An Inspiring Visit from Author Tom Palmer for Year 5 & 6

On Wednesday, Year 5 and 6 pupils enjoyed a very special opportunity as they took part in a live online lesson with the renowned author Tom Palmer. The session was both inspiring and motivating, giving pupils a fascinating insight into the life of a writer and the power of reading.

Tom shared his personal journey to becoming a reader and writer, speaking openly about how he had struggled with reading as a child and found little enjoyment in books at first. His true passion was football, and it was through this love of the game that his interest in reading began to grow. By reading comics, magazines and match reports, Tom gradually built his confidence, developed his reading stamina and discovered that stories could be enjoyable after all. This new love of reading soon helped him to find writing easier in class and sparked his ambition to become an author.

As his confidence grew, Tom began writing stories about the subjects he cared most about. He started with football-themed books before going on to create gripping crime series and powerful historical novels set during the two World Wars, as well as stories inspired by the Lake District and Cornwall. Pupils were fascinated to hear how real-life interests can become the starting point for exciting stories.

The session captured everyone’s attention, and pupils listened eagerly as Tom shared his experiences and answered questions. Inspired by his words, many pupils headed straight to the library afterwards to search for his books and begin their own reading adventures.

This event formed part of the National Year of Reading 2026, which aims to inspire children to read for pleasure and to discover books about the things they are passionate about. It was a wonderful reminder that every reader’s journey is different and that a love of reading can begin with the things we enjoy most.