Secrets of a Henna Girl: Library

Recently, we had the pleasure of inviting a living, breathing author into the school. The purpose of the visit was for the students to hear about the process of writing a story, trying to publish it, and for many students, how lucrative it is! The answer to that question is from a book costing £6.99 to buy, the author will receive only about 40p. The added benefit of the visit was that Sufiya Ahmed has worked in the Houses of Parliament, firstly as a parliamentary researcher for the Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP, also as Communications Advisor to the Rt Hon Harriet Harman MP.

Miss Ahmed talked about her strict upbringing, her father insisting that she watched the news every night, but thus was borne her interest in politics. After university her ambition was to find a job that paid well so she entered the world of merchant banking. The entry into politics gave an outlet to her social conscience and she has been, she said, one of those annoying people who pop up on your doorstep at election time.

The talk was rounded off by a re-enactment of one of the scenes from her book, the engagement ceremony, with students dressing up in Muslim wedding attire and dancing around the aisles. A lively question and answer session followed with some quite insightful questions being asked, particularly from the Yr 7s. We will continue to invite authors into the school to talk to the students, as I think it is good for them to appreciate how the whole process of writing evolves.

Annette Fisher

School Librarian

Great Marlow School