TWO top authors will meet school children at Halton Lea Library next week.

As part of this year’s World Book Day celebrations, the library will host an  new event, bringing books and the enjoyment of reading to the children of Runcorn.

The event – a partnership project between the charity and UK libraries, and funded by Arts Council England through its National Lottery Project Grants programme, Julia and Hans Rausing – will take place on Tuesday and will provide school children in the area with the opportunity to discover a love of books and reading ahead of the charity’s annual celebration on Thursday,  March 7.

The fun-filled event will see school children meet two of this year’s World Book Day £1 authors - Tọlá Okogwu, author of Onyeka and the Secret Superhero, and Louie Stowell, author of Loki: Tales of a Bad God. Children will enjoy workshops, readings and games – all with World Book Day’s unique fun and celebratory atmosphere.

Halton Lea Library will also receive 1,200 free books (100 copies of the World Book Day £1/€1.50 books donated by their respective publishers), enabling the library to become an exchange hub during the token redemption period (which runs to March 31) so that children can exchange their £1 World Book Day book token for a £1 book of their choice – for free.

Halton Lea Library will also receive further funding to host a follow-up event in between April – July, to encourage children to continue visiting the library and discover a love of reading.

Tọlá Okogwu, author of Onyeka and the Secret Superhero comments: "Libraries are such an important resource and as a child, were one of my favourite places to visit. Indeed, both my daughters have had library cards since they were six months old and our weekly visits are a great source of fun. I’m beyond excited to be part of this event and look forward to engaging with readers to help kickstart a love of reading."

Emma Boone, Children and Families Development Officer at Halton Libraries comments: “We are extremely privileged to be selected as one of the 20 libraries to receive funding to host a fun-filled event for our local children. We’re hopeful that this event will be a catalyst for long-term engagement and that we see a number of the school children return to our library with a new-found love of books and reading.”