In 2024, Sophie had the pleasure of visiting several schools in the Manchester area. She delivered an unforgettable experience with highly interactive author sessions based on her book The Best-Kept Secret. Sophie's engaging storytelling, with costumes for all, atmospheric music, and special effects, transported students into a fantastical world of witches and dragons rooted in rich history and local legend. Children eagerly took on roles, donned witches' hats, and helped conjure a baby dragon from a bubbling cauldron filled with mystical fog.
Sophie's Manchester school author visit also featured an exciting creative writing workshop designed to inspire young minds through hands-on activities such as:
Reimagining Realms – A sensory journey to spark imagination and enrich descriptive writing.
The Bare Bones – A structured yet fun approach to building compelling stories.
Stagecraft – A dynamic role-playing exercise focused on ‘show, not tell’ techniques.
Dragonlore – A unique sensory experience featuring magical props to create vivid descriptions.
Dragon props used in The Best-Kept Secret creative writing workshops for schools
In addition to The Best-Kept Secret, Sophie introduced students to Magic in the Mundane, a virtual whistle-stop tour of Manchester’s hidden secrets, folklore and legend through storytelling, music, animation and film. Sophie ensures that each presentation is deeply rooted in the local community, focusing on places the children will recognise or are close to the school. Whether it’s a tale about a nearby landmark, local spirits, or hidden legends from the town’s past, Sophie crafts her sessions to reflect the unique stories of the area, making the experience more engaging and meaningful for the children. In Eccles, Sophie took students to Chatmoss, the marshland on which Eccles was built, to meet ... boggarts! Sophie shared how these mischievous bog dwellers were said to kidnap human babies, replacing them with their own and the fear that naming a boggart would give it even more power. Legend also told of Black Shuck, a giant demonic dog that haunted the Manchester area, believed to have been exorcised over 200 years ago. Sophie led the children through Salford to find grotesques—the eerie stone figures perched atop buildings. Unlike gargoyles, which served the practical purpose of directing rainwater, grotesques were crafted solely to ward off evil spirits. Sophie encouraged the children to look up and spot the many grotesques scattered across the city while also looking down to discover the Angel Tunnel, a secretive passageway under Manchester believed to have been used by monks centuries ago. Could these hidden underground tunnels, crypts, and catacombs still hold the secrets of the past? As the session concluded, Sophie posed the idea: could the derelict railway arches in Salford be more than they seem? In Irlam, Sophie guided the children through familiar spots, revealing the hidden magic woven into their everyday surroundings. They discovered the mischievous boggarts of Irlam Moss, shape-shifting spirits capable of taking any form. In Birchwood, excitement peaked as they spotted a monolith believed to trap a boggart beneath it, keeping it from escaping. The children were also captivated by the railway bridge in Glazebrook, which Sophie suggested could be a gateway to another realm—perhaps a fairy portal or even a doorway to an alternate universe. During Sophie’s visit to Blackley, the children were thrilled to discover that Boggart's Clough, known for its mischievous shape-shifting boggarts, was just a short distance from their school and legends were on their doorstep.
Whether your school is in the heart of Manchester, a nearby town, or a quieter suburb, Sophie will capture the unique spirit of your area and create a bespoke, immersive experience that brings local history and folklore to life for your pupils
Sophie's school author visits in Manchester ignite creativity and inspire a love for storytelling through immersive experiences that blend folklore, legend, and creative writing.
Interested in booking a magical school author visit in Manchester? Contact Sophie today to bring the excitement of storytelling to your school.
For further information, prices, testimonials and photos, please visit www.stonehillpress.co.uk/teachers
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