Welcome to our spooky Halloween issue of the library blog. You’ll find lots of inspiration in our library by looking at our new books shelf together with our books on display around the library. Our library prefects are on hand to give you even more book recommendations, so do pop in during break time and lunch time to borrow today.
Don’t forget to enter our “Design a Bookmark” competition. Grab a template from the library desk and get creative over the half term break.
Black History Month 2025
We have been celebrating Black History Month 2025 in our school library with a great display of topic related books. Black history month is celebrated in the UK during the month of October. This year’s theme is “Standing Firm in Power and Pride” which honours the strength, resilience, and commitment to progress of the Black community globally.
How did Black History month begin? It started when Carter G Woodson (born in 1875), an American historian, author and teacher, noticed that the contributions of people with Caribbean and African backgrounds were underrepresented in mainstream history education.
Woodson aimed to address this by expanding the study of African American history through education. In 1926, this commitment led him to launch the first Black History Week, an initiative that later evolved into Black History Month, to celebrate the achievements of Black and Mixed Heritage individuals who have made vital contributions to society.
People to remember during Black History Month
- Malcolm X – Civil rights leader who advocated for Black empowerment and justice.
- Rosa Parks – Sparked the U.S. Civil Rights Movement by challenging bus segregation.
- Katherine Johnson – Mathematician whose calculations were essential to NASA’s space missions.
- Mary Seacole – Nurse who cared for soldiers during the Crimean War with dedication.
- Martin Luther King Jr. – Civil rights leader who stood up for equality through non-violence.
Check out these Black history month picks: Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds; The Elemental Detectives by Patrice Lawerence. 
Needle by Patrice Lawerence; The Hate you Give by Angie Thomas.
Black Leopard Red Wolf by Marlon James; Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi.
Author Ele Fountain to visit SGS
As part of our World Book Day celebrations we are delighted to announce that Author Ele Fountain will be visiting our school on 2nd March 2026. Ele has written six novels, her first being “Boy 87,” which went on to win four awards and was nominated for ten more, including Carnegies and the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. Her most recent book “Storm Child” was a Times Book of the Week. Ele’s books have sold to 13 countries worldwide and received over 30 award nominations between them.
Her books “Lost,” “Wild” and “Fake” have been firm favourites in our School Book Clubs. We are getting hugely excited for her visit to our school, where she will talk to students about her books and life as a published Children’s author. Why not get ahead and borrow a book today from our school library or download an ebook or audio book from soraapp.com.
We have all of Ele’s books in our school library:
Fake, Wild, Boy 87; Storm Child; Lost; and Melt.
Mr Barlett Reviews
Ghost boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
If you would like to initiate a conversation with a person, perhaps as young as 12 years old, on the subject of the Black Lives Matter movement, I recommend they read Jewell Parker Rhodes’ “Ghost Boys“. Set in modern day Chicago, a diligent student, Jerome Rogers, is fatally shot by a policeman who mistakes the boy’s toy gun for a real firearm. As a ghost, Jerome sees the consequences of his death on his family and others. With the ghosts of other young people who have met their deaths in a similar manner, Parker Rhodes recalls several notorious cases of racial violence, most notably, the death of Emmett Till, in Mississippi, in 1955.
Whilst, at times, harrowing the writing is never mawkish or sentimental and the narrative lingers long in the memory after the story’s conclusion. At the back of the book can be found a list of questions to facilitate reflection on several of the book’s key themes.
Halloween Ghosts and Ghouls
This Halloween take a look around our library and see what novels are lurking on our shelves! You might find a good ghost story to share with your friends, as darkness falls and pumpkins light up the streets.
We have some ghoulish suggestions with witches, Vampires and wolves in them to feast your eyes on, but beware some of these stories will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Prepare to be entertained, spoked and surprised ….
KS3 books: Cirque Du Freak by Darren Shan; The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken; On Midnight Beach by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick; I am Raven by Alastair Chrisholm; Skellig by David Almond; Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy.
