On Thursday 15th March, a group of Year 8s were lucky enough to attend a workshop with Reading Rampage author Ali Sparkes. Students were fascinated to hear about the gravestone which inspired Ali's novel, 'Thunderstruck' - and about the effects and likelihood of being struck by lightning.
Now it was over to our students: Ali provided a skeleton paragraph for them to adapt in the style of their chosen genre. Here is Alan Ajo's 'mystery' version, which he bravely read aloud over the microphone:
Ben rode as fast as the wind down the beautifully illuminated High Street, looking at the sinister sky. Something made his skin prickle. Something wasn't right. An uneasy feeling settled over him. Something was out there, beyond where the naked eye could see. Something was watching his every move, every second and every minute. It was deathly quiet. Nobody was around - except old Mr Wilson outside his rundown shop. Mr Wilson seemed to be looking at the sky too. As he let silent puffs of smoke escape his mouth, his cigar glowed red. Ben turned his bike around and made for the familiar park. Callum and Sayid were under a tree with Melissa. They seemed to be talking in hushed voices, like they didn't want to be heard - as if they were hiding. Ben stared at them for a while and went on his way: if he didn't get home soon, there would be trouble. But there was something eerie about that sky...
All students were awarded a signed copy of Ali's novel.