Students and staff celebrated World Book Day on Thursday 3rd March with Rachel Campbell-Johnston, author and chief art critic for The Times newspaper.
As part of a new lecture series titled ‘Women of Influence’ Rachel was the first of our speakers who captivated a lunchtime audience of over forty students with her inspirational stories and imaginative tips on how to think like a writer. She offered advice on how to plan stories as well as expanded on her knowledge of the publishing industry.
Budding writers were enthralled by her experience of living in the Amazon rainforest. Her first children’s novel ‘The Child’s Elephant’, shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal in 2014, was in part, inspired by her time there. It was an incredibly influential lecture that resulted in many girls asking intelligent questions.
Other bookish activities that took place on World Book Day included a delicious cake sale organised by IIIM. They raised over £100 for the charity Book Aid International. The World Book Day quiz, titled ‘Match the Selfie to the Shelfie’ was also a big hit, with hundreds of girls taking part. Many thanks goes to our wonderful catering team who created an inspired World Book Day lunch!
