Popular children’s writer Cathy Cassidy visited the Wyre Forest to promote and sign copies of her books for a group of nearly 400 Wyre Forest and Hagley pupils, as part of a regional book promotion tour.
Miss Cassidy was promoting her latest novel for young readers ‘Summer’s Dream’, which is part of the ‘Chocolate Box Girls’ series of books.
The author, who has had over twenty books published to date, spoke for an hour and a half to an audience made up of students and staff from eight different schools, including five high schools from the ContinU Trust of Wyre Forest and Hagley, Chantry High School and Burlish and Wilden Primary Schools.
Susan Garlick, manager of Stourport High School’s Additional Learning Facility, which hosted the event, said: “We were delighted to welcome Cathy Cassidy and it was a real pleasure to see so many enthusiastic young readers being so attentive. The audience was thoroughly engaged by Cathy’s presentation and it was great to have so many other schools involved in the event, coming together to promote literacy and to inspire students.”
There were lots of opportunities for students to quiz the author on how to get started in the world of writing and publishing as well as questions about how she gets her inspiration for her work.
Two lucky students - Cathy Clark, a year 8 from Haybridge and Ellie Clayton, Year 7 from The Chantry School, collected joint winners’ prizes and certificates for their designs of bookmarks based on Cathy’s novels and illustrations.
The popular and prize-winning author said “I have had the most fantastic time here today. It drives me mad when people say young people aren’t into reading – obviously all the hundreds of students here today think reading is cool and they asked such great questions, too. I was really impressed.”
The event was organised in collaboration between staff at Stourport High School’s Additional Learning Facility and The ContinU Trust’s ‘Opening Doors’ programme. Opening Doors arranges a variety of projects and events across schools in the Wyre Forest and Hagley areas aimed at promoting students’ eventual progression into higher education and professions.
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