What's On

We will be bringing schools in Maidenhead a wide range of FREE activities, story telling, signed books, authors-meet up and so much more in March 2025.

Big Read Inspiration

Bringing bestselling authors and illustrators, as well as poets, storytellers, sporting heroes, prominent politicians, influential journalists and stars of the screen to share their stories and lives with local schoolchildren. 

Have a look at the work some of our participating school students produced at a recent poetry workshop held by Coral Rumble.

Big Read Enthusiasm

Find a comfortable chair and pull out a book. Read to yourself, to your family or friends, or with one of our volunteer readers.     

Our Sponsors
​Teachers may wish to download our updated MBR Ideas for Teachers guide. And if you have any ideas you would like to have included in the guide, please let us know. 
Very positive sessions which engaged the children, reached out to reluctant readers and were appropriate for the ages of the children.

MBR weekend theme for March 2025: WINGS
Join us on Saturday 8th March & Sunday 9th March, no advance booking required.

Find out more about our March 2025 weekend authors below.

Catherine Bruton

Catherine Bruton is a multi-award winning children's author  of critically acclaimed titles including 'No Ballet Shoes in Syria', 'Another Twist in the Tale' and her latest 'Birdboy' (shortlisted for the 2025 Nero Awards)  which explores themes of conservation, migration and healing through nature. As a teacher she   sees first hand the impact stories can have on young readers -opening their eyes, expanding their horizons, making them ask questions, see the world differently and switch on lightbulbs in their heads

Iszi Lawrence

Iszi Lawrence is a writer, comedian and BBC broadcaster. Her latest novel for 9-12 year olds, The Cursed Tomb (Jan 2025), is an historically accurate adventure up the Nile following the steps of the world's first Egyptologist in 1249 BCE. Her first novel, The Unstoppable Letty Pegg (Bloomsbury), was published in 2020 and Billie Swift Takes Flight (Bloomsbury) came out September 2021. Her third novel, Blackbeard’s Treasure, was Blackwell’s Children’s Book of the month (Jan 2023). City of Spies (Jan 2024) follows the real Culper Spy Ring in New York during the American Revolution. The next two instalments in her series of books for 6-9 year olds, The Time Machine Next Door, will be released in June 2025.

Iszi will present the history of the Air Transport Auxiliary during WWII, (White Waltham was the headquarters and ferry pool no.1), how it relates to her book Billie Swift Takes Flight and give an interactive talk about the planes and who crashed what, where and when. There will be lots of shouting, joining in and asking questions. Suitable for grown ups too. 

Philip Kavvadias

Philip is an author, playwright, poet, illustrator and screenwriter. In his day job he works on Sustainability, helping decarbonize world-wide supply chains. Philip has been working with children as a Cubs Leader for quite a few years. His mission is to get more kids reading, especially boys, whose reading stats are the lowest ever. His Microraptor series is the first step.
​

Nick Arnold

Nick Arnold is one of the world’s most successful science writers for young readers. He has
written more than 50 books and sold more than 25 million books in 40 languages. The books
have inspired TV series by ITV and BBC. Nick presents Horrible Science shows all over the
world and became the first children’s author to tour China. He was the founder and first
Director of the Appledore Book Festival and is the only British author to have saved a public
library from closure and organized its complete refurbishment.

Join Nick Arnold for flight-featured hair-raising highlights from the world's bestselling kid's
science series - HORRIBLE SCIENCE. With crazy challenges, foul facts, putrid poems and
queasy quizzes - this show is rib-tickling, roof-raising, rip-roaring flying family fun. The Sky's
the Limit and Science has never been so SQUISHY!

​Visit Nick's website to explore his journey, celebrate his achievements, and learn more about Nick Arnold's FLYING HORRIBLE SCIENCE SHOW at Maidenhead's Big Read.

Zak Simmonds-Hurn

Zak is a Bedfordshire-based comic artist who has worked for a variety of comics and publishers.
Currently he works for The Phoenix as the artist of 'Know Your Monsters', 'Legacy' and 'Dragon Guard'!

Rhian Lynette

Rhian Lynette is a local author and teacher. One of her greatest joys from teaching is enriching children’s lives with the gift of reading and her stories are intended to support a love of books in young children. She is the creative mind behind the heartwarming book "Goose & Bear." This charming tale of friendship has captured the hearts of children and adults alike, and it's now available for purchase at multiple locations, including Amazon. 

Charlotte Milner

Charlotte creates books for children that celebrate nature. She studied illustration at Kingston University where she discovered picture books as a tool to explain non-fiction topics to young readers and spark important conversations. Since then, she has been working for 10 years with DK publishing as a children's book designer while also writing and illustrating her own award-winning series about environmental conservation. She hopes to share her passion for the natural world through playful designs that little readers will enjoy.

Ruth Burgess

Ruth loves to dance, act and tell stories. She was a teacher of English, Dance and Drama before coming to London to work for the Unicorn Theatre for children.
Here she staged many children’s community productions all over Westminster. Ruth has travelled extensively taking groups of children to perform in World Theatre festivals where she has run workshops and told many stories. She continues to enjoy teaching through drama, story and dance. In the last 3 years, she has published her first two children’s books for 7 -11 year olds, “Jill’s Rocket Adventure” and the sequel, “Jasper’s Rescue”.

Ruth will read from the Bad Tempered Ladybird. 

Using creative props and models, the Bad Tempered
Ladybird sets out on a journey in a fiery temper, but on
encountering a variety of other insects and animals, learns that being angry and aggressive achieves very little! This engaging classic tales introduces the concepts of time and size. Come and meet the characters and help tell the story yourselves.

Alice Hemming

Alice Hemming is the author of over sixty books for children, including the bestselling Dark Unicorns series (Scholastic). Her award-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling picture book, The Leaf Thief with illustrator Nicola Slater (Scholastic 2020), has sold across the world and been translated into twenty-three languages.
​
Alice lives in Hertford, just north of London, with her husband and two children. She works in a writing shed at the top of her garden.

Once Upon a Bus

Once Upon a Bus celebrate the storytelling craft with entertaining, educational sessions on a beautiful customized double-decker bus.
Specially developed to allow young people to enjoy and explore the magic of storytelling in an interactive, immersive environment.
Designed to deliver an out-of-this-world experience, the storytelling bus transforms learning into an unforgettable adventure ...
“Through the deep dark forests, over soaring mountains, tranquil villages, bustling towns and endless oceans of the imagination!”
Once Upon a Bus operate regular storytelling sessions in the community  and specialize in providing  services to schools and PTAs, delivering exciting learning experiences in a flexible, mobile space that will delight minds of all ages, and unleash the creativity within all that step aboard .

The Joystick Club

The primary aim of the Club is to promote and encourage interest in aviation to the next generation.
White Waltham airfield is our base where we have talks and social evenings. We are an entirely voluntary organization, Mike Clews and his fellow volunteers build Pedal Planes and have converted real cockpits into flight simulators. Visits to schools, Scouts and aviation events are frequent. 8 teenagers are being sponsored to fly gliders at RAF Halton.
Funding is primarily through voluntary donations in exchange for time in the Pedal Planes or the 2 Cockpit Simulators at events. Significant donations have also been kindly donated by the Guild of Air Pilots and Navigators.
Come and enjoy making a chuck glider or try a pedal plane (weather permitting).