AVID readers at a Brentwood school were in for a treat when an award-nominated author dropped in to talk about her work.
Helen Peters, whose debut novel The Secret Hen House Theatre, has been shortlisted for the Essex Book Award, spent the morning talking to Year 7 pupils at Brentwood Ursuline High School.
She spoke about her transformation from teacher to full-time author and how her own childhood spent on a farm was the inspiration for her novel.
Librarians at the Queens Road school are ardent supporters of the Essex Book award which is solely chosen by young people in the county, and they will be welcoming another of the six short-listed authors after Christmas.
After her talk, some of the girls chatted to Helen about the writing process and asked her to sign their copies of her novel.
Rose Connelly, 11, said: "I found Helen's talk very interesting and it made me want to read the rest of her novel. It has inspired me to go off and write some stories of my own."
Precious Akinjagunla, 12, said: "Helen read us the first chapter and I think this book is going to be a page-turner for me.
"A book about a farm is not one that would usually appeal to me but now I have heard the first chapter, it does," added Amber Cheshire, 11.
Author Helen Peters, who lives in north London and has been commissioned to write two sequels to her first novel, said: "This is the first school in Essex I have been to. It's great to come into schools and meet young readers who are so enthusiastic and ask such good questions and I'm honoured to be nominated for the award."
Now in its seventh year, the Essex Book ward aims to showcase the best in new fiction aimed at 11 to 14-year-olds. The School Library Service compiles a shortlist of six newly published novels and secondary schools are asked encourage their pupils to read them, discuss them with their friends or in reading groups, and then write online reviews and score them out of ten.
School library service librarian Nickie Carpenter, who helped compile the shortlist, said: "The number of schools taking part increases every year, and this year we have a record 35 schools taking part, up from 28 in 2011.
Librarian at the Ursuline, Lesley Cook, added: "One way we promote the award is to ask a teacher to read one of the shortlisted novels and then run a session about it. We promote this on posters around the school with the aim of capturing girls who may come along because they know or like the teacher and in turn discover a good read."
Her colleague Ann Smy said: "The great thing about this award is it is not voted for by some distant panel but by the pupils themselves, so is a true reflection of what children read. Apart from last year, our girls' favourite book has won the award.
"The same girls come back year after year to read the books, but we try and attract as many new readers as possible."
Another of the shortlisted authors, Caroline Green, is dropping into The Ursuline in January to talk to Year 9 students about her novel Cracks.
Students have until February half-term to submit their views on the titles. All participating schools will then be invited to meet the winning author during a presentation ceremony in the summer term.
