Chris Smith’s school visit: inspiring young storytellers

We welcomed children’s author, Chris Smith last month, as he came to South Harringay Primary School to present his latest book The New Famous Five: Five and the Forgotten Treasure. 

Best known for Kid Normal and The Twits Next Door, Chris captivated pupils with his storytelling, humour and passion for writing. 

To celebrate the event and encourage a love of reading, we donated his latest book to the school library, along with additional copies generously provided by his publishers. Now, even more pupils can enjoy his adventures and be inspired to create their own stories. 

Following the fantastic event, we caught up with Chris to learn more about his journey from radio newsreader to children’s author, as well as the inspirations behind his books. 

The beginning of his writing journey

Chris’ initial love for writing was sparked when he entered a story competition in his local town. When thinking of ideas, he ​“found an egg shaped stone in a riverbank”, while out on a walk and decided that would be the perfect opening to his story. 

He eventually wrote about “[the stone] hatching into a dinosaur that loved biscuits” and won the competition. He was handed the grand prize of £12.50, which he then spent on a copy of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. 

From that point, eight-year old Chris decided he’d love to be an author, but it took him ​“many years to circle back and actually end up doing that for a living”. 

Since then, Chris followed a career in radio broadcasting, working on various radio shows including BBC Radio 1, where he was a newsreader. 

Despite his successful career, Chris was always fond of writing and, reverting to his childhood ambitions, published his first book, Kid Normal, with Greg James in 2017. 

This was an instant bestseller and was nominated for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and spawned three sequels. 

Five and the Forgotten Treasure

Chris shared more about his latest book, stating it was ​“inspired by Enid Blyton’s classic characters”. 

He said: ​“I absolutely loved all the Famous Five books growing up, and when I became an author, I really wanted to write my own version. This one is set partly 55 years after the original stories, although we also circle back to catch up with Julian, Dick, George, Anne and Timmy the dog. It’s really a love letter to these stories that I loved so much growing up – their sense of adventure companionship and outdoor fun really spoke to me and it still does”. 

School visits

One of Chris’ favourite ways to share his book is through school visits. He said, ​“school visits constantly reminded me that it is impossible to run out of ideas”. 

He’s been particularly fascinated by children’s imaginations, and their ability to conjure up ​“weird, wonderful and fantastical things”. 

For part of the school visit he uses the ​‘Fantastic Five Adventure Machine’, to encourage children to tell their own stories. He recalled he’d been ​“hearing stories about David Beckham being kidnapped by invisible pirates, sandwiches growing legs and running away, and a rap battle featuring a gerbil!” 

Chris encourages all children to read and write, because books have the power to ​“unlock a whole new world for them”. 

Advice for an aspiring writer

Chris’ encourages all aspiring writers to just go for it. He said, ​“don’t be frightened of a blank page! Getting started on a story can be the most difficult bit, but if you’re having trouble, just write anything or draw a map of where you think your story might take place. Once you have your map or the first few sentences, the rest will just flow!” 

What’s next for Chris Smith?

We’ve been given exclusive insight into Chris’ upcoming projects. Chris tells us that he’s busy working on many different books, including the second Famous Five book, The Kid Who Fell Through Time – a book co-written by Chris and Greg James, about a time travelling shopping trolley, and The Twits Next Door in paperback. 

With so many books to look forward to, it’s clear there’s much more to come from this prolific author. 

Chris’ visit left a lasting impression on the pupils of South Harringay Primary School, sparking their imaginations with exciting story ideas. By sharing his own journey, Chris showed the pupils that creativity and persistence can lead to incredible adventures. 

Through interactive storytelling, he continues to inspire the next generation of readers and writers to create worlds of their own.