Our Library is bursting with colour this May with books aplenty and The Queen’s Platinum jubilee celebrations galore.
First up, feast your eyes on these new titles ready to be picked by you: Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy; Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town by Bonnie-sue Hitchcock; A wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher; October, October by Katya Balen; The Magicians Guild by Trudi Canavan; Tsunami Girl by Julian Sedgwick.
We also have some great new Non-fiction books this May, check out their section numbers in brackets to find them on the shelf: Double Cross by Ben Macintyre (940.53); Cogs and Monsters by Diane Coyle (330); What we Owe each other by Minouche Shafik (330).
On 6th February 2022, Her Majesty the Queen became the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, marking her 70 years of service to the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms and the Commonwealth.
Next week is half term and we celebrate the Queen’s unprecedented anniversary with a four day UK bank holiday weekend from Thursday 2nd to Sunday 5th June. If you are looking for a Royal book over the half term break, we have the new Michael Morporgo book, ‘There once was a Queen.’ Alternatively, log into your SORA account and type in “Queen Elizabeth” in the search box, to read more about our longest reigning Monarch.
You may even like to try the winning platinum pudding recipe whilst reading – check out winner Jemma’s Lemon Swiss roll & Amaretti trifle: www.fortnumandmason.com/platinum-pudding-winner
Get your gleaming teeth on show as it’s officially National Smile Month and it’s a great time to do things that make you smile! Here are some reads to help you spread the happiness even further! The Girl who Speaks Bear by Sophie Anderson; Teeth, A Very Short Introduction by Peter S Ungar; Into the Sideways World by Ross Welford.
As a school we raise awareness of mental health not just during Mental Health week but all year round. Sometimes life can feel overwhelming leaving you feeling anxious and unsettled, maybe you are a young Carer at home or you are struggling with negative thoughts? You are not alone, come and speak to a member of staff if you are worried. In the Library we have some great books for teenagers on looking after your mental health: The Anxiety Survival Guide for Teens by Jennifer Shannon; Mind your Head by Juno Dawson; Blame my Brain by Nicola Morgan.
On your marks, get set….. go! The Daily Telegraph, in association with the National Literacy Trust, have announced the Sports Book Awards Children’s shortlist 2022. The Shortlist has smashed the back of the net with some great reads. www.sportsbookawards.com/shortlists
Vote for your favourite by telling us via email: library@suttongrammar.sutton.sch.uk We’ll be buying a couple of the most popular suggestions after half term.
We spotted, Marcus Rashford’s, You are the Champion by Cart Anka is on the shortlist and available on SORA now. It is also available in the library to borrow.
Sports books that might catch your eye in our library are: Running Anatomy by Joe Puleo & Dr Patrick Milroy; Football School by Alex Bellos & Ben Lyttleton; Flaming Olympics by Michael Coleman and Graphic Novel, Spotlight Striker by Hoena/Sandoval
SORA also has some great and continually updated books to read, type in ‘Sports’ in the search box and take a look.
Author Mal Peet has written a series of football books for footie fans, all available on SORA: Keeper Haunted by the Spirit of the Game, Penalty Possessed, Evils, Past and Exposure Nothing Falls as far as a Star.
Do some book covers leave you yawning? Well, it’s time to unleash your creative ideas to design a new, modern and more appealing book cover for one of the following popular titles: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall; Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll; Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens and Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare.
We look forward to seeing your book cover ideas, you can use any medium you like and remember the more whacky the better, let your imagination run wild! The Competition is open to Years 7, 8, 9 and 10. The deadline for entries is Friday 10th June, either email them to Ms Taylor and Mrs Payne (library@suttongrammar.sutton.sch.uk) or bring them into the library. Don't forget to put your name and form on your entry. Good Luck!
Our library has some brilliant new comics and graphic novels on the shelves for fans on this popular growing genre. New titles include: The Giver by Lois Lowry; The Recruit by Robert Muchamore; Fence by CS Pacat and in Comics: The Amazing Spiderman; Star Wars High Republic; Spy Family by Tatsuya Endo.
