Hi, my name's Bill Bailey. And today I've been reading the story, Dear Vampa my Ross Collins, a touch to see book about vampires and werewolves and how they don't really make the best neighbours. You think they would both being nocturnal and all, but some people just can't and get on. Having been mistaken for a werewolf myself on many occasions, I personally prefer werewolves. I know I shouldn't, but I'm naturally biased to our hairy anthropic brothers.

The first book that I read and really remember losing myself in was the book version of the film ‘Time Bandits’ which came out when I was a kid. Time Bandits is a really good film and a really good book about time travel and little people and it was funny, and it was historical and I rather like that. And the next book which I read when I was about eleven, was Animal Farm by George Orwell – I really loved that and it’s still probably my favourite book to this day. I’m lucky that I grew up as a reader. There were always books all over the house so I’ve always had books and always loved books. I don’t remember reading Roald Dahl. I don’t remember reading anything like that. I know Roald Dahl now because of my children. I think I was always interested in politics and history and stuff as a kid so I think that’s what switched me on in those days.

The first Harry Potter book went on sale in June 1997. More than 500 million Harry Potter books have since been bought and there was an absolute frenzy when the seventh and last book in the series reached bookshops in 2007.

Let's dive into the wonderful worlds created by Philip Pullman in his remarkable trilogy, His Dark Materials. The trilogy features wonderfully detailed descriptions of characters, from flying witches to armoured polar bears along with bewitching explanations of scenes and places.

Bilbo is the central character of The Hobbit. We first learn about him sitting in his comfortable home which had been built by his father, Bungo Baggins. Bilbo is a bit of a homebody. Like most hobbits he doesn’t travel much and prefers to stay in his area, known as the Shire.

My name’s David Walliams. This tactile and audio book brings to life characters from some of my children’s stories. These stories are written about very ordinary children. But, where the ordinary collides with the extraordinary, it leads to the most amazing adventure of their lives! Where good overcomes evil and, dare I say, where sometimes evil overcomes good.

‘Mr Stink stank. He also stunk. And if it is correct English to say he stinked, then he stinked as well. He was the stinkiest stinky stinker who ever lived.’ ‘His beard was full of old bits of egg and sausage and cheese that had fallen out of his mouth years before. It had never been shampooed so it had its own special stink, even worse than his main one.’

This is the tale of a twelve year old boy called Jack and his beloved Grandpa. Grandpa was once an RAF Pilot in World War II and used to take Jack on wonderful trips into London to visit the Imperial War Museum. On their way back, Grandpa would reminisce about the war. Jack loved hearing the stories about Grandpa’s escapades during the war and together they would re-enact them.

* Sound effect, spitfire taking off

‘In his dreams, Jack would go up, up and away, just like his grandfather had. The boy would have given everything he had, all of his past and all of his future, for one moment behind the controls of Grandpa’s legendary Spitfire.’

Twelve year old, Ben stays at his Granny’s house every Friday night, whilst his parents have their weekly night out. He thinks that she is the world’s most boring granny. All she wants to do is play scrabble and eat cabbage soup. She is very much like your textbook granny:

Thick glasses
White hair
Hearing aid
False teeth
And what’s that smell? Eugh she reaks of cabbage!