Spy Dog author inspires Market Drayton pupils
A children's author visited a Shropshire primary school, aiming to inspire a love of reading in children.
Andrew Cope, author of the Spy Dog children's books, spoke to the pupils of Longlands Community Primary School, in Market Drayton on Thursday about the importance of literature in today's world.
The visit engaged pupils with a range of fun writing tasks, which ranged from stories about sweets and chocolates to pet gorillas.
Year six pupils were challenged with writing a story which had to include a particular sentence given by the author himself. Andrew told pupils that with passion, determination and dedication, all could become writers just like him.
Teacher Lorna Hounsell said : "The kids loved the visit. It's lovely that his books feature a dog as the main character, which our pupils can relate to as we have our own school dog, Teddy.
"It was a great opportunity for them to not only have fun but also expand their vocabulary and writing techniques."
At the end of the visit, the best stories were chosen and the pupils who had written them were able to read them out to their peers.
"They really were authors for the day!" added Lorna.
The school's own vision and values hope to give children the chance to thrive and be future ready through a curriculum which is inspiring, diverse and challenging.
Spy Dog, Andrew's first book, features Lara, the smartest spying hound around. She must hide her skills in order to catch the evil drugs baron Mr Big. His other book series include Spy Pups and Spy Cat.
Report by Olivia Myers
