Baladi - Syrian Story
Salam Rajab, 11, a Year 7 pupil at Sandringham School in The Ridgeway, U.K, wrote a story in partnership with her school friend Sara Mazilu, also 11.
The story, entitled Mr Swat’s Revenge, was entered into the 2018 Henrietta Branford Writing Competition, which is open to anyone under the age of 19. The competition runs in conjunction with the Branford Boase Award (BBA), which recognises a debut children’s author and their editor, and was set up in memory of children’s author Henrietta Branford and Walker Books editorial director Wendy Boase, who both died from cancer in 1999.
The young entrants to the writing competition had to complete a short story started by last year’s BBA winner M. G. Leonard, author of Beetle Boy.
Salam was one of two Syrian refugees who won, out of six winning short stories. Anne Marley, who founded the awards, said: “The girls’ story is sparky, inventive and ends on a wonderful cliffhanger. We were impressed too by the way they created their narrative together, proof of the power story and imagination have to bring people from different backgrounds together.”
Source: The Herts Advertiser