October 2022 Roundup – Shawlands Academy School Library

With the mid-term break sandwiched between the beginning and end of the month, October felt like it was over before it started! We still managed to squeeze in some great activities over the last few weeks, so read on to see what we’ve been up to.

Schools of Literature: Our group has finished reading Keep Dancing, Lizzie Chu by Maisie Chan and are currently finalising our paper lampshade disco balls that tie in with the book. Our Tweet was liked and shared by Maisie Chan who absolutely loved the activity!

Crafternoons: Pupils participated in our Black Out Poetry crafternoon event to celebrate National Poetry Dlay. We used pages from 1984 by George Orwell (this was a faulty copy with missing pages!) to create some amazing poetry. Most pupils were not aware of blackout poetry so found und the event fun and education, and English teachers participated too. The blackout potery was then displayed in the Library.

Literature Trails: The School Library is working with our Values Ambassadors to create monthly literature trails around school. We select 10 books on a theme and create informational posters about each book that teachers display in their classroom windows. This month we promoted Black History Month and chose a wonderful selection of titles which include:

Becoming: Adapted for Young Readers by Michelle Obama
Black and British by David Olusoga
Young, Gifted and Black: Meet 52 Black heroes from Past and Present by Jamia Wilson
Musical Truth: A Musical History of Modern Black Britain in 28 Songs by Jeffrey Boakye
Windrush Child by Benjamin Zephaniah
Onyeke and the Academy of the Sun by Tola Okogwu
The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta
Black Artists Shaping the World by Sharna Jackson
Superheroes: Inspiring Stories of Secret Strength by Sophia Thakur, illustrated by Denzell Dankwah
Timelines from Black History: Leaders, Legends, Legacies by Mireille Harper and DK Publishing

Pupil Library Collective: Our Pupil Library Collective is officially underway! Teams have been set up, roles have been established, and tasks have been delegated. We are currently working together on ideas for the design of the bulletin board outside the library, themed book lists to feature in the school library newsletter, and activities being planned for Book Week Scotland in November.

eResource Workshops: The School Libraries’ eResource Workshops have started back up just in time for upcoming study leave. The workshops connect pupils with valuable online resources available from Glasgow Libraries and other scholarly and authoritative information and are tailored to the subject and year group.

Publications: Pupils can submit book reviews, art, poetry, or short stories to be published in either the monthly School Library newsletter or the quarterly School Libraries’ eMagazine, Swatch. Access the current and previous issues of Swatch through these links: Autumn 22 Summer 22, Spring 22, Winter 21, Autumn 21, Summer 21, Spring 21, Winter 20, Autumn 20

Trending: October Booklists

Best New Children’s Books – Topptsa

Bookbug’s Book of the Month – Scottish Book Trust

Books of the Month – Love Reading For Kids

Books of the Month – Scholastic

Books of the Month – Waterstones

Children’s Books Roundup – Guardian

Trending Books – Epic Reads

Literary and Cultural Events – November

2^nd-5^th: Faclan: The Hebridean Book Festival | An Lanntair Stornoway (Stornoway, Scotland)

3^rd-6^th: Push the Boat Out: Edinburgh’s International Poetry Festival (Edinburgh, Scotland)

11^th-13^th: A Write Highland Hoolie! Mallaig’s Book Festival (Mallaig, Scotland)