Students at Ely St Mary’s CofE Junior School, part of the Diocese of Ely Multi Academy Trust, were excited to meet author Keith Hatton who is the creator of the Professor Plunder adventure series and has written several picture books for younger children.
 

During his visit Keith shared some of his favourite books and ran some creative workshops sharing his top tips for writing.

The children enjoyed learning how to use their senses to make their stories more engaging and how to build suspense in their writing.

Some workshops focused on characterisation and children worked with Keith to create a cast of weird and wonderful characters which went on to feature in their own creative writing. 

Keith said: “What a fabulous day with all the children in KS2 at Ely St Mary’s! So many wonderful ideas shared and talented writers in such a welcoming school. I hope at least some of the children are now inspired to keep reading and to write creatively for fun.”

The school’s English Lead, Rebecca Gilpin-Davies said: “Keith really captured the children’s imaginations. We love reading together at Ely St Mary’s and books play an important part in developing our children as writers. The workshops were a perfect way to celebrate World Book Day.” 

After the workshops, Keith also took time to read some of the children’s own stories, inspired by the sessions, remarking on the quality and originality of their work.

The workshops might just have inspired some of the next generation of local writers, with Year 4 pupil Elodie saying: “I loved the workshops! It’s made me consider a career as an author.”