Category Archives: Uncategorized

Young Adult Author Events! – Laura Lam & Cathy MacPhail

Great opportunities to catch up with your favourite authors next week!

Laura Lam will be at the Waterstone’s Aberdeen bookshop on Monday 13th March. Laura will be discussing the highly anticipate final book in her Micah Grey trilogy – “Masquerade”. Followed by a question and answer session, and book signing. No booking required. Event time 19.00 – 21.00.
For further details – check out the Waterstone’s Aberdeen Facebook page or phone 01224 592440.

There is also the opportunity to meet author, Cathy MacPhail. She is giving a talk on Saturday 18th March at the Central Library, 10.30 – 11.30. She will be discussing her work for specialist dyslexia-friendly publisher Barrington Stoke followed by a workshop on the techniques of storytelling and writing – for 12 to 18 years old. The workshop is free, but you must book a place for this event. Either email Libraryevents@aberdeencity.gov.uk or phone 01224 652500

New Career Resource Display in the Library

Come along and see the latest library display of Careers Resources. There is a wide selection of resources available to suit all  pupils, from S1 to S6. The resources include career guides which are curriculum based  and can help pupils with their choice of career paths.

The latest North East Scotland College Newsletter has also arrived, plus a range of  College and University prospectus.    We have to thank careers specialist “How2become” for their generous donations of resources to the school offering a range of vocational and professional guides from Cabin Crew to Paramedic. Their publications include guides to selection processes, interview techniques  and a couple of titles on psychometric tests.(www.how2become.com)Careers Display1

Library – Lunchtime Opening and After School Clubs

To open up access to the Library for more pupils we will now be opening every lunchtime 1.05-1.35.

Library clubs that previously ran at lunchtime will now run after school (3.25 – 4) as follows

After SchNew Imageool Clubs

Mondays – Lego Club

Tuesdays – Reading Cafe

Thursdays – Chess Club

 

New  after school clubs will start this week. If you are interested in joining come along after school to find out more.

Author visit by Cathy MacPhail

S1 pupils today were enthralled by an author visit by award winning Scottish Author Cathy MacPhail. Staff and Pupils were taken on a journey through some of her recent book releases including  “Devil You Know” and “Another Me”. The books are gritty and hard hitting – particularly when the inspiration and background to the ideas in the story were discussed.

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Cathy MacPhail is the first Scottish Children’s Author to see her book turned into a film. Premièred at the Rome International Book Festival, the film is now available online via popular film sites. The book trailer can be viewed at

Mr Foy in the English Department had worked locally to produce a book trailer for Devil You Know which was showcased during the event.

Books mentioned during the tals flew off the library shelves with more now on order to cater for demand.  We hope Cathy will be able to come back and visit us again very soon.

 

Book Fit!

FullSizeRender (2)As part of Book Week Scotland the Library ran an all day Book Fit house competition for S1/S2 pupils. Pupils were challenged to cycle on exercise bikes whilst reading the newly launched book The Red Shoes and Other Tales by our Patrons of Reading, graphic novelists metaphrog.

Each house group had their own spin bike which they were challenged to keep moving throughout the day. After an impressive start by Mr Hose (Guidance) and Miss Ross (Business Studies), Macbeth took an early lead. This was short lived though with a massive effort by Stewart House pushing them into the lead by an impressive 20km by lunchtime.  Wallace house put in a last surge of effort during Period 6 to reduce this lead to only 2km.  A tense 30 minute finale ensued with Wallace and Stewart in a serious battle of the bikes.

The final winner was Stewart House will an impressive recorded distance of 220km. Wallace were in second place with 216km and Macbeth 170km.

Pupil enjoyed reading The Red Shoes and Other Tales loving the darkness of the graphic novel.

Grampian Children’s Book Award 2016 – Shortlist Announced

The shortlist for the Grampian Children’s Book Awards 2016 has just been announced.

Reading Cafe runs Tuesday Lunchtimes in the Library. Come along to take part in the 2016 awards.

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Ainsworth, Eve 7 days
School should be a safe place for Jess, but at the moment it’s everything she dreads. Jess’s life is difficult enough without Kez picking on her. Kez’s life isn’t any sweeter. She has plenty of problems too but she finds comfort in knowing she is better off than Jess – or so she thinks… Told from the point of view of the bullied and the bully, this is a taut, powerful story of two girls locked in battle with each other and themselves, spiralling towards a shocking conclusion.

