Reading

Hello!

 I hope you all had a great summer discovering new books and authors.  A couple of books  books  I especially enjoyed were A Time of Green Magic by Hilary McKay and Counting On Katherine, by Helaine Becker.  It tells the true story of African-American schoolgirl, Katherine Johnson who couldn't study at her local high school, so her family moved her to a school that would take black students.  Katherine was a determined and dedicated student.  Through perseverance and her exceptional mathematical skills, she went on to work on Project Apollo, helping set the moon landings back on course.  I thoroughly recommend this book.

Did you enjoy Children's Laureate Cressida Cowell's Creativity Summer Camp?  If you did, then Cressida has something very exciting to look forward to.  She will be hosting a whole week of exciting book related fun, as part of a festival called Reading Is Magic.  I'll include the link below.

Have you thought about keeping a reading journal?  A journal might include lists of the books you've recently read, authors you especially enjoy, three word reviews and star ratings and books you would like to read.  You might want to decorate your journal with doodles, stickers and fancy page headings.  You'll need a notebook and coloured pens to get you going.  If you don't have a notebook, some paper or card folded to make a book will work just as well.

I'm currently reading Blackberry Blue and Other Fairy Tales by Jamila Gavin.  Jamila is  a wonderful writer of short stories.  This time she has takes European  style traditional tales and retells  them set in new settings and with diverse characters.  Some of the stories are a bit creepy, some are pure magic all are beautifully told.

Mrs. Hamerton

Some  book themed creative ideas to try:

Do you have a favourite book but you really don't like the cover? Why not have a go at creating your own version.  Make it as colourful, plain or as detailed as you like. Don't forget to include a blurb on the back, and quotes from your favourite authors.

Perhaps you think a book you have read would work well as a comic book.  So now is your opportunity to make that a reality!  Have a go at turning a book you love into a comic book.  There are plenty of templates online for comic book strips, or you can make your own using pencil and ruler.

Think about your favourite characters from picture books - is it The Gruffalo?  Or The Hungry Caterpillar? Maybe it's Harry and his bucket full of dinosaurs or a character from a traditional tale.  Now think about what might happen if that character suddenly appeared in your current chapter book.  How would that character react?  How would others respond to them?  Now write that story!

Have a go at book spine poetry, see the post above.

For other story starter ideas look at the Authorfy website.  Authors are posting 10 minute story starter ideas each morning.  Have fun with your writing and book themed creativity!