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After months of reading by students at Hurst and from schools across the South East, the Southern Schools Book Award winner was announced. The event, attended by 27 schools, was filled with excitement as pupils, escorted by our wonderful prefects, gathered in Hurst’s New Bury Theatre.
Following a pre-event pizza gathering, the theatre buzzed with excitement as students took their seats, their eager chatter filling the air. A sudden hush fell over the room as the celebrated illustrator Chris Riddell took to the stage. His live sketches — from Italianate dragons to a witty caricature of Donald Trump — fascinated the audience and set a lively, engaging atmosphere.
Following a welcome from Mr Mott, 2024’s winner, Ravena Guron, came on stage to introduce this year’s shortlisted authors, who each shared their inspirations and personal connections to their stories during a Q&A. As each author spoke about their work, Chris Riddell brought their words to life through his enchanting illustrations — a touch of magic that never fails to amaze.
Alexia Casale, unable to attend, sent a video with her thoughts. Her book spoke about a topic few others covered: loss of mobility and despite being told it was too personal, she persisted, and people have related to it as it has reflected their experience.
Claire Furniss reflected on her seven-year journey writing a novel about refugees, her research on authoritarian governments ensuring it felt real. She stressed that every refugee story should begin with the thought: that could be me.
Nevin Holness, inspired by her North London roots, said she was drawn to stories where magic exists where it shouldn’t and wrote this to for her family. She encouraged young writers to imagine telling their stories to a friend.
Tess James-Mackey was inspired by a real place for the setting of her book, using the Welsh landscape as an eerie backdrop, placing her characters in this unsettling place and seeing whether they will survive.
Meanwhile, S.J. Wills was influenced by the Pandemic and the shifting definitions of ‘normal’, asking the question: if people adapted to Covid, could they adapt to werewolves? To her, horror fiction can help readers process their fears.
Then came the moment everyone was waiting for. Tess James-Mackey was highly commended for You Wouldn’t Catch Me Dead, declaring that the recognition made every late night at her laptop worthwhile. The theatre erupted into cheers as Clare Furniss was announced the winner for The Things We Leave Behind. Overwhelmed, Clare thanked the young readers, stressing how much their voices matter and how books have the power to build empathy.
The evening concluded with the book signing session, where Georgina proudly collected the book tokens from Chris Riddell. Prefects ensured the authors were well looked after, and students eagerly lined up to choose a book and meet their literary heroes. Some Hurst students were lucky enough to receive personalised sketches from Chris Riddell — Georgie, for one, vowed to treasure her drawing of Sir Walter Raleigh’s widow (complete with bag) forever.
Twenty-one years on and still going strong, Hurst College remains proud to host this cherished celebration of reading.
