To celebrate the joy of reading books, the students at De La Salle College  Junior School recently took part in a week full of fascinating and enjoyable activities to celebrate Book Week.

The grand opening to this year’s Book Week was a short sketch portraying famous book characters coming to life. Due to the COVID-19 directives issued at that time, this sketch had to be filmed for the students to watch in class. Special thanks go to some of the Junior School educators who played the different characters and coordinated the filming in order to make this possible.

To instil a love of reading, students and educators alike stopped for a few minutes on a daily basis and enjoyed reading a book of their liking.

Unfortunately, due to this year’s epidemic directives issued towards the end of the Book Week, the rest of the activities were halted part-way through the week. As a result, D.U.D.E (Dress Up Day Event), which was a new idea for this year, had to be cancelled. Some students still decided to wear their costumes and shared photos with the rest of the class.

During this year’s Book Week, Lasallian students were also lucky to have some reading sessions carried out by their own relatives during breaktime. Those who attended got lost listening to astonishing stories and took part in different activities prepared by the relatives themselves. All resources can now be found on the Lasallian Bookworms Facebook page which was also launched as a new initiative for Book Week 2020.

Book Week at De La Salle College is one of the many opportunities provided to broaden and strengthen a child’s holistic well-being. On behalf of all the staff members and students at De La Salle College Junior School, we would like to thank everyone who contributed towards making this week a success for another consecutive year.

Last but not least, some of the Junior School educators and students shared their thoughts with us.

Finally, the Book Week is here!!! 

Today we had a good start by kicking off the week with a set of exciting activities. First, we watched a clip about various book characters that came to life and went around the decorative boards of DLS.

Imagine how funny and crazy our teachers looked dressed up in different costumes! My favourite one was Charlie, from the best-seller Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Then the highlight of the day was when we had a treasure hunt in class and found a golden ticket inside a Wonka chocolate bar. It was yummmmyyy!! I can’t wait to see what is prepared for the next days of Book Week. I’m sure all of us are going to enjoy it to the full.   

By Benjamin Saliba Year 4 

The Snail and the Whale

Last month, we Year 3 boys met with the author Ms Leanne. She spoke to us all about the beauty of reading and how many different things we can learn when we read. Together we read the book The Snail and the Whale, which is about a snail which goes on a whale’s tail for an interesting ride around the world. I encourage you to read the whole story to find out more about their adventures! Enjoy it!
   
By Nicky Mifsud Year 3

Meeting the author

She answered the boys who had questions.

One of her books was called Mikelin.

She read Mikelin and it was fun.

Her name is Sandra Hili Vassallo.

She signed the books Mikelin and Imeldina.

By Liam Farrugia Year 2

Today an author, Antoinette Borg, came to our class and told us about her life story from when she was a young girl to what inspired her to start writing.

Before break, Ms Claire gave me the book which I had ordered and Antoinette Borg, its author, signed it for me. I also got to take a photo with her!

At break, my friend Blake chose me and some other boys to go for a reading session with his mum outside. I had fun listening to the story called The Lorax written by Dr Seuss.

During the history lesson, we left the history book open and took a book and a cushion to spend some time reading during the D.E.A.R session. I sat next to the door and enjoyed reading my new book Kif Issir Supereroj!

By Alex Zammit Year 4

The Lasallian Book Week has become a much-awaited annual event every March. Book-related events are organised for every class in the various grades. This year we hosted a well-known Maltese author as our special guest: Charles Casha. The prolific writer is the creator of the beloved fictional character Fra Mudest. During his talk, Casha described what it takes to publish a book, from the very first sketch to the final printing. Apart from the pleasure of meeting the Maltese author in person, it was an unforgettably informative experience. 

By Sean Pearsall Year 5

Today, we had the honour to welcome to our classes a popular Maltese author, Patrick Sammut. He wrote more than 80 stories for children, some of which have been published in the magazine Sagħtar.

During the session, he asked us some questions about a book he wrote called Stejjer mill-Bosk u Mkejjen Oħra which we are reading in class this year. He told us that, when he was young, he didn’t like reading but he used to enjoy himself listening to his mum telling him stories and after, he would sleep. He also told us where he gets his inspiration from. When one of his children was young, Patrick Sammut would take one minute to come up with a story and tell it to his son, who would fall asleep.

At the end of the session, Patrick Sammut signed the books we had ordered beforehand. It was truly a pleasure meeting him!

By Matthew Camilleri, Year 6