When I was teaching I was always concerned about the children's reading material, especially books for boys who generally required more motivation to read.
So, I had three main objectives:
First and foremost I wanted to tell a good yarn; an interesting story rooted in the real world, the here and now. Or more accurately, the Anglo Saxon here and now. The books are adventure stories concerned with events which could have happened and are not meant to be historically accurate. However they do contain factual events and are not without historical merit.
Second, I wanted to improve reading skills through the use of challenging vocabulary and active reading. The stories contain anachronisms, both intentional & unintentional, which the readers are encouraged to identify.
Third, by choosing Bede as my subject, I write from a Christian perspective and have included Bible stories within the main narrative. Even Richard Dawkins (the evolutionary biologist and most prominent atheist) supports the proposal to give a copy of the Bible to all schools. He says pupils should learn about its role in the nation's history, language, literacy and culture.
GOD WHO SPEAKS - The Year of the Word 2020
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales designated 2020 as 'The God Who Speaks': A Year of the Word to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Verbum Domini - Pope Benedict XVI’s Apostolic Exhortation on ‘The Word of the Lord’, and the 1600th anniversary of death of St Jerome, who translated the Bible into Latin. The Bede Trilogy, which weaves Bible stories into the main narrative, fulfils the objectives of this initiative. Click here for more information.
When he visited the Uk in 2010 Pope Benedict made a special commendation to Bede, saying that he understood the importance of fidelity to the Word of God 'as transmitted by the apostles.'
Lillian Groves, former Vice Principal of St. Hild & St. Bede College at Durham University, says Bede should be the patron saint of teachers and students as it was his, 'delight to teach and to learn.' Click here to hear Lillian, a guide at Durham Cathedral, on Bede.
These adventure stories are uplifting and, although written ostensibly for a young audience, the novels would make good light reading for adults too.
Joe Stewart
[email protected]
@bedethree
Joe Stewart
[email protected]
@bedethree