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Age Guideline 7-11, 11-13
About the Event
Zo and The Forest of Secrets by Alake Pilgrim is a fantastical adventure starring two island children, Zo Joseph and Adri Khan, who work together in the wild to battle mutant creatures and dangerous adults who try to manipulate them and their gifts. It’s a book about friendship, the environment, survival, and protecting whom and what you love, set on the island of Trinidad. Alake will tell us about what inspired the story and will be reading from the book!
Buy the book here: Zo and the Forest of Secrets – Alake Pilgrim
About the Author
Alake Pilgrim writes from her home in Trinidad and Tobago, twin-islands in the Caribbean with a rich folklore history and a diverse population connected to Africa, India, China, the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East. Like the children in this book, Alake’s child fought to live – and his tenacity and heart inspired the story of Zo and the Forest of Secrets. In this event, we journey to Trinidad and Tobago to meet this award-winning author and learn more about this debut middle-grade novel.
Twitter: @alake_writes
Instagram: @alake_writes
Teacher Resources (Provided by School Library Association)
Our world is full of different people, different cultures, different histories, different lifestyles and every culture can help inform us of new, exciting opportunities, opening our eyes to how others live.
· Discuss any travel you have experienced and differences you’ve found. It doesn’t have to be to another country; differences in the countryside to city life are apparent in e.g. transport links, leisure activities, public facilities, green spaces, etc.
These resources list the many ways in which our young people are helped through global education and provide thought-provoking help with lessons:
· https://www.oxfam.org.uk/education/who-we-are/global-citizenship-guides/
· https://www.globalschoolsprogram.org/resources
· https://www.coe.int/en/web/north-south-centre/global-education-resources
· https://globaldimension.org.uk/
About the Festival Partner
This event has been programmed by Bocas Lit Fest
Founded in 2011, the NGC Bocas Lit Fest is Trinidad and Tobago’s premier annual literary festival: a lively celebration of books, writers, writing, and ideas, with a Caribbean focus and international scope. The Festival brings together readers and writers from Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean, and the wider world for readings, performances, workshops, discussions, film screenings, and more.
The Festival also includes a full programme of activities for younger readers, the NGC Children’s Bocas Lit Fest, including readings, creative writing workshops, performances by children’s authors, and a storytelling caravan for children across Trinidad and Tobago.