In the media

Starlight partners with Adam Kay

Bestselling author Adam Kay partners with Starlight for Dexter Procter the 10-Year-Old Doctor

Dexter Procter The 10-Year-Old Doctor is the first children’s fiction series for middle grade readers aged 7+ written by award-winning author and non-award-winning doctor Adam Kay and illustrated by Henry Paker.

Adam Kay, along with fellow comedian and illustrator Henry Paker and publisher Puffin, will support us and MediCinema by donating mini-libraries to multiple hospitals to improve wellbeing and quality of life for young patients and their families through play and entertainment. Kay and Paker will also bring their very funny, frequently disgusting and quietly educational trademark humour to multiple in-hospital events for young patients.

The duo will be visiting two children’s hospitals during Play in Healthcare Week (w/c 14th October) to highlight the importance of play for children in hospital and to celebrate the vital work of health play practitioners across the NHS.

Dexter Procter The 10-Year-Old Doctor is a laugh-out-loud medical mystery series which demystifies medicine and hospitals for young readers. Dexter has always been a bit different. He started speaking at four seconds old. 

By the age of three, he had 87 A-levels, from Afrikaans to Zoology. And by ten, he was working as a paediatrician at Lilydale General Hospital. Dexter, who has always struggled to fit in himself, has now made it his mission to improve the hospital experience and wellbeing of all his young patients. We hope Dexter Procter can help with all their amazing work bringing joy and fun to young patients.

‘I’m desperately proud to partner with charities as special and important as MediCinema and Starlight. Hospitals can be very scary places for kids, and both charities make a very real difference to how young people experience our health services. I’ve seen their amazing work in action, and I can’t wait to hit the wards for these events. Hopefully I’ll get a big smiley-face sticker.’

Adam Kay

Laura Walsh, Head of Play at Starlight, said: ‘Children tell us hospitals are scary and play makes it better. Providing children in hospital with the opportunity, time and space to play is essential to boost their mental and physical health during treatment. Play can reduce the pain and trauma of medical procedures, encourage children to express and manage their feelings and help them to actually enjoy the long, lonely hours when they’re away from everyone and everything that is familiar and comforting to them. We are delighted to be working with Adam and Henry who are generously offering their time and the gift of books to support the power of play. Play is a right, not a nice-to-have.’

For more information, please visit www.puffin.co.uk or follow Puffin on: Twitter/Facebook: @PuffinBooks | Instagram: @puffinbooksuk