CHESHIRE PUPIL WINS NATIONAL WRITING COMPETITION

Eight-year-old Reina Oda, from Alderley Edge, has been selected as the KS2 winner in Pearson’s national writing competition, My Twist on a Tale, Represent! Her story about the importance of inclusion has been published today in a brand-new book.

In autumn 2022, digital media learning company Pearson encouraged children and young people between the ages of 4–19 to shine a light on the page, representing what, and who, they feel is being left out in literature today. All 18 winning entries have been compiled into a brand-new book, My Twist on a Tale: Represent! launching today.

Scooping the award in the KS2 category, Reina Oda’s work, The Special Senses, was chosen alongside 17 other fantastic stories and poems written by children across the country, including One smile means a lot by North West winner Soha Shabaz, Dear Ghetto Girl by South East winner Emma Appah, and Belonging by KS5 winner Iona Mandal.

Reina’s story follows Latif, a refugee orphan from Syria who is blind, and Zahrah from Iran who is deaf. Two best friends who were often made fun of and bullied by their peers. One day they were in a group, making a treehouse for a school project. As they climbed in, Zahrah sensed a rumbling in the ground, and tried to convince those around them of what was happening: an earthquake!

Though disbelieved at first, their actions ultimately save other students, and set off a chain of events that break down barriers and celebrate the impact that their special senses have. What starts as a story of loneliness and isolation ends as a celebration of inclusion.

Reina, who attends Terra Nova School in Jodrell Bank, said: “I didn’t expect to win at all. I thought my mum was kidding when she told me! I feel amazing and excited that my story will be published. I have dreamt of being a published author and now my dream has come true! I hope I can have more stories published when I’m older.”

Students from across schools and colleges in the UK entered the competition, writing and reshaping their own diverse pieces. Eighteen winning entries were picked across categories including KS1 through to KS5, and all regions in the UK. The resulting book, My Twist on a Tale: Represent! is available to download on Pearson’s website, with all budding authors receiving their very own hard copy as part of their prize. Audio versions of each winning entry will soon be made available too!

Lindsay Nadin at Pearson said: “Reina should be extremely proud of the story she has written. Our judges loved the imaginative range of language in this tale. Its ultimate message of finding strength in our differences has also chimed with everyone who has read it.

“At Pearson we are committed to inspiring diversity and inclusion among young people, and shining a light on new voices and topics that might not be found elsewhere. We’ve recently made our Bug Club Reading series bigger and better than ever because we want all children to be able to develop a lifelong love of reading, and to feel that our books are for them, whatever their ability, background or identity.

“We were thrilled at the brilliant standard of entries to My Twist on a Tale this year, and feel honoured to share this provocative, gripping, reflective collection of talent with a national audience. Everyone who submitted a piece should be very proud of their creation.”

Ashley Bates, a primary teacher and Founder of The Shed School, who judged the KS2 category, said: “From the first line of this tale, Reina has carefully chosen her words, really bringing the story to life. The plot is simple but effective and the characters are believable. This is a really touching tale of friendship and courage.”

The winning entries include:

The competition was supported by a range of partners including Ace Centre, Authors Aloud, Coram Beanstalk, Governor Cymru Services, Love Reading, LGBTed, National Literacy Trust, NASS, Parentkind, School Library Association, Stamma and The Reading Agency.

To find out more about Pearson’s My Twist on a Tale: Represent! and to download a copy of the book, please visit: 

go.pearson.com/represent 

...or follow us on Twitter: 

@PearsonSchools

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@PearsonUKSchools 

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@pearsonprimaryuk

To find out more about Pearson’s Bug Club range, visit: 

www.pearsonprimary.co.uk/BugClub2 

Pictured - Eight-year-old Reina Oda from Alderley Edge.