Save Christmas! Matt Haig comes to Abingdon

Given that there are still 44 days to Christmas (that's almost one-eighth of a year!) you might be forgiven for doing a double-take if you'd peeked inside the main hall at Our Lady's Abingdon this afternoon. Christmas jumpers, reindeer antlers, santa hats, and 350 children shouting 'Merry Christmas' at a man standing at the front of the room clutching a microphone, trying desperately to increase the readings on a Christmas 'Barometer of Hope'...

...but it was "snow mistake". On Thursday, Nov 10, children children, teachers, librarians and parent helpers from seven schools welcomed bestselling author Matt Haig to Abingdon, to talk about his book 'The Girl Who Saved Christmas'.

The event was raucous, very Christmassy, and definitely full of hope.

The book is the follow-up to 'A Boy Called Christmas', one of the hits of 2015, and the true story of the boy who would grow up to grant children's wishes around the world. 

The girl in question is Amelia, who seeks out Father Christmas to grant her a wish, but discovers Christmas in danger of being cancelled. Father Christmas has more than impossible wishes to worry about, including upset elves, troublesome trolls and reindeer dropping out of the sky. What can be done?

Matt is a remarkable author, and given that he was in the middle of an awesomely ambitious round-UK tour, full of energy and enthusiasm, as he pitched half the audience against the other in a game of 'Elves v Trolls'.

Matt's Christmas books are illustrated by Chris Mould (no stranger to Abingdon) and even though Chris wasn't able to attend, there was plenty of video of him showing how the illustrations make the book come to life, and how the look and feel of the characters - including a certain Charles Dickens, Queen Victoria and Soot her cat.

Children came from Thomas Reade, Thameside, St Edmunds, Rush Common and Dunmore Primary Schools, and their were pupils from both OLA Juniors and Seniors.

It was a triumph of organisation and hard work by all the schools involved, particularly by the host school, OLA. Thanks to everyone who helped make it happen.

Particularly thanks to OLA librarian Barbara Hickford and her team - every child attending received a special Christmas snowman cookie - and year 7 pupils met the schools on arrival and showed them to their seats.

Matt signed books for children - and also books for the shop, so if you wanted a beautiful signed copy for 44 days time, please do call in. But while Matt signed away, we were able to ask him a few questions about his writing life. Take it away Matt...

Five questions with...Matt Haig's Writing Life

1.    What are you working on at the moment? 

I'm working on two things. Another novel for grown-ups (my first since 'The Humans') about someone who is 400 years old, and I'm about to start on my third 'Christmas' book!

2.    What is the best writing tip you’ve ever been given? 

Write exactly the book you'd want to read. In the early days of my writing career, I guess I had a bit of 'stage fright', and tried to write something I thought other people might want to write.

3.    What’s the best thing and the worst thing about being a children’s writer?

The best thing is that writing for children is very 'freeing' for a writer. Children may have a smaller vocabularly, but they have a much broader, wider imagination, which means you can go anywhere and take them with you. The worst? Being asked your age at school events!

4.    Do you have a writer’s survival kit, eg a place, thing of snack essential before you can start work? 

I can pretty much write anywhere, I'm a 'sit on the sofa with a laptop' kind of guy. Snacks? Well, peanut butter toast provides fuel!

5.    What was your biggest breakthrough?

I think last year (2015), when I published 'Reasons to Stay Alive' and 'A Boy Called Christmas'. After writing for twelve years, last year was definitely the year I felt I'd made it.

(Book blogger and great friend of Mostly Books Annabookbel came along to help - and she wrote her own blog about the event - take a look here!)

In space no-one can hear you eat chocolate: five questions with Cas Lester

Last Thursday we were delighted to support a visit to Our Lady's Abingdon by children's author Cas Lester, author of the 'Harvey Drew' space stories, 'Nixie the Bad, Bad Fairy' and, most recently, 'Wilfred the (Un)Wise'.

Cas spoke to children from five different schools over three separate sessions throughout the day (itself an achievement!) and explained her journey to becoming an author, and where the ideas for her stories came from.

The children were fascinated to learn Cas started her career as a children's author after an incredibly successful career making children's TV drama for CBBC (including 'The Story of Tracy Beaker').

