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This half-term, our Year 7 students have been diving into the captivating novel Freedom by Catherine Johnson. Freedom tells the story of Nat, an enslaved boy living in Georgian Jamaica, who embarks on a journey across the Atlantic to find friendship, freedom, and purpose. It's a tale that has inspired and engaged our young readers with its powerful themes and historical depth.

Today, we were thrilled to welcome Catherine Johnson herself to HAB! She led a series of creative writing workshops, where she shared her insights into the book, her writing process, and the significance of history in shaping stories. Catherine emphasised the joy of writing—both for pleasure and potentially as a future career—and encouraged students to explore their own creativity.

The workshops kicked off with a fun warm-up activity designed to get everyone’s creative muscles working. Students were asked to name new planets, invent colours, and even designed new car names, sparking imaginative thinking. Catherine then shared a variety of objects with the students, each one serving as inspiration for an independent write task and offering valuable advice about writing.

One key message from the workshop was clear: the more you write, the better you become! Catherine reassured students that no one’s writing is perfect and that improvement comes with practice—so it’s important to write what you enjoy and let your skills grow over time.

Our students left the session buzzing with enthusiasm. Aayema shared, “The workshop was helpful because we learnt about how she got her ideas. We also learnt that we could write a story using objects for inspiration.” 

Ronke added, “In the workshop, I learnt that it only takes a few well-placed words to make a thrilling story.” 

Kiyrah also commented, "The workshop was very nice because we got to meet the author and we did fun activities that helped us create ideas for our own books!"

The day was a wonderful opportunity for our Year 7s to not only meet a successful author but also to unlock their own storytelling potential. We can’t wait to see what creative masterpieces they come up with next!

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Here are some examples of the creative writing by our Year 7's in this inspiring workshop:

Freya M
A diary, they said. Write it and you might see them again, they said. Work with us, they said. So fine, I’ll right the stupid diary, I’ll write in the plain black diary and burn it. I will burn it right in front of their face because they will have to try harder to get me to do what they want. Oh, and a few things they want me to put in there. My name, Reyna. My date of birth, 18th October 2032. The year, 3047 – that part I’m confused about. And the dictatorship that I’ve found myself imprisoned by in some government complex. And one last thing - my age, 13. Yet I’m somehow 100 years in the future…

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Tia V
There was a perpetual buzzing coming from the motor of the helicopter. A defect had struck and Kim knew she had to evacuate and quickly. She unclips the carabiner from the harness and looks down. Kim gulped, does she really have to do this and now? She braced herself for the worst. One step. Two steps. She was falling. 

Adrenaline rushed through her blood. Pressure was escalating in her ears, so much that she’d thought it would pop. Suddenly, she landed with a thud that sent her rolling for a while, until she got up and brushed the dust that clung to her knees. Kim patted her pocket, but instead of feeling rubbish, her hands stopped at the feel of a small box.

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Aliza M
As I walked into my grandmother’s study, I saw a bland diary. I then opened it to discover a code. “Maybe I could find my grandmother’s killer” I said in my head. 

I was worried about going to an orphanage, hearing horror stories. As I investigated more, I found another code, almost an address… Did she know she was going to die? I found an emerald box filled with ash. But my grandmother wasn’t a smoker. The killer was taunting me, making me feel determined to find this cold-blooded killer. Will I… 

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