A PRIMARY school pupil won a storytelling contest after being inspired by her younger sisters' favourite books.

Sophia Buchanan, 10, has been announced as the winner of the 10-to-11-year-old category for The Book People’s Bedtime Story Competition.

The pupil at St Mary and St John School in Meadow Lane, East Oxford, is one of three young writers across the UK to have won their respective age group category for her entry Once Upon a Bedtime.

She is now being entered into Book People’s nationwide competition, which challenges young authors aged between five and 11 to create a picture book on the theme of imagination.

Sophia’s story was picked out from hundreds of entries and selected by a judging panel led by author and five-time Olympic gold medallist Alex Gregory MBE, children’s book illustrator Sara Sanchez and representatives from Book People, Save the Children and publisher, Little Tiger Press.

Sophia said: “I’m really excited I won. I came up with the idea from looking at the bedtime books my little sisters were reading so I joined lots of them together in my story.”

Once Upon a Bedtime follows the story of a young girl called Martha who’s settling in for her bedtime story when a series of favourite book characters appear at the house and get invited in to join the story time… but are they real or just in her imagination?

As one of Book People’s Bedtime Story Competition’s three category winners, Sophia enjoyed a surprise visit to her school where a video message of head judge Alex Gregory reading the story to her classmates was played. She was also presented with her prizes which included an exclusive drawing of Once Upon a Bedtime by Sara Sanchez.

Head judge Alex Gregory said: “Once Upon A Bedtime brings to life the hope all children have, that the characters we read about do actually come to life!

“It’s a great short story, cleverly constructed with a repetition throughout that brings consistency, yet despite thinking you know what’s about to happen, subtle things change each time.

“It’s an excellent story, that uses the theme imagination very well and keeps the reader guessing. Keep writing stories Sophia!”

Judge and children’s book illustrator Sara Sanchez said: “I loved the number of characters that appear in the book.”