Reading books

I love reading on holiday. My great weakness is to nosily take a look at the Acknowledgments before getting into the prose, but this time I waited until the end. I received a bit of a jolt. This is me:

I thought the extract looked familiar, but had been thrown by the reference to hockey:

Here is the original – located by adding the word ‘noisy’ into my photo reel:

Sophie Neville’s school report as featured in ‘The Deliberations of Isabella M. Smugge’ by Ruth Leith

I loathed playing lacrosse and was useless at it. Funnily enough, I grew to enjoy the sport of polocrosse, which is akin to lacrosse on a horse, played at speed. I joined the Waterberg Polocrosse team, was invited to play with the veterans at inter-provincial level, and qualified as an umpire at Morton Morrel College. It was the most difficult exam I’ve ever taken, exceeding any test at school.

School report for PE — My school report for PE – I maintain this would have been different had they taught archery

I did better at English.

Sophie Neville's school report for English — Sophie Neville’s school report for English Literature from Anthea Bradbury

I sent a copy of one of the first illustrated books I published to Mrs Bradbury, my English teacher before she died. I hope she was able to enjoy it.

I am yet to write about my own school days, but since I kept bulging diaries through my teenage years, there should be enough material to draw on. I was taught by nuns. Here is an end of term report from my Form Mistress, Sister Margaret Elizabeth, and my House Mistress, Sister Allyne. I must have been aged twelve when this report was delivered to my parents in 1973, possibly the term before I gained the part of Titty in ‘Swallows and Amazons’.

At the age of about fourteen we spent three hours a week in Needlework, three hours in the art room, and three hours learning to cook, which was fun. One of my friends was so naughty that she was excluded from all three, retreating to the library. She later graduated from Oxford University and ended up working as a Director of Communications at the NHS.

Sophie Neville's school report from her cookery teacher Mrs Wigmore — A school report from my cookery teacher Mrs Wigmore

Ruth Leigh writes about her heroine’s time at a similar boarding school in her series of five books on the life of a social media influencer, Isabella M. Smugge. Issy finds herself cooking delicious meals as she negotiates the social scene in rural Suffolk and churns out books on how to embellish your life. The amusing stories, published by Instant Apostle, make for perfect for light holiday reading. Issy’s maiden name is Neville. The author assures me that she has borrowed my family name, which is a great honour.

Queen of the Socials, Isabella M Smugge, inspires millions. But challenging events now demand she steps up in the real world too. Is it time for Issy to become a pillar of her community?

Date for anyone in Suffolk: The author Ruth Leigh will be meeting readers and signing copies of these novels and other books at St Edmundsbury Cathedral Christmas Market 2026 in Bury St Edmunds on 26th, 27th and 28th November from 10.00am to 4.30pm. Do go along to meet the author.

Ruth Leigh’s paperbacks can be ordered from bookshops, online retailers or from her own website.

On Wednesday 27th November at 3.00pm, I will be giving another talka about ‘The Making of Swallows and Amazons’ on a Zoom hosted by the national child literacy charity Schoolreaders.

You can join us by remailing s.glasgow-smith@schoolreaders.org

If you can’t make it, please contact Schoolreaders who can send you a link to the recording.

Since the original film of ‘Swallows and Amazons’ has been out for fifty years, and screened on television more than any other British film, it has a loyal fan base. Paddy Heron of the fundraising charity ‘Children in Read’ says, ‘I have seen that film I don’t know how many times through the decades, with my brother and sisters, with my own kids, and with my grandkids. That film will stand the test of time for ever.’

Jane Whitbread, who founded Schoolreaders ten years ago, tells me that a love of reading is a proven key to future success in life. Around a quarter of all children in England leave primary school unable to read well and yet good literacy improves all round academic achievement. Arthur Ransome’s series of twelve ‘Swallows and Amazons’ books is great for reluctant readers – those who learn to read but fail to develope an interest in books.

Although my handwriting outshone others, I was deeply embarrassed about not being able to read until the age of nine. I battled to crack the code but once through the barrier, soon gained fluency and was captivated by imaginary worlds. Like me, Andrew Harvey said that he was helped by the Arthur Ransome books, “which provided the inspiration to get me through my (undiagnosed) dyslexia.”

Since it was launched ten years ago, Schoolreaders has helped about 80,000 children to read fluently and develop an interest in books by giving them one-to-one support.

It’s clear that lives are transformed by reading. The author David Cooper says: ‘I found Ransome when I was six, and that was a revelation. He wrote with the same high standards as apply to writing for adults, which is why people of all ages are attracted to them. It only took a few chapters of Swallows and Amazons to make me want to be a writer.’

You can watch a precious talk with Schoolreaders on Youtube: