One of the stalls was about making spaceships out of recycled things. You could make a spaceship out of a cleaning bottle and a clothes hanger.

There was another stall were you could make your own badge. To make a badge you would have to decorate and write what you wanted on your badge. Then they would cut the circle out and press it into the metal. After they have finished doing that your badge will be ready.

One of the other things that you could do was making ink pictures. First you would have to choose what picture you want, you would have to put the picture on the paper and then cover it so the ink doesn’t go all over the paper. Then you turn the picture over. After that you have to scrape all the ink and then you have your picture.

One of the best stalls was pizza making, you could choose whatever topping you wanted to put on your pizza. There were different types of cheese like feta and mozzarella and cheddar as well.

Another one of the stalls was smoothie making you could choose which fruits you wanted inside it – we figured out that kiwi and apple are not a good match for a smoothie. You could have apple, raspberry, strawberry and even more.

You could buy books written by the authors that were there you could also get them signed and doodled on.

As part of the zombie infection you could get your face painted for free so then you could go round being a zombie yelling “brains!” and scaring people. You could also get wax on your head to make it look realistic and gross.

There was something for the little children to enjoy because there were different story tellers from different countries telling exiting stories to entertain the children.

You can get there from Burnage by taking the 50 bus so stop by and enjoy it is really fun – and you could get free Soreen malt loaf.

• The Manchester Children’s Book Festival runs  until July 8 at various locations in the city, including Manchester Metropolitan University.

Jackie read some of her poems, which were about her brother, her imaginary friend Brendan Gallagher, attention, a balloon and Count Dracula.

Jackie said that she went Transylvania and she heard noises and believed in vampires but found out that her dad was playing tricks on her.

She said that she wanted to be an actress when she was younger but when she went to an acting agency they said that she was good but she was the wrong colour.

She had started writing at the age of 11 and had written a novel at 12 called One Person Two Names.

Jackie said that she had specially picked those poems to read because there were some children there. She says that creatures and people inspire her for the storyline of the book.

After her event she went off to do some book signings.

• The Manchester Children’s Book Festival runs until July 8 at various locations in the city, including Manchester Metropolitan University.

He tells funny jokes and also makes exiting animations on Nickelodeon and CBeebies – like his newest animation Raa Raa the Noisy Lion, Curious Cow, Frankenstein’s Cat and children’s favourite Bob the Builder.

While we were there he was teaching people how to draw step by step. His favourite character to draw is spud because he is naughty.

Curtis also wrote the Wereworld books. During the second Curtis Jobling show he told some of his Wereworld stories but that is different.

We got some quotes from people after the show:

Inga Namnice said,  “He talked fast but I loved the show it was great”.

Armands Tafijs said: “ I loved the bit when I got to draw it was awesome”.

Klera Tafija said: “He talked a bit too fast but apart from that I loved it”.

• The Manchester Children’s Book Festival runs until July 8 at various locations in the city, including Manchester Metropolitan University.

At the Manchester Children’s Book Festival we met Liz Kessler the author of A Year Without Autumn, the Emily Windsnap series and lots more.

Lots of children and adults came to see Liz  – it was amazing. She had a bag full of things from her house and each item represented a question. She said: “People get scared to ask questions so I brought in some things from my house instead.”

She asked a few children to pick things out from the bag: the first thing was a diary or a notebook and she said she takes it everywhere just in case she comes along an idea and then she would write it in her book then,when she was would go home, she would sit there for about 3 hours and try to think of new ideas .

She has her own working times so if her friend said “let’s go out this afternoon” if she hadn’t finished she would refuse and say “no, thank you I need to do my work”.

One of her other items was a box with six dices in them: they all had pictures on them she said when she doesn’t have any ideas she rolls the dice and then she will come up with some new ideas and can add them into her books.

She also told a story when she was a little girl and she sat down one day unsure what she was doing but at the end she came up with a poem and  she showed her mum and then she put it in the the newspaper. She read us the poem but the news paper was all old and and dirty so she said I wont pass it round – but said, “next time I come I will put it in a plastic wallet so I can pass it around”.

She also told us another story about when she was about six and she was in her back yard it was a nice summer day and she was picking daisies for her daisy chain, when she came along a daisy that was so pretty that she wanted to keep it so she went inside and got a box and put her daisy in the box carefully so it wouldn’t break. That she she put it on her windowsill  but when she was about to go to sleep she got scared so she threw her daisy out of her window and when she got older she remembered  that moment and she put it into one of her book.

