Tuesday 10 November 2026 · 6.00pm · Alleyn’s Regent’s Park, Gloucester Avenue, London NW1
The first evening in the Thinking On series takes on the subject closest to every primary classroom: reading.
Children have never had more competing for their attention. Yet BookTok has sent teenagers back into bookshops, audiobooks are booming, and bedtime stories are still the ritual most parents refuse to give up. So has the story really changed, or has it just found new ways to be told?
Thinking On Reading brings together four people who shape how children discover stories: a bestselling author-illustrator, a pioneer of reading technology, the CEO of one of the world’s great publishing houses, and an award-winning author using augmented reality to put every child on the page. We’ll ask them a simple question: is the love of reading in trouble, or in better shape than we think?
Why come?
- You will leave with a clearer picture of what actually helps a child become a reader – and what gets in the way.
- Practical, honest answers on screens, audiobooks, reluctant readers and reading for pleasure.
- A rare chance to put your own questions to people who shape what children read.
The questions we’ll be asking
Reading in 2026: has the story changed? In a world of screens and scrolling, is the love of reading under threat, or is it stronger than ever? And does every child get to see themselves in the stories they read?
Meet the panel
Our panel brings together one of the most recognisable names on a primary school bookshelf, the inventor of technology that listens to children read, the publisher leading Simon & Schuster UK, and an author reinventing the picture book for a new generation. That makes four very different answers to the same question.
Rob Biddulph
Kim Antoniou
Pamela Aculey
Perminder Mann
Rob Biddulph
Author-illustrator; World Book Day Illustrator 2019–2021
Rob Biddulph is a bestselling author-illustrator and was the official World Book Day Illustrator for three years running, from 2019 to 2021.
His picture books – among them Blown Away, which won the Waterstones Children's Book Prize, Odd Dog Out, Sunk! and Gigantic – have made him one of the most recognisable names on a primary school bookshelf, and his Peanut Jones novels have carried that readership on into fiction. He was named Illustrator of the Year at the 2025 British Book Awards.
When schools closed in 2020 he began posting twice-weekly draw-along videos. #DrawWithRob set a Guinness World Record – 45,611 households in a single online art class – and raised more than £50,000 for charity. It is also a neat argument for this panel: what pulls a child towards a page is often a pencil as much as a book.
Kim Antoniou
Founder & CEO, Auris Tech; creator of Fonetti
Kim Antoniou is the inventor behind a unique, multi-patented speech recognition engine built specifically for reading aloud. Developed in collaboration with speech scientists at the University of Edinburgh, the technology listens as a child reads, follows every word, and measures fluency, accuracy, and engagement in real time.
Kim believes the love of reading isn't disappearing, but too many children simply aren't getting the support and opportunity they need to become confident readers. With around one in four children leaving primary school without the reading skills needed to read for meaning, learning, and pleasure, she has spent the past decade developing technology to help change that.
Through Fonetti and the National Read-Aloud Challenge, Kim's mission is simple but ambitious: to give every child the opportunity to find their voice, build confidence, and experience the life-changing power of reading.
Pamela Aculey
Pamela Aculey is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, TEDx speaker and founder of MIXD Reality, a creative technology company reimagining how children experience stories through inclusive and immersive technology.
Inspired by her son Walter, who is autistic, Pamela created Just Like Me Books and laterBuster Finds His Beat, an interactive children’s book combining physical storytelling with optional augmented reality to encourage engagement and different ways of experiencing a story. Buster Finds His Beatwon the Faber Children’s Publishers Prize in 2020 and has received support from actor Will Poulter and presenter Davina McCall.
Her work sits at the intersection of storytelling, technology, education and inclusion, with a focus on creating experiences that allow children to explore, discover and engage on their own terms. Curiosity sits at the heart of that approach.
Pamela has spoken at TEDx and SXSW London and is a winner of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, the Black Tech Achievement Awards and the Midlands Women in Tech Awards.
Through MIXD Reality, she is now exploring the next generation of inclusive storytelling and immersive learning experiences.
Her guiding belief is simple: create the things you wish existed.
Perminder Mann
Few people in British publishing are more passionate about making books and reading accessible to everyone than Perminder Mann. As CEO of Simon & Schuster UK and International, she leads one of the world’s great publishing houses, with responsibility for its adult, children’s and audio lists across the UK, Australia and India.
Her own reading story began in a Southall library. The eldest of eight children born to Punjabi immigrant parents, Perminder grew up speaking Punjabi as her first language. It was on the shelves of her local library that she discovered the books that opened up her world, and began a lifelong belief in the power of reading.
Before joining Simon & Schuster, she led Bonnier Books UK for eight years, championing new voices, embracing digital creators and becoming an early advocate for permanent flexible working.
A former President of the Publishers Association, Perminder helped drive the creation of the National Year of Reading 2026 and, until recently, chaired the mentoring charity Arts Emergency. She is a passionate advocate for making books and reading accessible to everyone, regardless of their background.
She believes the right book, discovered at the right moment, can change the course of a life. Come and hear why.
Book your place
Tickets for Thinking On are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors open at 5.30pm for a 6.00pm start, with drinks available before and after the discussion. Book now to secure your seat.
