Students in y8 and y9 rounded off an excellent half-term of reading with a visit from the author, Tia Fisher.
Tia’s empathy-building debut novel, Crossing the Line, is based on the true story of Erik who, after the death of his dad, and with his mum struggling to cope, starts to get into trouble at school. When Erik falls in with a new crowd who promise him easy money, he quickly finds himself caught up in a world of drug dealing, gangs and violence that he just can’t escape. Written in verse and shape poems, Crossing the Line discusses tough issues around county lines in a relatable way. It helps the reader to see the world through Erik’s eyes so we understand his decisions better and explores how to ask for help when you need it. Students were full of excellent questions for Tia about how she came to be a writer and about her next book. Congratulations to Jack in y8 who won a signed copy of Crossing the Line for his question.
Tia is currently shortlisted for the Yoto Carnegie Award for the very best writing for young people so we were especially lucky to be able to host this visit. Thank you to The Bound bookshop in Whitley Bay for providing copies of the book for our students.