Book Clubs
Book Clubs meet regularly at lunchtime in the library. Members discuss their current reading choices, share news of old favourites and recommendations for future reading. Book Club news features in our newsletter.
Author Visits
Tomi Reichental
Holocaust survivor Tomi Reichental visited Beaufort on October 13th 2011. He spoke to to senior students about his experiences during the 2nd World War in Slovakia and his incarceration in Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp. Afterwards, he signed copies of his newly published book in the library – I was a boy in Belsen, published by O’Brien Press.
Becca Fitzpatrick
Author Becca Fitzpatrick from Colorado visited Beaufort on October 20th to speak to 5th Years about her writing. She recommends keeping a journal now, if you want to become a writer later. 
Her first book, Hush, hush, was a New York Times bestseller. Her latest title is Silence. Our thanks to Childrens Books Ireland for the introduction to Becca.
Anna Carey
Anna Carey came to speak to 2nd Years on Wednesday, November 9th. Anna is a
journalist whose first book for young adults, The Real Rebecca, was published by the O’Brien Press in 2011. Students promised to vote for Anna’s book, which was shortlisted for The Bord Gáis Irish Book Awards. At the awards ceremony on November 17th, The Real Rebecca won the award for Children’s Book of the Year Senior Category
Mary Finn
1st Years met the award winning author Mary Finn in the new auditorium on Friday, 20th January. Mary talked about writing and where she gets her ideas from. She read from her more recently published novel, The Horse Girl, which, she admitted, is a love story set in England in the 18th century. The girls got very excited when she read an excerpt from her forthcoming novel – title undecided as yet –which is set in Paris in 1942. She shared some advice for budding authors in the audience:- “They say you have to kill off your favourites” – which she said is true when it comes to some descriptive passages; AND she believes that “Editors know best, … they really do”. 
Mary very kindly donated two hardback copies of the American edition of her book, which is called Belladonna in the U.S. and these were raffled on the spot. The two lucky winners of the books are:- Aoife McEnaney and Chloe Cousins.
Newsletters
2010- 2011
Maggie Stiefvater Visit
There was a big surprise at Third Year Bookclub when the author of the book they had planned to discuss, Linger, to talk about her novel and experience as a writer. Students from other years were also invited and the occasion was deemed a huge success.
2009-2010
Latest 2nd Year News – read all about The BBC2
2nd Year bookclubs list of favourite books 2009 -2010
1st Year bookclubs list of favourite books 2009 – 2010
Author Visit
Sarah Webb’s visit to the 2nd year BookClub meeting on 26th February 2010 was a great success. She talked about her books and creative writing. She is currently writing the Amy Green, teen agony queen series.