By Amy Turnball
In May, Year 7 and 8 were lucky enough to be visited by award winning author David Almond.
In May, Year 7 and 8 were lucky enough to be visited by award winning author David Almond. Talking in the Hub, he spoke passionately about his hometown Felling and the power of imagination. These two things helped inspire his newest book ‘The Colour of the Sun’, which follows Davie, a boy from Felling, on the day of a mysterious murder. Davie though, isn’t interested in all the excitement of a crime scene and sets off towards the hills above the town, where he’ll discover things aren’t quite what they seem.
David talked about how skeptical adults were when, as a child, he told them he wanted to write about the North East. Yet, despite this, his first published book, ‘Skellig’, which is set in Heaton, won many awards, was translated into 40 languages and even became an opera. This gripping tale about a boy and a brown ale drinking creature in a Newcastle shed has now been read all over the world. David’s point was clear; it doesn’t matter how ordinary the world around you seems, you have the power to make it extraordinary.
David also shared his views on our school. He said “It’s a great school. The students are wonderful and there’s a relaxed and positive feeling around the whole place.” He also said people are wrong to think young people are only obsessed with games and TV and don’t read anymore and if they do they should “Come to places like Cramlington, they’ll see that there’s an amazing amount of reading going on.There’s a really strong reading culture here.”
With his inspiring sketchbooks and the power of his words, he left all of us in the JLV thinking about the most important thing for an author: the power of imagination.
Copies of David’s books can be found in the library and Seven Stories are about to launch an exhibition in his honour, called ‘Where Your Wings Are’, which opens on the 21st of June.
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