Friday July 4th 2025
Dear Diary,
After WARNING: Magic Can Be Dangerous! won the Children’s Award at the Dudley Children’s Book Awards earlier this year, I reached out to the schools that attended the awards ceremony to see if any of them would like a FREE school visit. Which is how I found myself heading off towards Kingswinford Academy this morning for my very first secondary school visit.
I started off by hosting an assembly for the whole of Year 7… a little worried that my voice wouldn’t carry to the very back of the tiered seating. The audience participation was less hearty than that I normally receive at primary and junior schools, but I’d expected that (having visited a couple of middle schools recently). And once the students started warming up, they soon began asking and answering more questions. One of them asked how I’m able to read from my book without looking at the pages, which must mean I’ve learnt more of the opening chapters off by heart than I’d realised! And it really surprised me to see how many hands suddenly popped up when I called out for some volunteers to join me at the front at one point.
I then went on to deliver two workshops – similar to those I normally provide at primary and junior schools. I was really impressed with how these pupils got straight to work and pleased at how many of them were willing to share their work with their peers by reading aloud. It was a treat to see Mohammed again (after initially meeting him at the award ceremony) given that WARNING: Magic Can Be Dangerous! was his personal favourite! And I’m pleased to hear that he enjoyed WARNING: May Contain Dragons just as much… if not more!!!
During the afternoon, I was fortunate enough to spend an hour with thirty or so gifted writers. I hosted an editing workshop, providing them with some hints and tips and helping them edit the work they’d come up with during their morning workshops. I was amazed how quickly these students took on the advice I gave them and applied it to their writing. They really were quick learners, and it was lovely to witness them polishing and perfecting their work right in front of my eyes.
A couple of pupils that really stood out during this session were Petrina and Zara. The quantity and quality of work they both produced whilst I was there was incredible, earning each of them one of my coveted dragons. And I heard from Petrina as soon as I got home. She sent me a wonderful story she’s been working on lately and asked me for some feedback!
The last session of the day flew by as another small selection of pupils turned their hand to creating comic strips out of the work they’d produced during the morning workshops. And it was clear that there are many talented artists at Kingswinford Academy as well as talented writers.
Sadly, I don’t yet have any photos to share of the day itself or the fantastic work that was produced. But I have no doubt it won’t be long until some of the pupils at Kingswinford have books of their own to share! And I know I’ll be looking out for them in a bookshop near me.
I had a super day at Kingswinford and hope this won’t be the last time I get to visit a secondary school. The pupils were a credit to their school and made me feel so welcome throughout my stay. And if any of them would like some more tips on their writing in the future, I hope they’ll get in touch via the website.
