Welcome to our fun-filled and action-packed Easter edition of our school library blog. We have lots of new books for you to read and borrow over the Easter break. Check out our pictures from World Book Day and our two guest authors who have visited our school recently.
We hope you enjoyed our “Masked Reader” video? Did you guess who was behind the mask?
SGS Celebrates an Amazing
World Book Day 2025
We launched our school celebrations on World Book Day with a mufti day, a Masked Reader activity, free WBD books for Year 7 and £1 tokens to use in nearby book shops. Our WBD author Matt Dickinson made the day extra special by spending the day with us and signing his books. He shared his incredible stories about climbing Mount Everest, his filmmaking journey, and what it’s like to be a writer, all while expressing his love for adventure. Our students were captivated as he spoke to them in the school hall, and there were small breakout group sessions, where some students got the chance to ask him one-to-one questions, among them were our Year 7, 8, and 9 Book Club attendees.
It was a wonderful day, but don’t take our word for it, here is what some of our students had to say:
Q&A with Matt Dickinson
Collated by Kiaan 9M
Here are some of the questions our Year 8 and 9 students thought up and asked Matt when he visited our school.
Kiaan: How did you plan Mortal Chaos?
Matt: Well, firstly, I started off using over 100 post it notes– one for each chapter. Then after moving them around, I finally decided on the plot and that became Mortal Chaos.
Wensen: “What’s your favourite food?”
Matt: “Oh, my favourite food, well… it’s a tough question but…it’s got to be fish and chips you know. I just love the saltiness and the tanginess of the vinegar. Yes, and the ketchup!”
Wensen: “Do you have any other hobbies apart from climbing mountains?”
Matt: “I love painting, oil painting in particular.”
Aaryn: “What is a dangerous thing that happened to you while climbing Mount Everest which you have incorporated in your books?”
Matt: “One of the storms that happened in my book Death Zone actually happened to me.”
Toby: “How has your experience in filmmaking influenced how you write?”
Matt: “My Books are very visual and this comes from my experience as a film maker.”
Joshua: “If you could choose between climbing Mount Olympus or to explore the bottom of the Mariana Trench which would it be?”
Matt: “Mount Olympus.”
A special thank you to Matt Dickinson, also to all the students who helped design our World Book Day bunting which was displayed around the school.
Check out this link featuring author videos to hear them talk about their books for World Book Day.
Remember to keep safe online and always ask your parent or guardian if you are unsure.
Check out our new books and take one home to read over the Easter break: The Carbon-Neutral Adventures of the Indefatigable Enviroteens by First Dog on the Moon (KS3); Crook Haven The Island Heist (book 2) by J.J Arcanjo (KS3); I am Wolf (book 1) by Alastair Chisholm (KS3).
Skywake Battlefield (book 2) by James Russell; The Mirror of Beasts (book 2 Silver in the Bone) by Alexandra Bracken (KS3/4); The Storm and the Sea Hawk (book 2 Geomancer) by Kiran Millwood Hargrave (KS3).
Get “Egg-cited” this Easter and Grab a Book
This Easter holiday is a great time to get some “Reading for Pleasure” in. Why not go on a hunt around the library and see what books catch your eye to borrow? We would love to know your thoughts on any books you read, so please write a review and earn yourself extra achievement points. Here are some of our recommendations below.
Run Rebel Run by Manjeet Mann; Evernight by Ross Mackenzie; Solitaire by Alice Oseman; Sky Song by Abi Elphinstowe; Children of the Stone City by Beverley Naidoo; Wonderscape by Jennifer Bell.
The Future we Choose by ; Five Survive by Holly Jackson; We are All Made of Molecules by Susin Nielsen; American Gods by Neil Gaiman; The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan; Grow by Luke Palmer.
Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson; How not to be Wrong by Jordan Ellenberg; Where the CrawDads Sing by Delia Owens; Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari; The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini; Babel by R.F. Kuang.
Explore this list of books by key stage for some inspiration:
www.schoolreadinglist.co.uk
International Women’s Day at SGS
International Women’s Day (IWD) has been celebrated for over a hundred years, and many of the challenges affecting women’s progress are still present today. Since 1911, IWD has been a time to recognise women’s achievements and to raise awareness about discrimination while campaigning for gender equality.
The theme for this year’s IWD is ‘Accelerate Action,’ which highlights the need to take immediate steps around achieving gender equality and the barriers that women face in their personal and professional lives. Our school celebrated International Women’s Day with assemblies, ribbon sales, and a yummy doughnut sale.
Above are a few books that we recommend about inspirational women and strong women protagonists: Women in Science by Rachel Ignotofsky; Legend by Marie Lu; Women in White Coats by Olivia Campbell; Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor; Women and Power, A Manifesto by Mary Beard; 21st Century Business Icons by Sally Percy. Don’t forget to check SORA for even more IWD themed books.
