Mike Rampton
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mikerampton.bsky.social
Mike Rampton
@mikerampton.bsky.social
1.4K followers 420 following 860 posts
Author, journalist, hero, dad, sleepy etc. He/him. Cambridge, UK. Please buy my books There's No Such Thing As A Silly Question and Become A Genius In A Year, both out now and great. Go on.
mikerampton.com / interestingskull.beehiiv.com
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mikerampton.bsky.social
Christmas is coming. A great van taught me that. If you have children to buy presents for, please consider these books I wrote. Both are fun, funny, fact-filled and great for both reluctant and enthusiastic readers. Become A Genius In A Year and There's No Such Thing As A Silly Question: buy them!
The cover of Become A Genius In A Year, written by me and illustrated by Gareth Williams, showing an enthusiastic young boy whose Genius-O-Meter has shot up from Low to WOAH! A fact a day to become a SUPERBRAIN! The cover of There's no Such Thing As A Silly Question, written by me and illustrated by Guilherme Karsten, showing a small boy with an enormous speech bubble containing smelly cheese, a T.rex skeleton, a volcano, a penguin, toilet paper, a kite, a fishbowl and more. 213 weird questions, expertly answered!
November 13, 2025 at 1:55 PM
mikerampton.bsky.social
It's quite good. It's quite a good achievement I reckon. www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/2025-bo...
A man — he might be quite handsome actually, it's hard to tell because he's doing a silly face — biting into a great-looking hardback book. The man is author Mike Rampton, the book There Are No Silly Questions, written by him and illustrated by Guilherme Karsten. The image proclaims "Barnes & Noble Book of the Year 2025 Finalist".
October 24, 2025 at 11:48 AM
mikerampton.bsky.social
America! Americans! People who know Americans! This big wonderful book I wrote is out in the US today. It's lovely and huge and interesting. Cheers!
Please buy this extremely cool book I wrote, it took forever. AMERICA! THIS BOOK IS OUT TODAY. There Are No Silly Questions, written by Mike Rampton and illustrated by Guilherme Karsten. More than 200 weird and wacky questions, expertly answered with help from academics, scientists and other clever people from the University of Cambridge. It's big! It's beautiful! It's brainy! Available from nosycrow.us
October 14, 2025 at 7:09 AM
mikerampton.bsky.social
I talked about being sick, and being sicked on, at the Park Theatre in Finsbury Park yesterday as part of a @comedyclub4kids.bsky.social show. Really good fun. I am a high-achieving champion entertainer destined for greatness.
A 42-year-old man (who could absolutely pass for 28, he looks amazing) on a stage in front of a pastel-lit rainbow backdrop. He is wearing a velociraptor jumper that has seen better days, knackered jeans and some trainers he got free in 2011. He's holding a microphone and almost certainly being very, very funny.
October 13, 2025 at 11:45 AM
mikerampton.bsky.social
Amazon are clearly baddies and nobody should use them. That said, my wonderful book There's No Such Thing As A Silly Question is just a tenner on there today (RRP £18.99) and makes a great Christmas present, so you might want to buy thirty or so. www.amazon.co.uk/dp/183994739X/
The cover of the book There's No Such Thing As A Silly Question, beautifully illustrated by the great Guilherme Karsten.
October 7, 2025 at 8:21 AM
mikerampton.bsky.social
Because my life makes minimal sense, I am performing at a children's comedy show with actual real amazing comedians next week. Anything you don't understand about how this has happened, I also don't understand about how this has happened.
A flyer for Comedy Club 4 Kids, taking place in Finsbury Park's Park Theatre on October 12th featuring Michael Legge, David Hoare, Bec Hill and somehow me. (And also on November 9th with Rob Kemp, Basil Crumbwick and Mandeep Singh, but I'm mainly interested in the "Mike Rampton" bit.)
October 3, 2025 at 12:01 PM
mikerampton.bsky.social
In two weeks, THERE ARE NO SILLY QUESTIONS is released in America. It'll definitely be the biggest cultural thing to happen this month I reckon.
A flyer proclaiming "Out on October 17 in the United States of America: OCTOBER'S BIGGEST ALBUM (in the French sense of "large colorful book") There Are No Silly Questions, available from nosycrow.us"
October 3, 2025 at 7:11 AM
mikerampton.bsky.social
Exciting! There's No Such Thing As A Silly Question has been longlisted for the UK Literacy Association Book Awards in the Information 3-14 category alongside 19 other beautiful, fascinating titles that it is ace just to be discussed alongside. (But my book is the best.) ukla.org/ukla-book-aw...