Remember Year 8 Comic Club runs throughout the Summer Term on Mondays, period 7, 14.50 – 15.35. This term we will be looking at Comic characters and devising our own Comic Strips.
Ever wondered how if Charles Dickens was a Dickensian superhero or if he wrote under a pseudonym? Learn more about literary legend with these fascinating facts: www.beano.com/posts/charles-dickens-facts
“Please sir, I want some more.”
We have plenty more Dickens to fill your book appetite: Dombey and Son; Great Expectations; Bleak House are a few of the many Dickens titles we have in our school library. Available on SORA are more titles: Bleak House; Oliver Twist; Hard Times; Nicholas Nickleby.
On audio SORA books: A Tale of two cities and A Christmas Carol
The Westminster tube station has undergone a makeover and now Larry Achiampong’s artwork stands in the middle, blessing everybody’s eyes as they walk through. The traditional red and blue original tube roundel has been replaced with red, black and green or also known as Pan African colours. This was first introduced in 1920 by Marcus Garvey and now are shown on the Pan-African flag which also represents Pan-Africanism.
The red, black and green reflects the land and the struggles that the African continent had to experience. The yellow/gold represents prosperity and a new day. And the 54 starts that are set out on the edge of the roundel represents each of the 54 continents of the African continent joining together. This artwork brightens up the bleak, concrete wall that was originally there. Larry Achiampong is a British Ghanaian artist whose work includes sculptural installation, photographic and painted collage and audio and visual archives.
Check out these three books by African heritage authors that are in our school library now: Things Fall apart by Chinua Achebe; Booked by Kwane Alexander and Clean Getaway by Nic Stone. This article was written by a year 10 work experience student.
Have you ever wondered when reading a really good book “What comes next?” Well, “Children’s Book Sequels” are here to help, simply follow the link below to discover your next great read! www.childrensbooksequels.co.uk Did you Know? You can search for books quickly on your School Reading Cloud?
Renowned charity the BookTrust has compiled a list of the best Children’s books in the last 100 years, which they are calling “The ultimate booklist to read before you’re 14.” How many have you read? Why not take their quiz and test your knowledge of the books you’ve read.
www.booktrust.org.uk/books-and-quizzes
To go directly to the KS3 books which made the top 12!
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness; Liccle Bit by Alex Wheatle are both in our library and available on SORA, The Owl Service by Alan Garner. www.booktrust.org.uk/booklists/1/100-best-12-14
Check out the BookTrust Bookfinder, in two easy steps you’ll soon be browsing books galore: www.booktrust.org.uk/bookfinder
Step 1: Choose an age/stage Step 2: Choose a type of book
We have many of the titles in our school library and Sora, so log on the Reading Cloud/Sora to see what is available.
Sutton Library has a variety of library talks available on podcasts from Sutton Cultural Services, tune in via Spotify to listen and find out more. ww.open.spotify.com/show
Hay Festival is one of the worlds’ leading art and literature festivals, bringing readers and writers together to share stories and inspire ideas in events live and online. Nobel Prizewinners and novelists, scientists and politicians, historians, environmentalists and musicians take part in the Festival’s global conversation, sharing the latest thinking in the arts and sciences with curious audiences.
Although there is a charge for entry (including bookable in advance events) to the Hay Festival, they have some free online catch up events on their ‘Hay Player’ from authors such as Robert Muchamore, Emma Carroll, Frank Cottrell-Boyce and many more… Listen and watch writers and thinkers from Hay Festivals around the world - Hay Player Audio & Video
On Thursday 16th June starting at 12pm, we will be streaming the Yoto Carnegie & Greenaway awards ceremony live in the Library on our new big screen. Come along at lunchtime and find out which book is 2022 winner. www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/stream
Author Lindsay Eagar talks about her new book “The Patron of the Bread Thief,” which is released this month for KS3 readers. The book tells the heart-warming story of a group of orphaned street urchins who having been stealing bread and pick-pocketing money to survive on the streets.
