The wonderful Robin Stevens, the much loved author of the Murder Most Unladylike series, visited Emanuel this week. Our Year 7s and over 100 children from six of our partner schools were enthralled by Steven’s personal story about becoming an author. Emphasising that it is never too young to start, and that practice is really important, she shared memories of her first stories and the authors that influenced her when she was growing up.

Stevens outlined the key components of a mystery and then led the group masterfully through the development of a story including identifying the victim, the location, the perpetrator and the clues for solving the crime. She fielded questions including one about her net worth! The latter gave her the opportunity to share the financial dynamics of being a writer – so a little bit of finance was touched on too.

We were thrilled to host Robin at Emanuel. This year, 2024, is the 10th anniversary of her first book Murder Most Unladylike. It was wonderful to be able to celebrate this with her.

Mrs L Irwin, Head of Community Partnerships and Outreach