READERS of all ages can look forward to two days of literary treats at the Ryedale Book Festival in Malton this weekend.

The children's programme kicks off on Friday at 5.00 pm with best-selling writer Cressida Cowell at a special Movie Night at the Milton Rooms. She'll be signing books from 4.30 pm before she introduces the film adaptation of "How to Train Your Dragon". The ticket, priced at £10.00 includes a drink and pop-corn as well as entitlement to free entry to any of the festival events at The Wesley Centre on Saturday.

The Saturday programme brings more dragon-themed events including a rare dragon drawing workshop with award-winning illustrator Emily Gravett, a poetry and magic show for all the family, stories and crafts based on the children's classic story The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Graham and a chance for older children to meet fantasy writer Sarah Driver – whose Huntress Trilogy will appeal to fans of Philip Pullman.

For families with young children there are fun events taking place across Malton town centre including decorating a "Zog" biscuit, painting a pottery dragon and doing dragon dot-to-dots. The day will end with a bedtime story read by Emily Gravett at the Wesley Centre.

But the Festival team are keen for people to understand that the children's Day-of Dragons is only part of the offer this weekend. There are even more events for adults which are taking place in the Milton Rooms.

Alan Johnson will be talking to David Banks about the music that formed the soundtrack to his life in a "Desert Island Discs" style of event on Friday evening. The Saturday has a strong and varied line-up of fiction writers whose writing is about Tudor history (Tracy Borman), rural life a century ago (Tim Pears), a murder (Stephen Booth), romance (Jane Lovering), wine-tasting (Peter Stafford-Bow) and social media issues (Dr Paula Byrne and Laura Steven).

Not forgetting people who like to discover new writing, there is a special event at the Talbot Hotel at which writer and short story expert Chris Power will reveal the winner of the Festival's 2018 Short Story Competition. Over 150 entries were received from across the United Kingdom. The short-listed ten stories have been published by Blackthorn Press in an anthology priced at £9.99 and available from local libraries and bookshops. The winning three writers will be announced at 4.30 pm by Chris Power, whose "Brief Survey of the Short Story" has been published in the Guardian since 2007.

The Festival organisers are grateful to the volunteers and supporters and hope that this year, their 6th autumn weekend in Malton will prove to be more popular than ever.

Festival Director, Sarah Tyson said: "Each year we feel as though word is getting out that our events are interesting, entertaining, friendly and make a good day out for local people and visitors from further afield. We have had a great write-up from over the Pennines this year too, so maybe we'll see some new faces in the audience. It's always lovely to hear people commenting so favourably about Malton and the surrounding area. I agree when I am told how lucky I am to live in Ryedale – it has so much to offer."

To find out more about any of the events mentioned, or to buy tickets visit www.ryedalebookfestival.com or call the Box Office 07983 943 029