Autumn Term 2024 news

What’s on offer this term, Autumn 2024

SPOTLIGHT ON MY LATEST publication “Angel of Grasmere”
Remembrance Day 2024 – film and virtual event catch up
Christmas Book Giving – pupil nominations
Signed Books for Christmas with FREE exclusive Christmas Card
Christmas in fiction : Angel of Grasmere
Christmas in fiction : Resist
Christmas in fiction : Arctic Star
2025 Author visits in person / virtual
27 January 2025 10 a.m – Holocaust Memorial Day event
6 March 2025 – World Book Day 2025
NEW Angel of Grasmere resources FREE posters and resources
All year round FREE Football fiction resources – posters and certificates

SPOTLIGHT ON MY LATEST publication
“Angel of Grasmere:from Dunkirk to the Fells”
By Tom Palmer Published NOW by Barrington Stoke.

July 1940 – Tarn struggles to come to terms with the loss of her beloved brother in the chaos of the British retreat at Dunkirk and she and her friends scour the hills around their Westmorland home, watching for any signs of the long-dreaded Nazi invasion.

But as the war drags on, with little good news from the front, the locals become aware of someone carrying out anonymous acts of kindness. With no one claiming credit, the village come to think of this unidentified stranger as a kind of guardian angel, but when his identity is finally revealed can Tarn come to terms with the truth…?

Links – Effect of war on countryside, Evacuees,Bombing of cities – Manchester,Bombing of Ports- Barrow in Furness, evacuation of Allied forces from the French port of Dunkirk in 1940, Battle of Britain,Rivers.

Free resources available now … here tompalmer.co.uk/angel-of-grasmere/

- Trailer https://youtu.be/BAwGDDuNRHk
- Tom’s writer’s scrapbook
- Tom’s writer’s diary
- Interview with Tom
- A cover prediction set of worksheets
- Angel paper dolls activity
- Settings map worksheet
- Playscript

“In the darkest of days, that’s when the miracles begin”

Buy Signed copies here www.thethoughtfulspotbooks.com/tom-palmer-books

More here

Remembrance Day 2024

Lake District plane crash illustration by James Innerdale from Angel of Grasmere

My annual Remembrance Day film – Hundreds of Allied planes crashed in the countryside during the defence of Britain during the Second World War, some miles away from villages and roads, many hundreds of feet high up mountains and fells. Thousands of airmen were killed and severely injured. Many sites have memorials to those lost. Tom speaks from the site of one of these air crashes. “At the going down of the sun and in the morning , we will remember them.” Laurence Binyon

Monday 11 November 2024 – Remembrance virtual event

10.20am – 11.05am with a two-minute silence to mark the Armistice

Art, music, poetry, veteran interviews creating a unique, interactive, live-streamed experience

Upper Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3

Live Zoom webinar with National Literacy Trust and the Royal British Legion

Catch up now here …

More about Remembrance Day here

Christmas Book Giving

For over ten years I have asked teachers, TAs and librarians if they would be kind enough to nominate a child they think would benefit from the gift of a book for Christmas. My family and I would like to do the same for Christmas 2024. Closing Date Sunday 17th November 2024

Find out how to and nominate a pupil here … https://tompalmer.co.uk/christmas-book-giving-2024/

Signed Books for Christmas with FREE exclusive Christmas Card

My books are all available personalised to order from my local independent children’s bookshop “The Thoughtful Spot” here.

And each order made through the Thoughtful Spot will come with a special Christmas Card and bookmark.

The exclusive illustration was designed by our good friend James Innerdale to mark the publication of Angel of Grasmere.

Books can be simply signed by me or using their website you can specify a message like “To Nadiya, Happy Christmas” for me to add.

Order now here.

More here

Christmas in Fiction : Angel of Grasmere

Discover how young Tarn Fothergill celebrated Christmas Day 1940 with her family, farmer’s boy Peter, evacuee Eric, and Land girls Margaret and Kathleen.

Christmas crafts, blackout poetry challenge, read the special Christmas chapter or watch Tom reading it all here.

Christmas in Fiction : Resist

Audrey Hepburn’s childhood story of resistance in the Second World War against the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands inspired my children’s book Resist.

Silent Night is an extra special short story I have written about Audrey’s secret Christmas mission,

FREE to read or watch me read the story from here

More about Resist here

Christmas in fiction : Arctic Star

Discover how the young Royal Navy sailors celebrate Christmas Day 1943 aboard HMS Belfast in the Arctic Circle with dinner, carols and listening to the King’s Speech in my children’s book Arctic Star.

Use these resources based on the special ChristmasChapter 19 of Arctic Star.

Blackout poetry challenge
Flip book to read Chapter 19
Watch me reading chapter 19 aboard HMS Belfast

FREE to read, download or watch me read from here

More about Arctic Star here

2025 Author visits in person / virtual

I am available from January 2025 for historical fiction, football or rugby author events or linking to …

Holocaust Memorial Day (27 January 2025– 80^th anniversary of liberation of Auschwitz)
Six Nations (Rugby Reading Game) – begins 31 January 2025

More about my author visits here

Monday 27 January 2025 – Holocaust Memorial Day

Next year’s plans are already underway with a virtual event on Monday 27 January 2025 at 10 am with the National Literacy Trust and Holocaust Memorial Day Trust and a film, story and writing challenge based around the 80^th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

More here

6 March 2025 – World Book Day – Exciting news!

I have written a new Rocky story which has been selected as one of the books you can choose with your World Book Day 2025 vouchers.

In Rocky Takes the Lead – will Rocky be able to take the lead and show both her British and her American friends that they’re all united by football?

Available from February 2025 for World Book Day – 6 March 2025
£1 / E1.50 or your WBD voucher

More about Rocky here

More about World Book Day 2025 here

NEW Angel of Grasmere resources

Free Chapter 1, Grasmere trail map, playscript, Herdwick Sheep Craft Activity and lots more literacy resources for the classroom available to download from here.

FREE Poster packs available on request from here.

Download high-res posters by clicking on the images below:

All year round FREE Football fiction resources – posters and certificates

I have FREE certificates I can sign for readers of all my books.

Football Academy
Foul Play
Roy and Rocky of the Rovers
My History Books

Tell me here if your pupils have read a whole series and you can receive a special signed certificate to present to them.

If you would like a football poster pack please visit my poster order page here

More football resources here

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Buy Books

Signed and dedicated copies of all my books are available personalised to order from my local independent children’s bookshop “The Thoughtful Spot” here.