Brilliant Books had a visit today from Dr.Paul Beardsley from the Disney Research Institute in Zurich. Paul grew up in Mansfield. Part of the reason he travelled over from Zurich to see eighteen kids with similar backgrounds is that he is a massive reader and always has been.
A typical Disney robot - Wall-E!
Paul told me that without reading, he would not be where he is today. And unlike some, he really HAS achieved what it says on his CV. Not bad for a lad from Mansfield - one of the most impoverished towns in the UK and a perennial fixture in the relegation spots for crime, ill health, poor education and unemployment.
The kids absolutely loved every word Dr Beardsley had to say and his presentation was a delight. Recorded by Radio Nottingham as he did so, and interviewed by the Nottigham Post, it was one of the best days we've had at Brilliant Books and a day the kids told me that they would never forget. Here are some of the highlights:
Harry Potter - an ever popular favourite with the kids
The team gather with all the lottery funded Brilliant Books donations and some of their own books
Nathan shows me a photograph of one of his favourite superheroes - Emma Frost of the X-Men. Nathan is a BIG comics fan and we'll be swapping comics next week! The two Phils set some creative writing work on robots and here, some of the gang get stuck in. The work they created here wil appear in The Scribes of Seely - published on December 3rd, just in time for Christmas. A pupil poses with one of Paul's beautiful gifts to the school - "The Fairest Of Them All" The Making of Snow White.
The Brilliant Books project is funded by the
Big Lottery Fund - your £2 goes further
than you think
Shellie, seen here working on building robots, passionately
supports the project as a Mentor, working with the pupils in small groups
Some of the books supplied to the kids - that they can take home and read -
by the Brilliant Books Project
Dr Beardsley inspired the pupils to work in teams to build robots, following
instructions and then they had to design their own - the results
will be in The Scribes of Seely, the Brilliant Books anthology.
Here's an example :)
All in all, it was a fantastic day, one of the best so far and everyone thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks, Dr Paul!
Up and coming romantic suspense writer, Georgia Rose visited us from her lair down in the beautiful south. Here she is, practicing her big moment. If you would like to get to know her further, here's a recent interview she underwent. Georgia's Interview At The Wizard's Cauldron
A good friend of mine, Georgia was scheduled to join us in January for the second tranche, but due to a last minute cancellation from the only author scheduled for this round, she kindly agreed to step in at short notice. A successful Director of several companies and writer of two very well received novels, the kids were excited to meet her.
Firstly - to great applause and excitement - she read from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
(Obviously not the first edition, most of which are now kept in bank vaults)
...and later, from Michael Morpurgo's Private Peaceful.
Here's what Georgia had to say about the day:
"I was delighted, and felt very honoured, to be asked to come
to one of the Brilliant Books days to talk to a group of 9 and 10 year olds
about my career and how reading has helped me to succeed. I was introduced as Georgia Rose so had the opportunity to explain
to the children what a pen name was and that I also have ‘real’ name.
Whilst
telling them that they could call me by either they insisted on calling me
‘Miss’ which I found adorable.
I told them I was an avid reader as a child, though only
really remember reading, and re-reading Enid Blyton books early on and I showed
the children my favourite book, The Secret of Killimooin, (which I notice is on
sale on Amazon for 1p, and that’s for the hardback version! What a bargain!)
My
copy sadly has lost its front cover somehow over the years and was looking very
battered. The children were unimpressed ha ha ha. I explained that throughout school they would have to read
set texts, some of which they would like, some of which they wouldn’t but that
sometimes they would have to knuckle down and get on with those that didn’t
appeal as much.
I talked first on my ‘other’ career - what I do when I’m not
writing. I’ve built up my
company, which provides a variety of business services, so that I now work with
20 different businesses, of all sorts and with many different requirements.
These businesses range from one man bands up to large consultancy practices
which require maintenance of regular director level meetings at the Institute
of Directors in London. This all keeps me busy but throughout all of these
years I’ve never stopped reading, wherever and whenever I can. In fact I can’t
imagine a day without reading.
Then came the writing and whilst I thought the children
might think that once I was writing my own stories I didn’t need to read any
more I explained to them that the reading became even more important.
I asked
the children if they liked writing, if they found it easy, and was faced with many
shaking heads. I tried to impress upon them how the more they read the easier
they would find writing. Everything they read informs their writing improves
their vocabulary and increases their knowledge as well as firing up their
imagination.
