Connect students with authors, spark imaginations, and build excitement around books and reading ahead of the long summer break with our roundup of free online author events for these last few weeks of the academic year.

Events for Pupils

EYFS and Key Stage 1

• Scholastic Book Club Live: Explore the changing seasons with author Alice Hemming and illustrator Nicola Slater in this event inspired by The Leaf Thief series. Pupils will enjoy storytelling, discover fun facts about nature and take part in a draw-along activity with Nicola.
  • 22 June 2026 | Suitable for pupils aged 3+
• Scholastic Book Club Live: Celebrate confidence, kindness and perseverance with author Caryl Hart and illustrator Ali Pye in this event to celebrate their new picture book I Am a Super Girl. Through storytelling and illustration, pupils will explore the many different ways girls can make a positive difference in the world.
  • 23 June 2026 | Suitable for pupils aged 3+
• Scholastic Book Club Live:Create your own deep-sea cartoon character with Aoife Dooley as she introduces her new zany, action-packed graphic novel Squid Squad: Shrimply the Best. Meet best friends Ollie the vampire squid and Zing the toxin-squirting sea bunny along with a host of other deep-sea characters in a celebration of imagination, friendship and being completely unique.
  • 23 June 2026 | Suitable for pupils aged 5+
• The Reading Agency: Author Sian Radford leads a lively, interactive story time that explores different ways of interacting with the world based on her picture book My Littler Drummer to celebrate this year’s Summer Reading Challenge Read to the Beat.
  • 25 June 2026 | Suitable for pupils aged 3–6
• Puffin Virtual Visits: Join children’s TV presenter and author Andy Day as he introduces his new Dino Racers series. Pupils will discover fascinating dinosaur facts, hear about Andy’s inspiration for the books and take part in a draw-along activity with illustrator Alex Patrick.
  • 26 June 2026 | Suitable for pupils aged 5+
• British Library: Kick-start the Summer Reading Challenge with a high-energy event celebrating this year’s theme of Read to the Beat. Enjoy readings, performances, and lively sing-alongs from a range of guests, including award-winning performance poet, playwright and children’s author Joseph Coelho.
  • 10 July 2026 | Suitable for pupils aged 5–7

