For young readers, the strongest impression left by a book is often the world. Whether writing realism or fantasy, writers for children and teens are offering a place to escape to, which is at least as important as the story itself. Often, adult readers return to their old favourites for comfort years later. What makes some of these imagined worlds so compelling? How can we build a world that will enchant our readers?

Sylvia Bishop is the author of ten books for young people, spanning early chapter books, middle grade and YA. Her work has been translated into 15 languages. When not writing she performs improvised comedy, and this heavily informs her approach to writing.