Last night’s Page Turners Gala evening was a true celebration of books and reading.  It was the culmination of weeks of debate and discussion among members of the Page Turners clubs across 13 local schools, and over 180 pupils eagerly attended, keen to discover which book had been voted the winner.  The atmosphere was buzzing from the start, as students took to the stage in fancy dress, imaginatively inspired by the books and characters.  Our sponsors, CooperBurnett and Leadership and Learning Ltd, had the tricky job of picking a winner.  The creative response competition inspired a huge and diverse array of entries; a real testament to the impact of the books on the students.  Mhairi, from Mascalls, blew everyone away with her winning entry, a short animated film inspired by ‘The Survival Game’.  Amelia from Weald came joint second for her beautiful painting based on ‘Where the World Turns Wild’.

The theme of this year's award was ‘Turning the Page to Tomorrow.’ Authors of the shortlisted books, including Elle McNicoll, Sophie Cameron, Ele Fountain and William Sutcliffe, recorded short films explaining the process that had led to the creation of their stories and we were delighted to be joined by two of the authors, Lauren James and Nicola Penfold, who generously gave up their time to talk about their books, answer some very insightful questions, sign books and talk to their young fans.

The winning book, announced at the very end of the evening, to great fanfare was Nicky Singer’s ‘The Survival Game.’

Our thanks to our Sponsors, CoopersBurnett, and Leadership and Learning Ltd, who generously donated a book token for each student attending the Gala, and to Sevenoaks Bookshop whose pop-up bookstall was a huge hit. Thank you also to our librarians Mrs Quinnell and Ms Suttill for organising the event, and Mrs Maloney, from Tonbridge Grammar School, for compering the evening.

"I had a great time at the Gala. It was a fun filled night with my friends and I learnt a lot of tips and tricks from the two guest authors. Everyone had an amazing evening which celebrated a joint love of reading." Arwen Year 10

 

"The evening was AMAZING! The atmosphere was ecstatic and having some of the authors there was a great touch. Everything there was really great."
Annabel Year 8

"The authors were so fun to meet and the bookshop was awesome. Hearing the authors talk was very inspiring and I would love to go again!"
Harriet, Year 8

"With great talks and amazing books, the Page Turners Gala was truly a night to remember. I absolutely loved it!"
Julia, Year 10

"The Page Turners Book Award Gala evening was incredibly fun and the stage decorations were amazing as well! There was an excellent choice of books at the bookstall to choose from, with many book choices for everyone. It was nice to hear from most of the authors of the Page Turners shortlisted books, especially those who came in person. The number of creative responses to the books was incredible, as was the creativity of the costumes."
Maisy, Year 9