Ackworth teacher John Clewarth publishes fifth 'spooky but safe' children's book

Published in June by Red Cape Publishing, “Jack Devlin and the Roman Curse” is set in Yorkshire and is the tale of a mysterious quest which the main protagonist, Jack Devlin, embarks upon with his friends after receiving a strange letter from his archeologist grandfather.

The story itself centres around Jack uncovering a curse, inscribed on an ancient Roman tablet, during an archeological dig.

John, 60, who worked at Silcoates School for around 17 years, as well as working at Horbury Academy with older children and Pinderfields Primary, now works as a substitute teacher, which means he can spend more time writing.

He said: “I was inspired to write this book after visiting a museum last year and seeing these lead tablets which were used by The Romans to curse people they didn’t like and would bury them.

"Obviously this book is for children and very watered down, but Jack is a young boy who lives in Castleford, and uncovers one of these curse tablets whilst on an archeological dig, which sets off a massive chain of events.

"The book is very exciting and has lots of ‘rollercoaster moments’. It is a bit spooky but safe for children in key stage two and the lower end of key stage three.”

John’s debut novel, “Firestorm Rising”, which was published in 2013, made it to the finals of the The People's Book Prize in the same year.

And working as a teacher, improving literacy and engaging children into reading is a main priority for the father-of-two.

He added: “Reading and publishing these books is so important to me because as a kid growing up there was very little on the children’s market.

"My mum would take me down to the library with polished floors and big stacked shelves but there was only a tiny section for youngsters.

"My mum taught me to read, and luckily I was confident reader, which is why I read books that weren’t specifically for children.

"You can lose yourself in a book, it is a great escapism and reading can teach children how to deal with real life in an imagined world.

"Being a teacher for so many years, you can tell the impact that reading has on children.

"I often come across the term ‘reluctant reader’ but that just means they haven’t found a book that interests them.”

John will also be one of the judges on the 2023 BBC 500 Words competition panel, the UK's most successful children's writing competition for five to 11-year-olds.

"The competition encourages children to be creative and imaginative in their story writing,” John said.

“It is very exciting.

"In addition, I offer educational and fun school visits for different age ranges. I enjoy working with youngsters to develop their confidence in creative writing.”

John is also set to release a children’s Christmas anthology in the autumn.

To enquire about a visit or for more information, visit John’s website: www.johnclewarthauthor.com