Happy World Book Day!

Swapna HaddowScrapbook

It’s World Book Day but the World Book Day fun started, for me, last week with the Pass the Pen takeover on Twitter. World Book Day in collaboration with BookTrust champion emerging authors and illustrators and I was paired with the BRILLIANT Natalie Denny who took over my account on 27th February to talk about her fantastic series Keisha Jones. …

Signing off for 2023

Swapna HaddowHalfway Round the World with the Haddows, Pawsome News, Roarsome News, Roosting With Dave, Scrapbook, The Bad Panda Club

Phew! That was a BIG year! You’ve all made so many of my dreams come true, starting with a phenomenal World Book Day release for Dave Pigeon. I was chuffed to bits to see so many schools join in with mine and Sheena’s big virtual event. HUGE thank you to everyone who shared their work with us. Dave was back …

My top tips for chairing a festival event 

Swapna HaddowHalfway Round the World with the Haddows, Scrapbook

This weekend was the Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival. The theme of the festival was ‘a moment that marks the beginning of a journey, to the place where the river meets the sea – Te Pūao’ and the incredible star-studded line up of writers, illustrators and creatives included Witi Ihimaera, Fiona Farrell, Jacinta Ruru, Stacey Morrison, Ruth Paul, Susan Wardell, Michaela Keeble and Tokerau …

Letter to Brandywine Community Schools 

Swapna HaddowBallet Class in Session, Scrapbook

I’m heartbroken to hear that the Ballet Bunnies series and other incredible books from a Books Saves Lives grant have been blocked from student access in Niles, Michigan. The Ballet Bunnies series is about a girl who is kind and courageous and is everything those who ban books are not. We Need Diverse Books have urged the school board to …

Writing Young Fiction with SCBWI NZ

Swapna HaddowHalfway Round the World with the Haddows, Scrapbook

Thank you so much to Team SCBWI NZ for inviting me to talk about creating young fiction. I loved hearing everyone’s under-pressure pitches and hope you are all off to work on your young fiction series right away. I thought I would just highlight my key points about young fiction here: •Remember to invest in your characters and create characters …

All About Diwali with Scholastic Schools Live

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Thank you so much to everyone who joined in the All About Diwali event with Scholastic Schools Live. Please do get in touch and share your Diwali makes and bakes with me. I’d love to see how you celebrated. Happy Diwali!

International Literacy Day 2022

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The UNESCO International Literacy Day highlights the importance of literacy as a human right so it was wonderful to spend today with The Rotary Club of Dunedin talking about the books I read as a child and the journey I have taken since as a writer.

Day of Goodness with SLANZA and National Library

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Today, I got to spend my morning with the lovely school librarians in Dunedin as part of their SLANZA and National Library Day of Goodness. My entire love of books and writing started with libraries and kind librarians who put aside Sweet Valley High books knowing I would want to read them first, so it was quite a feat not …