A NOVELIST born in South Africa gave a lesson on creative writing at Icknield Community College.
Gaby Halberstam, who lived in Durban and Port Elizabeth before moving to England when she was 15, taught year eight pupils to mark National Poetry Day. Her novels, Blue Sky Freedom and The Red Dress, both set in her native country, are aimed at teenagers.
Ms Halberstam, who now lives in London, gave a lesson on story introductions and creating characters and told pupils about the political context of her books and growing up in South Africa in the Sixties when the apartheid regime existed.
School librarian Penny Didcock said: “Learning about other cultures is part of the curriculum. Pupils weren’t aware of the background issues of things such as apartheid.”
The Oxford Children’s Book Group, of which Icknield is a member organised the author’s visit. For more information, visit www.ocbg.org.uk
Published on 26 October 2009
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