School_Matters_Issue_35

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TSBA GOES TRANSATLANTIC AT IPS With jumbo book covers hanging on either side of the big screen featuring Senior 7 Ava Thomas’ stunning ‘Only Human’ painting, a gleaming grand piano and dramatic stage lights, the scene was set for this year’s TSBA Award Ceremony.

For the first time in its seven-year history the Award Ceremony was transatlantic, broadcasting as far as Canada. Short- listed authors joined us via Zoom: Kenneth Oppel from Toronto, Sharna Jackson from her houseboat in Rotterdam, Victoria Williamson from Glasgow, and Kiran Millwood Hargrave and Bali Rai from England. 40 IPS socially distanced pupils formed the live audience and 12 other schools tuned in remotely, along with the School Library Association’s President Richard Gerver, to find out the winner of the 2021 award. Senior 8 pupil Skye Bishop opened the show with a stunning vocal performance and Mr Wolsey delivered a powerful address on how reading has provided comfort during a year of lockdowns, as we turned to the adventures and characters on the page for escape. An entertaining Q & A followed, chaired by Dr Cairns, with questions supplied in advance by

TSBA 2022 Books shortlisted for next year’s award, titled ‘Take Two’ comprise some of the best titles that have been shortlisted previously but not won. They are: Welcome to Nowhere by Elizabeth Laird Not if I See You First by Eric Lindstrom Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes The Foreshadowing by Marcus Sedgwick The Boy Who Lied by Kim Slater The Arrival by Shaun Tan Find them in the Library! the different participating schools. The audience enjoyed insider insights from the authors’ homes ‘where the magic happens’, heard the back stories behind the short-listed titles and received excellent advice for becoming a writer. The best pupil entries in the Creative Response and Book Review competitions were showcased on the big screen. IPS was strongly represented and Joshua Clements and Jasmine Dent, S8 were awarded Joint Third Place. Josh’s ‘Choose

Winning author Susin Nielsen

Your Own Adventure’ style game based on High Rise Mystery could not have been more different from Jasmine’s emotive film inspired by No Fixed Address. For this, she composed and played evocative piano music, demonstrating the competition’s fantastic breadth. Mr Wolsey opened the gold envelope to reveal the winner of TSBA 2021: No Fixed Address by Susin Nielsen. The Vancouver-based author was on set filming her new TV show but sent an entertaining video message starring her cat Emily Brontë and she was warmly congratulated by all. IPS pupils went home clutching goody bags of ‘booky’ treats including signed bookplates from the participating writers. Ms Helen Cleaves, Librarian [Our special thanks go to Ms Cleaves who expertly coordinated the TSBA ceremony at IPS, and Mr Ward and Mr Baskett whose technical support was invaluable in staging the event – Ed.]

The Headmaster announces the winner

Skye Bishop, S8