Saturday 27 June, 3pm at the Victoria Library, 160 Buckingham Palace Rd, London SW1W 9TR
Book O’Clock with Gloria Danili: Match Point Junior Special
In Italian
BOOK O’CLOCK is a book club for children aged 4 to 11 and their families, promoted by the Italian Cultural Institute in London. It aired online from September 2021 on the ICI London channels and now continues in person, in a new format, at the Victoria Library, with Gloria Danili, Italian author of children’s and young adult books, a Londoner for more than ten years, and the curator and creator of BOOK O’CLOCK.
This month, for the second year in a row, we are hosting a very special event featuring a collaboration between the ICI London and Il Circolo, for the launch of the second edition of MatchPoint Junior, the artistic-literary competition for children living in the UK. You can find the competition here: https://www.ilcircolo.org.uk/matchpoint-junior/
This year, during BOOK O’CLOCK – MATCHPOINT JUNIOR on 27 June, two workshops will take place simultaneously: one dedicated to writing and/or drawing for the official competition (reserved for children aged 8 to 13), and one “unofficial” workshop for younger children (creating a drawing with the addition of a few words or sentences, a short optional explanation or reflection on the drawing, and a title).
Our creative Book O’Clockers, led by Gloria—one of the competition judges—will have the opportunity to create and submit their works, with the winners to be announced in October 2026.
After reading “Le cose che passano” (The Things That Pass), an evocative picture book by Beatrice Alemagna (Topi Pittori), the Book O’Clockers will write a story or create an image inspired by “That time when…”
As always, remember to align your clocks: story time is about to strike, bringing with it a suitcase full of magic and creativity!
Participation in the event is free, subject to registration on the institute’s website.
Book your place HERE
Please ONLY book for the children attending. Please note, children must be accompanied by a parent/guardian, whose presence is requested throughout the event.
Gloria Danili was born in Monza in September 1982 with a vivid imagination. And in September 2026, 44 years later, she will fulfil her lifelong dream: bringing one of her stories to the stage of a historic and prestigious London theatre, the Bridewell Theatre, together with an exceptional team! After a master’s degree in creative writing at the Catholic University of Milan, she worked as a television writer (DeaKids and Super!), published “Tamara Tombé e la stella del teatro” for Lapis Edizioni, and the five‑book series “Blanche” for Battello a Vapore (Piemme) and Pocket Jeunesse. With Edizioni Corsare she published “La bizzarra società segreta di Mr Moore” (11+) and her first picture book “La mia strana vicina”, illustrated by Ericavale Morello. Since 2021 she has curated and hosted “Book O’Clock” for the Italian Cultural Institute in London at the Victoria Library. Since 2025 she has chaired the jury of MatchPoint Junior for Il Circolo. She is the producer and founder of the newly established Scrambled Books LTD, a theatre production company.
Il Circolo is a charity that promotes Italian culture in the United Kingdom through events and raises funds for scholarships and projects related to Italian culture and language. https://www.ilcircolo.org.uk/
Poster image by Bimba Landmann