I pointed out how you get so much more from reading a book than
by watching a film. The depth of the descriptions about emotions and settings
are so vivid and if they read they will be able to start adding more of this into
their writing.
I then asked who preferred reading non-fiction and most, if
not all, of the hands that went up belonged to boys. We discussed the sort of
non-fiction they liked, space, football, cars, amongst others and there was
great excitement when I brought out the Guinness Book of World Records 2012.
Many liked this and I explained it was the sort of book that was the preferred
choice of my son who was a reluctant reader of fiction. I also impressed on
them that it didn’t matter what they read. If they preferred absorbing the
facts of non-fiction rather than losing themselves in the storyline of fiction
that was absolutely fine just as long as they kept reading.
The second session took place in a classroom and using my genre
of romantic suspense Phil spoke to the children about Lord Byron, perhaps the finest romantic poet of all time (from Nottinghamshire, a county with an incredible literary heritage - Ed).
The idea for the afternoon was for the
children to write a poem on whatever was their favourite thing then they got
down to work. I really enjoyed this part and joined one table to help
support the children in their writing. I was impressed by the ideas that
started to flow when we chatted about their favourite things and they soon
started getting the words down. Several finished this piece of work and moved
onto writing Haikus!
They were lovely to work with and the hour flew by, it
had really been a great day and I’d encourage anyone who is offered the chance
to do this to grab it with both hands".
Brilliant Books is funded by the Big Lottery Fund - your £2 goes further than you think
Thank you, Georgia. The young people were most impressed with the work you did and we hope you can come back and help us next year. Next week, I talk to Phil Pidluznyj, the lead facilitator, about his love of reading and why Brilliant Books is important - and at this age too. Thanks for reading, Mark
I thought it would be a good idea to introduce the staff on Brilliant Books, all of who are giving up their time to inspire the young people - who are also giving up their playtime too.
Anona Morley is the Deputy Head of Seely Primary and our Brilliant Books Link.
We're delighted to be working with her and it is her drive and passion to encourage young people to read that is driving the project forward internally. She's done the hard work for us, in other words. I spoke to her about many things literary and here's what she had to say.
Tell us a bit about yourself, Anona?
Well, I've been teaching for 10 years and am in my fourth year as deputy at my current school. I am interested in a range of books and music and enjoy embarking on new experiences that challenge me.
I have 2 daughters and a cat called Tigger - who is very bouncy!
How are you involved in Brilliant Books?
I have been involved in the planning stages of this exciting project and support each week.
What are your ambitions for the project and the young people on it?
My ambition is that all of the pupils that embark on this journey with us will have their 'eyes opened' to world around them and the enrichment of texts and language that is out there. I want them to be as excited about books and reading as I am, to develop a thirst for reading.
The Rijksmuseum, Netherlands
What book are you using on your Host slot and why?
I'm reading 'When Hitler stole Pink Rabbit' by Judith Kerr. This was the first book that I read as a child as thought 'wow' - the first book that I didn't want to stop reading but wanted to find out what happened in the end. I loved the style of Judith Kerr's writing and the detail, I liked how I could empathise with the main character Anna (as it was also based on Judith's life experiences).
It is this that I want to share with the children - how life experiences affect us and how we can use them to write and create amazing things.
Reading this book inspired me to go hunting for more stories and developed an interest within me to find out more!
I hear you are planning a new approach to BB with a colleague?
Yes, I've invited my lovely colleague Beverley Rolley to join me. Beverley has a gift for languages and we both share a love of words.
She will bring 'Carrie's War' by Nina Bawden with her. Both books link beautifully and we would like to use drama and shared experiences as a tool for writing this week.
Why do you think young boys and teenage boys (in particular) have stopped reading? What would you do about it?
Comics in the sixties and seventies were popular in an era where teenage
boys read in huge numbers. Nowadays, most American superhero comics are too expensive to
buy in bulk, are aimed at older people, and focus on adult themes.
British comics are virtually non-existent in their traditional weekly form.
I think there are lots of pressures for teenagers today. Lot's of the reading they do is dictated - but what about reading because you want to?
Comics, while derided, introduced many teenagers to the world
in a way that textbooks never did. The Incredible Hulk, a modern
day allegory for the duality of man, is a case in point.
