11 March 2014
It was World Book Day last Thursday, and people all around the globe celebrated how fantastic it is to be able to transport yourself to other places just by burying your head in a book. Actually, though, it was just Britain that celebrated it on Thursday – the rest of the world celebrates it on April 23 (put it in your diaries!), which is the anniversary of the birth and death of Shakespeare, but just to be awkward we have it a number of weeks earlier here.
The CCTV cameras that we have installed in libraries all around London captured footage of people dressed up as characters from books to celebrate the day; authors reading their works to rapt pupils; and a slew of posters telling passers-by what magical things books are.
Our growing cadre of assassins needed no such encouragement, as they notched up yet more hits. Because for us, of course, Book Day is 375 days of the year (we use our time machine for ten days, just to squeeze in an extra few novels.)
Messages from new assassins have been coming in thick and fast from across the Federation. One agent hacked into the Crystal Palace broadcasting tower to let us know that while he thought his book “would be really bad because the idea of children being spies is a little cheesy”, he ended up liking it – “I enjoyed the book thoroughly and couldn’t put it down,” he explained on the hijacked airwaves.
Talking of hacking, we wonder if one of our agent’s messages was remotely intercepted by TEA (the Teachers’ Espionage Agency). Comrade Amina’s great dispatch about how her book “helped you see life from another person’s point of view” had perhaps been tampered with — “I really like my school” was hidden within the text. Assassins, be wary…
A book about such shadowy arts, Liar and Spy, captivated an assassin from Purley, who also had reservations before getting stuck into it: “The story was tangled and more unusual than the books I often read, but it was impossible to stop reading once I had started as there were secrets to reveal in each chapter,” she said.
A Morden assassin found her book interesting and praised it for “activating her imagination”. The same book was “a very inspiring read”, according to one of her nearby conspirators. And an assassin from Bermondsey explained, having read the same text, that “it shows you that you should never give up on your dreams. It also shows you that you should always have confidence in what you believe in.”
A Bromley assassin was in touch about the “exhilarating read” they enjoyed, noting: “I was really surprised that a book set a long time ago could be so engrossing.” They should check out some Dickens – that’s the same period (actually a little earlier still, since his work’s mid- rather than late-19th century) and certainly engrossing, too.
There have been far too many messages to refer to each of them, I’m afraid. But it’s great that they’re rolling in at such a pace. Keep them coming!
Harris Academy South Norwood – 20 Assassins recruited, 8 missions completed
Harris Academy Bromley – 20 Assassins recruited, 8 missions completed
Harris Academy Peckham – 18 Assassins recruited, 6 missions completed
Harris Academy Crystal Palace – 17 Assassins recruited, 5 missions completed
Harris Academy Morden – 17 Assassins recruited, 5 missions completed
Harris Academy Bermondsey – 19 Assassins recruited, 4 missions completed
Harris Academy East Dulwich Girls – 15 Assassins recruited, 3 missions completed
Harris Academy Purley – 14 Assassins recruited, 2 missions completed
Harris Academy East Dulwich Boys – 13 Assassins recruited, 1 mission completed
Harris Academy Merton – 13 Assassins recruited, 1 mission completed
Harris Academy Beckenham – 12 Assassins recruited
Harris Academy Greenwich – 12 Assassins recruited
11 February 2014
Comrades and book readers! The dastardly World Conglomeration of Computer Games Manufacturers (WCCGM) has raised its efforts to hinder the progress of literature throughout society through the release of two new weapons, the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. We must react, and swiftly, before the whole of civilisation is destroyed.
A fresh and urgent mission is being coordinated, therefore, and over coming days the Assassin’s Read control station will be contacting new agents. Last year’s agents did a thoroughly excellent job but now, with many of those former agents having retired to paradise hideaways to enjoy a life of sun, sand and Steinbeck, we are relying on a new cadre of Year 7s to take up the fight against those who would destroy books.
As happened last year, selected students across the academy have been secretly given novels to read. Those agents, or “assassins” (this is serious stuff, people…), must read (properly!) the book as fast as they can and then pass it on to someone else in their year group. There will be mission instructions on what to do once the book is completed, which involves going to a “gatekeeper” to receive a special email address to contact with brief thoughts about what the agent thought of the book. Was it gripping? What were the characters like? What did it make you think?
Then in turn the assassin passes the book secretly on to another student.
It’s a competition. The winning Academy is the one that inducts most assassins, by having the greatest number of students read the book and email back to mission control. Visit this site at the start of next week to see how the scores are going. Prizes will include a five-week holiday in the Bahamas, dinner with Bruno Mars, a top-of-the-range sports car, a lifetime’s supply of Haribo sweets and a two-minute lesson on how completely making things up can help to engage an audience!
Harris Academy Bermondsey – 15 Assassins recruited, 1 mission completed
Harris Academy Beckenham – 12 Assassins recruited
Harris Academy Bromley – 12 Assassins recruited
Harris Academy Crystal Palace – 12 Assassins recruited
Harris Academy East Dulwich Boys – 12 Assassins recruited
Harris Academy East Dulwich Girls – 12 Assassins recruited
Harris Academy Greenwich – 12 Assassins recruited
Harris Academy Peckham – 12 Assassins recruited
Harris Academy Purley – 12 Assassins recruited
Harris Academy Merton – 12 Assassins recruited
Harris Academy Morden – 12 Assassins recruited
Harris Academy South Norwood – 12 Assassins recruited
