When her peer groups were busy surfing the internet, watching television or nagging their parents for a new set of toys, Shefali Fernandes (10) sat at one corner of the room surrounded by piles of books; she had a mission to accomplish.
- Shefali Fernandes
The Swindon girl has set a record for being Britain’s biggest bookworm after she read a grand total of 605 books – in just 10 weeks for the national ‘Read for My School’ competition from the National Book Trust. She beat over 200,000 pupils from across the country.
“In the first place, I didn’t expect to win the competition so when they read my name out, I was shocked.
“The award is prestigious and I’m really happy to have won the competition,” said the Year 5 student of Holy Rood Catholic Junior School
Speaking to Asian Lite, Shefali said that initially she did get a bit distracted especially when her friends used to talk about interesting things on the internet or television programmes. “I tried watching TV but it wasn’t as enjoyable as reading a book,” she added.
Shefali’s parents moved to England from Goa in 2003, when she was two-years-old. At that time, Shefali did not have any form of entertainment not even TV. To make up for this, her parents would take her to the library. “I used to spend hours and hours in the library reading books. It was during that period that I started reading a lot as I thought that it was the best way to keep myself entertained,” said the youngster who lives with her parents and two siblings aged four and one.
Her parents used to read a lot of books to her, and by the time she was three-years-old, Shefali had already developed enormous interest in reading.
For the competition, she just read all the time whether its break time, lunch breaks or while brushing her teeth. “As I normally read loads, therefore, I never ever thought of closing the book mid-way,” said the youngster whose favourite authors include JK Rowling, Jacqueline Wilson, Enid Blyton and Cathy Cassidy.
The super-intelligent girl also tackled English literature adventure classics including Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, and Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island.
Shefali received a top prize of a £50 Waterstones gift voucher, a family theatre voucher from the Society of London Theatre, a set of Recommended Reads, a hand drawn illustration by Booktrust Writer in Residence Chris Riddell and a certificate for her achievement.
“Now my brother and sister are following in my footsteps,” said the Harry Potter fan.
Asked how reading books has helped her, Shefali, who wants to become a writer when she grows up, said: “Reading helps you to expand your vocabulary and widen your imagination.”
The aspiring writer now wants to win next year’s competition too.
And, her message to all the children: “Give reading a try, it’s enjoyable and is of great help.”