Ks4 books: The Upper World by Femi Fadugba; Tales from the Shadow Hunting Academy by Cassandra Clare; Trauma Land by Josh Silver; Dr Jekyll and Mr Hide by Robert Louis Stevenson; One of us is Lying by karen M Macmanus; The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco.
KS5 books: The Ghost by Robert Harris; Dark Matter by Michelle Paver; Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier; Dracula by Bram Stoker; Keep this to yourself by Tom Ryan; The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake.
Check out Sora for more ghost stories.
The Genius of Stephen King’s Storytelling
Stephen King is a legend amongst authors with his iconic horror, thriller and Sci-fi novels, captivating audiences globally. Many of his books have been successfully adapted to film and television, expanding his popularity and fan base to wider audiences.
One such recent release onto the big screen is “The Long Walk” (Certificate 15). This film is based on a book, by the same name, that was written by King while he was a college student, under his pseudonym Richard Bachman, in 1966. The book was not published until 1979. The Long Walk is set in an alternative American State whereby teenagers must enter and compete with one another to win the long walk. It sounds easy enough, but in true Stephen King style, there is a dark twist, as the candidates must do this without stopping for any reason or face instant death. This book is definitely for fans of dystopian grit and gore. You may have seen that we have lots of Stephen King novels in our library.
We have set age restrictions on these books, so please come and speak with the librarians if you would like to borrow one. Here are some of the Stephen King books we have in our school library: The Shining; Cujo; Salem’s Lot; Pet Sematary.
Mr Barlett Reviews
Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
The central character in Ben Aaronovitch’s “Rivers of London” is PC Peter Grant, but this no ordinary police-procedural thriller. As might be expected from an author who has also written for the Dr Who TV series, there is sufficient magic, imagination, and fantasy, both in this book and throughout the other books in the series, to satisfy the most demanding Harry Potter fans (as well as those of John Masefield’s “A Box of Delights”). The narrative is fast-paced and the dialogue is often witty. Five books in, I would strongly recommend these books to all but the youngest readers in our school community (because of the occasional coarseness of some of the language employed).
The books we have by Ben Aaronovitch are: Broken Homes; Foxglove Summer; Lies Sleeping; Moon over Soho; The October Man.
Dark Secrets & Deadly Games:
Writing YA Thrillers That Hook You
Enter if you dare…
Join three of the most exciting voices in YA thrillers — Tomi Oyemakinde (We Are Hunted), Benjamin Dean (Bury Your Friends), and Helen Comerford (The Hero Complex) — as they dive into the secrets behind the perfect page-turner.
Chaired by Busayo Matuluko (Til Death), this gripping panel explores how to write twists that shock, characters you can’t forget, and high-stakes plots that keep readers up all night. Whether you’re a thriller superfan, an aspiring author, or just love a good mystery, you’ll get insider tips, writing wisdom, and maybe a few twists of your own.
This event is aimed at 12+ years and is part of the Black Book Festival will be held on 19th October 2025, Barbican Centre, London. Please note this is a ticketed event and there is a cost to attend.
There is a Free local event happening in Sutton organised by ASKI Sutton African & Caribbean Cultural Organisation, who are hosting a session to connect with talented authors and celebrate Black History Month locally. It will be held on Saturday 25 October, 12pm – 3pm at the ASKI Community Hub, St Nicholas Shopping Centre, Sutton High Street. Book your free ticket via Eventbrite.
Remember to keep safe online. Always ask your parent/guardian to buy tickets online.
Bookmark Competition 2025
We are pleased to announce that we’re organising our Design a Bookmark Competition for KS3.
Design a bookmark using your drawing skills or photoshop, include an inspirational quote or slogan. Your design should encourage SGS students to borrow books from the library.
Bookmark templates are available from the school library or you use your own. Please remember to write your name and form on the reverse of your bookmark and hand to Ms Lo or Mrs Payne before 12th November 2025 to win library prizes.