The Big Day!

It was the moment we've all been waiting for - Jeremy Strong had arrived. We finally met the man who writes all those funny books. He talked about how and where he writes and gave us a sneak preview of a new book he's writing. It was interesting how he plays with words; adding the Latin endings 'us' and 'a' to characters' names in his story about a Roman family. One of the most fascinating things I learnt was that as a result of not being able to pronounce his 'r's as a small boy, Jeremy, of course, spelt these words the way he said them, 'with a 'w'. I'm sure we were all pleased to find that despite writing with lots of misspelt words and no punctuation at the age of six, it is still possible to become a famous author. This was all related in a very entertaining way and children were in stitches!
In the evening it was the parents' turn to have the chance to meet this wonderful author. The emphasis this time was on the importance of reading at home, telling bedtime stories, getting children to read anything they enjoyed and not worrying about books that were 'too easy' or 'unsuitable'. Again, this message was given with wit and charm. We learnt a poem which was the turning point for Jeremy. It made him realise 'You could have fun with words'. The poem goes like this:

Parsley

Is gharsley

 

by Ogden Nash

 

 

 

 

The message I took away with me and I'll share here is:

Whether you're reading or writing, have fun!

 

 



Bomber Dogs and Parachutes

The Reading Fest continues apace with Year 5 enjoying a visit from author, Megan Rix. Dressed in 1940s overalls and a warden's hat, Megan shared stories of her own life with her dogs as well as those of the dogs that helped during World War 2. We were fascinated to see film of dogs being parachuted out of planes and landing (apparently none the worse for their ordeal) in far flung fields, ready for duty.
For all you aspiring writers, Megan recommends the life of an author. She told us how she enjoys combining writing at home with walking her dogs and travelling the country visiting schools. The day ended with many children clutching a signed copy as they left - ready to enjoy a good read!

Isabel, Class 5 was inspired. She commented, 'She showed us her books, answered questions and gave us writing tips It's a one-off chance and you get to see how they write.'
 When asked if the visit had changed their views on reading, lots of Year 5 felt it gave them the opportunity to try a new author. 'I wouldn't normally buy her kind of book but seeing the author changed my mind' said Jake.
Allegra sums it up, 'I really enjoyed Megan's visit because I love dogs and it was really interesting to hear about the second world war.'

Nicky Singer visit

Nicky Singer visits Year 6

Year 6 were lucky enough to be visited by award winning author Nicky Singer. Her book, Feather Boy has been made into a musical and a series on TV. Nicky showed a clip of Feather Boy and explained how she finds ideas for stories, bringing with her the original flask that inspired her latest book of that name. You can find an interview with Nicky on HJS TV but here are some quotes from Year 6 that show how her visit inspired them.

The best thing about having an author to visit

'We did lots of really fun writing' Minna

'It inspired me to write more' Jasmine

"I learnt lots of new things about writing' Ben
'We learnt a lot of writing tips to help us (Don't open the box)' Peter
'The great inspirational advice' Jack

Our favourite local author, T.M Alexander visits Year 4!

 

What a wonderful event T.M.Alexander, (or Tracy to those of us who had the pleasure of meeting her) gave a writing workshop in her inimitable, energetic style to each of the Year 4 classes. The resounding verdict was that it was fun because 'She's very expressive and she brought in lots of props to help us write our story'. 

Phoebe in Class 9 thinks the best thing about having an author to visit is,'It inspires people to read and write more!' 

Just as positive, Jake in Class 8 thought, 'It will change how I write a lot because it changes how I plan my work.'

Overall every class was impressed by Tracy's enthusiasm and sense of fun and Amelia, Class 7 sums it up by saying,'I bought one of her books and I enjoy reading.'

Huge thanks to Tracy from the staff - what an inspiration!

World Book Day

World Book Day is here and all sorts of exciting things are happening at school. Some classes have watched 'World Book Day TV' where some our favourite authors give tips on writing. Today we have started transforming our classroom doors into book covers. Indeed, 'Dirty Beasts' by Roald Dahl and 'There's a Girl in the Boy's Bathroom' by Louis Sacher are already looking stunning.

We kick start our authors' visits tomorrow with one of our favourites, local writer, T.M.Alexander who will visit Year 4. Her Tribe series has proved a hit with Year 5 on previous visits and her lively talks are unmissable!

Closely following on the heels of T.M.Alexander's visit, Year 6 will be looking forward to meeting Nicky Singer next Monday 10th March. Her award winning book, 'Feather  Boy' has been made into a six part series for TV as well as a play. Nicky is also writing books for younger children and has invited a group of Year 3 to be the very first to listen to one of these stories, read by the author herself.

Year 5 must wait until the 21st of March to meet Megan Rix, author of 'Bomber Dog' which many of them have read. I won't reveal too much but from what I've been told, her talk promises to be fascinating.

Which brings me to our final author, the much loved Jeremy Strong. I can't wait to meet him having spent many moments laughing until I cried reading his books with my own children. Jeremy will talk to Year 3, no doubt getting them very over excited, before talking to parents at our reading event on the 29th of April. I  C A N ' T  W A I T !

Sylvie Jones

Festival of Reading launches on World Book Day

Thursday March 6th 2014 - World Book Day. What better time to launch the Henleaze Junior School Festival of Reading? During the next 2 months, the school will be celebrating the joy of reading. We have 5 children's authors visiting the school to talk about their books and work with the children, culminating on 29th April with a visit by Jeremy Strong, who will be the speaker at our Reading Festival Evening for Families.