A LEADING author has sparked the imagination of youngsters when he called into a school to talk about his work.

Peter J Murray was helping key stage two pupils at Layfield Primary School, Ya rm, develop their creative writing skills.

The author, a former teacher, who won this year's Stockton Children's Book of the Year title for Scabbajack, helped the pupils dramatise the story when he spent Tuesday and Wednesday morning in the school.

"It was absolutely brilliant, the children loved it, " said key stage two leader Kirsty Huddart. "He worked with them all morning, he had them dressing up as characters from his books and acting it out.

"He took them through all seven of his books and the children have been raving about his visit."