CHILDREN'S author Abi Elphinstone visited Cirencester Library for Cirencester Book Week.

The former English teacher from Scotland talked to children about her bestselling books The Dreamsnatcher and The Shadow Keeper on Tuesday, July 26.

Abi said: "'It's always a privilege to meet your readers and speaking to the children in Cirencester library was no exception.

"I talked about the adventures behind my books - abseiling into jungle caves and carving catapults with a Romany gypsy pal in Hampshire - to demonstrate to the children that at the heart of the writing process is a sense of exploration and wonder and that becoming an author isn't a job reserved for the intellectual elite.

"It's a career open to any child with a curious, and determined, mind."

Book Week, which ran from Monday, July 25 to Saturday, July 30, featured a line-up of award-winning authors and illustrators including Jill Lewis and Deborah Allwright.

Events included an interactive session with the Jill and Deborah, who co-authored 'Don't Read This Book' and 'Hooray For Knickers'; a talk by author of the book series 'Iron Fist (The Inventory)', Andy Briggs; and a reading of 'The Many Worlds of Albie Bright' by local author Christopher Edge.

Cirencester Book Week, now in its fourth year, is funded by the Bingham Library Trust and organised by Gloucestershire Libraries and Octavia's Bookshop.