12:00 Fishy Tails with Liz Kessler RBS Corner Theatre, £4.50 Age 9 - 12 Emily Windsnap lives on a boat, but her mum doesn't want her to go swimming. She soon learns why: as soon as she gets into water, she grows a tail! Join Liz Kessler as she divulges all about her Emily Windsnap stories - magical adventures, centred around mermaids, friendship and family. 13:30 The Sleeping Army with Francesca Simon RBS Main Theatre, £4.50 Age 9 - 12 Join Horrid Henry creator Francesca Simon to hear about her new book for older readers, The Sleeping Army, a fast-paced adventure set in an alternative world where people still worship the Norse Gods. Francesca introduces her young heroine Freya, who embarks on a terrific journey through the Norse myths. There are encounters with wolves, giantesses and ghosts, the Lewis Chessmen and a chilling visit to Hel, the Norse underworld.13:30 Paul Dowswell RBS Imagination Lab, £4.50 Age 11 - 16 Award-winning author Paul Dowswell writes about the lives of ordinary people facing political extremism. His compelling historical fiction novels, Ausländer and Sektion 20 examine life for teenagers, in both Nazi and then communist Berlin. Who can you trust? What are you expected to say? What kind of music are you allowed to listen to? How would you behave? 14:00 Jonathan Meres RBS Corner Theatre, £4.50 Age 8 - 13 Former stand-up comedian, Jonathan Meres is back and this time beware because he may cause irritation and he may produce gas! Yes, he'll tell you about the next two books in what is proving to be a laugh-out-loud series about hapless Norm, who struggles to understand just why EVERYTHING is always so unfair. So far he's been forced to move house and then his awful cousins arrive to stay. Come and find out what's in store in books three and four. 14:30 Celebrating 75 Years of the Hobbit Peppers Theatre, £4.50 Families & 8+ Join Lynn Whitaker, Chair of the Tolkien Society, as she embarks on a journey to The Shire. Come along as she takes you through all things Hobbit, blending the literary with movie speculation, trivia and quizzes, as well as anecdotal and biographical elements from Tolkien's life. This will be a fascinating event for Tolkien fans both young and old.15:00 Caroline Lawrence RBS Imagination Lab, £4.50 Age 8 - 11 At the end of book seventeen of The Roman Mysteries, Caroline Lawrence introduced us to Threptus, a young beggar boy. In her fun new mystery series, Threptus starts work with his mentor, the soothsayer Floridius, and together they must solve their first case. Come and meet the author and hear more about her brave and funny new hero and his adventures in ancient Rome.15:30 Carol Ann Duffy ScottishPower Studio Theatre, £4.50 Families & 7+ Carol Ann Duffy has been acclaimed as the first Poet Laureate for the whole family with her brilliant poems for children as well as adults. Join her with musician John Sampson for an hour of beautiful words, accompanied by masterfully performed melodies from an array of exotic wind instruments such as a crumhorn and hilusi. 15:30 Anthony McGowan RBS Corner Theatre, £4.50 Age 10 - 14 Willard Price's Adventure series has transported legions of youngsters to the wildest places on earth to encounter cannibals and crocodiles, trapping snakes and riding on the backs of whales. Now, children's author Anthony McGowan has been commissioned by the Willard Price estate to write four new books, starring the children of the original characters. Hear how great new stories can be created from popular classics to capture the hearts of a new generation of readers. 16:30 CRYPT with Andrew Hammond RBS Imagination Lab, £4.50 Age 11 - 14 Andrew Hammond made his first foray into fiction last year with The Gallows Curse, the smart, fast-paced first book in his new teen horror series CRYPT, which we launched at last year's Book Festival. Join him for a roller-coaster ride through the grim and gruesome history of the world's most famous cities with Traitor's Revenge, the much-anticipated second in the series. Ghosts and ghouls guaranteed! 17:00 Kathryn Erskine & Sally Nicholls RBS Corner Theatre, £4.50 Age 14 - 16 How do you get inside the mind of a girl with Asperger's or a 12th century teenager struggling to cope as plague sweeps the country? Kathryn Erskine's striking debut novel, Mockingbird, is the story of a girl dealing with the violent death of her brother; Sally Nicholls follows up her contemporary novels, Ways to Live Forever and Season of Secrets with the historical, All Fall Down. Join them as they talk character, voice and authenticity. 18:30 Lian Hearn RBS Imagination Lab, £4.50 Age 14 - 16 Australian author Lian Hearn joins us to discuss her brilliant fantasy series Tales of the Otori. Beginning with Across the Nightingale Floor, the books transport the reader to a world very much like feudal, samurai Japan but with elements of magic and mystery. With beautifully drawn characters and incredibly evocative descriptions of the land, the stories are full of battles, betrayals, adventure and love. 20:00- Night Owl 20:45 RBS Imagination Lab, Free: Book in Advance Age 0 - 3 Are you the parents of a small person who is a night owl and becomes more active as an evening wears on? If so, this new event is for you. Join us for some gentle stories and rhymes from our storyteller and let your little one be taken on a journey to the land of nod.Michelle Paver, 10:30Anthony McGowan, 15:30See page 83 for booking detailsBook now: www.edbookfest.co.uk 0845 373 588877full failure.

