Top author virtually visits ASFA

Year 8 students from the Academy of St Francis of Assisi virtually welcomed well-known author, Alex Wheatle, into the school recently.

As traditional author visits in schools have been postponed until further noticed, the academy embraced the ‘new normal’ and virtually connected with Alex via video call.

Students eagerly awaited the live call in the main hall and had the opportunity to find out more about Alex’s life and his new book, Cane Warriors, which the year group had read prior to the virtual meeting.

The book is based on the true story of an eighteenth-century slave uprising. It centres around a teenage boy called Moa and the challenging decisions he must make as a ‘cane warrior’ fighting for freedom from the Jamaican plantations.

The year group also had the chance to ask the author questions about his new book and the rest of his titles.

One student said: “This author visit was a little different than usual but it was really informative and fun. I enjoyed asking Alex a question about his new book.”

Mrs Wade, librarian at ASFA, said: “Although we can’t welcome authors into our school like previous years, it is great that we can still give our students the opportunity to meet them and host a Q&A with them.

“We are always keen to find new ways to get the academy reading and this format always works well as students can learn about the author too.”