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Pupil report: Wessex Amazing Book Award event at St Mary's Shaftesbury

Eight of us in D visited St Mary’s School in Shaftesbury on Wednesday 12 February to take part in the Wessex Amazing Book Award event.

Between November 2019 and February 2020, we had all read books from the shortlist of five – these included Children of Blood and Bone (Tomi Adeyemi), which Bryanston pupils had put forward, City of Ghosts (Victoria Schwab), The Skylarks War (Hilary McKay), Aurora Rising (Jay Kristoff) and Leah on the Offbeat (Becky Albertalli).

At the event, there were five different tables and we sat at the tables depending on what book we wanted to win. We listened to presentations about the books and the authors nominated for the award, and then put together our own presentation on the book we thought everyone should vote for.

Pupils were nominated to stand up and engage in public-speaking and voted using slips. We were only able to vote for one book to win the Wessex Amazing Book Award 2020. Our group comprised Tabby M, Paloma R, Izzy M, Isla D, Lily Z, Poppy S, Lulu S and Dylan D.

Author Gerald Killingworth spoke about writing and publishing and announced the winner of the competition. In the end, the results were as follows:

  • Third place was Leah on the Offbeat
  • Joint second place was shared by Aurora Rising and Children of Blood and Bone
  • First place and the winner of the Wessex Amazing Book Award was City of Ghosts.

There was a brilliant cake at the event in the shape of a book and it was lovely for all Bryanston pupils to be rewarded with a certificate, pen and a bookmark as a thank you for participating.

By Poppy S (D pupil)