Author visit delights pupils

On Wednesday, 15 May, it was a huge pleasure to welcome to King’s one of the library’s most-borrowed authors, Kiran Millwood Hargrave.

Kiran is known for books filled with adventure, such as The Girl of Ink and Stars, Julia and the Shark, A Secret of Birds and Bone, and has won multiple awards including the Waterstones Children’s book of the year, the British Book Award and the Blackwells book of the year.

Excited pupils from J3 and Removes gathered in the Vanbrugh Theatre, along with a group of pupils invited from Queen’s Park High School, to hear Kiran talk about her latest book, In the Shadow of the Wolf Queen, a story about the brave Ysolda who embarks on an epic quest to save her sister who has vanished after a mysterious earthquake.

Pupils were enthralled as Kiran talked about how she tries to weave magic from the real world into her books, drawing inspiration from the magical landscape of Eyeri for her Geomancer trilogy. 

After the talk, there was a fabulous buzz in the library as a crowd of pupils joined Kiran for a book signing, taking the opportunity to ask questions about her books at the same time.  

The visit was organised by Head Librarian, Jodie Brooks. 

She said: “There was a lot of excited anticipation about Kiran’s visit as she is a real favourite amongst King’s pupils.

“Her talk was just wonderful. She really engaged the children, especially with the fascinating facts she has discovered when researching her books. I never knew that some sharks live to 800 years and scientists know this by looking at the crystals in their eyes!

“I also loved her advice to the children who asked about being a writers; she told them that the best thing they can do is read lots and then read some more!”