In May 2022, award-winning author Robin Stevens offered to teachers translated copies of her famous ‘Murder Most Unladylike’ books to new Ukrainian-speaking students.
Last year, she reached out to her Twitter followers writing, ‘Schools! Libraries! Anyone supporting newly-arrived Ukrainian children in the UK or Ireland! I’ve heard from my Ukrainian publisher who says I can order more copies of my books – so who’d like one? I’ll pay for the books and the postage – seems like the least I can do’.
Robin’s Twitter was inundated with teachers and librarians reaching out in support of Ukrainian children including Alex Arnold, Head of English at Danes Hill School a prep school in Oxshott, Surrey.
In September, Danes Hill School welcomed two pupils from Ukraine to their school community. These children had been offered bursaries at the independent school after staying with host families whose children also attend the prep school in Surrey.
More than 1.5 million Ukrainian children have been forced to move since the war began, many staying with host families in the UK and attending English-speaking schools for the first time. Robin Stevens along with her Ukrainian publisher, Nebo Booklab Publishing, embarked on translating and delivering her translated books to Ukrainian refugee children worldwide to help them feel more at home.
In mid-December after a lengthy journey from Kyiv, two of these books landed on the doorstep of a school in Oxshott. Danes Hill School were delighted to present them to the two pupils who joined the Danes Hill School community earlier that year.
Maxine Shaw, Head at Danes Hill School said, ‘Robin Stevens kind gifts made our pupils feel very special and they were overjoyed with the act of kindness. They commented on how special it was to read their home language in the Danes Hill library’.
To find out more about Danes Hill’s love for reading visit daneshillschool.co.uk