PUPILS put on their thinking caps to create costumes and compete for the winning prize at this year's World Book Day.

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From a Gangster Granny to James Bond, students and staff at Whitings Hill Primary School, in Barnet dressed up as their favourite fictional characters on Wednesday.

Comedian and poet Neal Zetter ran poetry workshops with Year 4 and Year 5 pupils, before teachers took winners of the best dressed competition to Waterstones in Barnet Spires shopping centre.

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Teachers praised the children for their creative costumes and this year's winners included evil queen Maleficent, James Bond, a demon from book series Goosebumps and the scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz.

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Rebekah Ellis, a teacher at the school, said as a school they are trying to push reading for pleasure to the children and often hold events Ms Ellis said: "We had a great day, the children and staff all looked brilliant in their costumes.

"They all made a real effort, and in the morning, each class voted their winner and they loved being taken to the book shop in full fancy dress to choose a book prize."

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This event is one of many where pupils learn how to enjoy reading for pleasure, as last year, children took part in the school's extreme reading challenge, where pupils delve into books in the most weird and wonderful places they can think of.