Her first book, 'Harvey Drew and the Bin Men from Outer Space' is a madcap story about an ordinary school boy who - via a malfunctioning app and an intergalactic communications screw-up - becomes Captain of the Toxic Spew and its stroppy, bickering, pizza-obsessed crew, and a very bad-tempered central computer. Thanks to some remarkably similar experiences managing a school football team (!) Harvey soon starts to take control of this bunch of alien misfits. (Via lots of space-based, rubbish-related, seriously smelly adventures, obv). 

To an audience of over 250 children, Cas explained the very real problem of space junk, bringing with her plenty of objects imagined lost in space and led the children through a raucous quiz on their space knowledge that got them thinking about the very real challenges of waste in space (not to mention trying to do a 'Number 2' in low-earth orbit...yes, exactly)

Cas also spoke about her latest books. In 'Wilfred the (un)Wise', a young magician from the middle ages who gets pitched forward in time. He has to team up with a young girl in the 21st century, who has set her heart on learning cool street magic. Between them can they pull off magic good enough to get Wilf back to his own time?

Troublesome magic is also the theme of Cas's series for younger readers, the first of which is 'Nixie the Bad, Bad Fairy'. Nixie is no ordinary fairy - she's usually slightly grubby, she's often naughty and she has a very mischievous wand. Nixie's adventures are perfect for anyone just learning to read independently.

Cas is a local author and works brilliantly with all sorts of schools, introducing readers to her wonderfully imaginative, chaotic stories.

This was the first time we had a chance to be up close and personal, so Nicki Thornton grabbed the chance to find out all about the hugely talented and hard-working Cas and her writing life...

Five questions with...Cas Lester's Writing Life

1. What are you working on at the moment?

That is quite hard because I’m not supposed to talk about it. It’s a story about a rather different friendship and it is coming out with Piccadilly next August, but it’s a top secret project so I can’t say any more!

2. What is the best writing tip you’ve ever been given?

Don’t give up.

3. What is the best thing and the worst thing about being a children’s writer?

The worst thing about being any sort of writer is you are doing it on your own and you can be quite isolated. But the best thing about being a children’s writer is that you go out and do lots of events and you meet all the lovely children and it’s wonderful to have that great contact with your readership.

4. Do you have a writer’s survival kit, eg a place, snack or other essential thing you need before you start work?

Chocolate, space and a dog. 


For the first time I actually have an office and my dog will come and lie down next to me, which is very settling. Then after a while she will sigh and jump up and go and get my walking boot. I used to be able to work anywhere and can cope with noise except for two things I can’t work through – a child crying and a single fly buzzing.

(Cas also confessed to a drawer full of chocolate - the dangers of being interviewed with your daughter present).

5. What was your biggest breakthrough?

I don’t know if there was a moment when I thought I can now talk about myself as a children’s writer. It wasn’t my first book or even the first time I signed a book because when you first become a published children’s author you feel that you are really a fraud. But I think it might have been when I heard I had only sold one less book than Brian Blessed at the Chipping Norton Literary Festival.

3 4 Friday - The fragility of global economics, porcelain perfection and the human heart: Edmund De Waal, Vince Cable and Jojo Moyes

Today's '3 4 Friday' is about fragility - the things we take for granted that can break at any moment.

On Wednesday, at Our Lady's Abingdon, former MP and Coalition Business Secretary Sir Vince Cable compared the global economy to a heart attack patient. Seemingly walking around and smiling, and well on the way to recovering, the emergency life support (in the form of quantitative easing and low interest rates) are still plugged in, and no-one seems to have a clear idea on how we remove it...

Sir Vince endeavoured to answer this vexing question - and others - in what was an intelligent, even-handed and above all entertaining evening (three words you might not feel go automatically with discussions about global economics...).

His first book 'The Storm' - written in the immediate aftermath of the financial crisis - was an unexpected critical and commercial success. Sir Vince has been able to go back to that book and take a more measured look at what has happened since - and 'After The Storm' also contains the added insight from five years as Business Secretary in the Coalition government. 

His writing is as lucid and compelling as his talk - and with the economic future as fragile and uncertain as its ever been, the book covers everything from why young people can't afford to buy houses, to the political narrative of austerity.