At the end Liz Kessler said goodbye and she signed lots of books.

• The Manchester Children’s Book Festival runs until July 8 at various locations in the city, including Manchester Metropolitan University.

The camel can apparently talk on the phone. The owner said the camel could use a phone.

The camel likes zombies and children at the Festival. We asked the camel what he was doing here and he said, ”being a camel”.

Camels are known to spit at people and this camel accidentally headbutted a child so we had to find out what sort of camel he was: the camel said he was not sure if he was good or naughty.

His best friend is his faithful owner, who takes him everywhere she goes.

This camel has a colossal attitude. He walked off half way through our interview and ignored the owner who tried to get him to come back.                                                                     by Sana and Alan

Interview with James Draper

WANTING to be in the Star Trek Enterprise when he was younger, James Draper is currently helping with the Manchester Children’s Book Festival.

James Draper is a huge fan of uniforms and spaceships! His most inspiring role models were Skelator, Zippy and Bruce Forsyth.

James can organise festival, he can disco dance and drink red wine.

At the Manchester Children’s Book Festival he wants to see Philip Pullman and Jacqueline Wilson also Michael Rosen who does challenging sessions for adults and entertaining ones for children.

One of his favourite books is Washington Square and his favourite author is Daniel Deronda.

His first temporary job was marking exam papers and his first full time job was an office assistant of archaeology at the University of Manchester.

His favourite sport is diving; he says he probably watches more than does it and he also likes hot pants and pizza.

His brother is a PE teacher, who can also do ballroom dancing and his sister is in MI5. A spy!

He is scared of spiders and losing his sanity.

The three most exciting places James has been are Paris, Hamburg and New York and likes to talk to authors all day long.

James had always had a fascination for parrots when he was young and once got in trouble at school for drawing a parrot.

One thing James does not like is the Olympic Games. James says that if he could shut it down he probably would!

James is an ambitious person who works hard to achieve his goals. by Sana and Alan

Interview with Kaye Tew

KAYE’S most embarrassing moment was when  her dogs a Marley and Sam had a fight and she jumped in to help but her top fell off in front of all her neighbours. She was really embarrassed. Kaye really loves her dogs; she wouldn’t do anything without them.

Kaye’s most favourite movie is A Taste of Honey. She said: “I couldn’t decide but finally I chose this one.”

She loves all types of music so couldn’t decide on a favourite type. When she was young she played the saxophone.

Her most weird thing is that when it is all quiet she will think about anything, like if she was just sitting down she would suddenly think about birds or sofas. Really Weird!

Her hobbies are walking her dogs, sewing and knitting. My teacher wonders if she combines these hobbies and knits her dogs fancy coats. If Kaye had to be an animal she would be a dog because she just loves dogs. If she had to be eaten by any animal she would be eaten by a dog because she wouldn’t want any dog to starve.

Kaye is very nice and funny. She loves spicy food but hates KFC; she doesn’t know why but she just hates KFC.

Kaye used to work as a lady who answered phones and she used to use funny accents.      by Alisha

AUTHOR Jacqueline Wilson’s latest book is called The Worst Thing About My Sister which got young reporter Alan thinking about his sisters.

THE most unusual thing about my three sisters is they can all do something weird that I can’t. For example, my little sister can do a roly poly backwards, my big sister can put her leg over her head and my oldest sister, well, she was read words backwards.

They all like cats but they don’t like dogs – probably because they are scared of them.

My two big sisters are always annoying me. All of them are silly, especially my litte sister. Oh, their names are Shireen, Afrin and Seivin. They are quite funny but not much.

Afrin is my little sister and everyone says that I look like her but I don’t. Seivin is my big sister, but not the oldest. She thinks she’s going to  be rich and that could happen because she is going to be a dentist. She also likes to play tennis. Seivin absolutely hates slimy things. Once I threw a blob of jam at her and she was screaming so loud that everyone came to see. Shireen is the oldest sister and she likes to tickle me; I’m very ticklish so she does it for the fun of it.

Jacqueline Wilson will be at the Manchester Children’s Book Festival on Tuesday, July 3, at 6.30pm at MMU’s Geoffrey Manton Building. For more information and to buy tickets click here.

How old were you when you started your career?

I was young when I picked up my first book (about 4). I was desperate to understand those little black marks on white paper. But it was a very long gap between reading my first book and writing one (maybe 25 years)! I had to find the words, the ideas and, more importantly, the confidence. But they are all to be found if you know where to look.

When you were young what did you want to be?