A tale of Adventure and Discovery
A Book Review of Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Written by Zakariya 8T
This book stands out, it’s terrifying yet captivating and unique. It’s the tale of Piscine Molitor Patel a small boy from India, cast away on a lifeboat with a ferocious (and seasick) Royal Bengal Tiger – the true King of the Jungle.
The book explores ideas of philosophy and makes us wonder of the love we seek in different forms. Pi’s character is captivating and throughout the book we see his thoughts and feelings broaden. Pi works in a zoo in India with his dad after school. From the start Pi learnt to fear the tiger, known as “Richard Parker.” The way the author describes Richard, from start to end, is stunning. He turns from horrifying beast to a friend, yet he seems to be a depiction of our own fears.
The author’s choice of setting was what hooked me in. A tiger, a boy, on a lifeboat, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean? The changes in weather or slight movement on the waves opened hundreds of possible outcomes of scenarios.
Overall, the book is a roller coaster of adventure, and I would recommend it to just about anyone who is willing to take time to really understand the deeper meaning of the story.
Life of Pi by Yann Martel is available in our library to borrow today!
The International Booker Prize 2025
Longlist is Announced
The International Booker Prize is given out every year for one book that has been translated into English and published in the UK or Ireland. You can check out the 2025 Longlist now, and a shortlist of six books is expected to be revealed on April 8. The winner of the 2025 International Booker Prize will be announced during a live-streamed event on May 20 from the Tate Modern in London, which is also celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
Discover the Booker Prize Podcast, where you can enjoy engaging conversations and intriguing insights about both classic and contemporary Booker books.
If you are in Year 13 you might like to join their self-guided Reading Challenge? The challenge is designed to encourage readers around the world to connect and share their opinions whether you would like to read one book or all of them.
Please note the Booker Prize books are generally aimed at adult readers.
Picture Credit: © Yuki Sugiura for Booker Prize Foundation
Logo credit: www.thebookerprizes.com
Judge Wendy Joseph visits SGS
Her Honour Judge Wendy Joseph KC visited our school library to discuss with members of SGS Law Society her books “Unlawful Killings” and “Rough Justice“. In both books, Wendy Joseph describes some of her experiences of being a judge at the Old Bailey.
Mr Barlett Reviews
Exodus: the Archimedes Engine
by Peter F. Hamilton
Peter F. Hamilton is arguably Britain’s most successful, living, writer of science fiction. He is so successful, in fact, that his book “Exodus: the Archimedes Engine” is currently being made into a role-playing computer game*, with an actor of no less a stature than Matthew McConaughey voicing the main character. The book on which the game is based was published last year and is a compelling read. To be more accurate, it is the first part of the book that has been published, since “The Archimedes Engine” is a duology and the final instalment is still awaited. The plot of the first book is straight forward and although some of the characters’ names are strange there is a Dramatis Personae at the front of the book to aid the narrative flow. I found the characters credible (not always a “given” in my experience of science fiction) and there is a sufficient number of nuances in the action to sustain interest, whilst also allowing anticipation of what is to come in the next book. I strongly recommend the book, whilst I am now exploring some of Peter F Hamilton’s earlier writing.
*As yet age restrictions for this game are unknown.
Keep safe online, always ask your parent or guardian before you play online.
Shakespeare Week
24 – 30 March 2025
By Preyas 7W
Shakespeare Week is a national annual celebration giving school students opportunities for enriching and enjoying early experiences of Shakespeare. It is one of the pathways to Shakespeare provided by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust for people of all ages and stages of interest.
What does it have to offer?
Shakespeare Week offers a chance to students to engage in cross curricular activities and be inspired by William Shakespeare and explore him such as reading and understanding his work, performing it, writing pieces about one of his stories from certain characters point of view. Furthermore, students can also perform and write sonnets.
Why Celebrate Shakespeare?
William Shakespeare is one of the most well-known authors in the world. However, most school children are introduced only to his work through school. Shakespeare Week introduces school children in an enjoyable way so that they start liking Shakespeare from an earlier age and discover his mark on British literature.
Check out our books on Shakespeare under section 822 and our graphic novels on Shakespeare under section 741.
Can you guess the Shakespeare Character?
Take a look at this link below and see how many characters you can guess correctly?
www.shakespeareweek/kids-zone/character-quiz/
Carnegies Shortlist is Announced
by Blog Buddy Toby 9M
The Yoto Carnegies are a prestigious annual competition, where various books collected from the last year compete with judges and School Shadowers to win an award. Recently, this year’s shortlist for Writing and Illustration were released, consisting of eight books from each category – most of which are available with their new partner SORA (by Overdrive):
https://soraapp.com
Over the next few weeks, Years 7, 8 & 9 Book Clubs will read the books from the ‘Medal for Writing’ catergory and vote for the best book on the list. It’s fun to be a part of the awards and become a Carnegies Shadower, so, if you want to get involved, speak to the librarians.
