A FORMER student at a sixth form college has written and published her first children’s book.

Sam Davies-McGill, a former student from Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College (QE), Darlington, has created 'Mag-Spy: The One with the Croc!'.

The story follows the story of Mag-Spy, a kind-hearted magpie who travels the world and befriends an unwell crocodile whilst in journeying through Australia.

Written whilst on maternity leave, Sam, originally from Darlington, who now lives in South Shields, wanted her daughter, Pippa, to develop a love for reading while encouraging children to learn about rhyming.

The story has become so popular, selling on both its own website and Amazon, that Sam now visits schools, nurseries and playgroups to share Mag-Spy’s story with pupils and provide colouring sheets and signed copies of the book.

She said: "My original aim was to write something that my daughter would enjoy reading and I am delighted that other families are enjoying Mag-Spy’s adventures as much as we do.

"The next book in the series is entitled Mag-Spy: The One with the Shark! and will focus on teaching children about lullabies."

Laurence Job, Deputy Principal at QE, said: "It is wonderful to hear about Sam’s success and how she is using her talent for writing to inspire children to take an in interest in reading.

"We are looking forward to the release of her second book and wish her every success for the future."