Welcome back to the Summer term. We have lots of new books coming soon, so get ready to browse our growing collection of novels and borrow one today.
The librarians have updated our book recommendations; you will find them on our library notice boards. There are also year group reading lists on Libresoft for you to feast your eyes on.
This term we have launched our KS3 Design Comic Strip competition. Get involved and be in with a chance to win great library prizes. If you are in Year 7, why not pop along to Comic Club to work on your entry. The club runs on Thursday afternoons in Year 7 early release periods. All materials are provided.
New Books for Everyone to Enjoy
Our school library has been lucky enough to receive a huge collection of brand-new books kindly donated by Mrs Brunelli, a year 10 parent. This incredible collection of 45 books includes many popular titles: Ghost Boys by Jewel Parker Rhodes, The Naturals Series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Silver in the Bone series by Alexandra Bracken and Wizard Once series by Cressida Cowell.
Our school library would like to thank Mrs Brunelli for gifting us these titles and many more, including some new graphic novels: Sad Ghost Club, A Hopeful Guide to Getting Through Bad Days; Kick Flip by LD Lapinski and Logan Hanning. All of our new books and more will be rolling out onto our shelves very soon and into your hands to read!
Scholastic Book Fair Brings in the Joy of Reading
At the end of last term, we were delighted to host our very first Scholastic Book Fair as part of our World Book Day celebrations and Go All In: National Year of Reading 2026. The arrival of the mobile bookcase in our school library brought a burst of reading inspiration, with an exciting range of books for students from Years 7 to 11 to explore and enjoy.
Throughout the fair, a steady stream of students browsed the fantastic selection on offer. Many were inspired to create book wishlists and purchase their favourite titles, sparking lots of enthusiasm for reading across the school.
By hosting the Book Fair, our school was able to earn rewards that have been used to purchase new books for our library, benefiting all students. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to parents for their continued support of our school library and for helping us nurture a love of reading within our community.
Borrow one of our new books today: Shadow in the North by Philip Pullman; The Light Thieves by Helena Duggan; The Ultimate Football 2026 by Toby Reynolds; Such Charming Liars by Karen M McManus; The Enemy by Charlie Higson; Win, Lose, Kill, Die by Cynthia Murphy
On Your Marks, Get Set and Go…
The Carnegies Shortlists are here
The Carnegies Shortlists for Writing and Illustration 2026 were announced on 10 March at the London Book Fair. Our KS3 Book Club wasted no time diving into the shortlisted books for The Carnegies Medal for Writing. They have made excellent progress, accessing books borrowed from the school library as well as on Sora, where all shortlisted titles are available as eBooks. In addition, Ghostlines by Katya Balen and Wolf Siren by Beth O’Brien can be enjoyed as audiobooks.
The club has also begun “Shadowing” the books, sharing thoughtful comments and reviews on the titles they’ve read and engaging with this year’s selected choices.
The Carnegies is the UK’s longest running and best-loved book awards for children and young people, run by the UK’s library association, CILIP. The Carnegies celebrate outstanding reading experiences in books for children and young people. They are unique in being judged by librarians. The Shadowers’ Choice Medals are voted for by thousands of reading groups in schools and libraries, who shadow the judging process and choose their own winners – “Shadowers Choice.”
Featured on The Carnegies Shortlist for Illustration is the graphic novel adaptation of Lord of the Flies, illustrated by Aimée de Jongh; an enduring classic that has also recently been adapted for the BBC by acclaimed screenwriter Jack Thorne. Whilst on The Carnegies Shortlist for Writing, popular author and previous Carnegie winner Patrick Ness has been selected for his book Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody. Joining him are former Medal for Writing winners Jason Reynolds, Katya Balen and Tia Fisher, whose latest books have also featured this year.
The 2026 Carnegie Medal for Writing shortlisted books:
Ghostlines by Katya Balen
Not Going to Plan by Tia Fisher (14+)
Popcorn by Rob Harrell
The Boy I Love by William Husse
Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody by Patrick Ness,
Wolf Siren by Beth O’Brien
Twenty-Four Seconds from Now by Jason Reynolds (14+)
Birdie by J. P. Rose
Author Focus: Richard Adams
by Blog Buddy, Aadarsh 9G
Richard Adams is the acclaimed author of the classic book “Watership Down.” An adventure novel about a small group of anthropomorphized rabbits, who flee the destruction of their warren in southern England, to establish a new home on the hill of Watership Down.
Richard Adams was born on the 9th of May 1920, in Newbury, Berkshire. He spent much of his life as a civil servant, only publishing his famous tale of rabbits at the age of 52, after it had been rejected by several publishers. The book originally began as stories he told his daughters during car trips, which they eventually urged him to write down. Following the success of his debut novel, Watership Down published in 1972, Adams went on to publish other novels. He has won awards for both the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize. Adams left the Civil Service in 1974 to become a full-time author.
