Saturday 31 October 2026 | 11am and 2.30pm, one-hour sessions | £5 per child, or £12.50 including a signed copy of the book; Museum admission additional | Ages 8+.
Join author David Gilbert for a Halloween storytelling workshop inspired by his book Silver Serpent and the Wild Ice Child, published by Author In Me, where Anglo-Saxon history meets ghosts and mystery.
Inspired by the real archaeology of Cookham Abbey, the workshop takes children back more than 1,200 years to discover how clues from the past can inspire new stories.
Enjoy an interactive reading, uncover clues from Cookham Abbey’s past and create your own friendly ghost with a story to tell.
What to expect
During this fun, one-hour interactive workshop, children will:
- Enjoy an interactive reading with David from Silver Serpent and the Wild Ice Child.
- Discover fascinating facts about Anglo-Saxon England and Cookham Abbey, and learn how archaeologists use objects and other clues to understand people who lived more than 1,200 years ago.
- Meet some of the unusual characters and ghosts from the book.
- Create their own friendly ghost and imagine the story it has been waiting over 1,200 years to tell.
Combining history, mystery, archaeology and imagination, this Halloween workshop invites young readers to become story detectives and discover that sometimes the strangest stories can begin with something real from the past.
About the Book
Silver Serpent and the Wild Ice Child is a historical fiction novel for readers aged 8-12, blending adventure, history, imagination, and gentle humour.
When a chronicler is drawn into the pages of a mysterious book and transformed into a kestrel, he finds himself soaring above an 8th-century Anglo-Saxon monastery near what is now Cookham Abbey. From the skies, he observes a world shaped by loyalty, belief, rivalry, and the weight of inherited conflicts.
Across eleven interconnected chapters rooted in the Saxon age, the story follows a girl who can speak with animals and a boy raised to believe revenge against historic enemies is his duty. As friendship, kindness, and shared experience begin to challenge old divisions, the boy is forced to question what he has been taught and decide who he wants to become.
Inspired by real archaeological discoveries and grounded in a strong sense of place, the novel explores inclusion, moral choice, empathy, and the power of friendship. With moments of warmth and humour, including mischievous ghostly characters, it is well suited to libraries, schools, classroom reading, and bookshops.
Publication date: 29 September 2026
View the event details
Book through the Museum’s ticket portal. Select Museum admission first, then add workshop tickets.
Buy the book: Amazon
Email: hello@roalddahlmuseum.org
Telephone: 01494 892192
