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‘Tis the Season to Read: Festive Book Recommendations for Teenagers

As the holiday season approaches, it’s the perfect time to cosy up with a good book. And for teenagers, there are some excellent options out there that will capture their imagination and get them into the festive spirit. Here are ten of the best holiday books to get for your favourite reader:

“Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares” by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

A heartwarming and charming story set in New York City during the holiday season. The book follows the adventures of Dash and Lily as they exchange dares in a red notebook, leading them on a journey of self-discovery and unexpected romance.

★★★★☆ 3.75/5 on Goodreads

“Let It Snow” by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle

A collection of three interconnected holiday romances, this novel captures the magic of Christmas and the unexpected twists that come with it. It’s a delightful collaboration by three popular YA authors, weaving together tales of love, friendship, and the joy of the season.

★★★★☆ 3.69/5 on Goodreads

“My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories” edited by Stephanie Perkins

A compilation of short stories by various YA authors, each tale captures a different aspect of the holiday season, from the enchantment of first love to the magic of celebrating diverse traditions, making it a perfect festive read for every mood.

★★★★☆ 3.66/5 on Goodreads

“Holidays on Ice” by David Sedaris

If your teenagers enjoy humour, David Sedaris brings a satirical and hilarious twist to the holiday season in this collection of essays. His witty observations will have readers laughing out loud, providing a humorous and sometimes absurd take on the traditions and quirks associated with Christmas.

★★★★☆ 3.89/5 on Goodreads

“The Afterlife of Holly Chase” by Cynthia Hand

A modern retelling of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” this novel follows Holly Chase, a girl visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve. As Holly navigates her second chance at redemption, readers are treated to a poignant exploration of self-discovery and the true meaning of Christmas spirit. A unique and thought-provoking take on the classic story.

★★★★☆ 3.96/5 on Goodreads

“Snow Like Ashes” by Sara Raasch

In this fantasy adventure, Meira, a young orphan, embarks on a journey to reclaim her kingdom from an evil ruler, with the backdrop of a perpetual winter. The story beautifully combines elements of magic, political intrigue, and a quest for identity, making it an enthralling read for teenagers who enjoy epic tales set in wintry realms.

★★★★☆ 3.88/5 on Goodreads

“What Light” by Jay Asher

In this poignant and hopeful tale, Sierra navigates teenage romance against the backdrop of her family’s Christmas tree farm. Set between Oregon and California, the story explores themes of love, forgiveness, and the enduring spirit of the holiday season, capturing the complexities of growing up and finding hope in unexpected places.

★★★★☆ 3.56/5 on Goodreads

“The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks” by E. Lockhart

While not strictly a Christmas book, this novel follows the adventures of Frankie Landau-Banks, a sharp and witty protagonist who challenges the status quo at her elite boarding school. It offers a compelling and empowering narrative for teens who appreciate intelligent and rebellious heroines.

★★★★☆ 3.81/5 on Goodreads

“How to Excavate a Heart” by Jake Maia Arlow

Shani’s paleoichthyology internship takes a backseat when she runs into May. Literally. With her mum’s car. Amidst the chaos, a dog-walking job reunites them on Christmas Eve, sparking a connection that challenges Shani to confront her past heartbreak. And when the two are snowed in together on Christmas Eve, she must decide if this unexpected romance is a fleeting moment or a chance at a more profound commitment.

★★★★☆ 3.86/5 on Goodreads

“Winterwood” by Shea Ernshaw

For fans of fantasy, “Winterwood” offers a magical and atmospheric winter setting. The story follows a girl named Nora who discovers a mysterious boy in the woods, and together they unravel dark secrets against a mesmerising backdrop. The snow-covered landscape sets the stage for a captivating reading experience, making it perfect for the holiday season.

★★★★☆ 3.85/5 on Goodreads

Alex Nye visits Knightswood

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Last week we were thrilled to welcome award-winning author, Alex Nye, to Knightswood Secondary. This visit was, in part, to celebrate the tremendous achievement of the White Water Writers project participants in writing and editing their very own book.

Roughly 35 pupils were in attendance as Alex talked to them about what inspires her as a writer and what the writing/publishing process is like. The pupils were treated to loads of atmospheric music and images as a way to get their creativity flowing and to spark ideas for their own work.

A couple of readings from Alex and some good questions from the pupils rounded off what was truly the loveliest visit.

The visit was supported by the Scottish Government School Library Improvement Fund.

Last writer visit of the year at St Mungo’s library

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Absolutely thrilled to wrap up the 2023 writer visit by welcoming the talented Maisie Chan to our school library!

During her visit at St Mungo’s library, she passionately discussed how deeply intertwined her stories are with her own life experiences. Not only that, but she also generously shared insights about her fascinating profession.

In her awe-inspiring novels, she fearlessly takes on the important and timely topics of othering, microaggressions, and racism.

Her novels serve as a rallying cry for empathy, understanding, and unity in a world that desperately needs it.

December in Smithycroft

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It’s December at Smithycroft Secondary. It began with a lovely gifted donation by author Nadine Aisha Jassat who was the school’s Writer in Residency for 2023, working with pupils and the English Department on creative writing. Her book, “The Stories Grandma Forgot” is a beautiful story in verse about identity and memory and how family ties it all together.

