Recent Events: Author Visit

Gill James - Childrens Author

 

On Friday 11th April, the school played host to Children's author Gill James.  She is a successful author of several children's books including Jason's Crystal, Nick's Gallery and Lombardy Grotto.  She is also a contributer of a collection of prose and peotry from some of the industry's most prestigious authors and illustrators named Lines in the Sand - New Writing About War and Peace.  All royalties and publishers profits go to UNICEF to fund the bringing of aid to child victims of the war in Iraq.

 

            Gill James

She thoughly enjoyed the visit to the school and even added her own account of her visit to the school on her blog as follows: -

I was at my first secondary school in the current tour yesterday. Wetherby High School reminded me so much of Brookfield School, where I taught and which my own children attended. 1960's building with a lot of glass and hardwood and the usual mix of students.

I talked to four Y9 classes. In a former existence as a secondary school teacher, I used to dread meeting Y9 when I went to a new school. They were always the least receptive towards new teachers. These students, however, were charming, if a little reluctant to ask me questions or answer mine. A few did, however, and both their answers to my questions and the questions they asked me were interesting and kept the flow going nicely. One student did suggest that using drugs might help you to find stories. I think I managed to put him right about that without putting him down. I was actually amazed that almost all of them without any prompting identified the Bible as a good source of stories if you're stuck for an idea.

I read a little of 'Nick's Gallery' Chapter Two where we meet Cynthia and Sophie for the first time. I was delighted that when I asked them questions about those two, they all had the same picture in their heads as I did.

There were the usual questions about earnings, inspiration and how I became an author.

A sign that it had gone well, David Frame, one of the staff who had invited me in, said, was that they all clapped at the end without being prompted.

I was most impressed that a group of fifteen students turned up in the second half of lunch time. They asked questions. I gave them a choice about what I should read - excerpts from a book about someone who loses a friend, a love story or a story about a girl who fancies a boy. They chose the latter, though the choice was rather dominated by a group of giggly Y11 girls. They opted for the one about a girl who fancies a boy. So, I read a little of the opening chapter of 'Scum Bag'. The uniform obsession there is about shirts being tucked in, as it was at the school that inspired me and is at Wetherby. The students seemed to appreciate the story.

I felt good about this visit. I'd been a little nervous about facing secondary again, although for all sorts of good reason, I write more for this age group now than for the lower one. The students received me well'.

More information on Gill James is available on www.gilljames.co.uk