Please click into the individual blog post, as the links are currently missing on the library page, (formatting issue being investigated).
This week is Libraries Week so we are particularly sorry that we haven't been able to open the school library up to you. In the meantime, I will continue to remind you how to borrow library ebooks via Sora.
There is a link to the Sora app on the pupil page of the school website or at the top of the sidebar here on the library page. Download the Sora app or explore in browser https://soraapp.com Enter the setup code uksecondary if asked, and sign in with your school Google login and email password. And in the meantime, here is a Getting Started video guide or there is a PDF version on the P drive in the P:\LIBRARY\Sora folder.
Following a student's feedback regarding most of the books that he wanted to read already being out on loan, this week's top tip for Sora is to advise you to place holds on these books. You are permitted up to 5 holds, along with up to 5 loans at any time. Sora will buy additional copies of titles that they perceive to be popular, based on number of holds. Plus don't forget to log back into Sora to check for your holds becoming available, as unfortunately there are no email notifications.
The above are some of the books that Sora have in their Black History Month collection. But I'm going to recommend a multi-award winning title that I have previously borrowed from Sora myself, namely The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. I found this to be a powerful read, inspired by Black Lives Matter, which portrays racism, victimisation, white privilege, prejudice and ignorance brilliantly. It has also been made into a movie.
100 Great Black Britons by Patrick Vernon and Angelina Osborne was published last month to link in with the 100 Great Black Britons campaign. The book includes new role models and previously little-known historical figures. Each entry explores in depth the individual’s contribution to British history – a contribution that too often has been either overlooked or dismissed. You may read an excerpt from the book featuring two of the figures here.
Just a reminder that earlier in the year we put together a collection of various source "Black Lives Matter" reading lists on the P drive in the P:\LIBRARY\BLM_suggested reading folder. There is also a copy of Freedom (Issue 1) - Black Lives Matter, an SGS student publication to explore discrimination and injustice in society. These all remain very relevant for Black History Month.
We will be back with more titles again for Black History Month next week.
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Tomorrow (10 October) is World Mental Health Day. This year has been tough for everyone. The months of lockdown and loss have had a huge impact on our mental health. Research has indicated that over two thirds of young people (68%) said their mental health got worse during lockdown. Young Minds seeks to improve the emotional health and wellbeing of young people in the UK.
And I thought it would be timely to mention Reading Well again. This provides helpful reading to support health and wellbeing, encompassing expert endorsed books about mental health, including advice and information for young people about issues like anxiety, stress and OCD, and difficult experiences like bullying and exams. We have saved a copy of their suggested reading list on the P drive in the P:\LIBRARY\ folder. You may find some of these titles on Sora, including The Self-Esteem Team’s Guide to Sex, Drugs and WTFs?!! by Grace Barrett, Natasha Devon and Nadia Mendoza.
Last term when we announced Lark by Anthony McGowan as being the 2020 CILIP Carnegie Medal winner, we said how the school book club shadowing scheme which runs alongside, had been extended due to lockdown. Today the Carnegie Shadowers' Choice Award was announced and the young people's vote has gone to a different book, namely The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta. Alongside this, they also chose The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander as the winner of the Kate Greenaway Shadowers’ Choice Award, a great Black History book, but more suited to your younger siblings.
Do let us know if you would like SGS to get involved in the shadowing scheme for 2021. I understand that it has been a few years since we last participated. There would be lots of resources and promotional materials to support the books on the shortlist.
And another award announced today is the CLiPPA Poetry Award for which the winner is Cherry Moon by Zaro Weil. Again this also has a shadowing scheme for young people.
Now for a quick round-up of a few other ideas and resources.
National Shelf Service have once again been creating daily book videos on YouTube during Libraries Week and they now have a collection of over 100 videos since they first started back in lockdown. Not all of these are aimed at your age, so have a browse round for those that interest you. Here is good one where a school librarian talks about Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (available on Sora). That reminds me, please do let us know if you might be interested in a podcast club. We're going to investigate whether we can source the necessary equipment after half term.
Simon & Schuster publishers have made available a selection of their spooky teen reads free to read for October only.
There is a competition here for you to write a poem on the theme or animals or emotions.
Did anyone join Dara Ó Briain for the virtual Space Camp last week? If not, it is still available to catch up. Plus as I regularly mention, there are always plenty of giveaways on the Book Trust website. Today whilst we are in World Space Week, I am going to highlight this one to win a copy of Is There Anybody Out There? by Dara Ó Briain.
An online exhibition "The Sounds of Croydon" has been launched to tie in with Black History Month, celebrating the history of Croydon’s global influence on music over the last 120 years, from Samuel Coleridge-Taylor to Stormzy. Available to view until the end of the year.
Shakespeare's Globe 2019 production of Romeo and Juliet, which was created especially for young people has now been made freely available on YouTube until February half term 2021.
Don't forget that we will happily accept all book-related contributions from students and staff to our blog. And please email us your suggestions for what you would like to see on our blog.
Finally now for a bit of fun, we have a crossword to share with you, to link in with Black History Month. I created this crossword at puzzle-maker.com myself and you may wish to try making your own word searches or crosswords there. All the answers are Black Authors, although some of the people are more renowned for other achievements. You will notice in one of the clues that I have mentioned an author being dyslexic, which makes his writing even more of an achievement.
I am particularly bringing this to your attention as this week is both Dyslexia Awareness Week and Dyspraxia Awareness Week. An additional Sora top tip is that you can choose the OpenDyslexic font option, which makes determining letters much better.
(For easier printing, open the image in a new tab. The way you do this will vary according to the browser you are using).