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Last Saturday brought with it blue skies, an early start and Tamarind’s final event of the season: the National Union of Teachers Black Teachers’ Conference. The NUT did their best to make the conference wonderful, holding it in the beautiful Stoke Rochford Hall, Lincolnshire, the shire Benjamin Zephaniah calls home.

We broke a land speed record, selling over 200 Tamarind books in two half-hour breaks. We introduced teachers to Malorie Blackman’s Noughts and Crosses saga and to her new title Boys Don’t Cry, perfect for secondary students and adults looking for their next read. Most teachers also signed up to the Tamarind e-newsletter. Not a newsletter reader yet? Sign up here.

Teachers go NUTs in beautiful surroundings

Tamarind Books staff were swamped at the NUT Black Teachers Conference, selling £400 worth of books in just 30 minutes. Eager teachers were three people deep around the Tamarind stand during the first break of the annual conference at Stoke Rochford Hall in Lincolnshire, with popular titles such as Barack Obama, Malorie Blackman and Benjamin Zephaniah selling out by the end of the day. All 140 delegates also received a Tamarind catalogue as part of their conference pack.

Over 100 books were sold, making it Tamarind’s most successful year as an exhibitor at the event. “Your stand was so popular I thought you were giving the books away for free!” said one teacher later in the day. A testament to the lure of Tamarind…

Tamarind’s first activity pack is now available for free in hard copy and to download. The pack includes six pages of activities with a maze, word games and quizzes, plus a double-sided poster.

Each sheet is connected to one or more Tamarind titles:

Choices, Choices… and What Will I Be? for 5+
The Silence Seeker for 7+
The Black Stars biographies for 9+

The pack is proving to be a popular resource for primary teachers, parents and librarians. Packs are also distributed at events and by Readathon, Askews Library Services and Peters Library Services. Email info@tamarindbooks.co.uk for hard copies.