The Beowulf Beastslayer Teacher's Pack

Now available for anyone who teaches Beowulf to students in Key Stage 2 or Key Stage 3, is the Beowulf Beastslayer Teacher's Pack, or indeed for any teacher who wants a fun topic of work for a week or two, perhaps even as a focus for their school Book Week.

The pack contains ten activities that range from comprehension and long-form writing exercises, to code-breaking and game design, as well as suggestions for more

The Beowulf Beastslayer Teacher's Pack can be downloaded from tes.com.

Why gamebooks are great for those with dyslexia

Last week was National Children's Book Week (in case you didn't know) and this week is Dyslexia Awareness Week. In honour of both, I want to tell you why gamebooks are great for children with dyslexia.

1) They have short paragraphs, printed in a large clear font.

2) They have engaging storylines that a children can lose themselves in.

3) Because of their very structure, the reader jumps backwards and forwards through the book so they are not put off by the feeling that there are still hundreds of pages left to read.

4) They are very often illustrated and in a mature style, with gruesome images of monsters and magical creatures.

So if you have a reluctant reader at home or your child struggles with dyslexia, why not try introducing them to the wonders of adventure gamebooks?

It's World Book Day!

And the Guardian's Children's Books website has gone live!

Children's Book Week and The Way of the Warrior

In case you didn't already know, this week is Children's Book Week. And so it is with rather opportune timing that my latest book has also been launched this week.

"Launched?" I hear you say. Yes, launched.

The Way of the Warrior is one of those books that you can personalise for the child of your choice. Such books have been around for a while now, but what makes this one different is that it's the first Star Wars book of its kind. And I wrote it (he says proudly).

To find out more, and to order one for that special small person in your life (and it's suitable for girls or boys as well as budding Jedi or Sith), follow this link to the Penwizard website.

Children's Book Week runs from 4-10 October and you can find out more about it at the Booktrust website.