On Wednesday the author of the hugely popular Specky Magee series was at St Joseph's Primary School to talk about his latest release Fearless Frederic.

Mr Arena said he hopes his writing might inspire young people to give themselves “the rare gift of picking up a book”.

“We’re all guilty of too much screen time,” he said. 

“I’d love this book to encourage kids to switch off so they can read for 10 minutes and use that other part of the brain.”

Fearless Frederic follows a young boy’s adventure in France as he attempts to help those who can’t help themselves. 

As the river rises and the city of Paris begins to disappear under water, Frederic will have to battle an escaped zoo animal, fight off pickpockets and find justice for his father.

Mr Arena said a rich upbringing in Victoria’s Goulburn Valley helped to shape his future as a children’s book author.

“I come from a big Italian family which now includes hundreds of nieces and nephews,” he said.

“They’re always questioning if I’m testing my new material on them and children are very honest.”

The Melbourne resident said the chance to get on the road and visit schools is one of the best things about his job.

“If I were stuck in my study writing all the time I’d be very bored,” he said.

“To get out there and enjoy the audience allows me to  see where they’re at emotionally.”