The group decide to put their youngest thief, Duck, into an apprenticeship with a local baker to steal bread for them but Duck starts to question where her loyalties lie with her group of thieves or with the Baker who has given her a chance.
Click on the link below to hear more about the story in the author's own words. www.vimeo.com/lindsayeagar
Once upon a time a typewriter was used to write letters, manuscripts, plays and books before word processors and computers were invented. Now, artist James Cook with his collection of 40 typewriters has produced another innovative use for them…. Art! Cook whose unique ‘typewriter art’ caught media attention recently with his original and stunning pictures of famous faces and places made up entirely of typewriter characters. His projects include “London Skyline, 01, 02 and Docklands,” a portrait of Doctor Who actor “Tom Baker,” and the Academy Award winning actor, “Tom Hanks.”
With plans for a Summer Exhibition of Cook’s drawings on the horizon, click on the link below to see Cook’s work in action: www.jamescookartwork.com/media
Dippy Returns: The nation’s favourite dinosaur 27th May – December 2022 Dippy was the first Diplodocus to go on display anywhere in the world when it was gifted to the Natural History Museum in 1905. Dippy has since become a prehistoric celebrity and has a special place in many people’s hearts and imaginations. Dippy left the Museum in 2017 to complete a tour of the UK, throughout the journey, he has witnessed the changing state of nature and how the UK's biodiversity is in sharp decline. Experience Dippy's memories of nature and the important messages he has brought home with him for yourself. Where: National History Museum, Cromwell Rd, South Kensington, London SW7 5BD www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/exhibitions/dippy-returns
Royal Society of Portraits Annual Exhibition Virtual Tour Check out this great virtual exhibition from your phone or tablet, there are some wonderful paintings of The Queen. www.royal-society-portrait-painters-exhibition-2022
Wandle Trail 9mile walk starting from Carshalton Ponds, Carshalton Open all year round The river Wandle itself is a tributary of the river Thames consisting of miles of rich chalk stream habitat. In the Wandle’s industrial past, it was considered to be the ‘hardest working river in London,’ with over 90 mills along it’s banks throughout time. The walk or cycle the route and check out some of the highlights on the way: Carshalton Water Tower, Wilderness Island, Deen City farm and Morden Hall Parks. Where: Carshalton Ponds, 2 High St, Carshalton SM5 3PE wandlevalleypark.co.uk/mobilefriendlymap
For Platinum Jubilee events near you check out the link below: Events – The Queen's Platinum Jubilee 2022
The power of the superbees 28th May – 5th June 2022 10am – 5pm daily £17.55 adult/£8.75 child/Under 5’s Free Come and visit Wisley’s favourite hive of activity by celebrating everything about bees. Take a closer look at these pollinators by joining in with interactive workshops, planting and bee spotting and much more. Where: RHS Wisley, Wisley Lane, Wisley, Surrey GU23 6QB www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley/plan-your-visit
Wildlife Photographer of the Year Finishes 5th June 2022 £15.50 adult/£9.25 child/Under 3's Free Experience incredible close up photography of wildlife and nature by photographers and young photographers worldwide. Where: National History Museum, Cromwell Rd, South Kensington, London www.nhm.ac.uk/wpy
The Household Cavalry Museum April – October 2022 10am -5pm Wednesday to Sunday Adults £9.50/Child £7.50 The Household Cavalry Museum tells the story of the history and work that goes into the ceremonial and armoured reconnaissance role of HM The Queen’s Mounted Bodyguard. Platinum Jubilee celebrations will also add to your experience of the museum and starting this Summer the museum has a new exhibition “Falklands at 40,” with some interesting artefacts from the 1982 conflict Where: The Household Cavalry Museum, Horse Guards, Whitehall, London SW1A 2AX www.householdcavalry.co.uk