Magic and Secrets Alex Dunne and Laura Keohane

Magic is everywhere, if you just look hard enough for it! Join us for an immersive event with two authors whose books transport readers to places of magic, mystery, and secrets. In Alex Dunne’s Small Magics (O’Brien Press) Molly must work with her new family, who are anything but ordinary, to defend magical creatures and defeat dark magic before it’s too late. In Laura Keohane’s Secret of the Selkies (O’Brien Press) a lonely summer for Lana takes a magical turn when Carrig Cottage reveals an incredible family secret.

This is a schools’ event for 4th – 6th Class. Booking enquiries to info@dublinbookfestival.com.

Alex Dunne spends her time dreaming up magical tales and drinking far too much tea. Her first book, The Book of Secrets, won the Eilís Dillon Award for best debut in the KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Awards 2023 and was nominated for the Carnegie Medal for Writing. It was followed by The Harp of Power. In her latest book Small Magics, Alex conjures a thrilling magical adventure of self-discovery and belonging, set in modern day Limerick. 

Laura Keohane grew up in in the West of Ireland, reading about magic and fairies. When she was much older, she decided it was time to write her own stories. She is an active member of Writepace Writing Cooperative in Limerick City, and of the INIS creative writing group in Ennis, Co. Clare. In 2024, she was awarded the Betty and Jenny Bursary by Children’s Books Ireland. She is currently undertaking a Masters in Education. She lives in Co. Clare with her family. Secret of the Selkies is her magical debut, a thrilling tale steeped in folklore, as bored Lana makes a shocking discovery about her family’s legacy.