Andy Seed - Interview (July 2025)
Q: We ask this to all authors - what was your best school visit, and why?
I visited a lovely primary in East Yorkshire and the school created a genuine sense of excitement about the visit before I arrived by doing lots of prep such as sharing short fun extracts from my books, letting children research two interesting facts about me, thinking about what authors do, having a competition to come up with good questions to ask etc. On the day, there was such a great atmosphere because the staff worked so hard to sell the idea that an author visit was special. The headteacher joined in, emphasising this is a special assembly, and all teachers were actively engaged in the visit (sadly, I find at some schools that they aren’t even present during sessions, so don’t know what goes on!). Parents and even lunchtime staff joined in the activities and there was a long queue to buy signed books, meaning that huge numbers of children were reading at home – this created a buzz around school for weeks and led to great follow up work and excellent writing. I received several messages from happy parents after the day too. The visit was so wonderful that I wrote a blog post about it, with pictures.
Q: When engaging with students during school visits, what was the funniest question?
There have been so many funny questions over the years. Some of my favourites include:
- Do you live in Hollywood?
- Is it true that you have never lost to Andy Murray at tennis? (Closely followed by ‘But have you ever actually played him?’)
- When are you going to stop writing?
But the question that produced titanic levels of hilarity was, “Do you have any friends?”
Q: How do you balance writing for laughter with writing that challenges thought?
I am not sure I seek to actually challenge thought – more to get children thinking, to expand their horizons, to open their eyes and stimulate their brains so that their imaginations are fired. But children also want to be entertained so mixing in a bit of humour, even with serious topics, can help to engage those who otherwise might not be interested. Plus it makes reading more fun for all. It’s a matter of knowing children and understanding what works well – that’s down to experience…
Q: If you were in charge of a library, what one book would you insist is on the shelves, and why?
If I was in charge of a library, I’d make sure that there were loads of different kinds of good books on offer, because different things appeal to different children. Some prefer stories, some facts, some adventures, some jokes, some pictures, some poems – the joy of a library is the range to satisfy all and the opportunity for kids to CHOOSE: that is vital! But if you are pinning me down to one book: Each Peach Pear Plum by the incomparable Ahlbergs. Sublime. Plus you gotta hook them young…
Q: Where did you grow-up, and did the area impact what you write - either positively or negatively?
I grew up near Manchester. I think one positive thing that came out of the place was an immersion in wit. It helped to be a bit of a comedian to survive at school and there were lots of funny people around to learn from. That certainly helped me to inject humour into my writing as an author.
Q: If you could inspire students to take one action after meeting you or reading your work, what would it be?
To read more, of course! Not just my books, but any book. Becoming a keen reader is a transformative experience. It certainly changed my life, and it’s not difficult to see the massive benefits that it brings. It’s harder and harder to engage children in books in this complex day and age and that’s where an author visit can make things happen.
Q: What is the worst job you have ever had (Andy has been a writer since 2000)?
I once tried to sell encyclopedias door-to-door in Accrington. Why? WHY??
Q: What one fact about an animal that would most surprise people (Andy has written about various animals)?
Maybe that wombats do square poos. Yep, cubic doo-doo!
Q: There is a lot of violence in Homer's Iliad - why should it still be read today?
I have always loved the Iliad and the Odyssey. I am not sure that violence is the right way to describe the events in these epic stories. Sure, there is war, fighting, battles, death and bloodshed but it reflects (sadly) the nature of humans – they clash constantly and there are wars around the world today, tragically. I think reading these stories helps people think about such things and the nature of humans (and Homer cleverly uses the idea of mythical gods and supernatural events to explore all kinds of themes). But these are also rollicking good tales – which is why they are still popular after 3,000 years. Who gets the royalties, that’s what I want to know!
Q: You like John Steinbeck, he wrote some of the best books of all time, which is his best book? (sorry, you have to choose one)
Probably The Grapes of Wrath. It’s hard-hitting and glorious.