"I just wanted to say thank you again for having me talk to your students and for teaching my book and championing the work of New Zealand authors.

It truly is a dream come true for me and I hope the students were able to gain something from having me answer some questions." - Erin Donohue

And with that appreciative message so ended Book Week 2022.

To have authors talking to our students especially about books our akonga are actually studying, has always been one of our goals. To see that fulfilled this year has been a highlight with much thanks going to READ NZ and the authors Fleur Beale, and Erin Donohue for taking the time to really engage with the students to discuss their writing process, how to get published and some of the decisions they made when writing our studied texts. Even though these chats were completed virtually, it was still thrilling to have the opportunity to connect with these amazing writers.

One of my favourite events this year, whilst low key, was Years 7 and 8 being read aloud to. The fantastic Mrs Smith read Spike Milligan’s ‘Bad Jelly the Witch’ to Year 8, and I read The Velveteen Rabbit to Year 7. According to Edutopia, the benefits of hearing books read aloud include improved comprehension, reduced stress and greater exposure to different types of materials. I totally agree with that, but my greatest takeaway was their reaction to events in the story and how enthralled they all seemed to be.

The English Faculty decorated the internal stairs of E block and as students ascended to class, you could hear them sharing which texts they had read or planned to read. Coupled with the Faculty’s Book Fairy costumes on Book Character Dress Up Day added to the entertainment of attempting to guess who everyone came as. Amongst other activities, Book Face can always be counted on to bring a smile, and along with The Library Scavenger Hunt, Year 9 Book Tasting and Book Worm Counting, there really was a hum of activities and more importantly book issues and reading.

Kerry-Anne Murnane
English & ESOL Teacher