17/07/2016 Newsround

Welcome to Birmingham Library, where it's CBBC Awesome Authors weekend.

This is Europe's largest public library, with nearly

three million books inside, so it's the perfect venue to get

Yesterday's top authors included Jeremy Strong and Jacqueline Wilson,

who gave me a Newsround exclusive about her new book.

I've just started writing a book about evacuees.

But I've been talking to children and nearly all children in year five

and six learn about evacuees and I did think how lovely it

would be if this story could become a kind of series like Hetty Feather.

I have a girl called Shirley and she has been evacuated with two

boys that she doesn't like very much at the moment, one called Kevin

They're all kids from London, they are sent out

Little Archie has never been to the countryside and he's

It is a Newsround exclusive and I think it's because it's

so real in my head I can't constantly stop talking about it.

I'm on chapter eight and my children have just arrived in this

strange place, they don't know where they are,

they don't like the look of the people they're billeted with,

they're a bit scared, but they're going to have a great

Well, it's not just Awesome Authors at Birmingham Library this weekend -

loads of hit CBBC shows and stars are also here, like Wolfblood, CBBC

It's all happening in pop-up tents outside in Centenary Square,

Hello. It might be a few weeks until the football season kicks off but

things are well and truly getting underway at the tent here. Kids have

been coming to test out their football commentating skills but

that is not all, they have been learning how to become sports

writers. What have you been doing today? I have been going round

everywhere and watched a couple of shows on the stage and got some

autographs. Amazing. How have you found today? Today I have watched

Hacker and I've done a news report on Harry Potter. You have done some

commentating. In those computer bits, you have to commentate on any

goal you want, I picked the Theo Walcott goal when it was headed and

Iran and scored. -- and Theo Walcott ran and scored. I think Harry Potter

would be really good because he trained everyone at Harcourt and he

used to play credit -- Quidditch. This has got me in the mood for the

new football season, but before that, on my head, son!

Great header, Martin, but I wouldn't give up the day job!

Now, as well as being Awesome Authors weekend,

So we've been challenging celebs to guess some famous book

I'm going to go for The Royal Bang That Blew Off The Trousers

Of The Devil And Lost The Crown That Was Rescued By A Scientist.

Man, peach, ladybird, spider, New York, I'm guessing.

I was going to say James And The Giant Peach...

Oh, my goodness, I got it right!

Well, joining me now is another top author,

On the topic of emojis, which one would you use

I would see I am a smiley face which is also crying because there are

lots of sad parts in my book but also lots of laugh out loud bits as

well. What's the best bit

about being an author? I can't believe it, every time I

went into a book shop and so my book, did I write that? ! How long

does it take to write a book? It took me six months to write the

first draft and then a year to make it look like this. So 1.5 years.

What inspired you to be an offer? I love being asked to this question. I

am quite dyslexic so at school I was really bad at most subjects but what

I was good at was telling stories and that was my superpower and

that's why I wanted to become a writer. What are you looking forward

to today? Reading my book out for the first time.

Newsround's back right here, live from Birmingham Library again,