By the Junior School Library team

On Monday, author Kate Foster visited Radford College and spoke to Years 4, 5 and 6 students. Kate shared her writing journey and how she has been writing since she was four years old. She encouraged us all to believe in our own stories, and that we all have stories that matter.

Kate spoke passionately about how her books explore themes to assist us with understanding, accepting and helping neurodivergent people be their best selves, and how a little kindness goes a long way.

Kate shared her writing process as well as some ideas with Year 5 students to help them become more proficient writers. The session with Year 6 students focused on the concept of differences, with an emphasis on autism and how we can all cherish and acknowledge each other. Her final presentation to Year 4 students explored the crucial messages in her latest novel Small Acts, as this is their class novel this term.

Author visits help bring life to their stories, and these authors can also serve as role models as they share their creativity and persistence. Kate’s books promote empathy and understanding, and this was demonstrated firsthand as Kate shared her personal stories with us all.

We hope that this visit may encourage our students to continue to read widely and to come up with unique ideas in their own creative writing. We were grateful for the opportunity to connect with an author who is so passionate about fostering creativity, inclusivity, and a love of storytelling.