Well, it’s World Book Day and I’m Writer in Residence for Kirklees, so I thought I’d flag it with my teens and ask them for their fond recollections of World Book Day in days of yore:
SON: School made us dress up. Didn’t you go as Malala?
DAUGHTER: Yes, but that was for World Superheroes Day.
SON: Oh, yeah… I went as Stupendous Man.
DAUGHTER: I only went as Malala because I had a shalwar kameez and Mum couldn’t be bothered making me a costume.
SON: I hated World Book Day.
DAUGHTER: I liked it. But I must have annoyed all my teachers, by saying things like “Never mind buying books. What about the libraries! We should be BORROWING BOOKS! And not making kids who have no money feel bad that their parents can’t afford to buy them books!!”
SON: That was why I hated it.
DAUGHTER: What? The social injustice?
SON: No. I wanted to buy a new book from the stall in school. Although they always looked boring. And there was never any manga.
DAUGHTER: Plus, Mum would never have given you money to do that.
SON: True. Another parent actually bought me one because I was hanging around, looking sad.
ME: Noooo!!You never told me that!!
SON: Yeah. But it was rubbish anyway. I prefer libraries. More choice.
ME: I feel bad now!! What on earth will that parent have thought of me?!
SON: Overall, it was a terrible childhood.
DAUGHTER: Yes. But at least your deprivation taught you to manipulate adults.
SON: True. I …. AM ….. STUPENDOUS MAN!!
