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Michael Morpurgo is the author of many books for children, including War Horse, and Shadow. His new book is a retelling of the classic ‘Pinnochio’ (Harper Collins), written from Pinnochio’s point of view. Michael tells Ian why he choose to tell a new version of the story, and passionately defends literature for young people.

Crossword obsessive Alan Connor couldn't find a book that celebrated the joy of the crossword, so he wrote one. Two Girls, One on Each Knee (7) (Penguin) is a journey through the world of the cryptic crossword. Alan shares his passion, giving us a lesson in solving crosswords, which he describes as a battle between the setter and the solver.

The performance poet and writer shares his work in progress young adult novel ‘Terror Kid’, a story about a young boy whose interest in computers gets him into deep trouble. Benjamin discusses the changing poetry scene, and explains how he keeps abreast of the language of teenagers.

Laura J Martin creates beautiful soundscapes using flute and loop pedal. Her work has been described as 'A Heath Robinson Musical contraption held together with tape loops and fairy dust' Laura performs songs from her new album ‘Dazzle Days’ (Static Caravan), a move away from her storytelling compositions into more personal songwriting.