Welcome back to The Reading Cafe!

Kayvion Lewis is the author of Thieves' Gambit, winner of the 2024 Waterstones Children’s Book Prize for Older Readers. This thrilling and wildly imaginative crime novel is the first in a series which looks certain to become the next big YA hit. Excitingly, it is now on its way to the big screen, having been sold to Lionsgate who have brought Creed and Transformers director, Steven Caple Jr, onto the project.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL DISCOVER:

• How Kayvion makes sure twists are unpredictable
• What she would say to her characters if she met them in real life
• The turning point in her journey as a writer

Plus, Kayvion reads an EXCLUSIVE preview of her new book, Heist Royale, which arrives in November.

This episode also features Holy Cross History teacher, Lucy Kinnie, who will be revealing the historical crime that has arrested her attention above all others...

To learn more about Kayvion Lewis, visit: https://www.kayvionlewis.com/

You wouldn’t want to miss any episodes of The Reading Cafe, so be sure to subscribe! Please leave a rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts and… keep reading!

Welcome to The Reading Cafe - the podcast from Holy Cross High School that aims to get people talking about reading!

The inaugural Reading Cafe LIVE audience event featured an interview with Ann Marie Di Mambro, writer of the popular National 5 English set text, Tally’s Blood.

During this excellent interview, Ann Marie was in conversation with two of our outstanding S5 Reading Leaders, Elsa and Grace. Our audience of National 5 English pupils had the unique chance to hear the writer’s responses to questions about the characters, setting and themes of Tally’s Blood in preparation for the exam in May.

They also enjoyed live scenes from the play performed by National 5 Drama pupils, Caroline and Martha, and Higher Drama students, Maria and David. After each scene, Ann Marie provides answers to an 8-mark style commonality question, focused on theme/relationships.

This is an invaluable resource for all pupils who are studying Tally’s Blood for their National 5 English exam, so make sure you take lots of notes as you listen!

Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Intro/Welcome to The Reading Cafe

00:04:37 - Ann Marie Di Mambro bio/Interview part 1 (setting/Rosinella/relationships)

00:14:38 - Act 1, Scene 11 and 8-mark discussion: theme of love

00:19:15 - Interview part 2 (setting/character/theme of identity/conflict)

00:23:49 - Act 2, Scene 8 and 8-mark discussion: relationship between Massimo and Rosinella

00:28:52 - National 5 Q & A: 1) Rosinella’s childlessness 2) Key scene: Italian experience 3) Theme of loss

00:34:21 - Final questions: If you could change one thing.../favourite character

00:39:24 - Thanks and closing remarks

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FOLLOW: @ReadingCafePod

Welcome back to The Reading Cafe!

Elle McNicoll is an award-winning author and screenwriter whose debut novel, A Kind of Spark, won the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, the Blackwells Book of 2020 and the Blue Peter Book Award. The novel was recently adapted into a fantastic CBBC show. She also established The Adrian Prize - an award for novels which feature disabled characters.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: • Working as a professional author • Learning to come up with creative ideas • Elle’s experience of writing for television

This special transition episode also features P7 pupils from Holy Cross associated primaries, St Paul’s and St Mary’s, as well as guests from Support for Learning, James McManus and Aimee Gibson.

To learn more about Elle McNicoll, visit: https://www.ellemcnicoll.com/

You wouldn’t want to miss any episodes of The Reading Cafe, so be sure to subscribe! Please leave a rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts and… keep reading!