Eltham College Celebrates World Book Day
This week we celebrated World Book Day (5th March) in a variety of ways. On Monday we were joined for the day by award-winning author and Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, Frances Hardinge. She met first with Years 6, 7 and 8 in the Chapel and had us spellbound as she spoke about her books and the inspirations behind her writing.
There were so many hands raised for questions that there was not time enough to ask or answer them all, but the response was very positive from the staff and students present, especially those who excitedly queued to have their books signed.
The Page Turners Club had prepared an artwork gift based on the novel Deeplight by Frances Hardinge, which we read together last term. They presented her with a framed version of the work, with which she was absolutely delighted.
Students in Years 7 and 8 also took part in a quiz on Frances’ life and work. This progressed to a tie-breaker, and the final submissions are with Frances for judging.
After some lunch, Frances met the Year 10 Athenaeum group in the Old Library. Mr Cavendish writes:
Members of the Year 10 Athenaeum were delighted to attend a question-and-answer session with award-winning author Frances Hardinge. Students asked a fascinating range of questions, ranging from how ‘other worlds’ were created in her novels to authors who inspired her, aspects of the writing process and symbolism in her work. They gained a real insight into the writer’s craft through Frances’ responses, as well as her sense of humour and undoubted passion for her work. The discussion of symbolism, in particular, built on work completed earlier in the Scholarship Programme. Our thanks once again to Frances for her time.
Later in the afternoon, Frances held a Creative Writing Masterclass for students who attend Creative Writing Club, as well as a number of Year 9 students who had been nominated by their English teachers. Frances spoke about ‘secrets’, and together we discussed the many forms they can take and why before reading several paragraphs she had written on this theme.
It was then over to the students. The quality of writing they produced in such a short time was impressive, with a huge range of imaginative ideas and compelling narratives. Well done to all who took part, especially those who bravely shared their work aloud.
To mark World Book Day itself, we are running a staff book-recommendation competition, in which students must guess which staff member recommended each book. Staff have contributed mini-blurbs, which will be posted separately from the book cover images. It is fascinating to see the wide range of books that have been recommended, and many sound compelling—plenty of titles to add to the ‘must read’ pile! The first student from each year group to correctly match all books with their recommenders will win a book token prize.
In the library we are holding a ‘pre-loved’ book sale to raise money for the charity Book Aid International.