 

Bergin, Virginia The rain
One minute sixteen-year-old Ruby Morris is having her first proper snog with Caspar McCloud in a hot tub, and the next she’s being bundled inside the house, dripping wet, cold and in her underwear. Not cool. As she and Caspar shiver in the kitchen, it starts to rain. They turn on the radio to hear panicked voices – ‘It’s in the rain . . . it’s in the rain . . . ‘ That was two weeks ago, and now Ruby is totally alone. People weren’t prepared for the rain, got caught out in it, didn’t realize that you couldn’t drink water from the taps either. Even a drip of rain would infect your blood, and eat you from the inside out. Ruby knows she has to get to London to find her dad, but she just doesn’t know where to start.

 

Dawson, James Under my skin

Meet Molly Sue. Once she’s under your skin there’s no getting rid of her…Seventeen-year-old Sally Feathers is not exactly a rebel. Her super-conservative parents and her treatment at the hands of high school bullies means that Sally’s about as shy and retiring as they come – but all that’s about to change. Accidentally ending up in the seedier side of town one day, Sally finds herself mysteriously lured to an almost-hidden tattoo parlour. Sally selects sexy pin-up Molly Sue, and has her tattooed on her back – hoping that Molly Sue will inspire her to be as confident and popular as she is in her dreams. But things quickly take a nightmareish turn.

 

Haig, Matt Echo Boy
Audrey’s father taught her that to stay human in the modern world, she had to build a moat around herself; a moat of books and music, philosophy and dreams. A moat that makes Audrey different from the echoes: sophisticated, emotionless machines, built to resemble humans and to work for human masters. Daniel is an echo – but he’s not like the others. He feels a connection with Audrey; a feeling Daniel knows he was never designed to have, and cannot explain. And when Audrey is placed in terrible danger, he’s determined to save her.

 

MacPhail, Cathy Devil you know
Forced to move away from his dad in Aberdeen to a run-down Glasgow council estate, Logan thinks he’s pretty lucky to have made any friends — let alone Baz and the boys. Baz might have a bit of reputation, be a bit mouthy, but he’s the kind of friend who’ll stick up for you; who’ll make life interesting — or should that be dangerous? When Logan, Baz and the boys get caught up a local turf war Baz is the first to fight back. But the aftermath leads Logan and his friends deeper into a world of real-life gangs, threats and lethal revenge. How far will Baz go, and will Logan follow him?

 

Slater, Kim Smart
There’s been a murder, but the police don’t care. It was only a homeless old man after all. Kieran cares. He’s made a promise, and when you say something out loud, that means you’re going to do it, for real. He’s going to find out what really happened. To Colin. And to his grandma, who just stopped coming round one day. It’s a good job Kieran’s a master of observation, and knows all the detective tricks of the trade. But being a detective is difficult when you’re Kieran Woods. When you’re amazing at drawing but terrible at fitting in. And when there are dangerous secrets everywhere, not just outside, but under your own roof.

 

For more information –

http://gcbookaward.wix.com/gcba

https://twitter.com/GrampBookAward

Grampian Children’s Book Awards

Top marks to Jordyn and Jordan in Mrs Mackintosh’s S2 English class for winning first place in the book trailer competition at the Grampian Children’s Book Award.  They created a book trailer for shortlisted book Say my Name by James Dawson.

 

The Grampian Children’s Book Award is judged by S1 – S3 pupils in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray. A lively awards ceremony led by award winning Cathy MacPhail and a panel of 3 of the shortlisted authors (James Dawson, Dave Cousins and Kevin Brooks) kept school pupils from across the region enthralled and entertained at the event at Aberdeen University.  Author James Dawson was pronounced 2015 winner to great applause.

 

Scottish Author Allan Burnett talk on “Invented in Scotland”

S1 pupils on Friday were treated to an informative presentation by Scottish author Allan Burnett.

 
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Allan gave an enthusiastic presentation on “Invented in Scotland” with numerous links to Scottish Scientists.  He did a fantastic job of combining the history and the connection with where we are now, e.g James Watt, steam and turbines and Napier, logarithms and computing.  He had lots of new facts too including informing us that the humble digestive is a Scottish invention!

Allan’s visit coincided with a week of activities for S1 pupils as part of a wider cross curricular project on Great Scottish Scientists.