A WEEK-LONG celebration of literature organised with the aim of getting children to put down their smartphones and pick up a book will take place this June.

Hanford School's first literary festival will feature talks by authors including Emma Carroll, Philip Reeve and Julia Golding.

There will also be talks open to older children and adults in the evenings, with writers such as Joanna Trollope and Damien Lewis due to speak about their work.

Each of the authors booked for the festival in Child Okeford has a connection to Dorset.

Organiser Carrie Lewis, who is both director of studies and head of English at the girls' boarding preparatory school, said: "I've been putting this together for about a year.

"I've got a passion for reading myself, which is how this all came about, and reading is essential to life here at Hanford."

Students of Hanford, who are aged between seven and 13, are encouraged to climb trees, ride ponies and enjoy midnight feasts at the school.

Mrs Lewis said pupils are given restricted time to use the school's computers but urged to read and play instead of going online or watching television.

"There's a real culture of reading here and pupils are given very limited screen time," she said.

"The girls play a lot outside and they read a great deal too. They don't really watch television. It's about having a fantastic childhood.

"They find reading really exciting. I wanted to open that up to other local children as well, so we've invited a number of the schools in the area to the festival."

Each of the events at the festival, which takes place between June 19 and 24, is free to attend. Workshops are already booked up, with many talks set to be sell-outs, Mrs Lewis said.

"The authors have been incredibly generous," she said.

"It really snowballed. One person will suggest another.

"It's been absolutely wonderful. It's very exciting indeed."

For more information, or to book free tickets, visit hanford.dorset.sch.uk