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 Visit from Joseph Elliot author of Good Hawk

The Lower School were treated to a visit from highly acclaimed author Joseph Elliott, who spoke to them about his books and his love of writing.

Joseph is the award-winning author of the Shadow Skye trilogy, with the first in the trilogy being nominated for the prestigious Carnegie Medal.

His protagonist 14-year-old Agatha has Down’s syndrome and was inspired by his work in schools alongside children with special educational needs. He explained that the lack of representation for many disabilities was something he wanted to address, as everyone should see themselves represented in books.

Joseph is known not only for his literary achievements, but also for his role as Cook in the CBeebies TV show Swashbuckle – a programme that has captured the hearts of many young viewers, and pupils were clearly excited to meet him.

The visit was timed to tie in with the launch of the Third Form 500 words writing competition which is run each year by the Library in collaboration with the English department. Joseph shared top tips and insights into his writing journey, hopefully inspiring pupils to write themselves.

At the end, pupils asked excellent questions and there was a long queue for book buying and book buying and signing, which was indicative that pupils had been inspired.