Bigger, older, away from things I didn’t like – and nearer the things I did. There are a billion jobs in the world, and yet we were only told about a few of them, so my friends and I didn’t know there was such a thing as a ‘career’. I did see Star Trek on tv, and fancied being a science officer (on a space-ship). When I was young, becoming a writer, was just as unlikely as me going into space… I guess that goes to show how dreams can come true.

What inspired you to be what you are today?

I take inspiration from the encouragement of friends, from other books. From how wonderful the planet is and how much pleasure is to be found celebrating it through art or writing. I was inspired by the idea that life is equally mysterious and ordinary all at the same time. I still inspired by people who see injustice (in politics, the environment, or to the animal world) and are brave enough to write down what they see!

What has been the proudest moment of your career?

When I got my first poem published in a magazine; I opened the letter on the landing and ran down the stairs shouting, ‘published! I’m published!’ I nearly flew down those stairs.

In your opinion, who is the most inspiring person that you have met?

I’m very proud of my sister, Sue – an artist who cares deeply about animals. She has gone into slaughterhouses to draw what she saw. Her hands shake and she goes home with blood staining her shoes. What she sees is sometimes beyond description, yet with her paints and pencils she is brave enough to describe it. I also like the art of Alfred Kantor, He was in a concentration camp in the WW2. He drew what he saw with such humility and beauty. I am always inspired by the artists, musicians and writers who create their own path. For them, being popular, famous or fashionable does not tempt them away from their own passions as artists.

Who did you see as a role model when you were young?

We didn’t have role models in those days. Children were meant to be seen and not heard. We just grew up and went to work in factories or on building sites. There was one teacher, Mr Bailey; he was so very kind and funny… he encouraged us to write poems. He would have very grey hair by now! Wherever you are Mr Bailey, you encouraged us – and look, it worked! I guess Mr Bailey showed the knack of teaching-with-kindness; the memory of him helps when I visit with schools and work with pupils.

What has been the scariest moment in your career?

The scariest moments come every day… when I wonder if I am good enough; if what I do is good enough. Then I remind myself that art doesn’t get made when you have those thoughts in your head. Creativity means taking huge leaping-into-the-abyss leaps of faith where even perceived failures are important. There is only way to get good at your craft: keep creating. You cannot know how it will turn out. If you do, it is not art, it is a factory.

If you weren’t what you are today what would you be?

I would be an officer of the star ship Enterprise on its five year mission to explore new worlds.

What do you do in your spare time?

I play guitar (not very well, but I am learning). I read, I drink coffee and watch films. I have an allotment with a pond and I watch the frog watching the insects. Sometimes I hoover, but not often. I like walking. I can walk miles round town or in parks.

Have you got any unusual talents?

I can swim a whole length underwater while holding my breath. It took months of determination, and a few near-drownings.

Have you ever had any pets?

Don’t you find that pets have us? They kind of move in and take over… and if they don’t like your house, they move on to someone else’s. So yes, I have been a hotel for a few furry ones.

What is your favourite music?

Currently… Thomas Tallis’ Te Deum, Halleluiah (by Leonard Cohen), the Ry Cooder Pull up some Dust and Take a Seat album and all of Cole Porter’s songs.

What has been your most embarrassing moment?

When a poetry reading got double-booked with a stag-night, and I got to read to some extremely drunken men (some of whom actually passed out while I was reading), while the entertainer, who danced in a sparkling bikini, wowed a literary audience with what appeared to be a very unusual mime-poem.

What do you think will be the best thing about 2012?

You students taking your first steps to being writers/journalists.

What is the weirdest thing about you?

Blah, who wants to be normal! We are all weird to some extent (though some keep their weirdness more of a secret than others), so I feel completely normal!

• Mandy Coe will join Carol Ann Duffy and musician John Sampson and others for a celebration of poetry, music and art, on Thursday, July 5, at Manchester Metropolitan’s Geoffrey Manton building from 1pm. For information and tickets click here.

THE Manchester Children’s Book Festival is all about inspiring children to read – and the Festival Family Fun Day offers ticketed and free events to do just that. So our young reporters decided to find out what are the must-reads in children’s fiction by asking their classmates what they’re reading now.

Hamza says his favourite book is called The World Class Cricketer because he really likes cricket. Also his favourite author is Roald Dahl because his books are unrealistic but that’s what makes it good.

Morgan says her favourite book is The Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney because it has cartoon figures so it isn’t as hard to read. Also, it makes her burst out laughing sometimes.

