The Junction were great hosts. for the Launch

Is there anywhere more rumbunctious than a room full of children? A large room? The Junction made a marvellous job when they hosted a Launch of the Book of Cambridge ( from the point of view of children.) The Year 5s were all brilliantly well seated. Milton Road Primary School. Orchard Park Community Primary ,St Lawrence Catholic Primary ranged excitedly around the walls – a great view, as ever , for everyone.

Impressive were the readers from the Book of Cambridge. Chosen for fabulous clarity and excellent diction , here are the lecturers and broadcasters of tomorrow. In fact they all looked ready to take on a media career as Channel Four presenters right there.

Even more lively was the group of Year 5 reporters who wandered the aisles of the Junction and fired questions at random audience members. I was keen to be asked, so good were the interrogative skills on display. It did make for a fun hour full of character and talent

The Book of Cambridge is fun. It adopts a reader-friendly tone.And the use of English is excellent. It is quirky, cheeky, whimsical – and it teases. However, I would have liked to read more fact -based children’s impressions. Like a trip, say to Castle Mound ‘ that big hill’ and children’s view of it – or of anywhere in Cambridge be it the oft-mentioned King’s College or the Guildhall - had anyone had the chance to go inside them? Or indeed inside a College ?Amazing that most children in school in Cambridge have never ever breached the austere exclusive gates of the Colleges: even though the children do repeat the phrase’ famous for its colleges’ what do they understand at all about how they work, who is there and whether they might fancy going there one day themselves. To study.

And have they ever been punting? The jaw dropping cost of that makes that question more or less redundant. In fact what do children make of, or know about these ‘famous’ Cambridge institutions?

It was interesting to hear from the children about inequality, about the the vandalism and litter in the areas where they live. Well done editors who have introduced some reality to the Book of Cambridge. Pollution and global warming make a mention as does the inequality of the life in Cambridge.

The jokey faux statistics about Cambridge, “half million people” ?were irksome ,why should not children know about the facts of their city’s population “they’re going to turn the Grafton Centre into a science centre’ writes one ‘and that will make it much better? ‘Really ? For whom?

Lastly the illustrations. Why could not children be the artists?

A missed chance there,I venture. So talented I am sure they would have been up for it. Not professional of course, but no less interesting as commissioned pictures.

But well done and congratulations to the Junction .

For the Book of Cambridge however -remember ‘Satisfactory”?