A CHILDREN’S author has been banned from reading his new book at a school — because it features a witch.
Andy Sagar’s novel Yesterday Crumb and the Storm in a Teacup is about a young girl who joins a flamboyant witch in a travelling tea shop.
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But the London-based faith school where he was due to read from it on Friday cancelled because it did not want to be seen “promoting witchcraft”.
Cambridge University PhD student Andy, 26, said on Twitter: “Was expecting some homophobia tbh, never saw the witchphobia coming.
“I wasn’t exactly planning on teaching potion-making or broomstick-riding.
“Never really thought a book about tea and magic could cause much drama, but here we are.”
A publishing source said: “This is PC gone mad.
“Children should be able to use their imagination at school. It’s all part of learning and creativity.”
Fellow writers also rallied in support.
Chocolat author Joanne Harris advised Andy to alert the Society of Authors and said: “If the school cancelled your event for this, I would think you deserve compensation.”
The National Secular Society also said it would support Andy, who said he was inspired to become a writer after reading J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit as a child.
Last month the Sunday Times named the novel Children’s Book of the Week.
Its review said it is written with a “lively, inventive imagination and a great menu of warm-hearted characters, mouth-watering treats and cosy descriptions”.
