On a blustery Saturday September 27th, Whitney Institute Middle School hosted a fair in the school hall to celebrate all things literary.

Stalls manned by staff, students and the extended Whitney family offered parent and teacher resources, new and used books, information about the Bermuda Youth Library, and tips for using the daily newspaper as a reading resource for parents with young children.

Local author, Daron Lowe, creator of Kiesha the Mermaid and the Gazette's current series of stories, was on hand to promote awareness of Bermudian writing and chat about the writerly life. There were also arts and crafts and a bouncy castle to keep the youngest visitors engaged while parents discussed approaches to supporting classroom learning at home. Throughout the day emcee Dewitt Thomas handed out prizes to young people caught reading.

The purpose of the fair, coming as it did at the beginning of the new school year, was to promote an enthusiasm for reading that would carry throughout the school year.

Head of English at Whitney, Helen Paynter, noted that "the more children read, the better they become at it". She was anxious to make adults in general and parents in particular aware of the opportunities to promote reading in everyday activities and throughout the life of the community.

The fair was the first in a number of initiatives that will include Whitney students visiting neighbouring primary schools to read with younger children. After school 'bring your own book clubs' will encourage teens to share their favourite books with peers and spread a love of literature throughout the school.