The sobering reality is that patient could suffer another attack at any moment. Britian needs to use its wisdom, experience and influence on an international stage to start offering solutions. This book is an excellent start.

(For a fantastic write-up on some of the details of Vince's talk, Ben has written a brilliant account of the evening - we recommend visiting his blog and reading "There may be trouble ahead" to learn more.

The Abingdon Blog also featured a report and more photos.)

Whilst there are no prizes for naming the most famous 'Potter' in literature, the second most famous might just be Edmund De Waal. The potter, ceramicist and - thanks to his book 'The Hare with the Amber Eyes' - bestselling author has just published his latest book, a history of the fragile perfection along 'The White Road', a personal history of porcelain manufacture.

'The Hare with the Amber Eyes' was that rarest of things; a book that worked on almost every level, mixing beautiful writing, heartbreaking family history, art and philosophy. In 'The White Road', De Waal starts off with his beloved 'Netsuke' and follows the history of porcelain manufacture from ancient China through Dresden, Venice and Versailles, via Cornwall and Dachau. De Waal's passion and deep love of pottery sweeps you up in an at-times dark tale of our pursuit of perfection in white objects.

And our final choice is the fragility of the human heart - and really learning to love again. Since being published in 2002, author Jojo Moyes has rapidly grown to become one of our favourite romantic novelists. Her book 'Me Before You' catapulted her to the big time, and 'After You' - the eagerly awaited sequel - was published yesterday. With a film of 'Me Before You' planned for 2016, we're very excited to have signed copies of Jojo's new book in the shop.

Set shortly after the last book ends, Louisa Clark (Lou) has to pick her self up and move on in the aftermath of her relationship with Will Traynor. Moyes' writes character perfection, with a story you can really get lost in. I think readers sometimes make too big a deal about the amount of crying and laughter that a book elicits (as if you can measure the quality of a book in millilitres of tears). But Moyes effortlessly moves the reader emotionally with the grace of a dancer and the skill of a Jujitsu Black Belt. Just brilliant...

Maths can be Murder - Five questions with Kjartan Poskitt

If your school ever does an event with Kjartan Poskitt, and you ever get a chance to volunteer to go up on stage with him - think very carefully. During two sessions at Our Lady's School today - involving children from four different primary schools in Abingdon - children eagerly rushed up on to the stage to discover they were going to be poisoned, shoved bodily through a greetings card, or asked to perform a variety of strange and bizarre activities.

Well obviously, not actually *poisoned*. The game called poisoned chocolate didn't actually contain real poison (or, sadly, chocolate).

Kjartan Poskitt is a natural and gifted performer, comedian and mathematician - and all the children who witnessed his puzzles, games and murderous mathematical mayhem simply loved it.

There was some priceless moments. One of the girls who volunteered had to pick someone to provide a number for one of the tricks. "Pick a boy you like" suggested Kjartan. "What, in here?" she fired back...

Kjartan started with a few tricks and maths games - some of which the kids were shown how to play on hapless friends and relatives (the 'twenty nine' trick is simply brilliant) and there are many things on his murderous maths website which you can download and use yourself (click on the 'tricks' section).

Kjartan was very clear that everything in his books is checked and correct ("otherwise you get complaining letters from men with beards telling you where you've gone wrong").

Naturally we took the opportunity to ask Kjartan a few questions about maths, and his wrting journey...

Five questions with . . . Kjartan Poskitt's writing life

1.    What are you working on at the moment?

I'm working on a maths 'maze' book for younger children. I can't say too much about it, but...it's going to be the Holy Grail of maths books for learning times tables (hopefully!)

2.    What is the best writing tip you’ve ever been given?

Always write SOMETHING. If you get something down, you can always come back, and work out a way to improve it.

3.    What’s the best thing and the worst thing about being a children’s writer?

I love doing the festivals, meeting the kids and families. I never thought, being an author, writing on your own, that you'd get such an opportunity to get feedback directly from the children themselves. The worst? That's a tough question, I guess it'd be finding a sequel once you've had a book do well. There's real pressure to make it better, the worst thing you can hear is 'it wasn't as good as his last book'.

