The Circus Lesson

Sally Rippin is Australia’s highest-selling female author and has written over 100 books for children and young adults. Her widely popular Billie B Brown books are beloved across the globe, and have sold more than ten million copies in eighteen countries. She loves to write stories with heart and characters that resonate with children, parents and teachers alike. Sally is a passionate ambassador for the 100 Story Building creative writing centre, was a regular presenter on 3RRR radio and is a popular speaker at schools and festivals. She taught Writing For Children as a part of the Professional Writing and Editing Program at RMIT as well as the Faber Academy and has mentored many emerging writers and illustrators.

Rupert Degas is a prolific audiobook narrator with decades of experience narrating audiobooks, with some 300 titles to his credit. His extensive catalogue showcases his remarkable ability to bring different characters to life with his voice. He has received particular critical acclaim for his performances of The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss and for Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy. In 2022 Rupert was inducted as a Golden Voice by AudioFile Magazine. What is a Golden Voice? According to AudioFile, 'a Golden Voice narrator exemplifies the very best in audiobook talent, and AudioFile bestows the highest honour in audiobook narration on voice artists who have made significant contributions to the audiobook art form'. Since 1992 AudioFile has given this lifetime achievement honour to just 38 audiobook narrators including Miriam Margolyes, Jim Dale, Martin Jarvis, and Derek Jacobi. Great company indeed! In addition to audiobooks Rupert has provided voices for more than 30 animated films and series including Bob the Builder, The Amazing World of Gumball, Thomas & Friends and The Wild Adventures of Blinky Bill. Rupert has performed in many radio series and video games, as well as voicing thousands of commercials and promos. He also sometimes appears on film, TV and stage, most notably in the original London productions of Stones in His Pockets and The 39 Steps – for which he and the team won the 2007 Olivier Award for Best Comedy.