WIRRAL PAPERBACK OF THE YEAR LAUNCHED AT BIRKENHEAD SCHOOL
WIRRAL ’ S SAM QUEK : FROM OLYMPIC GOLD TO THE JUNGLE
WIRRAL PAPERBACK OF THE YEAR LAUNCHED AT BIRKENHEAD SCHOOL
WIRRAL ’ S SAM QUEK : FROM OLYMPIC GOLD TO THE JUNGLE
Staff and students at Birkenhead School were thrilled to be the hosts of the launch of this year ’ s Wirral Paperback of the Year Awards .
The day was marked with a range of literary and artistic workshops and events , along with the discovery of the books that had made it on to the shortlist . Students from across Wirral will now have until June 2017 to enjoy the books and input their preferences for an overall winner to be selected .
One of the authors , Rhian Ivory , whose teen-fiction novel ‘ The Boy Who Drew the Future ’ has made the shortlist , attended the event to talk to the students about her books and gave aspiring writers hints and tips on how to hook readers in and how to get published . Rhian , who has shared an editor with JK Rowling , is currently writing her seventh book following a career as a teacher where it was her pupils who inspired her to get her first book published . Rhian said , “ It is really exciting to be here at Birkenhead School for the launch of the awards . To be on the shortlist and to be able to play a part in encouraging a love of reading in young people is a huge honour .”
The launch encompassed a cross-curricular theme involving English and Art showing how both subjects can play a role in creative writing through the development of character and setting using both words and visual effects . Groups of students looked at flash fiction to inspire them to create artistic works , including Ernest Hemingway ’ s ‘ For sale : baby shoes , never worn ’ where a theme of ‘ shoes ’ was then expanded into creating their own characters and thinking about the types of shoes that they would wear . They were then tasked to create ‘ giant ’ versions of the shoes , which reflected their characters , for display .
Birkenhead School Librarian , Elizabeth Reeve , said , “ The day was incredibly interesting for the students and hopefully has inspired them to pick up a book and try something new , or to even try their hand at their own writing projects . We look forward to reading all of the books on the list and helping to decide the winner in June next year .”
Wirral ’ s Olympic hockey player , Sam Quek has been confirmed in the line up for the new series of I ’ m a Celebrity ... Get Me out of Here !
28 year old Sam Quek , who attended Birkenhead High School , rose to fame this summer after winning gold during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games . Talking about her forthcoming appearance in I ’ m a Celebrity , Sam has predicted that she will play the role of “ games initiator ” in the camp although she admits her phobias include : cockroaches , spiders , and anything small .
On taking part in the ITV show , Sam said : “ Yes I am really looking forward to the challenge but gosh going in the Jungle is way tougher than playing in that penalty shoot out in the Final of the Olympics . It has been such a whirlwind since I got back from the Olympics . We were just hockey players trying to achieve our dream and to come back as a Gold medalist has meant whatever we say is picked up immediately in the press . That is for me a complete life changer but some good things have happened . I am embracing everything and to have been given the opportunity to do I ’ m a Celebrity is unthinkable and its just so crazy . I am so grateful ’.
I ’ m a Celebrity is aired on ITV and started on 13th November 2016 Good Luck Sam from your fellow Wirralians !
8 wirrallife . com