 Light It Up by Kekla Magoon
Reviewed by Mrs. Walker Light It Up is an extremely topical novel about racism and police shootings in the USA. The tragic events that take place in this book are, sadly, exactly what has just made headline news around the world, “Georgia killing echoes brutal days of vigilante lynchings”, (NZ Herald 11/05/20, p.A23). Yet another young, unarmed, innocent, black man, gunned down by white supremacists, who claimed they thought Ahmaud Arbery was a burglar. He just happened to be going for a run when he was attacked and shot. The opening scene of Light It Up describes The Incident, which has just happened. A young girl, only thirteen, is running home in the Winter dusk, when she is shot in the back by a police officer. In a very dramatic format, fifteen different characters, or voices, including TV interviews, prose poetry and a Twitter feed develop the story. This book is a fantastic read; perfect for reluctant readers in years 9 & 10, who want short chapters, great male and female characters they can relate to, and a good strong theme. It’s a very sad story, which broadens our understanding of current social history. I recommend this novel to everyone who has enjoyed The Hate U Give, or The Help. As the author, Kekla Magoon, says in her acknowledgements, she hopes her book will bring “awareness to acts of bias and violence occurring in our midst. I hope the book sparks conversation, reflection, and a desire to work for equality and justice for all.”  Get creative! The 2020 Competition is on once again. Entry is open to anyone currently attending a secondary school in New Zealand or in the Pacific Islands. There are two age-group categories for entries: Years 9-10, and Years 11-13.
Get your completed entry in by 5 pm on Sunday 19 July 2020. We will announce the winning results on 14 September 2020. Read more here.  The Wolf Hall trilogy and The Mirror & the Light, by Hilary Mantel
Reviewed by Mrs Walker With millions of other eager Hilary Mantel fans, I seized my copy of The Mirror & the Light just before Covid-19 threw the country into lockdown. It sustained me for the first two and a half weeks in brilliant fashion. The Wolf Hall trilogy is a literary masterpiece and Mantel’s devoted readers will, like me, have revelled in all its many pages of historical drama, pageantry and intrigue. The three books tell of the rise and fall of Thomas Cromwell; a fascinating character, a truly self-made man with remarkable talent who, under the patronage of the ill-fated Cardinal Wolsey, eventually comes under the eye of King Henry VIII. Five hundred years of history fall away as Hilary Mantel brings the Tudor world to life, in all its deadly richness. This a world where everyone knows their place and you’re supposed to stay in it, all your precarious life. Thomas Cromwell’s amazing rise from the dregs of Putney, running away from home at the age of fourteen, escaping from his brutal father, Walter, a local brawler, blacksmith, and brewer of bad beer, to become King Henry’s right hand man, the person to whom the king entrusted all power and the reins of state, is utterly astonishing.
  Members of rock band Portugal. The Man are stepping into a banned-book controversy in their Alaska home town. Read More.
 Nicholas Kristof’s Ten Tips for Writing Op-Eds
from The New York Times Learning Network 1. Start out with a very clear idea in your own mind about the point you want to make. Related: Preventing Mass Shootings Like the Vegas Strip Attack 2. Don’t choose a topic, choose an argument. Related: On Death Row, but Is He Innocent? 3. Start with a bang. Related: If Americans Love Moms, Why Do We Let Them Die? 4. Personal stories are often very powerful to make a point. Related: This is What a Refugee Looks Like 5. If the platform allows it, use photos or video or music or whatever. Related: The Photos the U.S. and Saudi Arabia Don’t Want You to See 6. Don’t feel the need to be formal and stodgy. Related: Meet the World’s Leaders, in Hypocrisy 7. Acknowledge shortcomings in your arguments if the readers are likely to be aware of them, and address them openly. Related: A Solution When a Nation’s Schools Fail 8. It’s often useful to cite an example of what you’re criticizing, or quote from an antagonist, because it clarifies what you’re against. Related: Anne Frank Today Is a Syrian Girl 9. If you’re really trying to persuade people who are on the fence, remember that their way of thinking may not be yours. Related: We Don’t Deny Harvey, So Why Deny Climate Change? 10. When your work is published, spread the word through social media or emails or any other avenue you can think of.  Enter now! Closes June 30th. More details here.
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