4.    Do you have a writer’s survival kit, eg a place, thing or snack essential before you can start work?

My shoelaces have to be tied at just the right tightness. If they aren't, I just tend to fiddle with them...

5.    What was your biggest breakthrough?

Murderous maths, definitely. I was a pub piano player, and murderous maths gave me the opportunity to be an author. The books are in 30 languages, it gives me the opportunity to visit schools like these, and it's been brilliant.

Vince Cable - After the Storm

Former Liberal Democrat MP and Coalition Minister Vince Cable will be coming to Abingdon on Wednesday, September 23 at 7.30pm to talk about his new book 'After the Storm'.

Vince Cable was Secretary of State for Business under the Coalition Government, one of the most well-respected and experienced Liberal Democrat MPs of recent years. He served as a Liberal Democrat MP for Twickenham for nearly 20 years, until he lost his seat in the 2015 General Election.

Vince will be speaking at Our Lady’s Abingdon as part of their annual Reading Festival. After his critically-acclaimed bestseller 'The Storm', his new book ‘After The Storm: The World Economy and Britain's Economic Future’ provides a powerful and insightful look at the state of the global economy - and the UK's position in it.

It is also the inside story of his time at the heart of the coalition, the General Election of 2015, as well as informed opinion on how the British economy should be managed in years to come. Central to this is Britain's position in the European Union, and the consequences of a British exit in the referendum.

Tickets cost £4 and will include a glass of wine.

We expect demand to be very strong for this event, so please email us to reserve tickets. Vince will be signing copies of 'After The Storm' immediately following the event.

Finding, Binding or Minding? Five questions with Archie Greene author DD Everest

One of our favourite children's books of the year has been Archie Greene and the Magician's Secret, a thrilling and imaginative fantasy book set in the mysterious world of ancient books, old magic and with an Oxford twist. It marks the arrival of an extremely talented author, DD Everest, so when we were offered the chance by publisher Faber to take him to some schools in Abingdon, we jumped at the chance.

The first D stands for Des - so that's what the children were asked to call him. First stop was Our Lady's Abingdon, and he introduced himself by telling the children about his own children, and the children's football team he coaches...

...before getting into the story of Archie, a young orphan who - seemingly - accidentally gets taken on as a magical apprentice to the mysterious 'Old Zeb' in the bowels of an ancient Oxford bookshop...

Archie received a old, musty parcel containing a magical book - and a similar looking parcel turned up during the talk. We all had to guess about what might be inside.

In the magical world that Archie discovers, there are different routes available to apprentices, depending on whether children have the sharp eyes of a hawk ('Finders'), the wisdom of an owl ('Minders') or the quick hands of a monkey ('Binders'). When asked, there was a good spread of votes for all three amongst the audience, so that bodes well for any apprentices in the audience.

One of the great things about having a break between the two schools, was that we were able to bring Des to the shop and chat to him a bit about what makes him tick as an author. One of the interesting things was to learn more about his passion for Tolkien, and how all fantasy authors - to a greater or lesser extent - are writing in his shadow. What great fantasy authors do, however, is to take the furniture that is already in the room (so to speak) and make it their own.

Des also compared the world of journalism and writing books. With journalism, you write to a deadline, and that's a great skill to have. But when you have a publisher, and an editor, they remind you that what you are writing is going to have a longevity to it that most journalism doesn't have - they fire questions, and challenge about all aspects of the book, until it becomes bullet-proof. It's a very different process - and for one for which he is really grateful for having a publisher behind him.

The afternoon saw us at St Edmunds Primary School, where an enthusiastic group bombarded Des with questions about the characters and his writing...  

Having seen many different authors talk to children over the years, one of the things that impressed us particularly about Des was his skill in conjuring up the world of Archie Greene in the minds of the children in the audience. The children seemed to relish the opportunity to become apprentices themselves, and some of the terms in the book - such as nasty magicians called 'Greeders' conjured up just the right atmosphere or excitement and menace for the age it's aimed at.

The result was a whole host of very imaginative questions. On being told about the dangers of a 'Drawing' book (which don't sound very scary, but actually 'draw' you in to a book from which you may not escape) the children wanted to know who could pull you out, and whether you were yourself inside the book - or took on the part of one of the characters. And would you actually *know* that you were inside a book? Des wasn't given too much away - the fate of Archie in the story turns on some of the answers!

