An award-winning author is set to visit a secondary school to talk to students about her inspiration and encourage them to read.

On July 10, Jo Cotterill, who has written more than 40 books for children and young people, will pay a visit to Wallingford School and meet with students in Years 8 and 10.

Her career has featured multiple awards and three nominations for the Carnegie Medal.

Besides writing, she has been an actor, an English teacher and a firework technician.

She co-writes the Starlight Stables Gang series with Esme Higgs, one of the biggest influencers in the Equestrian world.

She also writes the superhero part-book, part-comic series Electrigirl with illustrator Cathy Brett.

Ms Cotterill will aim to inspire the students to try creative writing and emphasise the joy of reading.

The occasion is part of a literacy project funded by the Merchant Taylors’ Foundation and Authors Aloud UK, which involves taking authors into schools in Southwark, Aylesbury, Wallingford and Londonderry.

The hope is that by meeting the authors, young people will be encouraged to increase their reading for pleasure and develop their creative writing skills.

Each student will also receive a signed copy of Ms Cotterill’s book 'Looking at the Stars'.

She has also written 'Jelly' and 'A Library of Lemons', which are about differences, family isolation, and the importance of making human connections.