By Marc Lambert WHEN the Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour began in 1998, the idea was simple: bring the magic of an author visit to every community and remote area in Scotland. Since then, the tour has expanded, covering Northern Ireland, England and Wales. For many students, this may be the only chance they have to meet a writer in real life. As a national charity, promoting reading culture in schools and educational settings is one of Scottish Book Trust’s key aims, and thanks to the tour, more than 130,000 children have had the opportunity to meet authors like Julia Donaldson, Chris Riddell and Malorie Blackman.