One of our Year 13 leavers has kindly donated a three volume set of The Domesday Book to the library. The books can be viewed on request, so come and see Miss Lees if you’re interested in having a look. For further information, have a look at the excellent National Archives page here.
With the popularity of dystopian YA fiction (Hunger Games and Divergent, anyone?), some of you might be interested in this series of programmes currently being aired on Radio 4.
Dangerous Visions is a season of dramas that present uneasy reflections of the future. They include new takes on classics such as Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, contemporary titles such as Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, and brand new productions. The season began on May the 22nd and continues for three weeks, with all productions available to listen to for free for 30 days. You can also download each drama via the iPlayer Radio app.
This is a great way to get into some new and exciting fiction!
This week’s featured website is http://www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/ . This great resource provides information about loads of new titles. You can search by age range, book awards and recommendations to name just a few. Check regularly to see reviews of new books and free prize draws!
Click here for information about the BIC #JustWrite 2016 competition. If you are in years 8,9 or 10, BIC would like you to pen a short story of 500 words with the theme ‘waking up in a world without words’.
Entries need to be handwritten and posted to:
BIC’s Creative Writing Competition
C/O Lucre
Broadway Studios
20 Hammersmith Broadway
London
W6 7AF
To be eligible, entries must:
Please see Miss Lees in the library if you need any further information.
Good luck!
Find out more about the Ministry of Stories:
The latest news from BBC Books.
Some great articles about new and classic titles.
Some interesting articles here from the STEM Learning Team for those interested in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics. It’s always good to keep up to date with current news in your subject areas, especially at A Level. Check the BBC and newspaper websites regularly for new stories. Here are some other useful links:
Women in Science, technology and Engineering: https://www.wisecampaign.org.uk/
The Institution of Engineering and Technology: http://www.theiet.org/
STEMnet Resource Bank: https://db.stemnet.org.uk/resources
May 16-22nd is Mental Health Awareness Week. The mentalhealth.org.uk website has loads of information, and there are some great videos and podcasts available here. The library stocks lots of titles about mental health issues. Please speak with Miss Lees if you’d like to find out more, or to recommend something you’ve read!
Useful links:
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/mental-health-fiction
http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/blog/reading/2014/05/5-ya-books-for-mental-health-awareness-week
http://www.wolverhamptonhealthyminds.nhs.uk/useful-contacts-and-links
The Guardian has reviewed all of the books shortlisted for the 2016 Carnegie Award. All of the titles are available in the library, so please see Miss Lees if you would like to borrow or reserve one. It’s a strong list again this year, with entries from twice-winner and ever popular YA author Patrick Ness, as well as the latest offering from Frances Hardinge, author of the popular BookBuzz title ‘Cuckoo Song’. Her shortlisted work ‘The Lie Tree’ has already won Costa Book of the Year 2016, so competition is fierce! Robin Talley’s ‘Lies We Tell Ourselves’ has been the most popular title in the library so far, with 6 loans and two current reservations.
Students now have access to a range of ebooks via the VLebooks platform. Click this link and log in with the following:
Organisation ID: Midlands
Username: usual network username (e.g. l.smith11)
Password: library
You will be prompted to change your password to something more memorable on your first login. Have a browse of the current collection and email Miss Lees at jlees@wghs.org.uk if you have any problems with access. Some of the books can be read online by multiple users whilst others are loaned one at a time, depending on licensing agreements.
Enjoy!
The library has hosted two Scholastic book fairs this year. Sales were fantastic, generating over £1100 in reward points for the library, which has been spent on new fiction! We will be holding more book fairs in the 2016/17 academic year. Keep an eye out for information in the school bulletin and here on the library blog!
We always run a secondhand sale in conjunction with the book fairs. Books are sold for as little as 20p. This enables us to clear out older stock, raise money, and make room for new items. If you have any items which you would like to donate to the library then please get in touch with Miss Lees. All childrens’/YA fiction gratefully received!