We were delighted to welcome critically acclaimed children’s author Lucy Strange to Bromley High Junior School, to launch our annual Book Week celebrations.
Lucy spoke to pupils from Years 3 to 6 about her writing and her path to being a writer, the process she goes through to reach the very atmospheric settings of all her books (including mood boards) and her historical research. Her work is often inspired by folklore and fairytales, combining historical settings with touches of magical realism and fantasy to create convincing worlds where anything might happen.
The girls were fascinated to hear how the heroine of her book Mermaid in the Millpond was based on the mythical Irish “merrow,” a half-human, half-fish creature very far removed from the Disney mermaid Ariel!
Lucy’s books have been published around the world and she has been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and the Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize and won the Historical Association Young Quills Award in 2021.
The visit was a lovely opportunity for the girls to meet a successful author and to gain insight into her creative process, which is sure to inspire their own reading and writing.
“It made me really want to read all her books and it gave me good ideas for my stories.” Helena, Year 5
“I enjoyed hearing how she got the inspiration for her books.” Isabella, Year 5
