Earlier this term, our Year 5 to 7 students were treated to a very special author visit from Kiran Millwood Hargrave. Kiran is a British author known for her work in childrens and young adult literature, and her books are known for containing captivating stories, transporting her readers into magical and historical worlds. Kiran’s books are very popular amongst the Northampton High community, and we were delighted to welcome her into school for this visit. For this special event, we were thrilled to be joined by children from three of our neighbouring primary schools; Wootton, Preston Hedges and Hardingstone, and it was lovely to be able to share this experience with children across the parish.

Throughout the afternoon, Kiran spoke to a captivated audience all about her books and described the writing process, and how she transforms her ideas from conception to reality. Students were encouraged to ask Kiran questions about reading and writing, and received expert advice on many different topics. Kiran relayed to students all about the themes that inspired her books, such as the Canary Islands, and explained how being an avid reader at a young age helped her to develop her passion as she grew older – a fact that really resonated with students.

At the end of Kiran’s enthralling presentation, students from each school had the opportunity to have their own books signed by Kiran herself. This memorable event was enjoyed by all students young and old, and sparked conversations of creativity amongst the pupils. This was summed up perfectly by Year 7 student Arty, who commented; “Kiran is an amazing writer and I love how she writes about possible magic. She also gets inspired to write her books by places she has seen or nature or astonishing things she heard about.“ 

We are delighted to wish our heartfelt thanks to Kiran for this truly inspiring and memorable visit, and thanks our friends at our visiting schools for sharing this special event with us. We look forward to more enriching events to come in the new year.