Students at Flint High School were treated to a virtual interview with author, Lucy Strange, after studying one of her books in English lessons.

During lockdown, the school purchased copies of Our Castle by the Sea for every Year 9 student to read at home. The book is set in the Second World War and tells the story of 12-year-old Petra, a young girl, growing up in a lighthouse on the English coast with her family. The clifftops become a terrifying battleground and the family are torn apart.

Nicola Paulson, literacy coordinator, made contact with Lucy during lockdown and was delighted when she sent a number of signed postcards to reward students for good work.

She said: "Once the students returned to school, it was clear how much they were enjoying the story and the characters and learning about social and historical aspects of the book.

"I was absolutely thrilled when Lucy offered to do a live interview with students, it was such an exciting and unique opportunity for them.

"She spoke to them about her inspiration for the story, and also talked about the editing process as well as her own writing journey. After a question and answer session, Lucy even set a writing challenge for the students which involved them creating their own mythical sea monster.

"One of our objectives is to encourage students to read for pleasure. This wonderful opportunity to meet an author has given our students an insight into the background of how story lines and characters are developed, which is invaluable. We would like to thank Lucy for her time, we all thoroughly enjoyed the experience."

Lucy added: "It was such a pleasure talking to the Year 9 students about Our Castle by the Sea. I loved answering their challenging and thought-provoking questions - they had obviously really engaged with the book and the historical setting."