Welcome to another year of Nick Arnold’s amazing adventures! This year there’s some incredible events and er, um more incredible events (not forgetting the even more incredible events). And you are warmly invited to cast your eyeballs down the page to read all about them …. See you soon!
JANUARY
Thursday 17th January – Nick Arnold rolls up at Engayne Primary School, Upminster. NICK SAYS: What a fantastic school. Everyone was S-O-O-O friendly and welcoming! “Hello” to all of you and a special THANK YOU to Bukky and James for looking after us so well and showing us round the school!
FEBRUARY
Friday 8th February – Nick Arnold presents The Secret History of “King Hubba”, Clinton Hall, Merton, Devon, 7.30 pm. Nick Arnold continues his secret life as a history expert to reveal the evil end of the nastiest Viking ever!
Thursday 21st February – The Horrible Science Best Bits Show at Forest Arts Centre, New Milton, Hampshire, 2.30 pm. NICK SAYS: Thanks for being the loudest best audience so far this year!
Tuesday 26th February – The Horrible Science School Show at Forest Arts Centre, New Milton, Hampshire. NICK SAYS: It was great to see you all – especially those of you who saw the show last week and just can’t get enough HORRIBLE SCIENCE!!!
MARCH
Tuesday 5th March – Saturday 9th March – Nick Arnold at The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, Dubai, U.A.E. Look out Nick’s Masterclass Workshop – Stories that are true: how to write great non-fiction on Thursday 7th March at 4 pm and a special Heroes and Villains of Horrible Science Show on Friday 8th March at 11.30 am. There will also be a Horrible Science School Show but this one sold out in hours. NICK SAYS: This has been the BIGGEST AND BEST AND MOST BRILLIANT FESTIVAL EVER! All my events were fantastic and the big public event had to be moved to the biggest venue when it sold out and even then it wasn’t BIG enough. The signing lasted TWO HOURS. THANK YOU to all the fans who came along and Happy Reading. A Huge Thank You to Isobel and Yvette and Becky and all the other organisers for their brilliant hospitality. Oh yes and I even got to ride a camel in the desert!
Thursday 7th March – HOUSE OF HORRORS WINS THE BLUE PETER AWARD FOR THE BEST BOOK WITH FACTS. NICK SAYS: IT WAS A GREAT HONOUR TO BE SHORT-LISTED FOR THIS AWARD. AS FOR WINNING – I AM STILL WALKING ON THE CLOUDS!!!!
Wednesday 13th March – Thursday 14th March – Horrible Science workshops in Hampshire Schools. NICK SAYS: Hi to all of you – thanks for being so keen and for being such live-wires. We were working on a special version of Evil Inventions. I can’t wait to see the result on my next visit.
Saturday 16th March – Horrible Science of Crime-Busting at the Moray Science Festival, Moray College (UHI), Elgin at 3.30 pm. NICK SAYS: My event sold out in just TEN MINUTES and everyone had a fantastic time. Even me – I had ‘flu but my voice just about lasted the hour!
Thursday 21st March – Friday 22nd March – Horrible Science workshops in Hampshire Schools. NICK SAYS: Everyone worked really hard in the second round of workshops and everyone had a great time (including me). The Evil Inventions books went on show in a special Horrible Science exhibition at Forest Arts Centre in New Milton on 25th March.
Saturday 23rd March – Horrible Science Talk and Signing at Blackwell’s Bookshop, Broad Street, Oxford, 2 pm. NICK SAYS: My event was so full of people it was BREATHING ROOM ONLY! Thanks for turning up everyone!
APRIL
Saturday 6th April – Nick Arnold signs books at Crediton Community Bookshop, Crediton, 11 am – 12 noon. NICK SAYS: It was great to meet so many Horrible Science fans in Crediton. I had a super day! Crediton Community Bookshop is a wonderful independent book shop. These shops keep the book world turning. They need all the support they can get. If you live near Crediton why not pop in and see what’s new?
Saturday 13th April – The Horrible Best Bits Show at Cambridge Wordfest, St John’s College, Cambridge, 11.30 am. NICK SAYS: Once again the show sold out! It was fantastic to see so many HORRIBLE SCIENCE fans in Cambridge – and just as great to chat to you all at the signing afterwards!
Wednesday 24th April – Nick Arnold presents – The Secret History of “King Hubba”, at the Appledore Library, Devon. NICK SAYS: It was standing room only as Hubba the Horrible crawled out of the dustbin of history to scare the socks off everyone!
JUNE
Saturday 8th June – Nick Arnold talks about the Battle of Cynuit to the DEVONSHIRE ASSOCIATION, Kingsbridge, Devon. NICK SAYS: I LOVED talking about Vikings! This year my academic paper on my Viking discoveries is going to be published by the Devonshire Association. I guess the history books will have to be re-written!
Friday 14th June – Nick Arnold at Priory School, Hitchin. NICK SAYS: This school is my home from home in Hertfordshire – it’s so friendly. This time I met loads of Primary School pupils plus the present Year 8. Great to meet you guys!
