Popular children's author, Sophie Anderson has visited King James to deliver a presentation and workshop about creative writing to our Year 7 students.

Sophie is a rising star in the world of children's fiction, following the release of her recent debut novel, "The House with Chicken Legs'. The story is inspired by the traditional Russian fairy-tale of "Baba Yaga'; a witch who lives in a house with chicken legs, which can move from place to place.

During the presentation, Sophie discussed the inspiration behind her book, and explained why she chose to re-imagine an existing fairy tale for her own work. She also made the session more interactive by giving students the chance to ask her questions about her book, and her writing career. As well as this, she worked with a small group of Year 7 students in a creative writing workshop where pupils were given creative freedom to re-imagine a fairy tale for themselves with help and guidance from Sophie. Students were also tasked with writing their own version of the backstory of their favourite villains from fairy tales; this led to some outstanding ideas.

At the end of the workshop Sophie signed copies of her novel, which has been shortlisted for the 'Blue Peter Book Awards'. Workshop participants said that they really enjoyed meeting Sophie; they loved learning about her book and she offered lots of tips on effective storytelling so that students could improve their writing skills.