Now into its fifth year, Surbiton High School’s “Read Up!” initiative welcomes Year 7 pupils to the Senior School by gifting them all the same book. In addition to nurturing a love of reading for pleasure, the shared icebreaker the book provides instils a sense of community across the year group.
The undoubted highlight of the project is the visit from the author that brings the project to a close. Jordan Lees, the author behind this year’s chosen title The Whisperwicks, visited us on Thursday, 6 November. In addition to covering the themes of and inspiration behind the book, his talk included invaluable creative writing tips and a fun, interactive quiz. He also awarded prizes for those who had entered and won competitions they had previously entered, based on The Whisperwicks.
As proven by the number of books he signed at the end, Jordan’s talk was thoroughly enjoyed by all. For making this project possible, our thanks go to Jordan himself, Penguin Random House publishers, Regency Bookshop and the Parents’Association. A special thanks also goes to our Year 8 committee, who selected the book for Year 7 after a thorough shortlisting process.
“Read Up!” remains a unique and rewarding reading initiative, and we look forward to continuing it with the next Year 7 cohort.