AUGUST
This year Nick Arnold has been writing new books on Flying Machines for Quarto Books and a new series for Autumn Books called STINKY SCIENCE. NICK SAYS: Look out for these books in the shops. I’m sure they’ll be as much fun to read as they were to write!
Tuesday 13th August – Nick Arnold at Winchester Discovery Centre, Hampshire. Shows at 10.30 am, 12 noon, 3 pm. NICK SAYS: Three SELL-OUT shows in one day – and what wonderful audiences! I had a HORRIBLY EXCITING TIME in Winchester and I can’t wait to come back in October!!!!
Wednesday 14th August – Nick Arnold at Basingstoke Discovery Centre, Hampshire, 10.30 am. Gosport Discovery Centre, Hampshire, 3 pm. NICK SAYS: My voice was hoarse from two more SELL-OUT shows – it was BRILLIANT to meet you all! The new Discovery Centres are wonderfully exciting places to discover books and it’s great to support the Reading Challenge in Hampshire. Don’t forget to borrow lots of books!!!
SEPTEMBER
Saturday 14th September – Nick Arnold at County Hall, Durham for a Celebration of the Summer Reading Challenge – talks morning and afternoon. NICK SAYS: Durham County Hall is so grand – and the audience was even grander. Hi to all of you and thanks to the fantastic librarians for organising such a great event!
19th – 21st September – The Birmingham Stage Company present a new national tour for THE STUNNING SCIENCE OF EVERYTHING – the Horrible Science Stage Show. This week they’re at the Capitol Theatre, Horsham. NICK SAYS: Go see this EYE-POPPING, BRAIN-BOGGLING BOGGLE-VISION OF A SHOW! I did and I was flying by the end of it! (Keep reading for more show dates)
Saturday 21st September – Nick Arnold at Banbury Literary Live, North Oxfordshire Academy, Banbury, 4 pm. NICK SAYS: What an honour to get such an enthusiastic new festival off the ground!
24th – 28th September – The Horrible Science Stage Show ups the WOW! factor at the Everyman, Cheltenham
Friday 27th September – Sunday 6th October – Appledore Book Festival, Appledore, Devon. NICK SAYS: I am very proud to be founder, former director and now Schools Patron of this amazingly friendly festival. Check out the programme at appledorebookfestival.co.uk. It’s the BEST EVER!
OCTOBER
Saturday 28th September – Sunday 6th October – Nick Arnold at Jerudong International School, Brunei. NICK SAYS: Brunei was an absolutely brain-popping experience! I got to visit the most amazing school ever – YOU ARE SO LUCKY! It’s got amazing labs and theatre and kids and teachers – Hi to each and everyone of you!!!
And what’s more I got to explore the rain forest and mangrove swamps and meet crocodiles and drink digestive goo from pitcher plants! See Vicious Veg if you want to know how gross this is!!!
8th – 12th October – Horrible Science Stage show rocks The Bloomsbury Theatre, London
14th – 16th October – Horrible Science Stage Show makes big waves at Cliff’s Pavilion, Southend
Thursday 17th October – Nick Arnold at Pynes Infant School, Bideford. NICK SAYS: I received a lovely warm welcome from a new generation of horrible scientists – hi-ya everyone!!!
22nd – 26th October – Horrible Science Stage Show boggles awestruck audiences at New Theatre, Hull
Thursday 24th October – Nick Arnold at Stanburn Primary School, Harrow – NICK SAYS I signed books for two hours at this super-friendly school and spoke to two lovely audiences about my Horrible Life! Thanks so much for inviting me!
Monday 28th October – Nick Arnold’s House of Horrors Show at Theatre Royal Winchester, 2.30 pm. NICK SAYS: This was a brand-new show and you LOVED IT! – WOW! Horrible Science really has come home!
29th October – 2nd November – Horrible Science Stage Show puts the scare into Halloween at Ashcroft Theatre, Croydon
NOVEMBER
5th – 9th November – Horrible Science Stage Show sparks big laughs at Darlington Civic Centre
Thursday 7th November – Nick Arnold visits Tatfield Junior School and St Mary’s Junior School NICK SAYS: Two different schools, one amazing day. Everyone thought the show was AWESOME! Thanks to both schools for being so welcoming and thanks to the Oxsted Children’s Book Group for inviting me!
12th – 16th November – Horrible Science Stage Show lights up The Lighthouse, Poole
19th – 23rd November – Horrible Science Stage Show raises the roof at the New Theatre, Cardiff
23rd – 29th November – Nick Arnold in Cairo, Egypt.
25th – 26th November – Nick Arnold at New Cairo British International School. NICK SAYS: I really enjoyed meeting you all. You have a lovely peaceful school (apart from when I was doing HORRIBLE SCIENCE!). Thanks to all your teachers and librarians too!
27th – 28th November – Nick Arnold at the British School at Al Rehab. NICK SAYS: Who can forget such a welcoming school? Hi to all of you and the staff and the teddies in Mrs Dobie’s office!
26th – 30th November – Horrible Science Stage Show pumps up the volume at The Wyvern Theatre, Swindon
DECEMBER
3rd – 7th December – Horrible Science Stage Show pulls a Christmas Cracker at Birmingham Town Hall
