The Summer holidays are just around the corner and we are delighted to share some of our fantastic recommendations for reading over the break. Check out Libresoft for some summer book highlights on the “Featured books” homepage. We have put some posters up around the library with some more book suggestions. So, come into the library before the end of term to borrow some books for the summer break.
If you are in Year 7 join our Summer Reading Challenge on Sora, there are prizes to win in September for our top readers. Sign up in the library today to get involved.
In addition, Sutton Library is running their Summer in Sutton Challenge, giving children and families a chance to explore reading, wellbeing, local activities and events across the borough.
The 2026 Carnegie Medal Winners
Our KS3 Book Club joined together on 23rd June 2026 to watch the live stream of the Carnegies event on our big library screen. All 17 of our Carnegies Shadowers had worked hard to read the books on the Carnegies shortlist and watched with anticipation as to find out the results.
The 2026 Carnegie Medal winners were announced in front of an audience of over 600 young people during a live-streamed ceremony held at the Cambridge Theatre in the West End, home of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s multi award-winning Matilda The Musical, which is now celebrating 15 years. The awards are the UK’s longest running and best-loved book awards for children and young people, run by library and information association, CILIP.
In a shortlist dominated by established names, new talent triumphed as debut author Beth O’Brien won both the Carnegie Medal for Writing and the Shadowers’ Choice Award for Writing for her feminist reimagining of Red Riding Hood, Wolf Siren (HarperCollins Children’s Books). Inspired by Beth’s own lived experience and passion to write a nuanced book that represented visual impairments, this “fresh” and “bold” story explores power and accessibility through “richly layered symbolism”.
Kate Rolfe won the Carnegie Medal for Illustration for Wiggling Words (Two Hoots), a “deeply personal yet universal” exploration that offers insight into what reading is like for people with dyslexia. The “striking” picture book is illustrated with an innovative use of typography and contrasting colours to illustrate a “transformative journey” from chaos and confusion in an empowering celebration of creativity and the universal experience of learning to read.
The winner of the Carnegie Shadowers’ Choice Medal for Illustration is Lord of the Flies: The Graphic Novel illustrated & adapted by Aimée de Jongh, written by William Golding (Faber & Faber), a classic text also recently adapted for the BBC by acclaimed screenwriter Jack Thorne.
www.carnegies.co.uk © 2026 The Carnegies
All of the shortlisted books for writing are available to borrow from our school library and on Sora.
Becoming a Blog Buddy
by Wenlong 9W
I’m sure lots of people have wondered what it is like to be in Blog Buddies Club, which is open to Years 9 & 10. This year I decided along with a few other friends to join up and write for the school library blog.
One of the many upsides to being a Blog Buddy is that you get a chance to showcase your blogging skills, a different writing style which must be engaging but not too long or too short for the target audience.
It also provides many wonderful opportunities such as featuring on the school website and seeing your finished blog scrolling on the library screen during break time and lunch break in school.
Topics are provided for each month for you to choose from. Being a blog buddy has given me a great insight into the world today, celebrating international events and global topics.
It has helped me to engage with books more often and the library in general. I have been really encouraged to write by my friends and fellow bloggers in Blog Buddies. As well as this, it’s a chance to catch up on your achievement points as you get one per blog that you write.
The SGS Librarians would like to thank all our Blog Buddies this year for their fantastic blog writing. If you are going into Year 9/10 in September and would like to consider joining, please email our school library: library@suttongrammar.school
Library Reading Awards Announcement
We are thrilled to announce that the following students have been awarded Best Reader Awards for their outstanding dedication to reading throughout this year. Their enthusiasm and love for books have truly inspired everyone around them.
Certificate of Achievement
Best Reader Awards 2025—2026
Gold Award: Avik 7M (98 books)
Silver Award: Aiden 7M (96 books)
Bronze Award: Joshua 10W (65 books)
Best Reader Awards Summer Term
Gold Award: Aiden 7M
Silver Award: Pascal 8T
Bronze Award: Avik 7M
We are proud to celebrate their hard work and commitment to exploring the joys of reading. We look forward to seeing more great reading adventures from them and hope everyone continues to enjoy the wonderful world of books!
Join the “Summer in Sutton Challenge”
If you live in the borough of Sutton why not take part in the Summer in Sutton Challenge? Set up to keep curious minds active and exploring your local library’s collection of books, it also gives you the opportunity to experience local activities and events. How do you get involved? Well, the challenge is for children to complete six activities over the summer holidays, with at least two of them being reading challenges. That might include reading a fiction or non-fiction book, listening to an audio book or ebook, reading a magazine or comic, you could check out Sutton library’s Resilient Futures Recommended Reads list for mindfulness and wellbeing books.
The four challenge categories are:
Reading
Physical activities
Mindfulness
Attending events
Take part in a range of activities across the borough or join one of Summer in Sutton events delivered by local artists and practitioners. All events are free, but some do require booking. To learn more visit: www.sutton.events
This year, Sutton Libraries are making it even easier for families to take part in the challenge with a new app to log all the Summer in Sutton activities directly into. More information on what’s included in the challenge visit: www.libraries.sutton.gov.uk/summer-in-sutton-2026
Remember to keep safe online. Always ask your parent/guardian or a member of staff if you are unsure.
Top Summer Reading Picks
This summer, dive into our library collection and discover your next great holiday read. From page-turning adventures to “whodunit” mysteries, we have plenty of sizzling titles waiting to be explored. Our Library Team has created a selection of “Try These!” posters to help you find your next favourite book. We’ve also put together some “Recommended Summer Reads” suggestions for KS3, KS4 and KS5, making it easy to find something perfect for your age and interests.
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown; Steady For This by Nathanael Lessore; The Mysterious Benedict Society (book 1) by Trenton Lee Stewart; When We Flew Away by Alice Hoffman; The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (book 1); Lord of the Flies Graphic Novel adapted by Aimée de Jongh, written by William Golding (741).
Songlight by Moira Buffini (book 1); Unbound by Neil Shusterman (book 5); The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (book 1); Crossing The Line by Tia Fisher; The Rose Field by Philip Pullman (book 3); Live by Luke Palmer; The Power of Geography by Tim Marshall; A Rebel in Auschwitz by Jack Fairweather (940); How To by Randall Munroe.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn; Demon Copperfield by Barbara Kingsolver; Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz; How to Stop Time by Matt Haig; The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan (book 1); The Childrens Act by Ian McEwan; How to Solve a Murder by Derek Tremain (614); The Secret Barrister Stories of the Law and How It’s Broken by The Secret Barrister (340); Band of Brothers by Stephen E Ambrose (940.5).
Borrow a book today, find a sunny spot, and get ready for a summer of reading! Check out these links below for some book reading lists, extracts and reviews from recently published books:
School Reading List:
www.schoolreadinglist.co.uk/secondary-ks3-ks4
Reading Zone:
WRD About Books:
Sora offers a fantastic collection of eBooks and audiobooks, but why stop there? Dive into their impressive range of subject-specific magazines and discover fresh ideas, expert insights, and inspiring content across a variety of topics. Click to see Sora’s new audio book highlights, Year 7 books and Year 8 upwards books.
Remember to keep safe online. Always ask your parent/guardian or a member of staff if you are unsure.
The SGS Librarians would like to thank all of our library assistants and helpers over this academic year.