AHMED+BIN+HANBAL+SECONDARY+SCHOOL+CELEBRATES+BOOK-WEEK

=**Book-Week **=



This week has been a celebration of reading at **Ahmed Bin Hanbal Secondary School** where it is Book-Week for the students.

Book-Week is being celebrated across Qatar as part of an international celebration of books and reading. The Qatar celebration has been sponsored by Bloomsbury Publishing Qatar Foundation and involves schools in projects that are designed to encourage the students to use the Libraries and to read books in both Arabic and English.

ABHSS is the only boys’ independent secondary school in Doha to be involved in the project which has revolved around the school’s Learning Resource Centre.

MohamedDarwish, the LRC Coordinator, says that Book-Week has been a great success with more boys using the LRC and browsing the new books and book displays from local booksellers than normal.



The highlight of the week, says Mohamed, was the visit of New Zealand writer, Vince Ford, to the school. Mr. Ford, who is in Qatar with his family, introduced his latest novel, written especially for a teenage boy audience, ‘Jonty and Choc”, to the boys at ABHSS.

Mr. Ford talked and answered questions about his life in New Zealand, how he came to be in Qatar and how he gets ideas for his books as well as reading from some of his novels. The boys were very interested in the stories Mr. Ford told and many remained afterwards to talk with him.



“The visit gave the boys a chance to listen and talk to an English speaking writer.” said Mohamed. “It was a great opportunity for them to practice their English as well as being introduced to a different sort of story-telling.”



The Book-week promotion has a REDDIT competition to encourage the boys to read as many books, in Arabic and English, as they can over a seven day period, book displays from local book-sellers and a writing & book making activity organised by BPQF and students from the Universities in Doha.




 * For more information about Vince Ford:**

[] [|//http://www.gisborneherald.co.nz/Pdf.aspx?type=feature&id=4489&name...pdf//]