The Children’s Black Book Fair UK 2025
Relive the Adventure 💫
Couldn’t join us on the day, or want to experience it all over again? Watch our recap video and journey back to a day filled with stellar storytelling, bright young voices, and a community united by the joy of Black storytelling.
Blast Off into a World of Stories! 🚀
The Children’s Black Book Fair UK returned this summer — and it was bigger, bolder, and bookier than ever with over 1,000 attendees!
Brought to you by Young LIT Stars and Twenty9Twelve, in association with Hackney Libraries, the second annual Children’s Black Book Fair launched audiences into a day of cosmic creativity, star-powered storytelling, and out-of-this-world fun.
Families met the rising stars of our Young Author Marketplace (sponsored by the UK Black Business Show), dropped in for an epic 4-hour Storytelling Marathon, and took part in workshops, seminars, games, arts & crafts, and face painting galore.
PLUS we held the official National Spelling Bee Championship Finals, hosted by the much loved Dr Ronx, author of How to Save a Life and star of CBBC’s Operation Ouch!
Beyond the headline moments, the fair was alive with children discovering new authors, parents connecting with community, and entire families celebrating the joy of Black storytelling together. It was truly a galaxy of bold voices, brilliant imaginations, and BIG dreams taking root in the next generation.
Highlights included:
🐝 Spelling Bee Finals hosted by CBBC’s Dr Ronx
An electrifying showdown that had the whole library cheering on our young wordsmiths. 76 applicants from across the UK entered with our 9 finalists hailing from Hackney, West Suffolk, Hertfordshire, Sutton Coldfield, Somerset, Haringey, Havering, Birmingham and Sutton.
The winners, 7 year old Kushil Davuluri (West Suffolk), 11 year old Eliana Sarbeng (Haringey) and 14 year old Ahmed Usman (Havering) were presented with trophies by Hackney Councillors - Cllr Sheila Ruso-Runge and Cllr Alastair Binne-Lubbock. Our overall winner Kushil Davuluri won a Google Pixel phone and a subscription to Audible.
🪐 Special appearances by Eric Huntley, Michael de Souza & Ramzee
Living legends who inspired families with their wisdom, wit, and passion for storytelling.
⭐️ A raffle to WIN a £1,000 Book Mountain & Google Pixel Phone
One lucky family went home with enough books to build a library of their own with 100% of the raffle proceeds going to our 2025 charity partner — MAA MAAT Centre.
🎁 Plus FREE goody bags for the first 100 children!
Packed with books, activities, and surprises to keep the adventure going and going!
Thank You to our Sponsors
This event wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our incredible sponsors, who share our commitment to uplifting young Black authors and diverse narratives. Your partnership empowers us to reimagine the bookshelf — one bold, brilliant story at a time.
Partner With Us on Our Next Chapter
The Children’s Black Book Fair is more than a one-day event — it’s a movement to reimagine the bookshelf and celebrate the voices of young Black storytellers. None of this would be possible without the support of our partners, who share our commitment to creativity, representation, and community.
We’re already looking ahead to next year’s fair, and we’d love to work with brands and organisations who want to be part of this growing legacy. Whether through sponsorship, workshops, in-kind support, or strategic collaboration, your partnership can help us inspire the next generation of readers and writers.
To explore partnership opportunities for our Summer 2026 event, please email yazmin@twenty9twelve.com.
Let’s build bold futures, one story at a time.