Our biggest World Book Week yet — held during the National Year of Reading — began with an inspiring visit from award‑winning author Simon James Green. He joined students at the Pride Breakfast, attended by pupils from several Guildford schools, where he spent time chatting informally before leading a series of dynamic creative‑writing workshops. Throughout the day, Third Form students explored how to build convincing characters by considering the many elements that shape a person: their appearance, ambitions, relationships, fears, voice, and even the contents of their shopping basket. Simon encouraged students to focus on who their characters are so that what they do feels authentic and engaging.
Later in the week, we welcomed J.P. Rose, whose visit came with added excitement following the announcement that one of her books has been shortlisted for the prestigious Carnegie Medal. She began with an Assembly for First and Second Form, sharing her experiences of growing up as a mixed‑race adopted child who rarely saw herself represented in books, and charting her varied career path from actress and broadcaster to children’s author. Her workshops with First Form guided students through techniques for showing — rather than telling — intense emotions such as grief, using actions and metaphor to bring feeling to life on the page. Students participated with focus and enthusiasm, contributing thoughtful ideas and eagerly sharing their work. She also spent lunchtime in the Library, answering questions about writing, publishing, and her books.
The week concluded with a visit from Anthony McGowan, a previous Carnegie Medal winner. His lively Assembly for Third and Fourth Form blended stories from his school days in Leeds with reflections on his own novels, alongside humorous references to Dante’s Inferno and Henry IV Part 1. In workshops with the Second Form, Anthony challenged students to sharpen their descriptive writing by drawing on metaphor and simile, using all the senses, and avoiding overused phrases — noting memorably that once you picture Henry VIII as being shaped like a hot‑water bottle, it’s impossible to forget! Students then applied these techniques to craft compelling narratives of their own. He also held a popular lunchtime Q&A session, where he answered a wide range of questions and signed books.