LETTERS OF THANKS: 

Dear Chris Bradford, 

Thank you for telling us about your life as a samurai. I love how you showed us what a samurai sword looked like. I also enjoyed you telling us about how sharp it was and how to use it. I enjoyed the part when we got to ask you questions and how you answer them without thinking first. I liked how kind and energetic you were with us. So, thank you for showing us how to use the samurai sword and thank you for sharing your story as a samurai. Also, another thank you for giving your time to share your samurai life. 

Thank you Chris Bradford! 

(By Mia Rubens, 8B) 

RECOUNTS: 

All the classes in Year 8 got to meet author Chris Bradford in a virtual visit on Tuesday. Once everyone was ready, Chris first showed us all the books he has written. He explained what each series was about, and what the theme of them was. After showing us all the books he has written, he told us a little bit about Japanese culture. He then got everyone to write numbers 1 through 10 on a piece of paper. He then showed us 10 questions about the prologue in his book called “Young Samurai – The Way of the Warrior”, which is the book every class is reading right now. After showing us the questions we had to answer, he read out the prologue. Everyone had to be listening well to be able to answer each question correctly. Once he finished reading out the prologue, he got students from the different classes to answer each question. After all the answers were read out, he got the results from everyone. He then showed everyone his samurai sword. He explained all the different features and how sharp the blade is. He told us how it is made of two metals that are joined together. He also explained how there is a wave shape on the sword which makes it easier to remove the blade from the body. He also showed us how the round part above the handle is to stop the person who is wielding the sword from cutting themselves. After showing everyone the sword, he showed us some videos, then told us about the Death Touch. He told us that only one man is allowed to know the Death Touch because it is so powerful. We then asked some questions and said goodbye. Overall, it was a great experience, and I was happy to be able to meet Chris Bradford. 

(By Ayla Ogden, 8B) 

Today, Year 8 had the honour of meeting the author of “The Young Samurai” Chris Bradford. We had a virtual meeting where he showed us an advertisement for his Young Samurai series, a video of a really young samurai shooting a bullseye in a target first try. Chris Bradford showed the Year 8 students a samurai stance and how to punch and protect against a punch. There was a short Q&A with some interesting questions. Chris Bradford showed his real samurai sword and bokken. He talked about his experience in Japan training to be a real samurai so he could make his book as accurate as possible. It ended with a few last questions and talking about his inspirations for his books. 

(By Abby Bailey, 8A)