10:00 Horrid Henry with Francesca Simon RBS Main Theatre, £4.50 Age 6 - 9 Don't miss Festival favourite Francesca Simon with her twenty-first Horrid Henry book, Horrid Henry's Monster Movie. Her books have sold in their millions, capturing the imaginations of young readers with stories of family, friends and school, all told with wit, insight and a splash of yuckiness. In the brand new stories Henry makes a scary movie and organises his own version of the Olympics with medals for crisp-eating, TV watching and burping! 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: Anthony McGowan. 10:00 The Raven Mysteries with Marcus Sedgwick RBS Imagination Lab, £4.50 Age 8 - 12 Welcome to the goth-froth world of The Raven Mysteries, with Edgar the Raven and the hapless, hopeless, but ultimately harmless Otherhand family - a cross between the Addams family and the Munsters (you may need to Google the reference if you're under forty!). Marcus Sedgwick brings us Diamonds and Doom, the latest in the series, and some dramatic fun as you meet this unusual, slightly spooky but always very funny family. 10:30 Mark Walden ScottishPower Studio Theatre, £4.50 Age 9 - 14 Sam wakes to see strange vessels gathered in the skies around London. As he stares up, people stream past, walking silently towards the enormous ships which emit a persistent noise. Only Sam seems immune to the signal. Six months later, Sam is absolutely alone. Mark Walden, author of the bestselling H.I.V.E. series reveals Earthsea, the first in his fantastic new sci-fi series. Come along for alien invasions, comic books, villains and heroes. 10:30 Brita Granström & Mick Manning RBS Corner Theatre, £4.50 Age 7 - 10 To celebrate the bicentenary of Dickens' birth, author-illustrator team Mick Manning and Brita Granström present the extraordinary life and genius of Charles Dickens, vividly depicted in their beautiful and entertaining new book. Come and hear about this touching portrait of a writer with amazing observational skills, a social conscience and strong sense of drama.11:30 Aleksandra Mizielinska & Daniel Mizielinski RBS Imagination Lab, £4.50 Age 8 - 12 Aleksandra and Daniel Mizielinski's beautiful book House, is an exploration of many different homes across the world: homes in trees, underground, on steps, in the middle of nowhere and in cities. Come and find out where and how people live, the imaginative way architects can use space and then, together, build your own inventive and inspiring building. Perfect for all future designers and architects! 12:00 Ros Asquith RBS Corner Theatre, £4.50 Age 8 - 12 It's time for a new adventure for alien schoolboy Flowkwee and this time he is set to face the terrifying Wiffly Bifflies - they may be pink and fluffy but don't let that fool you. Letters from an Alien Schoolboy was shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize for its quirky illustrations and hilarious absurdities so come and join writer Ros Asquith for the next perfectly ridiculous instalment!Sun 26 AugustMarcus Sedgwick, 10:00 & 14:30Brita Granström & Mick Manning, 10:30So you see the awful truth - Earthlings have only one head. No wonder they're so stupid. Ros Asquith, Letters from an Alien Schoolboy, 12:0078