On 9th May, we were incredibly fortunate to welcome bestselling author Alastair Chisholm, who came in to speak to Year 8 students and the Book Club. Alastair is known for writing gripping and witty sci-fi stories, which many Year 8 students have read and enjoyed. With his enthusiasm, interactivity and humour, he delivered an unforgettable experience.
He began with a brief introduction about himself and his books, followed by an overview of how he writes them. This was both inspiring for aspiring writers and educational for those of us wanting to improve our creative writing.
In line with the sci-fi theme, he spoke about what the future might look like and introduced a range of inventions—some genuinely revolutionary. One of the highlights was an engaging game in which a member of the audience was selected to guess the purpose of a bizarre invention displayed on the screen. We were all invited to vote on what we believed the correct answer was, and with the reward of a badge featuring one of Alastair’s books, the game sparked plenty of friendly competition and generated a real buzz of excitement.
In the end, we were thrilled to have their books signed by Alastair—some even brought up the backs of their I Am Raven flyers to be signed, a testament to the enthusiasm and keenness to have something to remember the truly wonderful experience by.
Alexander C – Year 8
