The Book Case has been around for nearly twenty years and there are a fair number of young adults who have grown up with us and are now out in the world doing exciting things. We like to think our books contributed ... The following pieces are from our children's newsletter. We'd like to hear from any more of you!
"I used to read children's books from The Book Case and now I'm ... "
... an English
Literature student!
When I was younger there were certain authors I
loved so much that I would try and find every single book they had ever
written. Richmal Crompton’s ‘Just William’ books were my
favourites, and also Anthony Buckeridge’s ‘Jennings and
Darbishire’ series. I always used to go straight to their sections on the
shelf to see if there were any books by them that I hadn’t read.
I was the kind of girl who took a book with her wherever she went. I read on trains, in the bath and when I was in bed, hours after I was supposed to have gone to sleep. Luckily I still am the sort of person who always has her nose in a book, because now I’m at university there are a lot of books I have to read.
I decided to study
English Literature because English had always been my favourite subject at
school, and because I wanted to keep discovering new authors and poets. I love
to find a new writer that I like or a book I can really get my teeth into.
Doing an English Literature degree helps you understand not only the story that
a book tells, but how the author’s own experiences can come through in
their writing, and how the time and place in which a book is written is just as
important as who the author is. I still occasionally read my Richmal Crompton
and Anthony Buckeridge books, but I prefer to read books I haven’t come
across before. I know I have a lifetime of reading ahead of me, and there are
so many good books out there I don’t know about yet, maybe they
haven’t even been written yet. I always find that exciting. - Lizzie
Lizzie went to Stubbings,
Hebden Royd and Bradford Girls' Grammar. She's now at Lancaster
University.
... a JET!
That means I work on the Japanese Exchange
and Teaching programme in Japan. I teach English to teenagers at an academic
senior high school in Nagasaki. The official job title is "Cultural
Ambassador", so I teach both practical English and English culture (e.g.
Shakespeare, or festivals such as Christmas or Halloween). I also run the
school's English club and am DJ for the Broadcasting Club, meaning students can
see foreign films and listen to western songs
Life for Japanese students is very different from that in England and maybe a lot harder! Students often start lessons at 7.30am and finish after club activities (music or sport) from 8pm onwards. There is also "cleaning" time every afternoon, when students and teachers all clean the school together! The weather can get crazy here sometimes (typhoons, etc.), and at school we have "earthquake" instead of "fire" practice.
I've been in Japan for nearly two years now, and will be very sad when I finally leave in the summer. Life here is obviously very different from Europe or America, and can sometimes be difficult: Japanese is not the easiest language to speak/read (3 alphabets!), I'm not keen on cockroaches and there are some Japanese foods I still haven't tried (such as raw octopus or live squid).
But life here is always exciting. Japanese people are very kind and helpful, and keen to share their culture with you. I've started learning Teiko, a kind of traditional Japanese drumming, which is very energetic and powerful. The scenery here is also incredibly beautiful, and my house is only 5 minutes from the sea and less than an hour from active volcanoes.
One of the best parts of life here is the JET community of young people from all over the world (UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Brazil, Holland, etc.) There are nearly 6,000 JETs living here in Japan, and 150 here in Nagasaki. We often spend the weekends together (some of my friends live on tropical islands with beautiful beaches ) or travelling to different places in Japan and South East Asia (Vietnam, China, Indonesia, etc.).
So although life every day is
challenging, I'm extremely grateful for this opportunity, and would recommend
it to anyone. The only requirement (along with a degree) is flexibility, and I
think reading lots of books as a child helps me try and see things from other
people's point of view. And of course, living in a country where I can't even
read the newspaper or understand the radio/television means I am now reading
even more English books than ever! -
Amy
Amy
went to Stubbings, Riverside and Calder High, then UEA.
... a Youth & Community
Worker!
I live and work in the Lake District and North
Lancashire. I feel very lucky because when I have some free time I am able to
walk straight out of my cottage onto the moors and peaks close to Kendal and
Lake Windermere. The thing that I enjoy most at the moment is taking my sea
kayak off for the day. Free time spent outdoors is very important to me as my
jobs - I have two part time jobs - could fill up all my time, evenings and
weekends too! I work as a Youth and Community Worker, which means that I get
involved in a lot of different things. In one town there was nowhere for young
people to meet, and some people were really down on anyone over the age of 12
out in the evenings. They were bound to be up to something bad! So I talked to
some of the local young people to find out what they wanted, and then spoke to
some of the adults. There was a meeting out of which plans for a Youth Centre
have developed. In another town I help at an advice centre for young people
where anyone can go free of charge to get information about anything - what to
do about bullying at school, worries about exams, health problems, or simple
things about what's going on locally.
When I was a lot younger I remember
having the whole of "Lord of the Rings" by JRR Tolkien read to me by my parents
- they were both good at reading out loud - and getting involved in the
adventures and the different people in the book. All of the main characters
have to face important decisions at one time or another, and this kept my
interest in what is a long saga. The descriptions of strange lands and
mountains were very vivid - maybe that was what inspired me to go trekking in
South America when I was older. Certainly I think it had a lot to do with my
love of the "outdoors". Any spare time I have it’s either boots on or if
it's raining very hard ---- maybe I'll settle down with a good book ! -
Jago.
Jago went to Riverside, Calder High and New College,
Huddersfield, then Bangor University.
....a Journalist!
Living in different countries has
made me realise how big and diverse the world is and how people's cultures vary
enormously from one country to another.
I became interested in languages and politics while I was at school in.Toulouse, a town in south-west France, and decided to study French and Spanish and Politics at University in London.
I am now working as a journalist for a Scottish daily financial paper called Business a.m. in Edinburgh, a vibrant and culturally rich city with lots of museums and friendly people.
As a journalist, I get to interview very influential people in the world of business and politics. I can expose scandals and report on the most exciting events to affect the world around us.
Unfortunately, the hours are less than appealing: I work from 8am to 7pm or 8pm at night often with only a 30 minute break at lunch!
I have to write up to five articles a day for the news section of the paper so I have to work quickly while at the same time getting every fact completely accurate. But it is great to see your name in print and to think about the thousands of people who read the paper.
In this job I keep very up to date on breaking news and have developed a better understanding of the world around me and how the decisions that are made at the European Parliament or in the US impact on our everyday lives.
I think it is important for people
to be aware of what's happening in the world because knowledge gives you the
power to change things for the better. And I hope that through my writing I can
provide readers with the basis of some of that knowledge. I would eventually
like to become a foreign correspondent for the French daily newspaper Le Monde and report on news from Britain. That would let
me combine my interest in politics with my passion for languages.
- Emma
Emma went to school in Manchester and
Toulouse (but she did read books from The Book Case!) and got a
First at Queen Mary and Westfield
College, University of London. She now works as a journalist for a Scottish
daily paper.