The Northern Echo:

 

You might not believe this but it's the tooth, the whole tooth and nothing but the tooth.

There I was, at Thirsk Community Primary School this morning, giving a book reading and writing workshop.

I had Black-toothed Ruth Black, my second book in the Monstrous Morals series, on an overhead screen and the children appeared to be enjoying the story about a little girl who won't brush her teeth.

When her first rotten tooth falls out, the evil tooth devils come, instead of the tooth fairy who normally leaves good children a reward under their pillow.

All of a sudden, there was a bit of a kerfuffle amongst the children sitting on the floor of the main hall and a little boy called Liam Sargent had to be taken out by a teacher.

I carried on with the story-telling and it was only afterwards that I discovered what had happened.

Just as I'd got to the verse where Ruth's tooth "wibbled and wobbled", Liam's tooth had fallen out.

"You couldn't make it up," said smiling headteacher Richard Wild.

I just hope Liam gets a visit from the tooth fairy tonight!