Danny says that he likes both, non-fiction and fiction books because they are both amazingly interesting and fun, whether they are true or not. His favourite author is J.K Rowling and his favourite book is The Zombie Next Door because it is adventurous and breath taking.

To help her learn English, Eman says that she likes Horrid Henry because it’s funny and everybody likes it.

Safia says that her favourite book is Horrid Henry because it is about a typical young boy, who hates school and is always getting into trouble.

Haneen says she likes Sponge Bob because he goes on small adventures under water and she likes his home.

Most people are a big fan of Roald Dahl like Kyle and Kamran A. Kyle likes Roald Dahl because some of his books, like the Twits, are funny. Kamran A also likes the book called The World Class Cricketer because it teaches him new things about cricketers.

Two of Danielle’s favourite authors are Jacqueline Wilson and Jeff Kinney. She likes Diary of A Wimpy Kid because it tells you about the life of a cartoony kid.

Rebecca says her favourite author is Jacqueline Wilson because her books are creative and fiction. She likes the Worry Website and The Mum Minder. The reason she likes this book is because it makes you want to read more.

Kian’s favourite author is Jeff Kinney who wrote Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He likes this story because it’s really funny.

Ebony’s favourite books are fiction books, and she likes Horrid Henry.

Toms’ favourite author is Roald Dahl and his two favourite books are James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He thinks they are good because they are full of adventure and excitement.

Syrah likes Roald Dahl, the twits because they are always playing tricks on each other which are very gross. She finds it hilarious.

Fatima likes Jeff Kinney who wrote Diary of a Wimpy Kid. She says it’s fun to read.

Dylan’s favourite books are non-fiction like motocross and football.

Lauren says her favourite book is Tracy Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson because it’s good and funny.

Ibrahim likes Diary of a Wimpy Kid because it is so funny and evil.

Sana likes The My Sister the Vampire series by Sienna Mercer because it has so much detail, not too much but enough to set the feeling.

Abigail’s favourite book is Cookie because it’s exciting. Her favourite author is Jacqueline Wilson.

Joshua’s favourite author is Roald Dahl. His favourite books are Horrid Henry and the Twits. He likes these books because they are exciting and it wants to make you read more.

• Steve Cole will be at the Family Fun Day on Saturday, June 30 from 3pm. For details and tickets click here.

How old were you when you started your career?

Twelve.  I began as a boy actor on the radio. In those days, we called it the wireless.

When you were young what did you want to be?

An actor and a writer.

What inspired you to be what you are today?

Whenever I was involved in school plays or Sunday School concerts I was happy.  I suppose I wanted more of that.

What has been the proudest moment of your career?

I hope I’m not a proud sort of person – I wouldn’t want to be mistaken for a swank-pot.

Who did you see as a role model when you were young?

Shelagh Elliott-Clarke.  She was the principal of the theatre school I attended.  Other teachers were always trying to make me be like the rest of the class; Shelagh Elliot-Clarke told me that having different talents meant I was blessed.  Also Noel Coward.  He was a very successful actor and playwright.

What has been the scariest moment of your career?

It is one that keeps on coming back.  Every time I sit down to write something new there is just me and a blank notepad and a pot of sharpened pencils.  Those and a story which is starting to grow in my mind.  Somehow I have to get it out of my head and onto paper.  Coronation Street began life with me staring at a blank sheet of paper.

If you weren’t what you are today what would you be?

Unemployable.

What do you do in your spare time ?

I have friends all over the place so I seem to spend hours on the phone.  I keep up-to-date with all the latest television programmes.  I read a lot.  Sometimes I potter about in my little garden.

Have you ever had any pets ?

Now you’re talking!  Dogs.  I like dogs better than people.  My favourites have mostly been border collies although I was also very fond of a little ginger terrier who looked like Basil Brush.  In the Bible it says that there are angels living amongst us secretly and – if that’s the case – I’m sure that some of them must be dogs.

What is your favourite music ?

I am not musical.

What has been your most embarrassing moment?

I don’t embarrass easily.

What do you think will be the best thing about 2012?

You’d have a hard job to beat that water pageant that was staged along the Thames to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.  I sat down to watch it on TV  for ‘just  five minutes’ and found myself still there four hours later.

What is the weirdest thing about you?

I have hardly any mechanical abilities at all.  I’ve lost count of the number of people who tried and failed to teach me to drive a car.

• Tony Warren will speak at the Manchester Children’s Book Festival Gala Dinner held at The Midland Hotel on Friday, July 6, from 7.30pm. For information and tickets click here.