Throughout his long life, Adams remained a passionate advocate for nature and animal welfare. He passed away on Christmas Eve in 2016 at the age of 96. Watership Down has sold over 50 million copies worldwide.
Calling KS3 Students – Design a Comic Strip Competition 2026
It’s back! That’s right—it’s time to get creative. Take part in our KS3 Design a Comic Strip Competition by creating a three‑frame comic inspired by a fiction book you’ve read. You can hand‑draw your artwork or design it using our school’s “Adobe® Photoshop® software” on our school computers, it’s completely up to you.
Comic strip templates are available from the school library, or you’re welcome to create your own. Once you’ve finished, simply bring your entry to the library and don’t forget to include your name, form, and the title of your book.
You can choose to sum up a fiction book or chapter from a book but remember it must be three frames, that is the challenge. Great library prizes including lego, books and achievement points will be awarded for all entries. Deadline 1st June 2026. This competition is open to Yr7 – Y9 students.
Comics Galore on Sora
Our school library has a fantastic collection of comics and graphic novels. Sora has an extensive collection of Comics and Graphic Novels available for all students. So, whether you’re a big fan of comics or just fancy something visually appealing to read, try browsing some today using your school SSO account.
Reading For Pleasure
It is widely discussed that Reading For Pleasure has multiple benefits even if you just read for 20mins (or more) per day. Reading as a form of relaxation can really help you unwind, improve mental wellbeing and boost your concentration. Here are a few tips:
Making time for yourself: Find a place that you feel comfortable – that might be a comfy chair or bean bag at home, or perhaps your local library. Finding a nice quiet place can be a great way to immerse yourself in a book and relax.
Fitting Reading into your day: Reading just before bedtime is a popular choice for many people. Focusing on reading just before sleep can help you relax. And it can easily become a calming part of your nightly routine. If you travel to school by train or bus, reading might fit comfortably into your journey. This can allow you valuable time to enjoy an article, story, or chapter. Try setting yourself an achievable weekly reading goal—small, regular moments can make a big difference.
Read what you like: This is a crucial factor, be honest with yourself about the kinds of books you truly like. You’ll get far more pleasure from reading when you choose subjects and stories that genuinely interest you. If a book feels hard to read, think about popping it aside for a while and explore something new that better suits your literacy tastes. When you read what excites you it becomes much more enjoyable.
Remember: If you feel worried or anxious about something, speak to your Form Tutor, Head of Year, our Support Officers: Ms Lapsley and Mrs Webb or any member of staff in school. They are there to try to help support you.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all our students, visit the Wellbeing and Safeguarding section of our school website:
www.suttongrammar.sutton.sch.uk/information/student-wellbeing
This summer term we are encouraging all students to read for pleasure and share their reading recommendations and it’s easy to do. You could do a book review on Libresoft. Use our library suggestions book to let us know books that can inspire others to enjoy the books you have. Ask one of the librarians for borrowing recommendations. Read on Sora and view your achievements or create a Sora Reading Challenge with your friends.
Reading For Pleasure can help you relax, improve your vocabulary and spark your imagination. Be inspired by choosing a different book genre or reading a magazine or comic.
Jhalak Children’s & YA Prize Shortlist 2026
Our School library is getting ready to hear the Children’s & YA Prize Winner announcement on 10 June 2026. We have some titles from both the longlist and shortlist available to borrow in our school library for KS3/4 students: Roar by Manjeet Man (12+) – shortlisted; My Soul a Shining Tree by Jamilia Gavin (11+) ; Songs for Ghosts by Clara Kumagai (14+). Click here to view all of the books for the Jhalak Children’s YA Prize.
To find out more about the Jhalak prize awards and it’s history visit: www.jhalakprize.com
Children’s Booker Prize Launches Competition
to find Child Judges
The world-famous Booker Prize has recently launched a competition to find three child judges, across the UK, to help select the winner of the Children’s Booker Prize 2027.
The Children’s Booker Prize is a new annual prize and is supported by AKO Foundation. Its aim is to celebrate the best fiction for children aged eight to 12 years old and to cultivate young readers. The selected three children will help to judge the shortlisted 8 books alongside adult judges: Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Lolly Adefope and Sanchita Basu de Sarker. Entries for the first round close on 2nd June 2026.
If you love books and would like to enter, ask your parent/guardian to apply for you. Watch the video to learn all about it: https://youtu.be/JlxCDEri9vM.
Remember to keep safe online. Always ask your parent/guardian or a member of staff if you are unsure.