Author Archives: KW
Moonlight Sonata, 14th November 1940
Today, 77 years on, we remembered the night of the Coventry Blitz on 14th November 1940, ‘Moonlight Sonata’. We thought about what happened and had previously watched some interviews with people who were in Coventry on that night. We then wrote memories of the bombing today. We will be finishing these tomorrow, but it seems fitting to post a couple of very sensitive pieces of writing today in remembrance of that night.
Blue Planet II
Has anyone been watching any of the new Blue Planet II series? I’ve only caught one so far but it was amazing. Fish seem to be a lot more intelligent than we thought.. Some of the things they do are fascinating.
Apart from hearing more from the inspiring David Attenborough, this show also gives an incredible insight into sea-life of all kinds and reveals how they have adapted to their environments. It also, sadly, shows the effect that humans have had on the oceans and why we need to take global warming and water pollution seriously.
What’s so good about Harry Potter?
Lucy M. Boston’s House at Green Knowe
If you do get interested in Lucy Boston’s stories (see previous post) and want to see if you can experience the magic yourself, you can still visit her house and feel like you are actually part of the stories. The 900-year-old house is just outside Cambridge in Hemingford Grey. The gardens are open every day and the house can be visited by making an appointment online.
Click on the picture of the house above to follow the link to the House at Green Knowe website.
Lucy M. Boston, The Children of Green Knowe
Although it doesn’t really feel like it, this is now quite an old story (originally published in 1954). If you like history, adventure and mystery and don’t mind a bit of a challenge, you might enjoy this book. You may not fully understand what is happening all the time but, even though they are mysterious, the stories seem like they could really have happened and you gradually find yourself more and more involved with the characters.
Toseland has an unusual childhood (as well as an unusual name!) and seems to be rather lonely: his mother is dead and his father and stepmother are abroad in Burma. He normally spends his holidays from boarding school with his head mistress (Miss Spudd!) and her aged father which is not a lot of fun. This holiday, he is rather excited because he is going to stay with his great-grandmother who, oddly, he has never met. When he arrives, he discovers her house is surrounded by flood-water and he has to be ferried there in a rowing boat by the elderly, but jolly, Mr Boggis (whose family seems to have been involved with the Oldknow family for hundreds of years). Mr Boggis suggests Great-Grandmother Oldknow will be very happy to meet him. He finally arrives to discover a strange old house with winding staircases, mirrors and ancient intriguing objects everywhere. Toseland, a highly imaginative boy, feels like he has arrived in a magical castle.
Great-Grandmother (Granny), who is very welcoming, encourages Tolly to explore the house and gardens as freely as he likes. She names him Tolly —a nickname adopted by all previous Toselands in his family— but, even so, she is always making mistakes with his name and thinking he is Toby. Mysteriously, Granny suggests that other children do sometimes visit the house so he may not be alone for long…
Soon after Tolly’s arrival, he is shown a large oil painting of his ancestors from the 17th century (three children and their mother and grandmother) which fascinates him. He discovers that the three children were called Toby, Alexander and Linnet. He notices that many of their belongings are still in the house and, because he is so observant, he even rediscovers some that have been lost for many years. Tolly loves hearing his granny’s stories about the house and, as the stories develop, he becomes more and more fascinated by his family’s past and even begins to imagine that the children in the painting could be his ‘brothers and sisters’…
This book was made into a popular TV series in the 1980s and can still be found on DVD. It also developed into a series of books which have been widely enjoyed. Lucy Boston was awarded a Carnegie medal for one of them: A Stranger at Green Knowe. The original books were also illustrated by her son, Peter, with intricate black and white drawings. They have more recently been republished in more modern designs and the first book (this one) and the second The River at Green Knowe can now be read in one volume.
Johnny and the Bomb by Terry Pratchett (by Lemur24)
e-safety link CBBC
Here is a useful link to the CBBC website and some helpful advice on internet safety. If there is anything on here that worries you, make sure you tell an adult at home or at school so that we can try to help. Click on the image to follow the link.
Wow! What an inspiring achievement!
This lady from Devon has just achieved something really impressive. Mrs Ursula Shepherd is 88 years old and, sadly, had never learned to read. Finally, she decided that she desperately wanted to be able to read a story to a group of children and has worked really hard to pursue her dream. After a year of lessons, she has just achieved her goal. This short film clip shows how enjoyable sharing books can be!