The cover of There's No Such Thing As A Silly Question, beautifully illustrated by Guilherme Karsten. It shows a boy and a huge speech bubble which contains everything from a volcano to a goldfish to a kite to a banana to a penguin. The book is published by Nosy Crow and the University of Cambridge and it would be great if you could buy it, buy loads of copies, tell all your friends to buy lots as well, thanks very much. The first section of the longlist. Ayo’s Adventure: Across the African Diaspora from Afro to Zulu. Written by Ain Heath Drew and illustrated by Erin K. Robinson (Barefoot Books) Black History for Every Day of the Year. Written by David Olusoga, Yinka Olusoga and Kemi Olusoga; illustrated by Kemi Olusoga (Macmillan) Bridges. Written by Magda Garguláková and illustrated by Jakub Bachorík (Post Wave Children’s Books) Bright Birds and their brilliant brains. Written and illustrated by Kate Read (Two Hoots) Choose Your Own Evolution. Written by Jules Howard and illustrated by Gordy Wright (Nosy Crow) Explodapedia: The Brain. Written by Ben Martynoga and illustrated by Moose Allain (David Fickling Books) Frog. Written by Isabel Thomas and illustrated by Daniel Egnéus (Bloomsbury) The second section of the longlist. Galápagos Islands: The World’s Living Laboratory. Written by Karen Romano Young and illustrated by Amy Grimes (What on Earth!) Graphic Novel Builder: The illustrated guide to making your own comics Written and illustrated by Edward Ross (Collins) It’s a Brave Young World. Written by Anu Adebogun and illustrated by Soofiya and Lila Cruz (Little Tiger Press) Me and My Hair. Written by Kimberley Kinloch and illustrated by Jessica Gibson (Usborne) Michael Rosen’s Pocket Shakespeare: A Beginner’s Guide to the Best Bits of the Bard. Written by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Chris Riddell (Walker Books) Six Queens. Written and illustrated by Lydia Monk (Macmillan) The Endless Sea. Written by Chi Thai and illustrated by Linh Dao (Walker Books) The History of Information. Written and illustrated by Chris Haughton (DK) The third section of the longlist. The Jellyfish Garden. Written by Paola Vitale, illustrated by Rossana Bossù and translated by Margaret Greenan ( Post Wave Children’s Books) University of Cambridge: There’s No Such Thing as a Silly Question. Written by Mike Rampton and illustrated by Guilherme Karsten (Nosy Crow) We Are Your Children. Written and illustrated by David Roberts (Two Hoots) Who lives here? Written and illustrated by Alexandra Milton (Boxer Books) Why Do We Sleep? Written by Cathy Evans and illustrated by Polya Plavinskaia (Cicada
September 16, 2025 at 9:12 AM
mikerampton.bsky.social
There is a fifth image which I suppose gets a post of its own. That email address again: mikerampton at gmail dot com. Thank you!
Me with a pen in my mouth and the message "PLEASE HIRE ME TO WRITE STUFF, I AM SO BROKE HAHA" along with the less important message that I'm not against making "man with pen in mouth" my visual trademark.
September 8, 2025 at 11:24 AM
mikerampton.bsky.social
I am available for freelance writing work. mikerampton at gmail dot com. I am very funny!
Me with a pen in my mouth and the message "I SURE COULD DO WITH SOME FREELANCE WRITING WORK" I've been working on some cool books for the last few months, you see. They're finished, but it'll be a while before any more money comes in. So I'd really love some fun, shorter-than-books writing! Whenever I offer to explain the idiosyncrasies of the publishing industry to the electricity company, they say things like, "No thanks, Mike, just give us the money you owe us, you are a terrible customer." There's also a picture of Shakespeare with the message: "I am basically the children's non-fiction version of this guy: talented, prolific, hairline not quite where it once was." I am genuinely very good! Look at my great books! (Poo What Where?, There's No Such Thing As A Silly Question, The Unsolved Mystery Of Bigfoot, Become A Genius in A Year, Legends Of Mythical Monsters) Plus three more coming out in 2026: I'm incredible! I've written for all sorts of websites, papers, magazines and brands. Beano! Comedy Central! Cracked! Esquire! GQ! The Guardian! HUffPost! The I Paper! ITV! Kerrang! Maude! MEL! Men's Health! Metro! Mental Floss! SFX! ShortList! Starling Bank! Tesco! Vice! Just not that much recently due to all these exciting book projects I think I mentioned. I'm incredibly talented and very funny, I'd like to make that clear. Why not commission me to write some fun stuff for you?
September 8, 2025 at 11:22 AM
mikerampton.bsky.social
“What name can we give our driving range machinery company that definitely isn’t both horrible and silly?”
The sign from a piece of driving range machinery made by a company called BADCOCK
August 24, 2025 at 5:51 PM
mikerampton.bsky.social
As a freelance journalist it's good to have a specialty. Mine is "unnecessarily pouring drinks on my head". I am available for commission.