The Carnegie Award is the only award in the UK judged by librarians, which makes it unique and exciting.
The shortlisted books for writing include Little Bang by Kelly McCaughrain (13+), The Things We Leave Behind by Clare Furniss (12+), The Final Year by Matt Goodfellow (9+), All That It Ever Meant by Blessing Musariri (12+), Play by Luke Palmer (13+), Glasgow Boys by Margaret McDonald (13+), Kind of Nothing by Nathanael Lessore (11+), and Treacle Town by Brian Conaghan (13+).
For more information visit: www.carnegies.co.uk
Katherine Rundell
Katherine Rundell is a multi-million-bestselling author whose novels for children have won the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, the Blue Peter Book Award and the Costa Children’s Book Award, among many others. Impossible Creatures was Waterstones Book of the Year 2023, and in 2024 Katherine was named the British Book Awards Author of the Year and Impossible Creatures won the Children’s Fiction Book of the Year. She is a Quondam Fellow of All Souls College and a Fellow of St Catherine’s College, Oxford, where she works on Renaissance literature. Her books for adults include Super-Infinite, winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize. Very occasionally she goes climbing across the rooftops of Oxford, late at night.
Source: Bloomsbury Publishing
The Explorer by Katherine Rundell
A review by Mrs Payne
Looking at the choice of books displayed on our library tables for our year 7 book club, our students quickly set about choosing the books that caught their interest. I asked them to pick one for me to read and they chose The Explorer by Katherine Rundell and I accepted the challenge!
This book quickly picked up pace, starting with a plane crash in the Amazon where four Children are the only survivors. Fred, Con, Lila and her little brother Max, have to quickly learn how to live in the jungle with perils around every corner. They decide to follow the river to the city on the water, Manaus. On their way they find a camp which leads them to its owner who they call The Explorer, based on the explorers that Fred has read about in books.
As the journey unfolds the children spend time with The Explorer who teaches them about the amazon rainforest, and it’s once inhabited hidden cities of gold. I really enjoyed this book. The characters are all well considered and I learnt a lot about why we need to protect the rainforest and its inhabitants.
Did You Guess Who Was Behind the Mask?
We hope you all enjoyed our Library Masked Reader Video. If you didn’t see it, you can find it on the Q-drive in school or ask one of the librarians to share it with you. Now without further delay, here is the much anticipated reveal of who our masked readers are and which books they were reading.
#1 ‘The Deadlands: Hunted’ by Skye Melki-Wegner,
excerpt read by Kavish 10L
#2 ‘The Explorer’ by Katherine Rundell,
excerpt read by Mrs Payne
#3 ‘The Time Machine’ by H.G Wells,
excerpt read by Sarvin 10T
#4 ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ by JK Rowling,
excerpt read by Mr Karlsson
#5 ‘The Way of Kings’ by Brandon Sanderson,
excerpt read by Ezra 10T
#6 ‘Heroes of Olympus: the Lost Hero’ by Rick Riordan,
excerpt read by Ms Vincent
#7 ‘Frankenstein’ by Mary Shelley,
excerpt read by Mr Roy
Congratulations to Sarvin (10T) whose excellent Masked Reader video has been selected as our winner of The Masked Reader competition 2025. Achievement points have been awarded to all entrants.
Jhalak Longlist Announced
Established in March 2017, the Jhalak Prize recognizes the work of writers of color in the UK and Ireland. In 2020, the award was divided to introduce a specific Jhalak Children’s & YA Prize.
The Longlist for the Children’s & YA prize has recently been announced and there are some great titles on the list including: King of Nothing by Nathanael Lessore (KS3); The Thread that Connects us by Ayaan Mohamud (KS4); The Boy who beat the Gods by Ashley Thorpe (KS3); These Stolen Lives by Sharada Keats (KS3). These books are available to borrow on SORA and we have several copies of King of Nothing available on request, please ask Mrs Taylor or Mrs Payne if you would like to borrow a copy. Stayed tuned for the shortlist announcement on 22nd April 2025.
SGS wishes to thank Jhalak for their support to our school.
www.jhalakprize.com/childrens-ya
World Autism Awareness Day
2 April 2025
Autism Awareness Day is a special day to help everyone understand what autism is and how it affects some people. People who are born with Autism might find it hard to talk or make friends, as they think, learn, and interact with the world in their own unique way. Autism Awareness Day reminds us to be patient, friendly, and accepting of people with Autism, it is also a day to celebrate their special talents and abilities.
Our school will be celebrating Autism Awareness Day so now is an excellent time to check out the great books we have written by autistic authors and about the subject of autism. Here are a few of our suggestions: Vivi Conway and the Sword of Legend by Lizzie Huxley-Jones; The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon; Colin Fischer by Ashley Edward & Zack Stentz; When Mr. Dog Bites by Brian Conaghan.
The SGS Librarians would like to wish you a
Happy Easter.
