The fantastically funny and relatable Lottie Brooks series, written and illustrated by number one children’s bestseller Katie Kirby, is filled with first experiences, friendship fails, embarrassing moments and plenty of laughs. And so is this event! Can Lottie get through term without leaving chaos in her wake, and with her BFFs intact? Join Katie to find out – and don’t forget your notebook and pens as there will be draw-along fun for all!

A Dulwich Festival event

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From the popular tech journalist and Movers and Shakers podcaster, also known across the world for documenting his journey with rescue dog #SophiefromRomania, comes a moving memoir in search of the truth behind his isolated childhood and absent father.

Rory Cellan-Jones knew he was the child of a love affair between two BBC employees. But until his mother died and he found a file labelled ‘For Rory’ he had no idea of the extent of their relationship, and why his unconventional childhood had so tested the bond between him and his mother. ‘For Rory,’ his mother had written on the file, ‘in the hope that it will help him understand how it really was …’

A Dulwich Festival event

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2.6 billion people are inhabitants of former British colonies. The empire’s influence upon the quarter of the planet it occupied, and its gravitational influence upon the world outside it, has been profound: from the spread of Christianity by missionaries to nearly 1 in 3 driving on the left side of the road, and even shaping the origins of international law. Yet Britain’s idea of its imperial history and the world’s experience of it are two very different things. ­­

In Empireworld, award-winning author and journalist, Sathnam Sanghera extends his examination of British imperial legacies beyond Britain. Travelling the globe to trace its international legacies – from Barbados and Mauritius to India and Nigeria and beyond – Sanghera demonstrates just how deeply British imperialism is baked into our world. And why it’s time Britain was finally honest with itself about empire.

‘A remarkable and important work – one that is finely judged, beautifully written and not just a welcome corrective but a book for our times. This is essential reading. – Peter Frankopan

A Dulwich Festival event

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Two days after his eighteenth birthday, Kenny Imafidon was charged with the murder of a seventeen-year-old boy in south-east London. The middle child of a single mother with ambitions for her children, Kenny grew up near an estate in Peckham where deprivation and hopelessness were rife, and gang culture flourished in his community. Kenny faced a minimum of thirty years behind bars – longer than the life he had lived.

When the case against Kenny collapsed, he quickly realised that his name was still inextricably linked with a horrific crime he hadn’t committed. He decided to rewrite his story. It began with The Kenny Report, which he delivered to the House of Commons and which detailed the experiences of marginalised young people who drift into gangs, and has led to extensive work with charities, communities and policy-makers that is helping to change the narratives of other young people just like Kenny.

A candid and unfiltered take on some of the most challenging topics that define our times, That Peckham Boy is a personal manifesto exploring what it means to be young, Black and poor in the city. It is shaped by Kenny’s difficult childhood, his transformative time in prison, and the people and conversations that took him from being on trial for murder into the company of some of the most successful people in the world.

A Dulwich Festival event

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Meet multi-million-copy selling, award-winning author (and former Children’s Laureate) Cressida Cowell, creator of the How to Train Your Dragon (also a DreamWorks film and TV franchise) series. Cressida will be signing her latest bestselling book, WHICH WAY ROUND THE GALAXY, and her other books, too. Bring along your own sketchbook for Cressida to see, and get a free sticker sheet with each book of Galaxy.

Time: 4pm to 5.30pm

For more information please email us

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This is your chance to meet bestselling author Jamie Smart as he signs copies of Looshkin: Honk If You See It! , his third magnificent comic book!

You never know what to expect from Looshkin – except that it will be very, very funny! Follow the continuing adventures of the maddest cat in the world as he defeats vampires with chicken nuggets, accidentally turns into a duck, becomes a high-flying entrepreneur and gets caught in a time warp. Sometimes all at the same time! It’s an explosion of pure comic comedy joy!

Jamie Smart studied art at college for four years, but it was just an excuse to practise drawing animals with boggly-eyes. His comic Fish-Head Steve was the first comic to be shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize. His well-loved Bunny vs Monkey and Looshkin stories are regularly published in The Phoenix comic, and as bestselling graphic novels. Bunny vs Monkey has been shortlisted for the British Book Awards and The Week Jr Book Awards. Jamie is also the author of the middle-grade Flember series.

Terms & Conditions:

If you want to buy additional books on the day, it would be best to reserve them by calling or emailing the bookshop in advance.

We want all fans to have the best possible experience meeting Jamie Smart. In the interest of the limited time available and to maximise the number of readers that Jamie can meet, the following terms and conditions will be in effect for this book signing. We are putting these rules in place for the safety and enjoyment of everyone involved.

Please respect each other and Jamie on the day. Be kind to each other and take the opportunity whilst in line to make some friends.

