For children’s author and illustrator Sally Gardner it’s the images, not the words which come first; when she was writing a Book of Princesses, a vivid picture with dreamlike quality filled her mind. Looking into an imaginary deep box, she asked herself, ‘Is that a fairy shadow?’ Yes, she’s interested in fairies, she told her  Year  7 audience here – but not the pink glitter sort, and she wove a little fairy magic story into the world of ‘I Coriander’, set in 17th century London.

If it’s not fairies, it’s walled cities that appeal to Sally, good for intensifying the drama within. Sally painted the fascinating context for the French Revolution drama that fills the ‘The Red Necklace’ and ‘The Silver Blade’. We were made to stand in the shoes of Louis, Marie Antoinette, the marquises, Church and peasants, after the worst winter in living memory, and to share the responsibility to make Louis happy! Sally told us that he was only happy for about two hours in his whole life, when he was hunting at Versailles. As to the execution of up to 2500 people at the height of the terror, anyone squeamish in the Year 7 audience turned slightly pale at her description of the early guillotine, the Iron Maiden.

Sally read from her novels of murder, magic and forbidden love, luring the audience in with strong characterisation, accents and tone. She draws heavily on her love of history for inspiration, because ‘You can’t make up such good stories!’ But reading newspapers provides a good starting point and the experience of working in the theatre as a set designer for many years certainly adds colour to her striking work, enough to send the girls rushing to buy copies of her books, and others, at the lunchtime book sale.