Author Confessions with Pamela Butchart

Emma Lamont
By Emma Lamont Posted in Children's Book Tour
July 15th, 2015

Pamela Butchart playground

In July 2015 the Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour travelled to the wilds of Cumbria with best-selling author Pamela Butchart. Pamela met 434 pupils from 10 different schools for a jam-packed week of stories, games and alien invasions!

Pamela won the Blue Peter Book Awards for The Spy Who Loved School Dinners and now proudly sports a Blue Peter badge, to the envy of many pupils! Although her first book was only published in January 2014, she has quickly become one of the most popular authors amongst young readers, known for her laugh-out-loud humour, brilliantly bonkers imagination and quirky writing style.

Pamela Butchart with books

Whilst on the road we quizzed Pamela about books, cats and that famous badge. Read on to find out more. . .

1) Which author or fictional character would you like to have dinner with?
A: Cressida Cowell’s Emily Brown. I’d love to chat about all of her adventures as we nibble on cheese and crackers. Stanley would be invited too, of course.

2) Which book should every child read?
A: ‘The Great Dog Bottom Swap’ by Peter Bentley and Mei Matsuoka

3) What would your dream job be if you weren’t an author?
A: I’d like to open a free luxury hotel for stray cats in the countryside.

4) What’s your most prized possession?
A: My Blue Peter badge

Blue Peter badge

5) Which three pieces of music could you not live without?
A: “Let’s Get Ready to Rhumble” PJ & Duncan
“You Got the Love” Candi Staton (featuring The Source)
“Happy” Pharrell Williams

6) What is your favourite film of all time?
A: Turner and Hooch

Turner and Hooch

7) What is your fondest childhood memory?
A: Winning a Disney beanbag-chair in P4 at a school assembly. I felt like a legend!

8) Which book has left the greatest impression on you?
A: Mog by Judith Kerr. This is the book that made me fall in love with reading.

9) If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring authors what would it be?
A: My advice would be to write about something you ENJOY writing about. If you have fun when you’re writing about scary things then write about scary things. Don’t write about something unless it excites you, scares you or makes you laugh. I think that if you enjoy what you’re writing then there’s a good chance other people will enjoy reading it.

10) What would be your first purchase if you won the lottery?
A: Land to build my luxury hotel for stray cats (and quite a lot of cheese).







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