A Cumbrian primary school united hundreds of young bookworms with celebrated children’s authors in Barrow last week.

10 primary schools took part in the Ormsgill Book Festival, where they had the opportunity to interact with prominent children’s authors Frank Cottrell-Boyce and Jennifer Killick.

They also engaged in draw-a-long workshops with illustrator Fiona Woodcock and enjoyed tales by storyteller Dan Worsley.

Frank Cottrell-Boyce, author and screenwriter, captivated the pupils with personal stories from his schooldays, amazed them with magic, and read from his latest work, 'The Wonder Brothers'.

Not only is he well-known to the pupils, but he also has a global fanbase among the young readership, with 12 best-selling books under his belt.

Children had the opportunity to meet celebrated author Frank Cottrell-BoyceChildren had the opportunity to meet celebrated author Frank Cottrell-Boyce (Image: Ormsgill Primary School)

Mr Cottrell-Boyce said: "It’s important that the children know a book is created by people like them and that the whole world is open to them.

"I want to bring a sense of fun and I hope it makes the pupils think that books and fun go together, and they see books as something of a shared experience."

Illustrator Fiona Woodcock led demonstrations for pupilsIllustrator Fiona Woodcock led demonstrations for pupils (Image: Ormsgill Primary School)

Contributing to the festival's excitement was Ms Killick, who penned the Alex Sparrow books and junior horror series, DreadWood.

She led an intriguing journey through one of her books, 'Crater Lane', inspiring the children to write their own adventures.

She shared with the pupils: "Being an author is a wonderful job.

"I can write stories and make people feel happy or scared or all sorts of emotions."

The book fair is facilitated by Ormsgill Primary, which has been managing this annual event for six years, with the guidance of assistant headteacher Laura Reid.

Ms Reid was delighted to have the authors attend: "We have been trying to get them for a few years but this time the dates all aligned and we are over the moon to welcome them."

For many young participants, such as Darcey from Year 5 of Newbarns Primary and Nursery School, this was a transformative experience: "This was one of the best experiences of my life and I couldn’t imagine meeting these authors in a million years."