It's World Book Day and we have been chatting to our School community about why they love reading! Today, Head of Lower School, Mr Ingham, shares his favourite book with us...

I first read ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ when I was 12, and although I was an avid reader of anything I could find in the library, it was the first time I had ventured out of the children’s section to find a book. My English teacher at the time was an eccentric character who enthused us all to read ‘real’ books and I think this prompted by daring raid into the fiction section of the local library. I can still remember how quickly I was drawn into the book after just a few pages, and I finished it in a few days, staying up late, when I was supposed to be asleep.

The story deals with a number of mature themes and I think I felt I was pushing a boundary by reading a book written for teenagers. I was completely ignorant of race issues back then and the book began a fascination I have maintained with books and films that depict racial tension in America. Two of my all-time favourite films are ‘Mississippi Burning’ and ‘The Green Book’. 

My favourite character in the book is the narrator Scout’s brother Jem. He was a similar age to me at the time and I remember feeling empathy towards him; annoying little sister, who you secretly looked out for, and avoiding getting into trouble with your father were just two similarities I recall! Over the years I have read it many times but a completely unexpected delight was being able to read it to my daughter when she was young. She still has a copy of the book and lists it has one of her favourites.

Reading was something that I always remember spending lots of time doing, usually in my bedroom, and I still cannot go to sleep now unless I read something! In pre-kindle days I would take up all my hand luggage for holiday flights with books I had saved to read. The one downside of my kindle is I have stopped collecting books and of course a reading app could never replace the feeling of picking up a new book from the shelf in the bookshop.

I am currently reading a book called ‘When Footballers Were Skint’. It recalls some fascinating accounts of the hard life footballers led back in the post war years. Did you know that the England team of 1966 received a bonus of just £1000 each for winning the World Cup? That is the equivalent of about £20,000 today or half a day’s pay for Harry Kane!