A Somerset school is calling on book lovers to join them for its first Festival of Literature

Hazlegrove Preparatory School in Sparkford has a passion for reading and staff and pupils have decided to share their love of literature with others.

For the love of books

A Somerset school is calling on book lovers to join them for its first Festival of Literature

Hazlegrove Preparatory School in Sparkford has a passion for reading and staff and pupils have decided to share their love of literature with others.The school’s first Festival of Literature will run from 4 to 11 March and a selection of special events will be open to other schools and the public.They include talks and book signings by Lord Paddy Ashdown, John McCarthy and an evening featuring some of the foremost experts in the field of military history and aviation.The festival is a mix of events for adults and children and there will be appearances by several writers and illustrators: Paul Stewart, Chris Riddell, Andy Briggs, Marcia Williams, Angie Sage, Helen Dunmore, Philip Reeve, Tobias Jones and Emma Chichester Clark.Somerset-based author Gill Lewis will be appearing to discuss her work which includes her critically acclaimed book Sky Hawk.“I’m delighted to be part of the Hazlegrove Festival of Literature,” says Gill. “I’m looking forward to meeting readers, sharing the inspiration behind my books and discussing the highs and lows of being an author! The festival is a wonderful opportunity to make the arts accessible to everyone in the local community.”The festival has been organised by David Edwards Hazlegrove’s director of studies and head of English and the school’s librarian Naomi Warren.“We are absolutely thrilled to be holding the festival and I think we’ve got a good selection of authors for all age groups,” she says. “We have such a passion for reading and if we can share that with other schools in the community it will be wonderful.“There is a real reading culture here. The children come down from the dorms for breakfast and then come into the library with their books and you will find them reading everywhere - under tables or on bean bags - absolutely stuck into their books before morning lessons start.“After lunch, after playing outside, every child will read for 20 minutes before going to lessons and this gets them in the right frame of mind for the afternoon.“They also have regular library lessons which are a good opportunity for me to check they are enjoying their books.”David Edwards challenged the children to read 130 million words during the Autumn Term. A tough mission, but, they did it easily and enjoyed the challenge immensely. The ‘word millionaires’ board in the library revealed how many young readers took up the challenge with enthusiasm.David Edwards says the aim of the festival is to share the school’s love of reading with the local community.“I think that reading is the most important thing we can do with children and it should be at the heart of every school. By having the festival we are saying how important it is to us and hope that it will help parents and children engage together.”

What are they reading?Popular books with pupils include:Young Samurai, a series of action-adventure stories written by Chris Bradford set in 17th century Japan. The Charlie Bone series of fantasy and adventure novels by Jenny NimmoThe Lady Grace Mysteries – detective fiction series written by Patricia Finney, Sara Vogler and Jan Burchett set in the court of Elizabeth IMalory Towers – Enid Blyton’s boarding school series Eragon series by Christopher PaoliniKnife series by R J AndersonBooks by Rick Riordan, Julia Golding, Eva Ibbotson and Gill Lewis

For more information about Hazlegrove Preparatory School’s Festival of Literature email Naomi Warren, Librarian at nw@hazlegrove.co.uk or visit hazlegrove.co.uk