By TBHS | Posted: Wednesday May 18, 2016
On Thursday 24 March, four TBHS junior classes had the opportunity of enjoying a presentation by New Zealand author Brian Falkner. Brian had been in the region for a few days and his presentations had been warmly received by primary schools and primary school librarians alike.
Brian started the day by speaking to the Timaru Boys’ High School
English Department. He discussed how he was inspired to read by his father, and
then took up writing. He covered how his books developed alongside the events
in his life, and how his audience changed as his daughters grew and he realised
that his writing was growing with them. He also covered how to get reluctant
writers, and readers, involved. It was a valuable session.
Brian then spent one hour entertaining Year 9 and 10 students. He introduced his books, read sections from his most popular texts and informed the boys as to what inspired his writing. This involved some humorous recollections from his childhood. He also talked about his first international best seller, The Tomorrow Code, and his subsequent overseas texts.
One of the most popular sections of his presentation was when he discussed his book Mandy West and the Tongue Taker. It is about a girl that can speak every language in the world. Brian then set the boys a challenge: to give him a name of a country that he could not reply by saying “hello” in that country’s native language. It was amazing to listen to him speak in a variety of languages and defeat every boy, and the variety of countries that they came up with.
It was great to hear someone speak so passionately about their job, and in turn their writing. It was a thoroughly enjoyable morning, and a big thank you must go to Brian Falkner for taking the time to visit the school.