Des ended with some writing tips - and a poll on whether children liked the UK or US cover best - what do you think?

 

With 'Archie Greene and the Magician's Secret' already shortlisted for an award or two, we think DD Everest is an author destined for very big things, so we were keen to find out a bit more about him... 

Five questions with . . . DD Everest's Writing Life

1.    What are you working on at the moment?

I'm currently working on the second Archie Greene book ‘Archie Green and the Alchemist’s Curse’. I’ve done the first draft with edits, so now just waiting for ‘feedback’ from my editor (Alice Swan) - it's a nerve-wracking time!

2.    What is the best writing tip you’ve ever been given?

(Thinks for a moment) I'm not sure whether I should say this, because it sounds a bit simplistic but...writer’s write. They don’t talk about it, or sit around talking to other writers, they just get on and write. Ideas build and grow inside of you. If you talk to others about an idea, once you've shared that idea, you sort of burst your own balloon. Writing is lonely, it can be demoralising, but that’s what it is. You shouldn’t be intimidated by the blank piece of paper, you have to push through it.

3.    What’s the best thing and the worst thing about being a children’s writer?

The best thing is that children have very fertile, rich imaginations. They give you lots of licence to be imaginative – the canvas you are working on is wide and very open.

But the flip side of this is that fertile imagination is a double-edged sword. That imagination tens to question everything, and allows them to often get ahead of the plot, and if you have holes they will find them in a way that adults don’t – often adults are happier to go along with the story. Kids can also be brutally honest and blunt about what you write.

4.    Do you have a writer’s survival kit, eg a place, thing or snack essential before you can start work?

I think a writing ‘space’ is very important, but because I’ve been a journalist, I can write anywhere. When you are a journalist you don’t have the luxury of writer’s block – you are completely deadline-driven. However, I do like to declutter my desk: I’ve even been known to sweep everything off the desk, or hide things. Your desk is like a mirror of inside your head, or a metaphor for your writing canvas. I did used to have a ‘lucky’ desk years ago – but that went to the tip!

5.    What was your biggest breakthrough?

I think there are two moment that I can remember, one creatively and one with becoming a bona fide author. I’d written the start of a story and my own kids were asking for more chapters, and that was a good sign. But for me the main breakthrough was sitting in the offices of Faber and Faber, and here were these ‘proper’ publishing people talking about my book and characters as though they were real people. It was a great moment – and I thought: whatever happens from here, I can’t imagine it feeling better than this.

"Books can help us remember what we have in common" - Five Questions with Deborah Ellis

On March 20, we were involved in a series of events with author and peace activist Deborah Ellis.

Deborah was on a UK tour from her home in Ontario, Canada - and if there is a single word which comes to mind about the visit, it's 'privileged' - because it was a word we have heard a lot from those that met her and heard her speak. Privileged and inspired to listen to this humble, softly spoken but powerful individual talk about her books and her life.

Deborah has written over twenty books, and is probably best-known for her international bestseller The Breadwinner, as well as many other works of fiction and non-fiction about children all over the world. She has won numerous book awards, including Sweden’s Peter Pan Prize and the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award (for promoting peace and social justice).

Deborah first visited Didcot Girl's School, where she spoke to the girls about some of the themes which she weaves into her books. The Breadwinner is the story of Pervana, a girl in Afghanistan forced to pretend to be a boy in order to earn money to help her family survive when her father is taken away by Taliban soldiers.

The story was inspired by conversations that she had had with girls whilst visiting Afghan refugee camps, and she was very careful to explain to the girls in the audience about these themes: of suffering, inequality and cruelty of course - but most of all courage that she encountered, the thing that most inspires her.

In her most recent book, 'My Name Is Parvana', Parvana her self is now fifteen and dealing with the consequences of foreign soldiers in her country. When she is taken away by American soldiers and accused of terrorism, everything that Parvana has worked for in building a new life for her and her family threatens to come crashing down...

Her talk was genuinely inspirational, if difficult at times to listen to - particularly when she was reading from another of her most recent books, based on interviews with 'Kids of Kabul' and the daily realities of struggling to go to school in the face of uncertainty and the economic hardships they face. 