Key Stage 2

• Scholastic Book Club Live: Step into the world of Renegades: The Magic Awakens, a new fantasy adventure from the authors of the best-selling Warriors series. Hear from Michael Ford, one of the team behind the Erin Hunter name, meet the story’s cast of characters and pick up inspirational writing tips to help pupils create their own fantasy characters and stories.
  • 22 June 2026 | Suitable for pupils aged 8+
• Scholastic Book Club Live: Meet author-illustrator Jamie Gregory in this interactive event exploring his highly illustrated comedy adventure Bone Head: Guardian of the Underworld. Perfect for fans of Loki and Bunny vs Monkey, pupils will discover the inspiration behind the story, enjoy live drawing and create their own underworld characters.
  • 23 June 2026 | Suitable for pupils aged 7+
• Mr Dilly Meets: Get your students fired up for reading ahead of the summer holidays with authors Josh Lacey, Louise Austin, Clemency Brown, Lucy Strange, Andy Shepherd and Maddie Frost in a lively, interactive event that celebrates a range of popular genres.
  • 23 June 2026 | Suitable for pupils aged 7-13
• BookTrust Represents: Join Eric Huang to hear him talk about his writing journey and introduce his book Ming and Miaow’s Great Race, the first in his funny, action-packed Guardians of the New Moon series.
  • 24 June 2026 | Suitable for pupils aged 7-9
• Scholastic Book Club Live: Bestselling author Helen Rutter introduces her latest novel The Game Changers, an interactive mystery adventure with multiple pathways where the reader chooses what happens to Tig and his fellow team members at Game Camp.
  • 24 June 2026 | Suitable for pupils aged 8+
• Scholastic Book Club Live: Nina Peanut is back with a Major Drama Alert. Join author and illustrator Sara Bowie as she shares some of her top comic-making tips to celebrate the fourth book in the bestselling Nina Peanut series.
  • 24 June 2026 | Suitable for pupils aged 7+
• Scholastic Book Club Live: Join illustrator and animator James Lancett for a drawing workshop inspired by his new, highly-illustrated series Galaxy Runners. Meet Kas and Fig, owners of The Nova, and their fellow crew members as they embark on an action-packed space adventure to deliver a mysterious cannister across the galaxy.
  • 25 June 2026 | Suitable for pupils aged 7+
• Scholastic Book Club Live: Learn about the world of Zero Override with author Steve Blackman. Pupils will hear about his journey from technology to storytelling, explore the ideas behind his science-fiction adventure and discover how robots and artificial intelligence inspired the book.
  • 25 June 2026 | Suitable for pupils aged 9+
• Waterstones Virtual School Visit: Discover Holomonsters with author Lee Newbery in this interactive event exploring the ideas behind his brand-new series. Pupils will hear about the influence of video games and technology on the story, take part in a live Holomonsters card battle, create their own creature and have the opportunity to ask Lee questions about his work.
  • 25 June 2026 | Suitable for pupils aged 8-12
• Read for Good®: Celebrate the National Year of Reading with top authors and illustrators Hannah Gold, A.F. Harrold, RAMZEE, Athena Kugblenu and Sarah McIntyre at the Read for Good® Summer Party.
  • 25 June 2026 | Suitable for pupils aged 6-11
• Scholastic Book Club Live: Join Tom Vaughan for this interactive event, inspired by his new book Hercules vs the Minotaur. Pupils can discover Tom’s top tips on how to write funny diary entries, test their knowledge of Greek myths and have their own questions answered.
  • 26 June 2026 | Suitable for pupils aged 8+
• Scholastic Book Club Live: Meet the inhabitants of Weird Street as best-selling brother-sister duo Stephen and Anita Mangan introduce their collection of short stories Welcome to Weird Street in a lively, interactive session that includes storytelling, games and a live draw-along.
  • 26 June 2026 | Suitable for pupils aged 9+
• Scholastic Book Club Live: Solve a mystery with bestselling author Emily Hourican in this event inspired by her latest book Murder at the Ivy Hotel. Pupils will meet the book’s cast of characters, learn about the ingredients of a mystery story and put their detective skills to the test with puzzles and clues from the Ivy Hotel.
  • 26 June 2026 | Suitable for pupils aged 9+
• Scholastic Book Club Live: Join Dan Freedman, creator of the Jamie Johnson book series that inspired the hit CBBC TV series, for some fun footballing stories and tips around teamwork and resilience in this online event to celebrate the World Cup.
  • 29 June 2026 | Suitable for pupils aged 9+
• Reading Agency: Discover the magic of stories and nature in this interactive event with best-selling author Andy Shepherd to celebrate the publication of The Wood Where Stories Sing, the second title in her new magical adventure series. Packed with fascinating facts about trees and lots of creative inspiration, pupils will have the chance to start growing their very own story alongside Andy.
  • 2 July 2026 | Suitable for pupils aged 7+
• Calibre Audio: Explore how stories can challenge stereotypes, build empathy and encourage kinder and more inclusive thinking with best-selling author A.M. Dassu. In this interactive workshop, pupils will learn what inspired A.M. Dassu’s award-winning novels before using real newspaper stories as the inspiration for their own storywriting.
  • 6 July 2026 | Suitable for pupils aged 9-14
• Waterstones Virtual School Visit: Join author Abena Eyeson to learn how she creates her characters and get some top writing tips as she introduces her novel Running My Own Race, winner of this year’s Children’s Sports Book of the Year.
  • 8 July 2026 | Suitable for pupils aged 7–11
• The Reading Agency: Author and illustrator Adam Stower introduces the loveable duo from his Murray and Bun series with insights into his illustration process and top tips for budding illustrators in this interactive workshop and draw-along.
  • 9 July 2026 | Suitable for pupils aged 7+
• Edinburgh International Book Festival Schools Programme: Experience the excitement of the Edinburgh Book Festival with a series of live-streamed and on demand events with top authors and illustrators, including Abi Elphinstone, M. G. Leonard, Katherine Rundell, and Jacqueline Wilson. Registration for live-streamed events is required and opens on 25 June.
  • 24–28 August 2026 | Suitable for pupils aged 8-12

Key Stages 3 and 4

• Mr Dilly Meets: Get your students fired up for reading ahead of the summer holidays with authors Josh Lacey, Louise Austin, Clemency Brown, Lucy Strange, Andy Shepherd and Maddie Frost in a lively, interactive event that celebrates a range of popular genres.
  • 23 June 2026 | Suitable for pupils aged 7-13
• Scholastic Book Club Live: Learn about the world of Zero Override with author Steve Blackman. Pupils will hear about his journey from technology to storytelling, explore the ideas behind his science-fiction adventure and discover how robots and artificial intelligence inspired the book.
  • 25 June 2026 | Suitable for pupils aged 9+
• Waterstones online school visits: Discover Holomonsters with author Lee Newbery in this interactive event exploring the ideas behind his brand-new series. Pupils will hear about the influence of video games and technology on the story, take part in a live Holomonsters card battle, create their own creature and have the opportunity to ask Lee questions about his work.
  •  25 June 2026 | Suitable for pupils aged 8-12
• Calibre Audio: Explore how stories can challenge stereotypes, build empathy and encourage kinder and more inclusive thinking with best-selling author A.M. Dassu. In this interactive workshop, pupils will learn what inspired A.M. Dassu’s award-winning novels before using real newspaper stories as the inspiration for their own storywriting.
  • 6 July 2026 | Suitable for pupils aged 9-14
• Edinburgh International Book Festival Schools Programme: Hear from the authors shortlisted for the YA Book Prize 2026 in a series of three live-streamed events leading up to the announcement of this year’s winner. All three events will also be available on demand and booking opens on 25 June.
  • • 26–27 August 2026 | Suitable for pupils aged 14-18

If you are interested in hosting an in-person author event in the new academic year, don’t forget that Authors Aloud, Authors Abroad and Speaking of Books are all organisations dedicated to helping schools spark a love of reading by bringing young people and authors together.