Mostly Books bookshop in Abingdon : Anthony Horowitz

Yesterday we took part in the annual Oxfordshire Book Award, one of the highlights of our year. A full report shortly - but at left is a sneaky pic of the attending authors signing books for pupils from the ten schools that attended.

That's Patrick Ness at the far end, then Nadia Shireen, Tony Ross, Katherine Langrish, Sally Nicholls and Jo Cotterill signing away.

Full blog post - involving author interviews and cake (!) - shortly, but for today's '3 4 Friday' #FridayReads we thought telling you about some very special signed editions was very much in order...

Firstly, you would have to have been at the South Pole not to notice that there is a new David Walliams book out. 'Ratburger' is another gross, grotesque and very funny tale involving our hero Zoe, her pet rat, and a very nasty burger restaurant owner. Inspired (if that's the correct word) by a late-night trip to a burger van, the book contains fantastic illustration by Tony Ross.

And as we were very honoured to meet Tony Ross yesterday, we were extremely pleased to arrange things on the signed copy front. What this means is that - for a limited time only - we have copies of Ratburger signed by both David Walliams and Tony Ross...how cool is that?

Of course, someone who has recently been to the South Pole (well, Antarctica) researching his latest book is 'Stormbreaker' and 'Power of Five' author Anthony Horowitz. To the many children (and some adults) who have been coming into Mostly Books since book four was published, we can now categorically confirm that book five 'Oblivion' is out...

We were lucky enough to meet Anthony Horowitz at an event in Abingdon last year, and we are even luckier to have a (very few) signed copies of 'Oblivion' in stock. The cover is a work of beauty, and the book will certainly not disappoint fans who have waited quite a while. Epic in its scope, with suitably apocalyptic battles and the same strong characterisation that has had fans chomping at the bit for its publication (and boy, do we know), it ensures the Power of Five series finishes on a definite high.

Finally, we have some beautiful, signed hard back editions of one of our favourite books of the year: 'Wolf Princess' by Cathryn Constable. In this beguiling tale, orphan Sophie dreams about ice and snow, dreams in which she is running away. Always fascinated by Russia, the chance of visiting on a school exchange is irresistible. But where they are staying isn’t quite what she and her schoolfriends expect. They find themselves in a winter palace, an atmospheric place mostly derelict, but with only a few very sumptuous rooms, where the few servants are badly treated in a bizarre mix of poverty and majesty, presided over by a wicked princess who tells them bloody stories of the last days of the Tsar. And when she starts to act particularly strangely towards Sophie, the girls realise their adventure is putting them in danger...

The atmosphere is fantastically created and it’s good to find a teen read that’s set in the present day, but with such a great historical context.

I've done some strange things as a bookseller, but walking through Abingdon carrying a large, battery-operated flashing Scorpia Rising display stand must be up there near the top.

We'd had the stand for a month, down the back of the shop, ready and prepared for the bookstall we had very kindly been asked to set-up for a charity event with Anthony Horowitz to raise funds for Helen and Douglas House. However, once we realised the stand would not fit in the car - there was nothing else for it. Luckily the venue is about a ten minute walk away from the shop. And let's be honest, it's Mr Horowitz we're talking about here. Anything to make sure he felt right at home in Abingdon...

I was understandable nervous ahead of the event - five years of selling Alex Rider books, never met the author before, and - like many successful writers - he's obviously someone who demands a lot of himself and those around him. But I needn't have worried: Anthony was a joy to meet and talk to, he was brilliant with the kids (and adults) who queued for over 90 minutes to get their books signed.

But the hour he spent talking and answering questions was a revelation. I don't know quite what I was expecting: maybe some advice for young authors, some amusing anecdotes from the peaks of bestsellerdom, perhaps measured insights into his writing process (from his children's books to writing for Midsomer Murders and Foyles War).

What we got was a highly energetic, hugely entertaining roller-coaster ride through his childhood, education, books, television, film - and with an exclusive extract from House of Silk (the new Sherlock Holmes book already completed, awaiting publication in November) read to an enthralled audience. Throw in an exclusive preview of his new ITV drama Injustice, and lots of questions answered from fans - it was a fantastic evening.

He posed for photographs, and had plenty of discussions with young readers on everything from where he got the names of his baddies from, to what to expect in "Yassen", the "final, final" Stormbreaker book (albeit one not involving Alex Rider) to be published next year.

This was Anthony with the team of volunteers from Helen and Douglas House...and below, with one of the House Guests, Josh Langley...

Now, if you look closely at the girl on the left (Harriet) and on the right (Michelle - although I may have mis-remembered their names) they are wearing home-made Stormbreaker T-shirts. I dubbed them the Stormbreaker-ettes:

...and here are Louis and Jakobi, who were first to the venue and actually got their books signed before the event started...

...and this young chap Mark managed to hurtle out of the auditorium to be first in the queue after the talk, and gets the 'Horowitz-fan-of-the-night' award...

Finally, obligatory pose with slightly overwhelmed booksellers. That's the display stand we're leaning against. He was pretty pleased to see it - so well worth the few odd looks I got from people in the town when I carried it back later, tired but happy...