily described as a stand-up comedian; he’s also a pretty good singer and a dab hand on the old mouth organ! 

The hour quickly flew by as Andy had us all in stitches with laughter, it’s really no great surprise Andy is the winner of the Roald Dahl Funny Prize. For one whole hour the room was filled with kids and adults wiping tears from their eyes as Andy rolled out his jokes.

Andy started the event with reading a number of short stories from his English jotters when he was only seven. The majority were as you would expect; short and very straight to the point. They also shared another thing in common, the ending ‘And then I went home’.  Thankfully, Andy’s stories have progressed a little and his endings are much better and because of this he has successfully managed to make a living out of what he does best.

Andy states there is no secret to writing good books. All you need to have is one good idea, you don’t need to know where your story is going, or how it will end but if you can get just one good idea then the rest will follow. Why don’t you give it a go?

And then came the questions. Everyone had something they wanted to know about Andy; ‘Why did you get kicked out of university?’, ‘What’s your favourite book?’, ‘When’s your next book due out?’  

Well, I am happy to tell you the eighth book in the Mr Gum series will be out in November. If you haven’t read any of the other seven books in the series then you have plenty of time to work your way through them, start with You’re a Bad Man, Mr Gum! I can promise you that you won’t be disappointed! After the event I got my book signed by Andy, along with a little picture (is there no end to Andy’s talents?). And in the words of Andy, ‘And then I went home’.

If you’re waiting for Andy’s new book and stuck for a little summer reading then why don’t you take part in the national children’s summer reading challenge that is running throughout the summer. The reading challenge is open to children between the ages of four and twelve and you can find out more about this from your local library.

Happy reading!

You can find out ore about Andy Stanton and the Mr Gum series by visiting his website.

Other News:

Join Eoin Colfer in the launch of the much anticipated 7th book in the best-selling Artemis Fowl series, Artemis Fowl and the Atlantis Complex. A hilarious, interactive event in Newcastle on the 21st of July. The event will be followed by a public book signing. To find out more information and to book tickets click here.

With 725,000 children aged 4-11 taking part, the Summer Reading Challenge is the biggest national reading initiative. It runs in libraries throughout the summer holidays, with incentives, activities and events designed to create a real buzz around children's reading. The challenge is simple - to read six or more library books over the summer. You can get more information by clicking here or registering at your local library.

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