YOUNG READERS in Rush, Co Dublin yesterday met the man behind an Irish skeleton detective with magical powers as author Derek Landy relaunched Writers in Libraries scheme.
The author of the best-selling children's series, Skulduggery Pleasantsaid the initiative, which provides funding for libraries to partner with national and international festivals would "entice kids to pick up a book and read".
Mr Landy said the timing of the relaunch coincided with various literary festivals including the Children’s Book Festival which will run for the month of October.
The scheme also aims to investigate the use of digital and social media as reader development tools, the importance of which Mr Landy, the winner of the Irish Book of the Decade in an online poll, is well aware of.
“I write a blog and I get thousands of comments every week because the kids, the readers have formed their own social network online. They dont need me. I am just the conduit through which they can communicate with one another,” he said.
Originally established 25 years ago, the library scheme is funded by the Arts Council and the Library Council, and is managed and administered by Poetry Ireland and hopes to build on long-term objectives around developing literary readership.