Lucy Strange worked as an actor, singer and storyteller before becoming a secondary school English teacher. She lives in a log cabin in the middle of the Kent countryside - a perfect haven for a writer. Her first book, The Secret of Nightingale Wood was published in the UK in 2016 and was a Waterstones book of the month. Her second novel for young readers, Our Castle by the Sea, was recently published by Chicken House in the autumn of 2018 and has been hailed as another masterpiece. 

Lucy sat on a panel of experts at our successful Southern region reading helper conference in February 2019. 

As a book worm, I have always treasured that feeling of ownership you have when you truly connect with a wonderful book. As a writer, I understand the unique joy that can come from getting lost in a fantastic story. As a teacher, I know that developing a child's confidence with reading makes a real and profound difference to their confidence at school and in the world beyond. The work that Coram Beanstalk does with young readers cannot be valued highly enough and deserves all the support we can give.