​It’s been a super busy time since our last break, with so many exciting things happening in the library; from Literacy Week, to author visits, read-a-thon, book clubs, inquiry circles and, of course the regular library sessions. Over the next ten days, I am looking forward to some extra reading time, resting and relaxing, and spending quality time with family and friends. I hope you do too, having a wonderful break, no matter whether you stay in our beautiful Hong Kong or go exploring other amazing places.
 
I know that many of you have exciting books lined up to get into during the break and I look forward hearing about what you enjoyed reading after the break.

Yesterday, our fifth graders were totally intrigued by going on a virtual field trip to the Museum of the American Revolution with Lauren Tarshis, author of the (in our library super popular) I Survived series. A couple of weeks ago, our fifth graders had been in touch with the author who had advertised a competition in which she asked her readers to suggest topics for future I Survived books. Our students came up with a long list of ideas (you can read more about this here). Not only does the field trip share fascinating facts and artefacts about the American Revolution, it shows how much research goes into the writing of historical fiction in particular. I loved hearing Lauren speak with so much passion, so much enthusiasm, about the process.  

As promised, here is the link to the website / virtual fieldtrip, for our older readers and fans of the I Survived series.

​Over the winter break, I discovered that in collaboration with Scholastic, you are inviting students to share ideas for possible future I Survived books. Here at Hong Kong Academy, you have many fans, among our students, teachers and librarians. Your books are hardly ever on the shelf, as they get checked out a lot. We also use them in several grades for literature circles and book clubs, as they always create much interest and spark fantastic conversations.
 
Therefore, I had no doubt that my students would love thinking of new ideas for you. During the past week, I asked my fifth graders for suggestions and they came up with many, many ideas; of natural disasters, epidemics, historic battles and wars in Asia and other parts of the world. 

​Here are just the Hong Kong-based ideas. The entire list of ideas is attached below and we hope you will download it and find it of help.
 
I Survived the Japanese Occupation of Hong Kong, 1942-1945
The Japanese attacked Hong Kong in the morning of the same day as Pearl Harbour. In what became knows as the Battle of Hong Kong and which lasted 18 days, around 1,500 allied forces died. The occupation of the city which was then a British Colony lasted for three years and eight months. Check out this link about guerilla fighters based in Sai Kung and this article about Hong Kong during World War II. (By the way, our school is located in Sai Kung.)
 
I Survived the Typhoon of 1937
We experience several typhoons here in Hong Kong every year. Nowadays, there is a good forewarning system in place which makes it easy to prepare and be safe. In the past that wasn’t the case and there have been many casualties, especially in the years 1874, 1906 and 1937. The 1937 typhoon is so far the worst to have ever hit Hong Kong, killing more than 11,000 people. It was so strong, it created a 18ft tidal wave.
 
I Survived the Anglo-Chinese War, 1839-1842
We think this could make an interesting setting for a story since as a result of this war Hong Kong Island ceded to Britain. (In 1997, Hong Kong was returned to China and is now a Special Administrative Region of the People republic of China.)
 
I Survived the Shek Kip Mei Fire of 1953
The fire spread on Christmas Eve and left over 6,000 people homeless. In order to provide new homes, the first public housing estate was built in Hong Kong.
 
I Survived the Sars Epidemic of 2003
On Feb 21, 2003, a visitor brought the virus to Hong Kong and it began to spread worldwide. More than 8,000 people were infected, with 774 victims by the time the virus was under control in June of the same year. Here is the link to a BBC article which includes a timeline if you would like to read more.
 
What do you think of our fifth graders ideas? 

​It would be so exciting if you would choose a Hong Kong-based topic for one of your next I Survived books as there aren’t any yet - in general, there are few children’s books that are set in Hong Kong - even though Hong Kong is a fascinating place, rich in culture and history. Should you pick a Hong Kong topic, we would be happy to help you with your research. We have easy access to Hong Kong’s fantastic public library system that has many resources about its past (have a look at this link for example). We could interview people and do some of the ground work for you. With regard to the typhoon topics, we can even share our personal experiences as typhoons are part of life here. Further, our school is located in Sai Kung, the place where a guerilla fighter brigade was set up to fight against the Japanese occupation during World War II.
 
Wouldn’t that be great, having some of your readers directly involved in your next project? Maybe you could also visit Hong Kong in person, and we could show you around? You would definitely find Hong Kong to be a fascinating place; there are stories everywhere around here, waiting to be told :)
 
With best wishes from all of us here at Hong Kong Academy.