Friday September 20th 2024

Dear Diary,

Well, today kicked off with heavy downpours and thunderstorms forecast, and a wheel snapping off my author trolley – the contents of which weigh more than a baby elephant. But other than that, my visit to the amazingly awesome Abbeymead Primary School started the second term of my author visits off perfectly! In fact, I think today’s assembly was one of my most favourite so far! The pupils listened, they giggled, they got involved, they were engaged, and they had so many wonderful questions for me. The workshops that followed for Years 4, 5, and 6 all seemed to be over in a flash. But despite that, there were so many delightful characters and stories created… some of the stories being four or five pages long! Abbeymead Primary clearly puts a lot of focus into literacy, and the pupils there put an awful lot of effort into the activities I put on today. I could have given out ten times as many certificates, if only I’d had more with me. And it’s always such a joy when the pupils want to stand up and share their work with the rest of the class or Year Group. There sadly wasn’t nearly enough time for everyone who wanted to share to take their turn. Perhaps they’ll get to read their masterpieces out to the rest of their class another time. And I hope the pupil who wanted to read aloud, but then didn’t feel quite brave enough this time around, knows how proud I was of him for trying. I was never that brave when I was at primary school! Ellie and the staff were fantastic today, and I’m so pleased to have been invited to their super school. The pupils were brilliant, too, and made my first visit this term utterly unforgettable. But I still can’t believe how many wonderful parents queued for ages – in the torrential rain during the thunderstorm – to purchase a copy of WARNING: Magic Can Be Dangerous!… I hope their children enjoy it and get in touch via the website.