A few years ago, I was about to speak at an assembly in a primary school when I saw a teacher place a white robot on a seat. She came over to me and explained that this was “Lily-Bot”, and the real Lily was at home, watching the assembly through her tablet.

I was astounded! I’d never seen a robot in a school before!

After my talk, “Lily-Bot” was brought over to me and I got to “meet” the Lily that was at home. It was such a wonderful experience and this encounter inspired The Small Things.

These robots are created by a company called No Isolation, who produce them to help children attend school who cannot be there in person for various reasons.

I want to say a big thank you to Lily and her family for talking with me about their positive experiences with an AV1 robot (the technical name for Ellie-bot!). You have been a true inspiration!

Lisa Thompson x

Our books are tested for children and young people by children and young people.

Thanks to everyone who consulted on a manuscript for their time and effort in helping us to make our books better for our readers.