I think I would try to create opportunities for reading - that are built into the day - time out to read anything you want (well almost).
Providing positive role models, which Brilliant Books is doing, is so important and very influential.
The popular Neil Gaiman - a lifelong reader and great advocate of getting
young people reading again
Morpurgo or Shakespeare? What type of writing would you focus on in an English curriculum?
Both - although I do love a bit of Shakespeare!
One of the most popular books written
in the last decade by YA specialist, Michael Morpurgo
Once my teacher had guided me through the language barriers I enjoyed the plot, the characters, the events - Shakespeare was so clever.
My daughters have always enjoyed reading children's versions of Shakespeare- once you understand the story then the language becomes more accessible.
Children's Shakespeare - soon to be appearing on Brilliant Books
I've heard that Michael Morpurgo has also teamed up with the Royal Shakespeare company too!
In the English curriculum there has to be a breadth of writing - different audiences, different contexts. Making writing purposeful is key to getting the pupils on board.
Give us A) A book you reread regularly B) A book which influenced you C) A book you loved as a child
A) I don't really re-read books - I just admire them on my bookshelf and use those that I enjoyed to take me on my own literary journey of discovery to widen my repertoire.
B) I think all of the books I read at university - but probably 'The Color Purple' by Alice Walker.
C) I loved reading Enid Blyton as a child and it's great to see her books making a comeback - I particularly liked 'The Wishing Chair'.
In a parallel world, name one author, one actor and one successful person you would like to see on your Ideal Brilliant Books project.
1 author - it would have to be J.K Rowling - for the children - they would be sooooo excited.
1 actor - Whoopi Goldberg - she has demonstrated such a range of skills and is a truly amazing person - an inspiration.
1 successful person - Thomas Edison - if at first you don't succeed try and try again!!
Anona, thank you for chatting with us and thank you - and Seely Primary - for getting involved with Brilliant Books.
Thank you, Mark. I've really enjoyed the opportunity.
Anona encourages the Brilliant Books gang with their writing
One major idea underpinning Brilliant Books is that of Role Modelling When successful people appear at the front of the room talking about how reading was an essential part of their success, then we hope the young people will assimilate the information.
Much of the time, formal education is foisted upon them in a top-down/on-high fashion and kids lose the point of it somewhere along the line.
Brilliant Books is funded by the Big Lottery Fund
Hopefully, they will remember the sixteen successful people they meet and connect it with reading.
The first "successful guest" we invited was Chris Leslie, MP for Nottingham East.
You can check Chris's parliamentary biography here.
...and talked about his life as an MP. There are 21 kids booked on Brilliant Books and 18 were there today to hear him speak.
with many parents too. In the second half - after a fruit break* that saw the kids devour a massive carrier bag of apples, bananas and Clementines - Chris mentored a group of kids on the topic of "My Favourite Journey".
(For those of you who missed last week, my role will be to collect all the writing together and edit, format and create an anthology of their work. This is the second tranche of Brilliant Books. The young people will then have a permanent memento of their time with us). The children and parents really enjoyed the session and Chris's delivery was pitch perfect. If you are reading this, thank you Chris! We learned valuable lessons too which we will discuss next week - primarily about activity and keeping the kids occupied over two hours at the end of a school day.
Headmistress Sally Pearce and my colleague Phil Pidluznyj, who is co-ordinating the eight-week workshop, opened proceedings earlier.
Next week, we'll be featuring an interview with Mrs Anona Morley, Deputy Head at Seely Primary School, who is working closely with us over the next six months. There she is, on the left.
Here's what Chris said about us on his popular newsletter... http://www.chrisleslie.org/2014/09/23/19th-september-scotland-says-brilliant-books-successful-city-football-bid/ "This week I was a guest at Seely Primary School’s “Brilliant Books” event. I spoke with year 4 and 5 pupils (pictured) about books and reading and how important literacy will be to their development. It was great fun to be invited to read a chapter from a book that I knew when I was younger; in the end I chose to read from the classic ‘Stig Of The Dump’ by Clive King because I thought it fitted with the sense of curiosity that reading can help spark.
Particular thanks go to Phil Pidluznyj and his colleagues for coming up with the idea which has gained Lottery funding and where Seely Primary could be the first of several schools taking part in the project." ________________________________
*Empleo Community Interest Company underpin ALL projects with a philosophy of healthy eating, including the supply of fruit and special teas.
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