To set the tone for a riotous April Fool’s Day, join Francesca Simon as she talks about her latest books starring deadly enemies Horrid Henry and Moody Margaret – this time as they lock horns to find out just who is the champion joker. Share the side-splitting jokes, dastardly dares and enjoy the ultimate hilariously horrid showdown. But whose side are you on?

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Written for the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII’s accession, the first volume of David Starkey’s two-part life of the king has been eagerly awaited for more than a decade. “There are two Henrys, the one old, the other young,” he explains. Writing with a mixture of tabloid verve and original scholarship, peppering every page with pungent wit and yet never skimping in the detail, David Starkey takes the controversial view that Henry’s descent into tyranny began with Wolsey’s rise to fame.

Sponsored by Blackwell

The Savage is a uniquely presented story - part novel and part graphic novel, written by master storyteller David Almond and strikingly illustrated by visionary artist Dave McKean. Imagine you wrote a story and that story came true. This is exactly what happens to Blue Baker when he writes about a savage living alone in the woods near his home - boundaries become blurred and Blue begins to wonder where he ends and the savage begins. Come and find out how writing a graphic novel differs from writing a traditional book and the power of melding story and pictures with two masters of the art. Chaired by Nicolette Jones..

Sponsored by Critchleys