Nicola Morgan

As part of my work as Patron of Reading for the wonderful Larbert High School, I recently judged the best creative writing examples from the Higher English class. DIFFICULT??? OMG, yes. They were all amazing, all sinister and/or sad, all with impressive structure and control, all really knowing what they wanted to do and doing it, and all displaying real power in terms of tugging our emotions. They all also need to rein it in a bit and be more selective with their adjectives – but that’s something I could say of every single young writer who will go on...

As part of my work as Patron of Reading at Larbert High School, I said I’d help readers who are trying to find a book they’d love find a book they’d love. You see, I believe wholeheartedly that there is a book out there for everyone, even those who think they don’t like reading. So, keen readers among you, can you help me? Can we help these young people become and remain keen and confident readers? This is about reading for pleasure, nothing else. And nothing is more important, reading-wise, tbh. All these readers are 12 and you can assume...

Continuing my posts to help teenagers during exams, I want to tell you about the right foods to keep your brain going well. Especially important for several reasons: Your brain absolutely will work better with the right food and liquid inside it. You may lose your appetite if you are nervous, so it’s helpful to select in advance some foods that you’ll actually want to eat. The brain is a very hungry organ and uses a lot of energy. You may have some wrong ideas about what are the right foods to fuel your brain. Oh, and by the way:...

…was so exhausting that I’ve only just recovered! Exhausting in a very good way but also exhausting because I’d just ended a kind of iron-woman series of talks all over the place, including Prague via a country I wasn’t supposed to be in but was, thanks to snow… Anyway. I can’t remember the order of things but here, briefly and pictorially, was my day. Apart from the sandwiches, which were very delicious. I was given a wonderful welcome by Mrs Swinney’s S2 English class, who had been studying Fleshmarket. Here they all are, with some of their work on the...

Last week I blogged about how I’d been to Larbert High School and talked to some S5 pupils about preparing for and dealing with exams. In that post, I offered my general tips for reducing the harmful stress that can come with exams. I also talked about how training for exams is just like training for a big sporting competiton or match – your body and brain are your temple! Today, I want to talk about planning ahead. It’s the key to achieving your potential. The preparation starts the day you get your exam time-table, which should be at least...

Last week, I had my first visit to Larbert High School and much fun and exhaustion was experienced! I’ll be talking about that more soon. One of the things I did was talk to the S5 Higher pupils about exam stress and preparation. I told them to imagine they were sports stars and I was their coach, because when you think about it, preparing for exams is quite like preparing for a sports tournament or competition. After all, sportsmen and women have to work on: planning, preparation, sports science, skills, fitness, equipment readiness, stress, psychology, nutrition. And so, I showed,...

How could I not be proud to be Patron of Reading at Larbert High School, when they produce entertaining videos like this?! I had my first visit to Larbert last week and have lots to tell you about it but I’m snowed under at the moment so my impressions will have to wait. Anyway, the video is far more entertaining and interesting than I am. What was your favourite bit of the video? I liked the bit where the teacher fired an arrow and appeared to kill a colleague. Please excuse my warped mind.

Brain Bars are my invention for enhanced flapjacks, packed full of brain-fuelling food and so healthy that I have no hesitation in recommending them for breakfast. And elevenses. And lunch. And exams. Since I’m going to talk to the S5 pupils at Larbert High School tomorrow about how to cope with exams, which will include advising them to eat the right food, I thought I’d put the recipe here. I make them a bit differently each time, I think, but here’s what I did last time. I admit they were a bit too crumbly to be sold in a shop but...

When one of my books is studied in schools, it’s a) incredibly flattering and b) incredibly scary. (I think most adults have memories of hating some of the books we had to study…) Fleshmarket is read in most Scottish secondary schools and quite a few English ones and over the years I’ve (almost) become used to seeing displays and reading essays and stories and responses based on it, and every time I feel very proud, as well as surprised that this happened to one of my books. I guess there must be pupils who have hated the book but I’m...

Here is a lovely BBC Wales news item which gives a great sense of why this scheme is so good. My activities with Larbert High School will be different because it’s a secondary school, not primary, and the challenges are different, but our aim will be the same: to boost and value reading for pleasure. As that news item says, reading not for a test but reading because you want to. There are two quick points I want to make, in response to a comment the other day. First, there is no extra cost to the tax-payer. This is a...

I had to have a lie-down after an exchange of emails between me, Kimberly Bryce (librarian) and John Doherty (PT English) of Larbert High School yesterday. Basically, what happened was this: I suggested lots of things and they said yes; then they suggested lots of things and I said yes. We are going to get every year group involved and I hope I will meet them all at some point, but even those I don’t will be fully involved and I’ll be seeing their work and answering questions. There will be projects, competitions, challenges, events; opportunities for pupils to promote...

It began when Larbert High School near Falkirk asked me to be their Patron of Reading – the first in Scotland! This new scheme is the brainchild of Tim Redgrave, dynamic Head of a school in Wales and children’s author, Helen Pielichaty. After I blogged about the scheme and mentioned that I was available, by 9.30 that morning, the librarian at Larbert High School had invited me and everything was agreed that day. Two more schools emailed that morning – too late! I’m sure they will snap someone else up, though, so all will be well. I was thrilled when Larbert...

This is a scheme devised by the dynamic Tim Redgrave, head teacher of a school in Wales, and sparkling children’s author, Helena Pielichaty. Helena has explained the whole thing here. If you are a published children’s author with a good track record for school visits, and you like the idea of putting yourself forward as a patron, contact Tim. (Read Helena’s article first, as it sets out important details.) If you are a school and you would love to have an author as your patron, and have read the details on Helena’s website, please also contact Tim. He can tell you...