World Book Day - The Masked ReaderFri, 03 Mar 2023 Yesterday, we celebrated the inaugural Thomas Telford UTC World Book Day. Our Whole School Reading priority, ‘promoting reading for pleasure’, felt alive and palpable across the school; a day to remember for staff and students alike. Our celebrations commenced with staff dressing up as literary characters, which brought literature to life for our learners. Throughout the day, students were exposed to a range of activities indulging them into the world of books: firstly, students embarked on a ‘Literary Treasure Hunt’ where they discovered staff’s favourite books. This was followed by ‘The Masked Reader.’ This activity saw staff disguised whilst reading a passage from their favourite book; students were then tasked with naming the teacher behind the mask. To conclude the day, learners took part in a ‘Drop Everything and Read’ initiative whereby they read a section of Marcus Rashford’s inspirational biography. Congratulations to our students, on your first World Book Day. Plans for next year are already underway! If you have any ideas for the 2024 procedures, pass them on to us – as Readers are Leaders! The Masked Reader For this activity, you will be watching a series of videos submitted by various members of staff from around the school. Your task is to identify who 'The Masked Reader' might be. Within each clip The Masked Reader will name their favourite novel, give you a small insight into why and read a quote they love from the book. Good luck! Round 1: Wolves On This Day Author: John Hendley Wolves On This Day revisits all the most magical and memorable moments from the club's rollercoaster past, mixing in a maelstrom of quirky anecdotes and legendary characters to produce an irresistibly dippable gold-and-black diary - with an entry for every day of the year. Round 2: The Reason I Jump Author: Naoki Higashida The firsthand experiences of a thirteen-year-old Japanese boy named Naoki Higashida who has autism. The focus of the book is to give an in depth understanding as to why people with autism may act a certain way in certain situations or even how they react to different social situations to make themselves feel at ease. Round 3: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid This hugely popular tale centers around reclusive Hollywood legend Evelyn Hugo, who chooses an unknown reporter, Monique Grant, to tell her life story. Evelyn recounts her time in the Golden Age of Hollywood, her rise to fame, and her seven marriages — revealing stunning secrets and lies. "You will fall in love with all the characters, and I definitely did not expect the journey this book takes you on. I wish I could experience reading this for the first time again; even though I did cry none stop!” Round 4: To Kill a Mockingbird Author: Harper Lee To Kill a Mockingbird is both a young girl's coming-of-age story and a darker drama about the roots and consequences of racism and prejudice, probing how good and evil can coexist within a single community or individual. Round 5: Como hacer que te pasen cosas buenas Author: Marian Rojas Estape Understanding your brain, managing your emotions and being aware of your responses to stressors can give you greater self-control. Rather than a gimmicky guidebook, this is a thorough look at how our brains react to stress, threats, hyperstimulation, and the vices of our digital age. Round 6: Noughts and Crosses Author: Malorie Blackman Award-winning author Blackman has tackled the issues of racism and prejudice in a world set in an alternate historical reality. Noughts and Crosses is a powerful novel that really does a great job of reversing race roles. It's an incredibly effective story that highlights the issue of systemic racism. “This book gave me an insight into a world from a different viewpoint. This will always be my favourite novel based on how it makes me feel every time I read it, I would definitely recommend!” Round 7: Jane Eyre Author: Charlotte Bronte Jane's struggle for self-realization, her perseverance in the face of adversity, and her strong personality and wisdom make her one of the few examples of strong women in Victorian literature. Jane Eyre is very much the story of a quest to be loved. Jane searches, not just for romantic love, but also for a sense of being valued, of belonging. Round 8: The Two Towers Author: J. R. R Tolkien Frodo and Sam face many perils on their continuing quest to save Middle-earth by destroying the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom. Friendship, hope, resilience, faith, justice, and bravery; The Two Towers, being the second part of The Lord of the Rings, touches upon these themes by transporting its readers to an old and familiar ground. Round 10: Verse, chorus and Monster! Author: Graham Coxon This eagerly-anticipated memoir from the hugely gifted Blur guitarist chronicles Coxon's hopes and anxieties growing up as an army kid and the unleashing of both his creativity and demons when he became a famous rock star.