With the temperature dropping and the leaves beginning to turn autumn has now well and truly arrived. The glorious summer we enjoyed is now an increasingly distant memory along with summer reading, which always seems to have a lighter feel. One of the good things about the change in season are the opportunities to curl up with a good book. Our new U3s have been in school for over a month now and are well into their reading lessons with Mr Viesel; the year 6 girls who visit the Senior Library on a weekly basis with Mrs Fordham are also very much enjoying their reading. One factor the girls mostly have in common is their love of the Murder Most Unladylike series by Robin Stevens, we all enjoy pouncing on the next book in a favourite series. Part of our job in school is to encourage the girls to read a variety of authors (feeding directly into achievement at GCSE) and the publishing world offers a fantastic range of choices.
Helena Duggan’s first book A Place Called Perfect is a favourite with the year 6 and 7 girls at the moment. A mixture of fantasy and adventure, the story revolves around Violet who moves to Perfect with her parents but soon begins to hate living there. It’s too clean, the people are too friendly and too nice. Violet begins to question things. Why does everyone have to wear special glasses to stop them going blind? What are the strange noises in the night? And why is Mum acting so weird? The second title in the series, The Trouble with Perfect, has recently been published.
Ross Welford, TV producer turned author, has become very popular in school over a short period of time. His latest title The 1,000 Year Old Boy is the story of Alfie Monk, who can remember the last Viking invasion, though of course no one would believe him if they knew. This is not a story about wanting to live forever but about a boy who would like to stop, which means finding a way to make sure he will eventually die…Time Travelling with a Hamster (about the dangers of time travel; ideal for Dr Who fans) and What Not to Do If You turn Invisible (being invisible sounds fun, but only if you can become visible again) are also popular titles in the Library, well-written and very entertaining!
Onjali Q. Raúf is a new author to the Library at NHS, founder and CEO of Making Herstory, an organization which works to end the abuse and trafficking of women and girls.
Told with heart and humour, The Boy at the Back of the Class is a child’s perspective on the refugee crisis, highlighting the importance of friendship and kindness in a world that doesn’t always make sense.”Told with heart and humour, The Boy at the Back of the Class is a child’s perspective on the refugee crisis, highlighting the importance of friendship and kindness in a world that doesn’t always make sense.Told with heart and humour, The Boy at the Back of the Class is a child’s perspective on the refugee crisis, highlighting the importance of friendship and kindness in a world that doesn’t always make sense.Told with heart and humour, The Boy at the Back of the Class is a child’s perspective on the refugee crisis, highlighting the importance of friendship and kindness in a world that doesn’t always make sense.Told with heart and humour, The Boy at the Back of the Class is a child’s perspective on the refugee crisis, highlighting the importance of friendship and kindness in a world that doesn’t always make sense.
There used to be an empty chair at the back of my class, but now a new boy called Ahmet is sitting in it. He’s nine years old (just like me), but he’s very strange. He never talks and never smiles and doesn’t like sweets – not even lemon sherbets, which are my favourite! But then I learned the truth: Ahmet really isn’t very strange at all. He’s a refugee who’s run away from a War. A real one. With bombs and fires and bullies that hurt people. And the more I find out about him, the more I want to help. That’s where my best friends Josie, Michael and Tom come in. Because you see, together we’ve come up with a plan.” www.waterstones.com
Recently published and sure to be under many a Christmas tree is The Restless Girls written by Jessie Burton and beautifully illustrated by Angela Barrett. Based on “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” by the Brothers Grimm, The Restless Girls has been updated for the 21st century. When their mother, the Queen dies, the princesses’ father decides to keep his daughters safe at all costs, a price which includes their lessons, possessions and most importantly their freedom. The eldest daughter, Princess Frida, has a strong will and imagination; together with her sisters they fight for the right to live! There used to be an empty chair at the back of my class, but now a new boy called Ahmet is sitting in it.
Another potential Christmas stocking filler is Doctor Who: The women who lived. Meet the women who run the Whoniverse.
“From Sarah Jane Smith to Bill Potts, from Susan Foreman to the Thirteenth Doctor, women are the beating heart of Doctor Who. Whether they’re facing down Daleks or thwarting a Nestene invasion, these women don’t hang around waiting to be rescued – they roll their sleeves up and get stuck in.
Scientists and soldiers, queens and canteen workers, they don’t let anything hold them back. Featuring historical women such as Agatha Christie and Queen Victoria alongside fan favourites like Rose Tyler and Missy, The Women Who Lived tells the stories of women throughout space and time.
Beautifully illustrated by a team of all-female artists, this collection of inspirational tales celebrates the power of women to change the universe.” www.waterstones.com
And finally, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Set during the American Civil War, the story of the four March sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, has an enduring popularity. Poor from a monetary point of view the sisters have lives rich in love, colour and kindness whilst learning from their mistakes and disappointments. The perfect autumn read.
He’s nine years old (just like me), but he’s very strange. He never talks and never smiles and doesn’t like sweets – not even lemon sherbets, which are my favourite!
But then I learned the truth: Ahmet really isn’t very strange at all. He’s a refugee who’s run away from a War. A real one. With bombs and fires and bullies that hurt people. And the more I find out about him, the more I want to help.
That’s where my best friends Josie, Michael and Tom come in. Because you see, together we’ve come up with a plan. . .
With beautiful illustrations by Pippa Curnick
Told with heart and humour, The Boy at the Back of the Class is a child’s perspective on the refugee crisis, highlighting the importance of friendship and kindness in a world that doesn’t always make sense.
There used to be an empty chair at the back of my class, but now a new boy called Ahmet is sitting in it.
He’s nine years old (just like me), but he’s very strange. He never talks and never smiles and doesn’t like sweets – not even lemon sherbets, which are my favourite!
But then I learned the truth: Ahmet really isn’t very strange at all. He’s a refugee who’s run away from a War. A real one. With bombs and fires and bullies that hurt people. And the more I find out about him, the more I want to help.
That’s where my best friends Josie, Michael and Tom come in. Because you see, together we’ve come up with a plan. . .
With beautiful illustrations by Pippa Curnick
Then Violet starts to question other things… Like why does everyone have to wear special glasses to stop them going blind? What are the strange noises in the night and why is Mum acting so weird
Miss Buxton, School Librarian