What a fantastic evening we had celebrating books! On the 27th March, six pupils from the Page Turners reading group travelled to Weald of Kent Grammar School in Tonbridge for our culminating event after reading a shortlist of 12 books.

The evening was buzzing with excitement, as up to 200 pupils and staff gathered to celebrate literature. The first event of the night was a dress-up contest, where pupils showed off their creativity by dressing up as characters from the books. The winner was an underwater creature from The Haunting of Aveline Jones.

Throughout the event, we were able to admire the amazing stage props created by the participating schools. Each prop was inspired by events from the books we read. Among the displays were an inflatable flamingo, a creepy hand protruding from a black window, a skeleton, seagulls, an arcade machine, scarecrows, a sea-stack, a blood-stained lab coat, stags, several maps, a washing line, and more.

With 12 books on the shortlist this year, there was plenty to take in, including a mix of video messages and live talks from authors. First, we watched video messages from Manjeet Mann, Sue Cheung, Phil Hickes, and Lesley Parr. The settings in their books were inspired by their own personal experiences.

Our first live author was Simon James Green, who shared insights into Alex in Wonderland. His story draws from the seaside towns where he grew up and enjoyed visiting, and his books often feature LGBTQ+ characters with humour. Next, Catherine Johnson joined us to talk about Sawbones, set in Victorian London. Her inspiration for the story came from a visit to a museum where she saw body parts preserved in glass jars. Catherine shared her love for history, which influenced the book’s setting.

After a short break to visit the bookshop and collect author autographs, we returned for video recordings from Laura Bates, Geraldine McCaughrean, and Mareen Johnson.

The final in-person author, M.A. Bennett, captivated us with a personal story of her childhood. She grew up in a small cottage with her grandmother, spending time at a stately home where her grandmother worked. As a child, she enjoyed sliding on polished floors, whizzing down banisters, and exploring the vast grounds. But as she grew older, she began to notice the differences between herself and her friends, two boys who grew up in the stately home. While they attended a prestigious private school, she went to a local state school. The differences between them remained even when they all attended Cambridge University. Inspired by the class divides, her experiences at the stately home, and the traditions of her friends’ families, she wrote S.T.A.G.S..

The evening’s grand finale began with the announcement of the creative challenge results, voted on by all participants. The winners were Genevieve W (1st place) and Izzy R (2nd place). Darcie V also received a special prize from the Headmaster of Weald of Kent. We were thrilled to walk away with three prizes! Well done Bethany, for being such a creative school!

The atmosphere was electric as we awaited the final voting results for the book awards. S.T.A.G.S. won several categories, including the overall winner. We wholeheartedly agree that M.A. Bennett’s book is a very deserving champion!

I caught up with pupils after the evening for their thoughts about the Page Turners Gala.

Mia said, “The gala was so much fun! It felt like such an intense moment to see who was going to be announced as the winner! The authors were very hilarious and nice, and it was great being able to get books at the fair. It was an amazing experience to be with people who also like books!”

Izzy said, “I had an amazing night, and it was lovely to see the variety of creative responses. I loved the authors speeches and certain books I would never have thought of reading; I might consider now.”

Ten said, “The Page Turners event was quite lovely, it allowed us as the pupils to see other people’s creative responses and get to meet some of the authors. They also had a mini bookshop where we were able to buy books for ourselves and for the authors to sign. Overall, I really loved the gala event I even got to meet my favourite author M.A Bennett.”

Mrs Rendell
Librarian and Archivist