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An American author paid a personal – virtual – visit to children in Harlow to help them to overcome the challenges they face in life.

Students studying ASDAN life skills at Burnt Mill Academy enjoyed reading Mockingbird so much they contacted author Kathryn Erskine.

Despite living in America, she was keen to answer questions students had prepared for her and so joined them on a video call.

The book is about a young girl with Asperger’s syndrome whose brother is killed in a school shooting and leads to her learning how to let a world of colour into her black and white life.

Georgina Woods, ASDAN teacher, said: “The author of the book answered a range of questions the children had prepared. She told them about her early career and what she would like to do in the future.

“The students really enjoyed the book because they could relate to some of the challenges the main character, Caitlin, faced.

“We have used the book as inspiration to reflect on our own challenges in life and how we can overcome these.”