Me pouring low-alcohol beer on myself for an article about low-alcohol beer. It's dribbling off my chin. Me pouring alcopops on myself for an article about alcopops. It's cascading off my head. Me pouring coffee on myself for an article about coffee. It's drenching my chest.
August 18, 2025 at 10:40 AM
mikerampton.bsky.social
One of the things I enjoy about freelancing is that sometimes it makes sense to pour a bottle of VK Blue over your head. inews.co.uk/inews-lifest...
August 11, 2025 at 12:03 PM
mikerampton.bsky.social
PARENTS! If your children are at the restless stage of the summer holiday, I have two books out which guarantee* a few hours of peace and quiet. Wholesome, fact-filled, jolly good stuff. Usual websites, local bookshops etc, or uk.bookshop.org/shop/mikeram...

*nothing is guaranteed but they're ace
The cover of BECOME A GENIUS IN A YEAR, featuring an excited young boy whose Genius-O-Meter has gone from Low to Woah! Illustrated by Gareth Williams, published by HarperCollins Children's Books. The cover of THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS A SILLY QUESTION, featuring a kid asking an enormous speech bubble filled with various things: cheese, volcanoes, a goldfish etc. Illustrated by Guilherme Karsten, published by Nosy Crow.
August 9, 2025 at 12:12 PM
mikerampton.bsky.social
I have put some information about multiple exciting upcoming books on my great website MIKE RAMPTON DOT COM. mikerampton.com
The cover of Poo What Where?, written by me and illustrated by Gareth Conway. It's a funny cartoony image of a sewage pipe, a dinosaur, an astronaut and a wombat, and lots of poo.
August 1, 2025 at 8:11 AM
mikerampton.bsky.social
I interviewed a guy for Kerrang! ages ago who specialises in them and does goofy ones. Christophe Szpajdel, he's ace: www.kerrang.com/inside-the-w...
wallace and gromit in a black metal logo by Christophe Szpajdel
July 31, 2025 at 11:03 AM
mikerampton.bsky.social
GET THESE SKELETONS OUT OF MY BODY
A label from a model skeleton that says, in part, “There are more than 200 skeletons of various shapes in the human body”.
July 26, 2025 at 9:28 AM
mikerampton.bsky.social
The American version of There’s No Such Thing As A Silly Question has a different title for some reason but is still largely the same rootin’ tootin’ non-fiction cowabunga of a book. If you live in the United US American States of the USA, please buy it when it comes out in October. Yee-haw!
There Are No Silly Questions, by Mike Rampton, illustrated by Guilherme Karsten, out from Nosy Crow US this October.
July 22, 2025 at 7:34 AM
mikerampton.bsky.social
I did three talks across two schools in Peterborough today, and am SO TIRED AND HUNGRY.
A man (author Mike Rampton) in shorts and a Hawaiian shirt gesticulating while addressing a hall filled with nine-year-olds.
June 23, 2025 at 3:59 PM
mikerampton.bsky.social
Genuine question: can anyone identify the species of spider/tarantula seen on my (fat) face fifteen or so years ago? I am aware I look very, very bad in this photograph, yes, thanks.
Me, around 2010, with a spider or tarantula on my face, I'm not sure which. It's big and hairy and most people wouldn't want it on their faces but most people aren't as stupid as I was in 2010.
June 22, 2025 at 12:13 PM
mikerampton.bsky.social
For 5,000 years, Stonehenge was the most beautiful monument in Salisbury. Then someone in their Waterstones did this.
An in-store display of Become A Genius in A Year. There are about fifty copies, it's amazing. Great book, btw. I wrote it.
June 16, 2025 at 4:26 PM
mikerampton.bsky.social
There is a hedgehog outside my house. I love it.
Wonky looking hedgehog in a pleasant green field in Cambridgeshire
June 15, 2025 at 8:41 PM
mikerampton.bsky.social
A very exciting Father’s Day gift from my daughter.
A biro drawing of a toilet roll done by my daughter
June 15, 2025 at 8:45 AM
mikerampton.bsky.social
My dad sent me this picture from Sainsbury's in Coleraine, where I am sharing a shelf with Enid Blyton, Liz Pichon and @jamiesmart.bsky.social — plus sharing a shop with a great many delicious pizzas and handy household goods
June 5, 2025 at 2:38 PM
mikerampton.bsky.social
Amazingly, Amazon have sold out of my excellent new book, Become A Genius In A Year. If you want to buy it — and you should, it's great — it's in Waterstones and Sainsbury's. I think it's cheapest in Sainsbury's. Buy yourself a lolly with the savings.
Become A Genius In A Year, by Mike Rampton, illustrated by Gareth Williams
May 23, 2025 at 8:43 AM