Hosting the UK’s bestselling author at The Bookery? Wow. Just wow. We had the absolute honour of welcoming Julia Donaldson CBE last weekend, and what an action-packed morning it was— book signings, photos, and a whole lot of happy readers!

The excitement was palpable as children eagerly exchanged their Gozzle tokens for a copy of Julia’s latest book before lining up to meet the beloved author herself. Each ticket holder received a copy of Gozzle, which Julia signed – along with over 200 other books purchased that morning. Talk about dedication!

Thanks to our wonderful customers and the incredible support of our volunteers, the event ran seamlessly. The bookshop was buzzing with energy, and the queues spilling into the High Street on a Sunday morning even had passing cars slowing down for a look – thank goodness it stayed dry for those waiting for their time slot to enter The Bookery.

Our community never fails to amaze us. The full quota of tickets was snapped up within hours, and the appreciation from everyone for the arrangements we’d put in place made it all the more rewarding. Encouraging Reading for Pleasure is at the heart of what we do, and seeing so many parents supporting that by purchasing books and being so appreciative of the opportunity to meet Julia was truly heart-warming.

Among the crowd, one young book lover rocked up in a full Gruffalo outfit, while his sister proudly sported her Gozzle pyjamas — top-tier commitment!

After the whirlwind morning, we had the privilege of sharing lunch with Julia in our workplace hub above the bookshop. Her good friend Marion let slip that they love doing puzzles together, so naturally, we gifted them our very own Bookery-themed puzzle — because what’s better than a bit of literary-themed problem-solving?

A massive shout out to our friends at Macmillan for selecting The Bookery as one of only a handful of bookshops to host Julia on her ‘Top 20 Tour’. What an unforgettable day. Thank you, Julia—and thank you to our wonderful community for making it all so special!

Here’s to more magical moments at The Bookery. 📚✨

We have some signed copies of Julia’s books available at The Bookery, or online HERE!