Today I had a great visit to Holywell C of E Primary School, Tawstock, North Devon, as part of the  School Programme of the Appledore Book Festival. It was a delightful little village school with a thatched roof, just 70 on the roll and enthusiastic, dedicated book-loving staff. I read Cat’s Ahoy! and then led a fun workshop making cat-pirate masks, as well as signing books that the children had brought in.

Appledore is one of those excellent and little festivals that treats authors extremely well and consequently has them queuing up to do events – and eager to come back to this fascinating corner of southwest England. I look forward to a return visit!