ROBERT Swindells developed a love of reading when he discovered his local library, at nine.
A passion for reading turned into a passion for writing, and Bradford-born Robert became a multi award-winning writer of children’s fiction. He wrote his first novel, When Darkness Comes, while training to be a teacher and went on to win the Carnegie Medal for Stone Cold.
His other books include Brother in the Land, Blitzed, Ice Palace, Room 13 and A skull in Shadows Lane.
Robert hopes the Bradford Literature Festival will encourage youngsters to foster a lifelong love of reading.
“The ability to write creatively is a talent that many of those who possess it like to keep secret. It’s a hidden talent, and there is a long tradition of children sitting at home, scribbling stories or poems on bits of paper which they then squirrel away, reading them only to themselves,” he said.
"Four of the Bronte children were secret scribblers. So were Jane Austen, Rosemary Sutcliffe and many more we’ll never know about because they lived and died without ever displaying their gift. to be able to express ourselves clearly in writing is a valuable accomplishment, one which will serve us well all our lives."
“Some keep diaries; diaries with locks in which they record their innermost thoughts.“No doubt there are many young people today who write like a dream, and some of them probably live in Bradford. As part of the Bradford Literature Festival, and in order to encourage some of these shy young authors, youngsters will be invited to write a review of a particular book they’ve enjoyed. It can be any book; read at school, home or in the local bus shelter. The book can be long or short, serious or funny or seriously funny. It might even be scary. All the reviewer has to do is tell why it grabbed her or him, and what was special about it.”
ENTER THE CHILDREN'S BOOK REVIEW COMPETITION
He added: “We won’t all end us as Philip Pullmans or Hilary Mantels, but we’ll always be able to communicate our thoughts and opinions to others in an effective and, who knows, entertaining way.
It’s a precious talent, so if you’ve got it don’t keep it hidden away.”
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