Avid Readers Shine at BookSlam Finals

Jun 6, 2019

Pupils from Cyfarthfa Park Primary, Methyr Tydfil, BookSlam 2019 winners. A team of avid readers from Cyfarthfa Park Primary School, Merthyr Tydfil, have been crowned the 2019 Champions of BookSlam, the Welsh Books Council’s annual reading competition for children. The national round, held recently at Aberystwyth Arts Centre, saw hundreds of pupils from primary schools throughout Wales competing for the national championship. Their task was to impress the judges in two rounds, namely a 10-minute discussion and an 8-minute dramatic presentation based on their chosen books. At the end of an exciting day, Cyfarthfa Park Primary School, Merthyr Tydfil, was crowned the overall BookSlam Champions, having impressed the discussion judge with their knowledge of the book Flight by Vanessa Harbour. In the presentation round they performed their own interpretation of Rugby Zombies by Dan Anthony. During the day’s activities, children and teachers also enjoyed a fantastic presentation by author Shoo Rayner. The adjudicators this year were Pam John for the discussions and Anna Sherratt for the presentations. Helgard Krause, Chief Executive of the Welsh Books Council, said: “The aim of BookSlam is to get children from all over Wales reading. By discussing and performing what they have read, the pupils gain a deeper understanding of some of the wonderful children’s books we have here in Wales. It was a great pleasure to see the youngsters brimming with enthusiasm during the national round of BookSlam, and our thanks go to the dedicated and hard-working county organisers, teachers and other supporters that make these events possible.” The 2019 runners-up were Ysgol Penllwyn, Ceredigion with Christ the King R C, Cardiff and Franksbridge, Powys Primary Schools in joint third position. Thanks to the support of Welsh publishers every child who took part in the competition was invited to choose a free book to take home as a memento of the day.