Deborah is above all an advocate for the disenfranchised and oppressed, talking calmly but passionately about the capacity money and power have to make people's lives better - or much, much worse. She donates much of her royalties to charities such as UNICEF and Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan (more than a million dollars in royalties from her Breadwinner books alone).

After speaking at Didcot, and answering lots of questions about how she writes, and the children she has met, we brought her to Abingdon (where she spent some time exploring the town), and from there she spoke to children at Our Lady's Senior School, and the Oxford Children's Book Group in the evening.

We are extremely grateful to OUP for offering us the chance to be part of Deborah's tour, and huge thanks to Deborah for spending time talking to children around Oxfordshire.

Whilst at Mostly Books, we got the chance to ask Deborah a few questions about her writing life...

Five questions with...Deborah Ellis' Writing Life

1.    What are you working on at the moment? 

"The Cat At The Wall" due for publication in the Autumn. It's a book set in Israel's West Bank.

2.    What is the best writing tip you’ve ever been given? 

If you really want to do it, keep doing it, don't give up, even if people tell you what you are writing is 'crap'.

3.    What’s the best thing and the worst thing about being a children’s writer?

The best thing about writing is getting to meet kids from all over the world. There is no bad thing about writing for children (or nothing I would go 'on the record' for!)

4.    Do you have a writer’s survival kit, eg a place, thing of snack essential before you can start work? 

No - just a pen and notebook.

5.    What was your biggest breakthrough?

When I published my first book. It was called 'Looking for X' and published by OUP. This changed everything for me, because there is a whole universe of difference between being an unpublished and published writer.

Top Secrets Event? Five questions with HL Dennis and The Secret Breakers

Cracking codes and uncovering secret messages was top Friday afternoon fun, and the culmination of a week-long celebration of reading at Our Lady's Abingdon. Pupils from visiting Dunmore School joined OLA pupils to solve fiendish puzzles from author Helen Dennis, and see if they were able to join the elite group of Secret Breakers.

The Secret Breakers are a series of exciting, code-filled adventure stories, and HL Dennis used some of the codes and cryptic puzzles found in the books to set challenges to the eager young audience.

The books - inspired by the real secret breakers of Bletchley Park - involve a group of school children who attempt to unravel real-life secrets and genuine unbroken codes, often in great danger.

Helen was a junior school teacher, storyteller - and even worked in a bookshop - on her way to becoming a bestselling author. She is also a fabulous speaker (in fact, if you ever have an opportunity to see Helen talk, or come to your school - definitely take it!).

At the heart of her talk is the code-breaking experience, and Helen brought along plenty of real-life cyphers to break. At stake was a place on 'Team Veritas' and a chance to work on codes that have resisted decyphering for generations...

It was a great deal of fun - and extra special given that we had permission from the publisher to have book four at the event (Helen hadn't yet had her copy!).

Huge thanks to Helen for a 'top' secrets event - with her journey from teacher to author (via failed international horse jumper - she kept falling off the horse apparently), we were intrigued to find out what makes HL Dennis tick writing-wise, and asked our usual questions...

Five questions with . . . HL Dennis's writing life

1.    What are you working on at the moment?

I’m working on a new project – top secret I’m afraid, I can't talk about it (we pushed) no, no clues!

2.    What is the best writing tip you’ve ever been given?

A lot of people tell you to ‘write what you know’, but if there is anything you don't know, you can find out about it. This advice helped me to become much less daunted by a subject, and gives me the confidence to write about a subject. If you get stuck into research, learn about a subject, that gives you as much right as anyone else to write about it.

3.    What’s the best thing and the worst thing about being a children’s writer?

The best thing is that children tell you exactly what they think, they don’t hold back, whereas adults might attenuate what they say. If they like the book, they'll get passionate and enthusiastic, and I love that immediate response. But that's also the worst thing – if a child doesn’t like your book, they won't hold back either!

4.    Do you have a writer’s survival kit, eg a place, thing or snack essential before you can start work?

Not really. I had to get used to write anywhere, because initially I wrote when teaching (well, not at the same time as teaching of course, but you know what I mean - I had to take the opportunity to write wherever). But what I really need is QUIET. Not absolute silence, but quiet. Aside from that, I can write anywhere and on anything – but I do need quiet.

