Please click into the individual blog post, as the links are currently not visible on the library page, (formatting issue being investigated).
Our school book club got to watch the awards ceremony for the 2021 CILIP Carnegie Medal this week along with some edible treats, making their predictions of the winners first.
The winner of the 2021 CILIP Carnegie Medal is Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds and the winner of the Shadowers' Choice Award is Run Rebel by Manjeet Mann. All the shortlisted titles are available to borrow from the school library and most are also on Sora or LLC too.
For those of you who haven't tried the 'Click and Collect' service for the school library out yet, here is the link to our library catalogue. Key in SUT, to search for our school. Books reserved before lunchtime, will be available for collection after school on the same day. If you don't see a book you are searching for listed, please let us know and we will consider adding it to our wishlist. Sora will continue to be available in parallel for those of you who prefer ebooks or audiobooks, plus it may offer a wider choice of titles to those on our shelves here.
And please may we remind you to return books to the Library lobby as soon as possible. There are still more than 175 overdue books.
~~~~
Continuing the theme of Pride throughout this month, it will be School Diversity Week from June 21-25, celebrating LGBT+ inclusion. I will share their curated booklists next week, but in the meantime, here are their media recommendations for KS3 and KS4.
And here are some more LGBT+ fiction titles in the school library which you may enjoy reading.
Every Day by David Levithan My Brother's Name is Jessica by John Boyne (also on LLC) Her Name is James by C J Heath Wonderland by Juno Dawson
Back in March, the winner of the Rathbones Folio Prize 2021 was In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado, a read which sixth formers may enjoy during Pride month.
Book Spotlight!
This week's book spotlight is a classic title, Orlando by Virginia Woolf written in 1928, which Upper School may like to read. I've selected this for both Pride and because Wednesday was Dalloway Day. Orlando starts as a young nobleman in Elizabethan times and transforms into a woman spanning over three centuries, written in tribute to Woolf's lesbian lover and friend, Vita Sackville-West. This book is available to borrow from our school library and you may find several other of her titles on Sora.
Dalloway Day is when the Royal Society of Literature celebrates the work and legacy of Virginia Woolf. It is always a Wednesday in June, just like in Woolf's book Mrs Dalloway.
This week is Refugee Week and the theme for 2021 is 'We Cannot Walk Alone', a quote from Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech. This is an invitation to extend your hand to someone new. Refugee Week is an annual festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees. It also coincides with World Refugee Day which is on 20 June.
There are lots of events listed on their website all month plus a jam-packed activity pack. And here are a selection of topical book titles you may borrow from school or online via Sora or LLC.
Boy Everywhere by A.M. Dassu (LLC) A House Without Walls by Elizabeth Laird (Sora/LLC) Welcome to Nowhere by Elizabeth Laird (Sora/LLC) When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed (LLC) The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon (SGS) Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys (SGS/Sora/LLC)
Plenty more book titles here, page down for KS3/KS4 recommendations.
The British Red Cross have created Over Under Sideways Down, a graphic novel telling the story of an Iranian teenager refugee.
The Museum of London has a programme of events for Refugee Week, of which I am going to highlight City of refugees, an online recorded conversation with two inspiring Syrian refugees who have made London their home. Suitable for age 14+.
Here is a flash fiction competition in celebration of Refugee Week (50 words max) on the theme "We Cannot Walk Alone", but you will have to be quick as it closes on 20 June.
There has been a free online pop-up literature festival for schools this week featuring over 20 authors. Videos are available to catch-up, although you will still need to register to view the replays. Here is the full programme and I'm going to highlight the session with A.M. Dassu, author of Boy Everywhere, as this ties in with Refugee Week. There is also a session with Sophie Anderson, author of The Girl who Speaks Bear which we have been reading in our school book club.
The shortlists have been announced for the 2021 Information Book Award. The following are those titles shortlisted in the age 13-16 category.
Fake News by Tom Jackson Have Pride by Stella Caldwell This Book is Anti-Racist by Tiffany Jewell (Sora)
What I've been reading recently!
This week I've been listening to the audio version of Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman from Sora. I highly recommend this book, which is a powerful read of racism and prejudice. It is the first title in the series of the same name and has also been televised. This month, it is the featured book for the Oxplore book club, with plenty of resources there.
I've also read A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. Another brilliant book which Upper School may enjoy, with part 2 set during the Afghan conflict when so many fled to the refugee camps in Pakistan.
What have you read recently? How about posting a review of your latest book on Reading Cloud.
Now for a round-up of some other ideas, resources and articles.
Yr7 may be interested in the Young Sportswriter of the Year competition. Open upto age 12. Closes 10 August.
Morrisons have introduced Little Libraries in their stores where you can donate, get or swap books you no longer want. Nearby Glenthorne High School have something similar in their playground. This is an idea we may possibly consider in the future.
This week's free book from Oak National Academy's Virtual School Library is Booked by Kwame Alexander. Resources also include a video and Q&A with the author. This title is also available in the school library or on Sora.
For those of you who haven't logged into Sora yet, here is a reminder of how to borrow library ebooks via Sora. But if you are having any difficulties accessing Sora, then I will be happy to help you.
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, select Sutton Grammar School 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.
This week we have a fictional fathers crossword as this weekend is Father's Day.
Crossword created at puzzle-maker.com