Sun 19 August10:00 THE BAILLIE GIFFORD EVENT Mackenzie Crook RBS Main Theatre, £4.50 Age 9 - 12 Actor and comedian Mackenzie Crook is best known for his roles as Gareth in The Office or Ragetti in Pirates of the Caribbean. But he started out wanting to be a cartoonist and graphic artist and he's used this skill superbly in his first book for children, The Windvale Sprites. Meet Mackenzie for talk about his tale of Asa, who discovers a tiny, winged creature at the bottom of the garden and watch as he draws some of the characters and scenes from this atmospheric, fantastical adventure. 10:00- Are You Sitting Comfortably? 10:30 RBS Story Box, Free: Book in Advance All Ages Join us for a quick, magical dip into the world of words with our free morning events for children of all ages. It might be a story, a poem, songs and rhymes or a reading with one of our Festival authors. Appearing today: Alyxandra Harvey. 10:00 Alex T Smith RBS Imagination Lab, £4.50 Age 4 - 7 When Alex T Smith was a little boy he wanted to be a chef, a rabbit or a children's book illustrator. Guess which path he chose? Let Alex introduce you to Ella, the ladybird Cinderella from his brand new picture book. He shows you how to draw your very own Ella then you'll be let loose to decorate her in whatever style you choose! Perhaps you can create her some sparkly spectacles? 10:30 Michael Grant ScottishPower Studio Theatre, £4.50 Age 12 - 15 Michael Grant is the author of the Gone series, the sci-fi thrillers where every adult disappears leaving only children behind. Some want anarchy and others want control but no one knew what would follow: man-eating worms, starvation and plague. These are brutal stories, dark and yet utterly compelling. Michael has said that all he wants is to 'scare the reader, surprise the reader and make that reader fall in love.' He has most definitely succeeded, these are books that once read are never forgotten. Come and meet their creator. 10:30 Holly Webb RBS Corner Theatre, £4.50 Age 7 - 10 The author of Lost in the Snow, the My Naughty Little Puppy series, Rose, Lily and many more comes to Edinburgh with all your favourite characters. Discover where Holly Webb gets the amazing ideas for her gentle, magical stories, which are so hugely successful. A great opportunity to meet Holly, hear about her latest books and see lots of super-cute pictures! 11:30 Alison Edgson RBS Imagination Lab, £4.50 Age 4 - 7 Alison Edgson illustrates picture books such as When Will it Snow?, Silly Goose and Just One More! for a range of different writers. Her palette of muted colours and soft edges makes her books perfect for enjoying with the smallest of readers. Join Alison to hear her read and show pictures from her latest books and take part in a fun, crafty activity. 12:00 Steve Cole ScottishPower Studio Theatre, £4.50 Age 8 - 12 Steve Cole is the ever-scribbling, slightly crazy author of the Astrosaurs and Cows in Action books, not to mention the new Z-REX, Slime Squad and Tripwire series. With all this writing, we think it's brilliant that he's able to take the time to join us here at the Book Festival to tell you all about his two new books, Astrosaurs: Earth Attack! and Cows in Action: The Viking Emoo-gency. Iris dived. She dropped down, wings folded, talons outstretched. The mirrored flat surface rushed to meet her. A flash of silver shot deep, but she struck and her good foot grasped fish.Gill Lewis, Sky Hawk, 12:00What lurks in the sewers? 'Sid's stinky socks! Sid's stinky socks!' cackles the parrot.Nikalas Catlow & Tim Wesson,Mega Mash-Up: Pirates v Ancient Egyptians, 15:00Jenny Colgan, 20:00Mackenzie Crook, 10:00Alex T Smith, 10:0072

12:00 Gill Lewis RBS Corner Theatre, £4.50 Age 9 - 12 Gill Lewis explores the relationships we have with our pets and wildlife and describes her experiences as a vet which inspired her first novel, the bestselling Sky Hawk. Find out about the conservation issues close to her heart and hear about how she came to write her latest novel White Dolphin, an uplifting story of friendship, hope and fighting for what you believe. 