QAS Celebrates World Book Day

World Book Day is a brilliant day that the school enjoys celebrating and with this year being the 25th year of celebrations the English Department had lots of fun organised!

The 4s and Upper 4s virtually welcomed award-winning author, Tim Bowler. Students study his book Storm Catchers in the 4s and it is always a book that is greatly enjoyed each year. Our virtual meeting with Tim begun with him speaking with our shortlisted finalists of our short story competition, Steffi (L4), Crystal (4) and Lauren (U4) received individual, enthusiastic feedback on their short stories; Tim was extremely impressed with all three pieces! 

"I so enjoyed GRIN AND BEAR IT. It’s a really quirky story and I loved the way you put us inside the bear’s thoughts and emotions. I found the bear’s personality pleasantly bolshie and endearing and it was a lovely twist to give the bear a secret inner life that its owners know nothing about. A great touch too at the end as the bear hears the unwelcome sound of toddlers drawing close and then reveals that the new owner is a ‘devilish little girl’ whose name the bear can’t be bothered to learn. Loved it. Well done, Steffi. A great story!"

"Wow! What a compelling piece of imaginative writing. I was deeply moved by THE HOLE IN THE MIDDLE OF HER SOUL. I thought you used the symbol of the boat brilliantly and it was particularly poignant to learn that the yacht is not just a key element in Matthew’s life but in his death too. The revelation of this at the end of the story was unexpected and powerful. I found your evocation of Lilith’s grief utterly convincing and the images of rain and tears seemed appropriately to mirror the watery death of the fiancé. A difficult subject extremely well handled. Well done, Crystal. Great storytelling!"

"I found your story immensely moving. You took the image of a figure watching seagulls and wove it into a powerful and dramatic piece of writing about loss and grief and the desperate struggle to move on. I particularly loved the way your main character speaks to Emily throughout the story, talking to her about shared things from the past, about what’s happening now in her life, and in the lives of Mum and Dad. I found myself inhabiting the person of the main character and feeling that character’s desperate search for some kind of closure - until we get those heartfelt final words of love and then, ‘Goodbye’. A wonderful story. Well done, Lauren."

Steffi was announced as the overall winner with her story 'Grin and bear it'. All three girls were presented with Waterstones vouchers and Steffi received a signed copy of Tim's book, Night Runner.

The students then got stuck in to the creative writing workshop with Tim, they were able to asks him lots of questions on what inspires him to write each book, how he decides a story line and how the characters are developed. The students then took part in a creative writing task which involved thinking of a location and placing an unexpected or unusual character in it. Tim provided encouraging feedback on the students work and expressed how impressed he was with the standard of writing. 

It was a pleasure to welcome Tim and the students certainly won't forget the brilliantly interactive visit. 

World Book Day isn't complete without staff and students dressing up as their favourite book characters! There were plenty of familiar characters brought to life on World Book Day, with students and staff putting in a great effort to their costumes. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Sherlock Holmes, The Woman in Black, Hamlet and even Where's Wally could be found wandering round school.