Last week we were thrilled to welcome Graeme Armstrong to Knightswood Secondary for the last author session of the Library Young Team SLIF project, which has been so important in engaging young people. This project was supported by the Scottish Government School Library Improvement Fund.

Graeme has been on the circuit for a while now, and even mentioned that Knightswood was his 100th session over the last year or so. His book, The Young Team, has been optioned for film and Graeme also wrote and presented a three-part documentary series, Street Gangs, which aired on the BBC last October.

His time with our pupils was powerful and deeply impactful, and several copies of his book have now been checked out from the School Library. Speaking from personal experience, Graeme took pupils through a chronology of his spiral into gang culture and drug addiction, and how he found the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. It was a brilliant session, with several pupils commenting after that it had changed their perspective on certain aspects of their lives.

This year, ten schools across Glasgow and Renfrewshire are taking part in a project aimed at S3-S6 pupils which addresses a range of topics, from toxic masculinity and misogyny to gang culture and crime. The project has been named Library Young Team and is supported by the Scottish Government School Library Improvement Fund. Over the course of three months, three thought-provoking authors will visit each school to discuss their books and their individual journeys through difficult circumstances and how they are able to reflect on that part of their lives now. At Knightswood Secondary, we’re very lucky to be one of the schools involved in this project.

This week, on March 20th, Knightswood was privileged to have its second author visit with Alan Bissett. Hailing from Falkirk, Alan has become well-known for his unique perspective on Scots dialect writing. His newest book, Lads: A Guide to Consent and Respect is his first non-fiction title. It is aimed at teenaged boys to help them navigate the often fraught world of relationships, misogyny, incel culture, boundaries, and what it means to be a “good man”. As he described it to our group of S3 pupils, “If [I] leave here today and get hit by a bus and die, this is what I’d like to leave as advice for my sons.”

His hour with us proved to be interesting, enriching, and quite often, funny. He’s a brilliant speaker who draws on examples from his own life to really demonstrate the ideas he’s putting forward.

Our next (and final) author event in this series comes in April, so stay tuned for that!

Every week in the library, the librarian posts a new Library Poll on the whiteboard. Over the weeks, this has become a highlight of the day for pupils as they excitedly gather around to discuss the Question of the Week. We’ve had bitter disagreements and shocked outrage, but most of all we’ve had fun!

Here are four of the most recent (and most divisive) polls!

Looking for the perfect book to lift you out of the January slump? Well look no further, because a bundle of new senior books has just arrived in the library. Hand selected by me, you’re sure to find something for any mood.

Make sure to pop by and visit for tailored recommendations and the chance to find your new favourite book!