OK this blog title sounds strange but let me explain…

I’m always interested in working with schools on literacy and reading projects. Mostly, these educational projects involve actual visits to schools, but sometimes there are other ways to work together. Last year, teachers from Chasetown Community School in England got in touch with me to ask if I would be interested in a school educational project based around my first book My Alien Penfriend.

The book is about two children living on opposite sides of the galaxy – one earthling, one extraterrestrial – who communicate and become great friends. Anyway, the school asked me if they could adapt this idea and get the children writing to alien penpals. The project would encourage children with their reading and writing and as they were learning about space it would get them more interested in that too.

I thought this “Email an Alien project” was a brilliant idea and was very excited about being involved. Luckily the children enjoyed writing to their new alien pals and the project turned out to be a big success.  The teachers were also really pleased with it from an educational point of view.

Recently, the school sent me a booklet they had created from the Email an Alien project. It’s 40+ pages long and is a joy to read…a lot of the emails to the alien penpals were hilarious! Unfortunately, in order to protect the aliens involved (yes extraterrestrials have feelings too), I can’t share the whole booklet with you – but I’ve included a snapshot.

I would love to be involved in other projects like this so if you are a teacher or educator and you are looking to work with an author please get in contact.