All Booked Up

A host of renowned authors inspired our boys during insightful visits at the school, including MG Leonard, Sam Sedgman, Dominic Sandbrook, Chris Bradford and Julia Jarman.

Dominic Sandbrook signs books for the boys It was a great pleasure to welcome a range of authors to the school over the Autumn Term, each of whom gave our boys a wonderful insight into their books and how their ideas came about. MG Leonard and Sam Sedgman spoke to the boys about their thrilling murder mystery adventure books. They explained the process of two people writing one book and how they worked in unison. They asked the boys to contribute ideas to create a plot for a new book and collectively, everyone worked together to pull together a storyline.

British historian, author, columnist and television presenter, Dominic Sandbrook, gave an inspiring talk about his new series of history books for children. As a renowned author of adult books, the evening event was open to Beacon boys and their parents. We also welcomed guests from Heatherton School. Dominic discussed the historical figures he has written about and answered some questions from the audience, topping the event off with a book signing.

Top Left: Chris Bradford encourages the boys to get involved in a demonstration. Above: Authors MG Leonard and Sam Sedgman Left: Boys eager to participate in the Sam and MG event

“We were thrilled to welcome various authors to The Beacon, bringing literature to life for our Beacon boys of all ages. The events were fun, informative and engaging. Some of the boys tell me they are already getting stuck into reading the books. Great news!” - Mrs Howard, Librarian

Lastly, we were visited by an old friend, Julia Jarman, who has written over 100 books for children of all ages. Julia has long been involved with The Beacon because her classic rites-of-passage novel, Hangman, is on our Year 7 English curriculum.

Read the full story and find out what Julia got up to during her visit.

Left: MG Leonard and Sam Sedgman books Above: Years 1 and 2 listening to Julia Jarman read her book