When I was a kid, the school library was my safe place. Yes, I was 'that' kid. The socially awkward, geeky, red-haired reader who would much rather have her nose in a book than joining in a game in which the rules seemed inexplicable and the room for error was great.

Now I'm an author and ambassador for the MS Readathon, and my opinion on school libraries has not changed (though my social skills have improved... Promise).

In fact, I believe that, for parents as well as for kids, the school librarian can be one of the greatest allies you'll ever encounter on the long, arduous journey through the educationprocess. This year’s theme for the recent CBCA Book Week was 'Reading is my secret power', and it’s school librarians who are the secret agents behind the secret.

And I believe that parents should take the time to get to know these humble, enthusiastic souls.

Here are just two reasons why:

You have an advanced reader

Finding suitable books for a child who is reading at a level well above their age can be a minefield. I know, because I had one who, at seven, was galloping through books and demanding more, more, more. But what to give him when books for older kids or adults can contain subject matter that a seven-year-old boy is really not ready for?