Due to the anticipated high turn-out, please come prepared to queue. We are offering short time-slots to try to minimise the queuing time but we can’t eliminate it completely. You will need to queue outside on Calton Avenue so please do come dressed appropriately for the weather and keep hydrated. Our shop is small so to keep everyone safe we’ll be letting you in a few at a time.

Please note the event may be filmed of photographed, as an attendee you consent to footage and/or images of you being used for promotional purposes.

If you have further questions, please contact: events@village-books.co.uk

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Award-winning and bestselling cook Anna Jones is back with a new book – Easy Wins: 12 flavour hits, 125 delicious recipes, 365 days of good eating. In Easy Wins, Anna gives her golden rules for Easy Wins in the kitchen with super-simple recipes that are bursting with flavour and kind to both the planet and busy schedules.

Anna will be chatting to journalist and author Felicity Cloake about the 12 hero ingredients that are guaranteed to make your food taste great: lemons, olive oil, onions, peanut butter, mustard, tahini and more.

In Easy Wins, Anna distils over 20 years of experience on how to layer flavour and texture. There’s also practical advice on how to season plus plenty of ideas for invaluable vegetarian swaps as well as how to reduce waste and use less energy when cooking. Easy Wins will soon become your go-to for the most flavourful dishes that come together quickly and prom­ise daily moments of triumph.

Anna Jones is a cook, writer, the voice of modern vegetarian cooking and the author of the bestselling One: Pot, Pan, Planet, A Modern Way to Eat, A Modern Way to Cook and The Modern Cook’s Year.

“A peek into Anna’s kitchen cupboards—and her best-kept secrets. For when it’s 8pm, you’re starving, and you want a Tuesday night triumph. An easy, honest, delicious win.” Yotam Ottolenghi

A Village Books and Alleyn’s Schools Enterpises event

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Spend an afternoon with ‘National Treasure’ Michael Rosen to celebrate the publication of Getting Better in paperback . Chosen by the Guardian and the BBC as one of their ‘Books of 2023’, Getter Better is an essential companion for anyone who has loved and lost, or struggled and survived.

Michael Rosen has grieved the loss of a child, lived with debilitating chronic illness, and faced death itself when seriously unwell in hospital. In spite of this he has survived and has even learned to find joy in life in the aftermath of tragedy.

In Getting Better , he shares his story and the lessons he has learned along the way. Exploring the roles that trauma and grief have played in his own life, Michael investigates the road to recovery, asking how we can find it within ourselves to live well again after – or even during – the darkest times of our lives.

‘If I could prescribe Getting Bette r to the entire nation, I would…It’s a book that inspires hope, courage and belief in humanity. Basically, it reminds you how to live. I loved every single word.’ Dr Rachel Clarke

Please note, this event is suitable for ages 15+

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We’re delighted to present an evening with Rory Stewart, former MP and Cabinet Minister, and co-host, with Alastair Campbell, of the hugely popular podcast, The Rest is Politics. Rory will be discussing his latest book Politics on the Edge: A Memoir from Within which has become an instant bestseller.

Politics on the Edge details Rory’s time from being a political outsider to standing against Boris Johnson in the Conservative Party leadership contest in 2019, and being sacked from the party in the same year.

Tackling ministerial briefs on flood response and prison violence, engaging with conflict and poverty abroad as a foreign minister, and Brexit as a Cabinet minister, Stewart learned first-hand how profoundly hollow and inadequate our democracy and government had become.

Rory Stewart served in the UK Cabinet as Secretary of State for International Development, and before that as Prisons Minister, Minister for Africa, Minister for Development, Environment Minister and Chair of the Defence Committee. Stewart is now the president of the non-profit organisation GiveDirectly, and a visiting fellow at Yale’s Jackson School. He tweets at @RoryStewartUK.

Photo credit: Tom Campbell

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Published to coincide with a major new V&A exhibition, Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life by Justine Picardie contains never-seen-before images from the Chanel archives and recently discovered portraits of Coco Chanel .

Coco Chanel was the most extraordinary creative. The inventor of the Little Black Dress (LBD), the bob haircut, trousers for women, contemporary chic, a globally bestselling perfume and founder of the most successful fashion brand of all time, she was also an enigma, fashioning the myth of her own life with the same attention to detail as her couture.

Justine Picardie has spent over twenty years exploring the truth about the mystery that was Coco Chanel. In this revised, updated version of her bestselling biography, Picardie shares more details and previously unseen images of the woman who has had such a profound influence on the modern world.

Justine Picardie is the author of six books, including her bestselling memoir If the Spirit Moves You and Miss Dior: A Story of Courage and Couture . She is a contributing editor to Harper’s Bazaar , having previously been its editor-in-chief. She was formerly an investigative journalist for the Sunday Times , a columnist for the Telegraph , editor of the Observer Magazine , editor of Town & Country and features director of Vogue .

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