Friday Headlines
the weekly newsletter from EHS
Students Lead the Booker Prize Assembly
06 December 2024
At EHS, assemblies are a fantastic opportunity for students to take the lead, develop their confidence, and share topics they are passionate about. Recently, Millie and Maya took to the stage to host an assembly on the 2024 Booker Prize nominations, sharing insights into the shortlisted novels ahead of the winner being revealed. Read on to discover who won this year’s Booker Prize and what the experience meant to Millie!
The Booker Prize Assembly – written by Millie H, Year 12
“Last Friday was the annual Booker Prize assembly which involved pupils in Year 10 and above. The Booker Prize is a major literary award which has produced outstanding fiction for over five decades and each year the prize is awarded to the greatest sustained work of literature which is published in the UK and Ireland. Whilst the books are enriching readers with deeply evocative themes and captivating writing styles, every shortlisted book author receives £2,500 as a reward and the winner acquires a considerable sum of £50,000.
In our assembly, each student conveyed their thoughts on one of the recent 2024 Booker Prize shortlisted novels. For the first time in the 55 years of the Booker Prize, the authors included five women and one man. The shortlisted books included: ‘The Safe Keep’ by Yael Van Der Wouden; ‘Stone Yard Devotional’ by Charlotte Wood; ‘James’ by Percival Everett; ‘Held’ by Anne Michaels; ‘The Creation Lake’ by Rachel Kuschner and finally ‘Orbital’ by Samantha Harvey. The books tackle different issues and themes. ‘Held,’ for example, discusses the powerful story about the impact of war as well as the hope that can arise from the most tragic moments in life, whilst ‘Stone Yard Devotional’ explores the themes of memory, loss, and the passage of time.
In November, the winner of the Booker Prize 2024 was announced as ‘Orbital’ by Samantha Harvey, who is the first woman to win since 2019. Harvey’s book is also the first to win with a storyline set in space. It begins aboard a space station, focusing on 24 hours in the lives of six astronauts. The story covers themes such as isolation, grief, and the sheer demands of living and working in such a confined environment. Harvey examines the beauty of space and the importance of each individual and the collective value of human life on earth.
It has been a fascinating and rewarding to delve into the shortlisted novels for this year’s Booker Prize! Thanks to all who contributed to the assembly and hopefully it will have inspired the audience to read some of these books in the future!”
If you are inspired to host your own assembly, speak to your Head of Year—we’d love to help you bring your ideas to life.
