Friday 13th September – Years 4-6 Author Visit
“Every so often you have the privilege of meeting of meeting a truly inspirational person. For me last Friday was one of those rare occasions. The senior girls, staff and I had the pleasure of spending much of the afternoon listening to Elizabeth Laird talking about the events and places that have inspired her books. Her stories were captivating and her life-story fascinating, which is not surprising when you discover that she lived in Malaysia, Ethiopia, India, Iraq and Lebanon. She exudes a passion for adventure, people and living life to the full, by making the most of all the opportunities one is given, is one we could all benefit from!”
– Mrs Louise Lawrance (Headmistress)
The girls in Years 4-6 were treated to a very special visit by the children’s award-winning author, Elizabeth Laird. She talked to the girls about all the different places round the world in which she has lived and the books she wrote based in those countries. One of the countries she has spent much time living in and visiting is Ethiopia. She has written several books set in Ethiopia including The Fastest Boy in the World and The Garbage King. As well as writing novels set there, she has spent time travelling and collecting Ethiopian folk tales.
The main part of her talk to the girls was about her book Song of the Dolphin Boy that is set in Scotland and covers the dangers of plastic pollution in the sea. As you can imagine, the girls were fascinated to hear excerpts from the book, to learn more about the dangers of plastic pollution and how to prevent it. Elizabeth Laird was delighted to hear of the school’s project of making plastic bricks.
After Elizabeth spoke to the girls, they had the opportunity to ask her questions. The girls and some members of staff asked a wide range of very thought-provoking questions and they picked up some very valuable tips on writing: read, write and live – experience many things in life and take advantage of opportunities. They then had great fun meeting her as she signed the books they bought. Elizabeth Laird was very impressed with the questions they asked and thoroughly enjoyed her visit. She rarely does school visits these days so the girls were very lucky that she agreed to visit The Granville.
