Author Steve Tasane visited on Monday 9^th May where he presented two talks, one for year 9 and another for years 7 & 8.

Over the past couple of months our pupils have been reading Child I or Blood Donors, this was in anticipation of Steve’s visit. 

During his talks Steve spoke about why he wrote his books and how a video of children scavenging for bread in mud inspired his story of refugees in ‘Child I’.  His personal account of bed bugs formed the basis of an idea for ‘Blood Donors’. Steve wowed us with a rap with the theme of teen angst and a poem about bed bugs.  

Many questions were asked such as, how long have you been an author, have you been to a refugee camp, what books do you like reading and what inspires you. 

A small group of our high-flyers had an afternoon session with Steve about why we write stories and what they could be about. No genre of writing is off limits in writing. He proposed a question to our pupils, that if they were to write a story, what would they write about. Some of our pupils said that they just write and see where the story takes them, others would like to write about fantasy, horror, or personal issues. 

With that in mind, Steve set them a little writing task. Using a small paragraph from his new book, he wanted them to carry on the story but with the emphasis on what they like write about.  

Below are some of our pupil’s work: 

The Boat. 

Chapter One. 

The woman stood alone in the boat as it swept through the city, pulled along by invisible currents. There were two good things about being alone in the boat. One, there was plenty of space. Two, you could be the captain of the boat. So, the captain stood, straight and determined, on the deck, watching the turns of the weather.   

The bad thing about being alone in the boat was just being alone. There was no-one around, no-one to talk to, no-one to help her if something went wrong, and no-one to comfort her. It was lonely and quiet, before she set off, she thought the solitude would be amazing. That none of the drama and angst she had before she left, and it did at first, now she wished that someone could accompany her. She shook her head and stared out into the vast, beautiful city, she couldn’t think like that, she was in too far in to go back, she had to do this, for her family, for the friends she had left and most importantly, for herself.   

I’ve always loved being close to the sea. Its imperfect and strong, something that I really relate to, its powerful and persistent. 

By Emily 

The woman stood alone in the boat as it swept through the city, pulled along by invisible currents. There were two good things by being alone on the boat. One, there was plenty of space. Two, you could be the captain of the boat. So, the captain stood, straight and determined, on the deck, watching the turns of the weather.   

The bad things about being alone in the boat was, the rapid waves that drew closer causing the boat to become uncontrollable, and the thought of no one being there to save you. The boat swayed from side to side, calm and gentle. Exactly what someone would want. Although, the ocean wasn’t always in perfect condition. The worst that could happen is thunder to fill the sky causing the current to grow wild. A sailor’s hope is for that to never be the case…  

By Sophie 

The woman stood alone in the boat as it swept through the city, pulled along by invisible currents. There were two good things by being alone on the boat. One, there was plenty of space. Two, you could be the captain of the boat. So, the captain stood, straight and determined, on the deck, watching the turns of the weather.   

The bad things about being alone in the boat was the memories that plagued her every day and the muffled sound of shouting that could only he heard by her and the boat, she watched everyday as the sun came up and went down being replaced by the mysterious moon and its bright star companions that reminded her, she had none. 

By Layla 

The woman stood alone in the boat as it swept through the city, pulled along by invisible currents. There were two good things about being alone on the boat. One, there was plenty of space. Two, you could be the captain of the boat. So, the captain stood, straight and determined, on the deck, watching the turns of the weather.  

 The bad thing about being alone in the boat was the fact that you were alone, in and of itself, that there was nobodies voice to drown out the despairing mantra of your worries, the confused mass of thoughts, about everything. What was going to happen now, in the future, even the past slipped into my brain and began to eat away at the remaining sensibility. The water rippled peacefully in the breeze, at least something was calmer than before.  

By Lucy 

The woman stood alone in the boat as it swept through the city, pulled along by invisible currents. There were two good things about being alone in the boat. One, there was plenty of space. Two, you could be the captain of the boat. So, the captain stood, straight and determined, on the deck, watching the turns of the weather.  

The bad thing about being alone in the boat was you could destroy the city in an hour. The captain had just been fired and woken up of the boat. The vast majority of the buildings were they 102 years old, if he was caught that was the end of his happy life. The captain had been at this job since he was 18 and was fine until he broke the most precious secret of the job. The trust had gone completely.  

Just as he was about to sweep the whole city of its feet, he had a thought…  

By Beatrice 

The women stood alone on the boat as it swept through the city, pulled along by the invisible currents. There were two good things about being alone on the boat one, there was plenty of space. Two, you could be the captain of the boat. So, the captain stood, straight and determined, on the deck, watching the turns of the weather.   

The bad thing about being alone on the boat was, being far away from any safe place, the waves crashing and being neglected by many people, On the deck, staring into deep blue waters watching the turns of the weather, a storm lingered not far above  

Fear entered her as she set out. She was scared, with no deck helpers. What was she to do? Jump into the icy waters below? Or take it on as a fight between two middle schoolers, head-on.   

By Mia 

Mrs Rendell