I've just finished reading My Sister Jodie by the wonderful Jacqueline Wilson. And I think it's second only to The Illustrated Mum. What a brilliant book it has been. I've been reading it in the bathroom, at the breakfast table and, tonight, in front of the (not switched on) TV, which shows just how good it must have been!

Books like this make me clutch them to my chest afterwards and want to immediately speak to other people who have read the same book. I had a few minutes just quiet, thinking about the magnificence of what I'd read, and then I phoned Rosie, my 11 year old niece, and the person who had lent me the book. Her favourite character was Jodie (no surprise there, I don't reckon, as she is sort of like Jodie in a wild kind of way), but I think Pearl and Harley were my favourite two.

I love books, and when I read one like this, one that moves me, one that I know will stay with me, I am so grateful for the joy that a book can bring. Oh it sounds over the top, but this is how I feel! I'm wondering if others feel this way? Or is it just me? Let me know!

AIREDALE AND POLLUTION PETE

On Tuesday I was at Airedale Junior school. I'll be back there again today. I've worked with Airedale children before, but not in the actual school. Last time I was down at the library with year 6 as we tried (unsuccessfully) to track down two superheros.

On Tuesday I was working in school itself for the first time, and boy, did I get lost! Those corridors are looooooooooong. I think I've just about worked my way around now though. We had a great day with Pollution Pete. What a miserable, planet destroying, river polluting chap he is! The children showed complete distaste for the miserable fiend, and acted the story extremely well and with great enthusiasm!

I'm hoping that Year 5 show as much enthusiasm today. Not that they're going to be meeting Pollution Pete. Nope. They're meeting Disgusting Dave. Ugh! I hope they cope with THAT particular dude ok.

OYSTER PARK JUNIOR SCHOOL

In October I visited Oyster Park Junior School for the first time. I was there for a week in total, broken up over two weeks. It's been busy busy busy since then, but not too busy for me to write about how it was there.

And it was great! The children were SOOOOOO enthusiastic, and from the first few seconds of my storytelling there I knew that they were going to be brill. They LOVED the tortoise story and loved being told a story. And they were so friendly - every lunchtime I had a clamour of pupils wanting me to sit with them, and every time I did, they were extremely good company. Best moment of the week in terms of lunchtime was the jokes that I was told. Best joke?

Why was Cinderella rubbish at football?
Because her coach was a pumpkin!

Oh, actually, there was another best moment at lunch. It was the moment I was asked to write a poem about sprouts. That gave rise to a new poem called 'I'm a Sprout Supporter' which I LOVE and which would never have written without having come to Oyster Park. So thanks guys!

I had a blast in the classrooms. Another first was being told that one of the teacher's names was 'Gorgeous'. Slightly dubious until I realised that ALL the kids were calling her the same. It didn't take long for me to join them in this (slightly unusual) term of address, and from then on the lesson went from strength to strength!

I also had a fab time in the nursery. The staff there really looked after me, and what a lot of fun I had with the children! Highlight of the nursery visit was rescuing an (imaginary) cat from a tree in the role play area. It was brill.

The Oyster Park staffroom was one of the bubbliest, most fun staffrooms I've been in. Despite the dubious plumming advice (you know who you are - and no, my toilet at home is NOT fixed), I really felt part of the laughter and enthusiasm that abounded in the staffroom.

Oyster Park was great. Hope I get to go back there.

WOMBWELL PARK STREET PRIMARY

Yesterday I drove out of Wombwell Park Street Primary School for the last time (hope it's not the last EVER time!), and my heart was happy and sad all at once. Happy because I have had such a brilliant week working here. The staff have been friendly and enthusiastic, and the children have been absolutely and completely brilliant! And sad because that's it. My week is over, and next week Wombwell Park will carry on without me as part of it. Good job I'm going back for the Christmas meal in December!

I have so many memories from one single week. The slow, sinking feeling on the first morning when most of Year 6 looked like they'd forgotten that it wasn't still half term and that they weren't still in bed; the realisation after the first morning with them that, actually, they were alive and that they seemed to have a lot of potential with regards to writing; trying to make six separate activities work at the same time in Reception with only 3 staff (me included); storytelling in the Nature Reserve in the best storytelling chair I've ever sat on (a wooden throne with 'Once Upon a Time...' carved in the wood); trying to keep a lid on the boisterous boys in Class 4; creating a script with year 6 in one morning and then hoping like mad that the'd pull it off the following morning (they did and well done to them); seeing Callum as a VERY believable tortoise create chaos in prison; watching Matthew steal the show as Tortoise; and so, so, so, much more. As I'm writing this I'm smiling, remembering how great last week was. It truly was one of the best week's I've had in schools. Hard at times (especially with complete lack of sleep throughout the week and the biggest cold I've had in my whole life), stressful on occasion (kneeling in the corridor working out the order of performance for the final assembly six minutes before the assembly was due to begin!), but, mostly, lots of fun and extremely rewarding for me.

Thanks to everyone at Wombwell. And especially to Michelle, who looked after me from the moment I arrived; and to Lillian, who may well not have seen the last of me! I've had a blast!

The Great Fire of London

Over the last few days I've been researching the Great Fire of London, ready to do some writing on the topic with Year 1s and 2s at Streethouse school in Pontefract. I've been to this school a number of times and I LOVE it. The children are extremely enthusiastic, and Mrs Barlow is very much on my wavelength.

I had loads of fun writing a story about the Great Fire - now I just need to learn it so that I can tell it to the children tomorrow!

Fact I didn't know: The Lord Mayor of London, on seeing the fire in its early stages, said simply that a lady could urinate on it and put it out. Bet he felt bad four days later, and 13200 destroyed houses later. Wonder what happened to him?

Super school!

On Monday I was invited to Wombwell Park Street Primary school in Barnsley to attend a planning morning in preparation for a week long writing project that I am leading there in November.

And what a school! I've never seen anything like it. Inside it was like my mum's classroom on a whole school scale. Huge displays of different moments in history, a wall of writing revealing the 'Writers of the Week', all manner of transport models made out of recyclable materials, murals, paintings, and much more besides.

By the time I discovered that the Year 6 pupils ALL have access to individual laptops ALL the time I knew that I was somewhere special.

I've got a REALLY good feeling about the week in November. The creativity within school oozes out from its every pore. I haven't even met the children yet (apart from the ones I met on the school website's very own introductory film!), but I know that they are going to bring SUCH a lot to the project.

This is a brill school. I just know it.

Alone on a Wide Wide Sea

I only hope that I have not just read the best ever Michael Morpurgo book. I've got loads left to go, but I just can't imagine how any of them could eclipse this. It's only taken me a couple of days to read, amidst planning for all my workhsops, looking after our three girls, and trying desperately to get to bed early (which didn't work AT ALL last night). I was up till nearly midnight to finish this book, and boy did it make me cry! There are not many books that are 'chest huggers' but this is one. And by that I mean when I've finished a 'chest hugger' book, I hug it to my chest and just sit in silence. As Paul Sweeney once said (Dunno who he actually was / is) 'you know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend'. I do feel that way. It is unbelievably well written and exciting, and in some ways reminded me of the narrative voice from Kensuke's Kingdom. I think this book may be for slightly older children, but still, it's brill.