13:00 Guardian Children's Fiction Prize Event RBS Main Theatre, £4.50 Families & 9+ This fiction prize has now been running for 45 years and has recognised many leading children's authors including Leon Garfield, Nina Bawden, Anita Desai and Ted Hughes. The longlist is announced each June, the shortlist in September and the winner in October. So come along to meet and hear from a selection of those in the running for this year's award and think about who you would like to be the ultimate winner.13:30 Sue Hendra RBS Imagination Lab, £4.50 Age 4 - 7 Sue Hendra is the creator of Barry the Fish with Fingers, a delightful, inspiring and very funny story with bold, bright illustrations. Come and meet Sue's latest character, Keith the Cat with the Magic Hat and join in with stories, drawings and Barry-related crafts.14:00 Steve Barlow & Steve Skidmore ScottishPower Studio Theatre, £4.50 Age 7 - 11 Often referred to as The Two Steves, Steve Barlow and Steve Skidmore are prolific writers who have been entertaining audiences worldwide with their crazy double act for over two decades. They are back with Action Dogs, the coolest canines around! Join the magnificent mutts as they battle to save helpless humans from the evil schemes of their fiendish arch-enemy Katmanchew! A real doggie treat that will keep your nose wet and your tail wagging. 14:00 Emma Thomson RBS Corner Theatre, £4.50 Age 7 - 10 Emma Thomson, the illustrator and writer behind the mega-popular Felicity Wishes series, introduces her new character Princess Pearl. Pearl is an ordinary girl but she has a very extraordinary secret. Hear more about Emma's new series which brings together all the essential ingredients to delight any little girl's imagination - princesses, friendship and a touch of magic! 15:00 Mega Mash-Ups with Nikalas Catlow & Tim Wesson RBS Imagination Lab, £4.50 Age 7 - 10 Do you like to read bonkers stories with gorillas and robots, dinosaurs and Romans, mad scientists and aliens? And have you ever been tempted to doodle on a book but know you would get into big trouble? Well, come and meet Nikalas Catlow and Tim Wesson, creators of the Mega Mash-Up books. They give you a great adventure story, wacky illustrations and plenty of space for you to add your own ideas too. Perfect. 15:30 Kate O'Hearn RBS Corner Theatre, £4.50 Age 10 - 14 Kate O'Hearn was raised in the heart of New York City and as a child had a vivid imagination, dreaming of flying on the back of a dragon or living beneath the sea. The dreams and ideas never faded, instead they grew until they spilled over into the books she loves to write. So, come all ye Lords and Ladies to meet Kate and her three handsome knights as she talks about her latest book, Pegasus and the New Olympians. 16:30 Agatha Parrot with Kjartan Poskitt RBS Imagination Lab, £4.50 Age 7 - 10 Join author Kjartan Poskitt to meet his latest character Agatha Parrott, a resourceful, intelligent and witty girl with an annoying brother, odd teachers and good friends. These very funny, irreverent stories of family and school life are brilliantly written and David Tazzyman's lively illustrations have the stories jumping off the page. 17:00 Helen Dunmore RBS Corner Theatre, £4.50 Age 10 - 15 When the worlds of Air and Mer meet, the consequences can be terrible. Orange prize-winning author Helen Dunmore explains all, as she talks about Stormswept the next book in her hugely popular Ingo series. Set on the Cornish coast, the books beautifully evoke the wildness, mystery and mythology of the area. 18:30 Alan Gibbons & Ally Kennen RBS Imagination Lab, £4.50 Age 14 - 16 A chance to meet two leading writers for young adults. Alan Gibbons' latest novel, An Act of Love, is a frank, highly-charged story about war and its impact on two friends. Ally Kennen introduces Bullet Boys, a gripping, thought-provoking story filled with twists, turns, guns and danger. Together, they share their research methods, what inspires them and how they develop their characters to create authentic, heartfelt novels. 20:00 Doctor Who: Dark Horizon with Jenny Colgan & Steve Cole RBS Imagination Lab, £4.50 Age 12+ The new BBC Doctor Who book Dark Horizons, written by bestselling author Jenny Colgan, has our hero arriving on the Western Isles to play on the famous Lewis chess set. But not everything goes to plan. Join Jenny and sci-fi author Steve Cole, who has worked for the BBC on the merchandising for Doctor Who as well as producing a range of Doctor Who audio dramas for Big Finish Productions. They talk aliens, time-travel and explore the enduring appeal of the Doctor.RBS Story Box Activities The RBS Story Box is our new children's activity space (it's no longer in the RBS Children's Bookshop). It's open every day - simply pop in to get involved in all sorts of hands-on activities. Guests will join us at different times throughout the Festival to provide some extra special fun including the National Museums of Scotland, Ladybird Books, Click Academy and Edinburgh City Libraries for their Summer Reading Challenge.Free & Drop-in 11:00 - 4:30pm DailySee page 83 for booking detailsBook now: www.edbookfest.co.uk 0845 373 588873