UGDSB welcomes author Emma Donoghue for UG Reads
May 16, 2018
GUELPH, Ontario – On May 15 and 16, the Upper Grand District School Board welcomed Irish-Canadian author Emma Donoghue to speak to students and staff as part of the Upper Grand Reads Program (UG Reads).
UG Reads is a literacy initiative where students in the Upper Grand DSB are encouraged to read the same novel. This year, secondary students had the chance to read Donoghue’s Room and elementary students read The Lotterys – Plus One. In honour of the fifth anniversary of UG Reads, two books by one author were promoted.
The goal of UG Reads is to engage students in reading and to get them talking about books while sharing ideas with their peers. This program also helps improve literacy skills.
Donoghue is the author of the international bestseller, Room, along with having been nominated for countless literary awards and is the winner of the Roger’s Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize. In addition to being a bestseller, Room was turned into an Oscar and Golden Globe nominated film.
While visiting the UGDSB, Donoghue spoke to secondary students from Wellington Heights SS, Norwell District SS, Centre Wellington DHS, John F. Ross CVI and Guelph CVI.
Students from J.D. Hogarth PS and Rickson Ridge PS had the chance to hear about The Lotterys series from Donoghue in a more intimate setting.
Advice Donoghue gave students included writing all of your words down, even if they don’t make sense right away and always asking the question “what if” as you write.
Students were thrilled to ask Donoghue questions about writing and tried to fish for information about the next book in The Lotterys series.
After speaking with students about the love of writing, Donoghue stayed behind to sign books and take pictures with students.
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