5.    What was your biggest breakthrough?

A met another author, Andrew Norris, who was very inspirational. He came to the school to do an event. It wasn't that he said anything revolutionary, but he put it simply and powerfully: "if you want to do it [writing], get on with it". It was the first time I felt it was possible for me to become a writer.

Axes, Antlers and 101 Uses for a Dead Hare: Michelle Paver in Abingdon

Note to other other authors - here's how to immediately get and hold the interest of 300 children: hold up a cute, cuddly rabbit, and them to imagine you live 3,000 years ago, then ask for ways to use said rabbit parts after you've killed it...

Michelle Paver - author of 'Wolf Bother' her latest series 'Gods and Warriors' - visited Our Lady's Abingdon this week. Children from six other local schools came too, and discovered the thrilling and sometimes gruesome world of 'The Outsiders' and the second book in the series 'The Burning Shadow'.

Pupils from Cheney School, John Mason, Larkmead, Chandlings, Thomas Reade and St Edmunds joined OLA pupils in a fantastic event. And the question of 'what to do with a dead rabbit' was strangely compelling. 

Or, more accurately, a dead hare. Rabbits weren't around in Bronze Age Crete of course. Accuracy is important, because Michelle does a huge amount of research for her books. It's this in-depth knowledge and instinctive feeling of the period is just one of the reasons that her books conjure up such a vivid world in which children love to spend time. 

Michelle is best-known for her 'Chronicles of Ancient Darkness' series, set during the Stone Age. 'Gods and Warriors' is set later, around the Mediterranean during the Bronze Age, and involves the adventures of Hylas, a twelve year boy, who finds himself on the run from some nasty and extremely tenacious people, who want something back that he is stolen...

One of the delights of the series is the varying viewpoint from which the story is told: Hylas, Pirra (a young girl fleeing an arranged marriage), and (in the first book) a dolphin, giving the perspective of an intelligent creature in the vast space of the ocean. Michelle's love of animals really shone through as she told the children about her experience with bears, wolves and swimming with dolphins - again captured magnificently in the writing.

Michelle answered some really great questions from the audience; would mythical creatures be appearing in later books? What inspired her to write? Would there be a seventh book in the 'Wolf Brother' series (no!).

The children were extremely patient as she signed and chatted for over an hour, handing over a deer antler and a real bronze-age axe for the children to hold. 

Michelle sat for pictures with fans, and even a slightly chaotic signing queue, as well as an accident with a glass of water at the start, couldn't dampen (no pun intended) what was an extremely entertaining and inspiring event.

Thanks very much to Puffin for making it happen, and Our Lady's Abingdon for being such great hosts. Michelle had a great time  and really appreciated some imaginative questions from the children in the audience (which we put down to the thriving local book scene!). Naturally, we couldn't let Michelle leave Abingdon without asking her one or two questions...

Five questions with . . . Michelle Paver's writing life

1.    What are you working on at the moment?

I am currently working on book 3 of 'Gods and Warriors' entitled ' The Eye of the Falcon', due out in August 2014.

2.    What is the best writing tip you’ve ever been given?

(Things very hard for a bit). You know, I don't think I have never been given a writing tip...

3.    What’s the best thing and the worst thing about being a children’s writer?

The best thing is that rare time when a scene becomes real in my head, when I can see a wolf, for example, or Hylas says something, is in a scene, and it's like I'm there. The worst thing is, with some of my overseas publishers, arguments over awful cover designs!

4.    Do you have a writer’s survival kit, eg a place, thing or snack essential before you can start work?

When I go off on research trips, I take 'Bat'. He's a small, plastic bat that was given to me by my sister. As long as bat is there, he usually never fails me. He sits on my computer at home too when I'm writing.

(Interestingly, we discovered, Michelle does not have an Internet connection at home...).

5.    What was your biggest breakthrough?

It was 'Wolf Brother'. Up until then there hadn't been any books set in the stone age (well, apart from Jean Auel, but not for children). So I had no idea if there would be interest. The writing thing wasn't planned, and I didn't know what to expect, but Wolf Brother become a bestseller.