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Read a book with Skye 

20 Mar 2022

  By Kusumanjalee Thilakarathna Photos: Saman Abesiriwardena    Skye Attygalle is a 10-year-old student from Lyceum International School, Nugegoda, who is passionate about reading, acting, and baking. During the lockdown period, to break the boredom, Syke decided to make use of one of her hobbies – reading. With her mother’s help, she organised interactive book reading sessions – ‘Read a book with Skye Attygalle’ – on Zoom. In a recent chat with Little Stars, Skye said she started the project because she wanted to share her passion with others while having fun.    Skye, can you introduce yourself? My name is Skye Attygalle. I am 10 and I am turning 11 on 3 July. I have an older sister and a younger brother. I attend Lyceum International School, Nugegoda. I draw a lot. I do gymnastics. I like acting too. I enjoy cooking and baking.    What was the inspiration behind your book reading project? During quarantine, I didn’t really have much to do. After doing everything over and over again, I got bored, so I wanted to have a hobby that I could enjoy. I like reading a lot, so I thought I could share my passion with others. I started doing it during my last school holidays and I am planning to do another round during the next school holiday period.    How can one join a book reading session? My mother has it on different social media platforms and she posts updates about the upcoming sessions via her social media accounts under the name Salome Wahid. Every Thursday I post a video on what a participant must do, or bring, and so on. If someone wants to join one of my book reading sessions, all they have to do is send my mom a message and she will send them the link.   How do you conduct these book reading sessions? On Fridays, I have science classes after school. When I finish the class I get dressed according to the theme of the story. For example, if it’s Halloween themed, I get dressed like a witch or in a Halloween costume. Last Halloween we had Halloween-themed cupcakes and brittle finger biscuits and I got the participants to bring sweets for themselves. My mom usually sets up the area according to the theme. My sister uses her computer to create the posters.    What is your favourite book? I recently started reading the Percy Jackson series and I really like it. My favourite in the series was the third book – ‘The Titan’s Curse’. I like learning about all the characters the writer keeps introducing.    So is your favourite writer the author of the Percy Jackson series? Well, I have two favourite authors. The Harry Potter series is also one of my favourites, so J.K. Rowling and Rick Riordan are both my favourites. I like them because their books are easy to read, but not babyish. They are fun to read and interesting. I like the magical elements in both stories.    Tell us about what you cook too? I like cooking very much. I used to want to own a restaurant when I got older but not anymore. My ambition has changed. But my love for cooking is still the same. Sometimes I cook dinner. I like to make special meals, like for the New Year, but I prefer to bake.   What’s your favourite thing to bake? I bake cookies a lot. I have never burnt any batch of my cookies. My family also enjoys them a lot so I like baking them.   How old were you when you started baking? My mother used to bake a lot when I was young. I used to help her bake even when I was five. During the quarantine period, when I was about nine, I started searching the internet for recipes and trying them out. I enjoy experimenting in the kitchen.   You said you draw a lot. What do you usually draw? When I try to draw human figures, usually I am not very happy about how they turn out, so I don’t draw many human figures. I draw a lot of scenery and I am more into sketching than painting. Painting is a messy job, but when you sketch you can erase and redo it if you want. I draw when I want to get my mind off things, so it’s a way of relaxing.   Do you do gymnastics at school? Yes. I started gymnastics when I was in Grade 1. We couldn’t continue it during the lockdown period, but I did it during all the other years. I have friends also doing gymnastics, so it’s fun when I go for practice. I learn a lot of new things there too.    What is your current ambition? I want to become a lawyer. I also want to get into acting.    So, do you do drama and acting at school? Yes. I have been doing that since I was young, so I am quite familiar with it. When I go there, I get to do a bunch of stuff. I really enjoy it because I like to try out different personalities and I think it’s a great way for me to figure out what I would like to be when I grow up.  Every year I take part in a drama organised by the school. In Grade 1, I was a sheep; in Grade 2, I was a pig in ‘Moana’; in Grade 3, we did Christmas carols. I had to play the role of the daughter of one of my friends. Unfortunately, I don’t think we’ll get to do another play until Covid is over.    Why do you want to become a lawyer when you grow up? I am the talkative one in the family. Since I talk a lot, I decided I might as well put my talking to good use and help some people.    Sometimes lawyers have to defend bad people. What do you think you’ll do if you ever have to defend a bad guy? I will definitely listen to both sides of the story. I will get opinions from my colleagues too. Then I would make a proper decision depending on my point of view. If I can’t make a proper decision on my own, I think I would take a vote from my colleagues.    Who supports you in getting all of this done? Mainly my family. My mom, dad, and my step dad too. My brother keeps quiet during the sessions and my sister helps with the posters, but she once said she wanted to get paid for the work she does!   


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