A bestselling children’s author sung the praises of his old secondary school as he returned to give a talk streamed live to thousands of students across the UK.

Robert Muchamore, author of the award-winning Cherub series, went back to Acland Burghley School, which he attended in the 1980s, for a special event celebrating World Book Day last Thursday.

He was interviewed by fellow children’s author Graham Marks in front of 120 pupils aged 11 and 13 and the visit was filmed and streamed live to as many as 6,000 schools across the UK.

Mr Muchamore, who left Acland Burghley with one A-level – a D in economics – said he was “a big fan” of the Tufnell Park school.

“I grew up in Junction Road [Archway] and what’s fascinating is how reputations change – it seems to be getting a slating right now but I enjoyed my time there and am a big fan of it,” he told the Ham&High.

“It has a good social mix with kids from Hampstead and from the estates off Junction Road. I have been back a few times and would happily send my child there. The librarian works hard with a limited budget to get the kids reading.”

Mr Muchamore, 41, returned to the Burghley Road school on World Book Day itself, an annual charity event to promote reading, as he was one of several authors selected to write a World Book Day £1 short novel.

The talk at Acland Burghley was one of dozens of events to mark World Book Day at schools across Camden, Haringey and Barnet last week.

At King Alfred School, in North End Road, Golders Green, illustrator and author Emily Gravett spoke to children aged six and 10.

She read from her fifth book, Monkey and Me, and spoke about what inspired her to become a children’s writer. David Weale, headteacher of King Alfred’s lower school, said: “She was an absolute knock-out. The children couldn’t get enough of it.”

Independent Academy School, in Pilgrim’s Place, Hampstead, held a storytime event for its pupils at Waterstones bookshop in Hampstead High Street.

The school encouraged all 91 of its pupils, aged six and 13, to read 2,500 pages by the end of last week.

Hundreds of primary school children, and their teachers, across all three boroughs dressed up as their favourite storytime characters on Thursday.