A NEW book festival aimed at inspiring local primary school children about the joy of reading and creative writing is being staged in Penzance this summer. 

The West Cornwall Primary Schools Book Festival will see 120 pupils aged 8 to 11 years drawn from nine local schools spend a day attending workshops at Penwith College on Thursday 13th July. 

The event will feature three successful children’s authors; Natasha Farrant, Ross Montgomery and Martin Brown who will host engaging workshops for those attending.  

Natasha Farrant is the author of the Costa Award-winning novel, Voyage of the Sparrowhawk, which was chosen as the Times and Sunday Times Children’s Book of the Year.

She has also written the bestselling middle-grade book, The Children of Castle Rock. Her most recent book, The Girl Who Talked to Trees, is made up of seven beautifully imagined stories that explain the importance of trees in our lives. 

Ross Montgomery has written many books whose most well-known middle-grade offering, The Midnight Guardians, was selected as the Waterstones Children’s Book of the Month, shortlisted for the Costa Children’s Book of the Year Award, and chosen as one of The Guardian’s Children’s Books of the Year. Ross’ subsequent book in the series, The Chime Seekers, has been nominated for the 2023 Yoto Carnegie Medal.

Falmouth Packet: Martin Brown who will be appearing at the West Cornwall Primary Schools Book Festival Martin Brown who will be appearing at the West Cornwall Primary Schools Book Festival (Image: North Cornwall Book Festival) 

Martin Brown is a celebrated cartoonist illustrator of the hugely successful Horrible Histories series. He has also written and illustrated the Lesser Spotted Animals series of books, and most recently the charming Nell and the Cave Bear. 

The festival is being staged by Endelienta Arts who organise the popular North Cornwall Book Festival at St Endellion, which also features workshops for local school children.   

Patrick Gale, Artistic Director, said: "The North Cornwall Book Festival has been running workshops for schools from its base at St Endellion for the last eleven years. 

"They provide an invaluable opportunity for children to meet authors and be inspired by them in both their writing and reading. 

We are delighted now to be able to offer the same opportunity to schools in West Cornwall with the generous support of the St Aubyn Foundation.” 

The 2023 West Cornwall Primary Schools Book Festival is already fully subscribed. However, funding for three years has been pledged by the St Aubyn Foundation, the charitable arm of St Aubyn Estates which manages St Michael’s Mount in partnership with the National Trust.

It is hoped this will ensure there will opportunity for more children to enjoy the event in the future.

This year’s festival is also supported by Seasalt Cornwall which will provide each child with a book voucher to exchange at mini bookshops at the event run by The Edge of the World Bookshop in Penzance to enable each child to go home with a free book at the end of the day.