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500 Words: Black Lives Matter
A collection of 100 inspiring, moving and poignant short stories, submitted to the 500 Black Lives Matter competition which ran on Virgin Radio in July 2020. 500 Black Lives Matter features a foreword from Chris Evans, analysis of the writing from Oxford University Press and writing tips from judges Malorie Blackman and more. Originally devised by Chris Evans, 500 Words has a rich 10-year heritage, giving children of all ethnicities and backgrounds a platform to express their imaginations and creativity through storytelling. In the decade it has been active 500 Words has involved 54% of primary and secondary schools in the UK and received 1.1 million entries. This year almost 6,000 children, aged between 5-13, submitted stories expressing their personal experiences, tales of empathy, learning and respect, building on the international conversation around Black Lives Matter. The illustrious judging panel, chaired by Angellica Bell and Michael Underwood, reviewed thousands of submissions from which they have shortlisted eight finalists and selected a further 92 stories to be included in this important and timely collection.
331 pages, Paperback
Published September 3, 2020
2 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 22, 2021
"Racism is like dirt, it's everywhere and it's often difficult to get rid of. It takes a team effort to clean it up."
500 Words - Black Lives Matter is a compilation of stories from children aged 5-13 all with a focus on Black Lives Matter.
It stems from a writing competition held by Chris Evans, with judges such as Malorie Blackman and Frank Cottrell-Boyce.
The standard of writing is so high, the stories are so creative, the judges must have had a tough job picking the winners.
What stood out to me most is how simplistic the view of younger children is. Why can't we all just get along, be kind to one another, regardless of the colour of someone's skin. The older children showed such an awareness of the world around them with stories referencing George Floyd, Trump, Boris Johnson, Covid-19, even historical figures such as Ruby Bridges and Rosa Parks.
They talk about police brutality and protests. They talk about standing up for their friends and for their rights. These are the children of our future and they will create the change the world needs to see.
I highly recommend this book, especially if you have children. I read this alongside my 10 year old and we had amazing conversations around equality, race and the world around us. As white people living in a multicultural city, it's important that myself and my daughter educate ourselves on racism and how to be anti racist and this is a great book to start those conversations!
500 Words - Black Lives Matter is a compilation of stories from children aged 5-13 all with a focus on Black Lives Matter.
It stems from a writing competition held by Chris Evans, with judges such as Malorie Blackman and Frank Cottrell-Boyce.
The standard of writing is so high, the stories are so creative, the judges must have had a tough job picking the winners.
What stood out to me most is how simplistic the view of younger children is. Why can't we all just get along, be kind to one another, regardless of the colour of someone's skin. The older children showed such an awareness of the world around them with stories referencing George Floyd, Trump, Boris Johnson, Covid-19, even historical figures such as Ruby Bridges and Rosa Parks.
They talk about police brutality and protests. They talk about standing up for their friends and for their rights. These are the children of our future and they will create the change the world needs to see.
I highly recommend this book, especially if you have children. I read this alongside my 10 year old and we had amazing conversations around equality, race and the world around us. As white people living in a multicultural city, it's important that myself and my daughter educate ourselves on racism and how to be anti racist and this is a great book to start those conversations!
October 26, 2020
It’s such a positive thing that all children are aware of, discussing and writing about such an important thing as black lives matter. Open discussion from childhood should change the world.
September 7, 2020
This book is just great. The stories made me smile, made me cry, made me hopeful, made me proud and made me want to tell everyone to read it!
I work in a bookshop and, as soon as I saw this book, I knew that I wanted to read and I am so so happy that I did.
The stories included in this book have been written by kids from 5 to 13 years old and that is the most amazing part of all. To see how young people see society, how the Black Lives Matter movement has affected them, what they are thinking about race, class, skin colour, how they plan to change the current situation.
There were stories that I enjoyed more than others but my favourite one is the one called: 2020 Hindsight by Maurice Griffin.
All profits from the sale of this book go to the Coram Beanstalk charity.
I work in a bookshop and, as soon as I saw this book, I knew that I wanted to read and I am so so happy that I did.
The stories included in this book have been written by kids from 5 to 13 years old and that is the most amazing part of all. To see how young people see society, how the Black Lives Matter movement has affected them, what they are thinking about race, class, skin colour, how they plan to change the current situation.
There were stories that I enjoyed more than others but my favourite one is the one called: 2020 Hindsight by Maurice Griffin.
All profits from the sale of this book go to the Coram Beanstalk charity.
November 22, 2021
Timely and humbling
Out of the mouths of babes, yes I know patronising, here is a vast collection of stories from incredibly bright young minds that bring home the far reaching harm of racism. As a white person it makes me feel that if I do nothing, keep quiet and don't make a fuss then I am an enabler of racism.
Out of the mouths of babes, yes I know patronising, here is a vast collection of stories from incredibly bright young minds that bring home the far reaching harm of racism. As a white person it makes me feel that if I do nothing, keep quiet and don't make a fuss then I am an enabler of racism.
November 24, 2020
A great message told in so many ways. Loved this and how it told one story through many people.
May 26, 2023
Some of these kids ate.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews