Katie Kirby, author of the immensely popular Lottie Brooks series, visited The Paper Cat children’s bookshop in Herne Hill to celebrate the publication of her latest book – Lottie Brooks vs The Ultra Mean Girls.
Tickets for the author signing sold out in two days, leaving a large waiting list. Half hourly time slots meant the signing was calm and steady rather than leaving parents and all the Lottie Brooks fans sweltering in the heat outside.
“Luckily the Paper Cat is right next door to the scrummiest of cafes, Flos who offered a discount to all families in the Katie Kirby queue,” said Paper Cat’s Anja Stobbart, co-founder of the bookshop with Frann Preston-Gannon and Lesley Preston.
“Katie Kirby was wonderfully calm, talking to every child who’d booked a ticket, whilst signing and dedicating each of their books.”
Katie did not go away empty handed either. Fans gifted her a plethora of Lottie’s favourite things: Pot Noodles; Kit Kats and Monster Munch and many friendship bracelets.
“Some of the best stories were the travel ones – we had Evie, straight off the plane from Australia! And a lovely family screeching to a halt in a black cab just in time, emotional and in disbelief that they’d made it as the train from Oxford had been delayed,” said Anja.
“There is one story however – with a touch of dark humour – that has to be our favourite: A dad told his daughter she had a dentist appointment, and instead brought her to The Paper Cat, handed her Lottie Brooks Vs The Ultra Mean Girls and, overjoyed, if not a little confused, she found herself face-to-face with her author hero, Katie Kirby.”
The Paper Cat worked closely with Katie’s publisher Penguin Random House as part of her book tour and were happy that so many children were able to meet Katie.
Find out more about The Paper Cat on their website https://www.papercatbookshop.co.uk/ and on Instagram @papercatbooks
