Students at a girls’ secondary school were given an insight into the refugee crisis when an author visited their school in Leytonstone.

Cathy Cassidy spoke to youngsters at Connaught School for Girls on Tuesday, July 3, about how seeing images of families fleeing violence compelled her to write her latest novel, Sami’s Silver Lining.

It tells the story of a young boy from Syria who lost his parents and sister in the Mediterranean as they tried to make the dangerous crossing to Europe.

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The fiction writer for young adults is passionate about making literature tangible and accessible for the next generation.

Ms Cassidy encouraged the girls to raise cash for refugees before signing copies of her book, gifted to the students by Pickled Pepper Books in Crouch End.