Author Visits Spark Imagination at St George's

Author Abi Elphinstone visited St George's on 29th April, inspiring our P4-P6 pupils with her new fantasy series Ember Spark and the Thunder of Dragons.

Elphinstone explained how she finds inspiration from animals, people, and places worldwide. She encouraged students to look for story ideas closer to home, having them write tales based on ordinary objects.

"To be writers, you just need curiosity," Elphinstone advised. "Keep your eyes open; stories are everywhere."

Her engaging talk left a big impression. P5 students Gigi and Zara raved: "Abi's voice was so exciting - it made our imaginations buzz! We loved hearing how she gets her ideas and it made us want to read her books."

Just days later, the literary adventures continued when our P5s-Removes were hosted at Merchiston Castle School for a visit from AF Steadman, author of the Skandar unicorn fantasy series. Having previously visited St George's in 2022 for the first book's launch, students were excited to revisit Steadman's dark fantasy world ahead of the third instalment's release.

The students learned about Steadman's creative process while collaborating to create their very own unicorn character. As Jessica and Aria from P5 shared excitedly: "We created a unicorn called 'Stormy Steve' which was really funny. She is more amazing than I thought! I'd give the visit ten unicorns out of ten!"

These immersive author experiences spark creativity stoking a passion for storytelling in our students.