As the festive season is undeniably upon us, I made a display widening the scope of Christmastime to focus on how many religions have Festivals of Lights coming up in these cold dark months: Hinduism’s Diwali diyas, Judaism’s Chanukkah candelabras, Christianity’s Christmas Trees and St Lucia’s candles all show that, no matter what background we come from, what we all have in common unifies us. So may we all share more light and kindness to reduce the darkness and loneliness during this festive season.

November: Book week Scotland celebration at St Mungo’s library

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We had an incredible time in our school library during Book Week Scotland last November! The week was jam-packed with thrilling activities that got the pupils buzzing with excitement.

Our talented library helpers put together a fantastic display showcasing this year’s theme: Advendure. The display takes readers on exciting journeys across different countries and fictional universes. It captivated the imaginations of visitors and inspired them to embark on their own literary adventures.

The S1 classes had a blast with the “Wally scavenger hunt” right in the library. With curiosity buzzing in the air, students eagerly searched high and low, putting their observation skills to the test. The thrill of finding Wally hiding among the shelves and uncovering hidden treasures sparked pure joy and excitement. It was a truly unforgettable experience that left everyone buzzing with enthusiasm.

But wait, there’s more! We hosted a sensational book giveaway all week long, and guess what? The books were absolutely free! That’s right, you read it correctly – FREE books for everyone to grab and devour! Pupils really went all out and cleared the table completely!

It was such a delight to witness so many books finding new homes.

This year’s Book Week Scotland was an absolute blast! Cheers to all those pupils who wholeheartedly embraced this celebration in so many wonderful ways. May their passion for reading continue to grow as they embark on countless literary adventures ahead!

October/November 2023 Roundup – Shawlands Academy School Library

It’s been a very busy few weeks here at Shawlands Academy School Library. With over 3800 book issues and renewals and 2270 visiting numbers throughout the two-month period, the library is the hub of the school community illustrating just how much School Libraries are essential to our pupils.

In addition to our regular book borrowing periods and lunch/break-times, other highlights over the past few weeks include:

Libby Inductions: We delivered Libby inductions at S1 English classes, ensuring pupils have access and choice to either physical or digital books.

Advanced Higher English Mitchell Visit: We arranged for Miss McDonald’s Advanced Higher English pupils to visit the Mitchell Library where they learned how to access the resources essential to their dissertations.

SfL Book Group: We’ve continued to work closely with the Support for Learning department on our weekly book group. The pupils are really enjoying reading and discussion Horowitz Horrors by Anthony Horowitz, a collection of short horror stories.

Book Week Scotland: Members of our Pupil Library Committee created and delivered a well-attended quiz during Book Week Scotland. We also launched our Library Mascot Design competition and received six amazing designs from our talented pupils. The designs have been posted on S1-3 Year Group Teams where pupils can cast their vote on their favourite design. The winning design will be announced in January 2024.

Pupil Library Committee: Our Pupil Library Committee have continued their brilliant work on creating monthly displays. October saw Black History Month, World Space Week, and Horror Stories for Halloween. November saw an array of nonfiction books for Nonfiction November, Transgender day of Remembrance, Dyslexia Awareness Week, and a selection of adventure stories to tie in with this year’s Book Week Scotland theme.

Autumn Writing Competition: Members of our Pupil Library Committee have also launched this season’s writing competition on the theme of ‘Autumn’. Winners will be announced this month.

SAARA: The School Library has been working with the Shawlands Academy Anti-Racism Association to choose additional anti-racism books that will be part of our Equality and Empowerment section.

Swatch: Our Winter 23 issue of Swatch, the Glasgow School Libraries eMagazine is now available. Here are some links to our previous issues: Autumn 23, Summer 23, Spring 23, Winter 22, Autumn 22, Summer 22, Spring 22, Winter 21, Autumn 21, Summer 21, Spring 21, Winter 20, Autumn 20.

Trending Booklists:

Book Lists – 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

New Releases – Epic Reads

Recent Awards:

Booker Prize – Winner

Books Are My Bag Reader’s Award – Winner

Information Book Award – Winner

Royal Society for Young People’s Book Award – Shortlist

Book Buzz:

St Roch’s Reads: November

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Book Week Scotland

November is the month for Book Week Scotland, an annual celebration of books and reading that takes place across the country.

So instead of our usual English class visits, we had activity session this month. S1 pupils competed in Blooket quizzes that tested (and refreshed) their library knowledge. Classes also played a big game of Bring Me.. Each team had to find books to match the cards and bring them to the teacher.

It got quite competitive by the end, the poor shelves took a while to recover. Well done to the victors!

It’s also non-fiction month! National Non-Fiction November is the Federation of Children’s Book Groups’ annual celebration of all things factual. This month we’re spotlighting a couple of our new non-fiction books to celebrate all those readers that have a passion for information and facts.

Tim Marshall’s global bestseller Prisoners of Geography showed how every nation’s choices are limited by mountains, rivers, seas and concrete. Since then, the geography hasn’t changed. But the world has and geography shapes not only our history, but where we’re headed. We have two exciting new books from Tim in the library this month, exploring how geography could shape the future of the world.

The power of geography : ten maps that re veal the future of our world / Tim Marshall

In this revelatory new book, Marshall explores ten regions that are set to shape global politics in a new age of great-power rivalry: Australia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UK, Greece, Turkey, the Sahel, Ethiopia, Spain and Space. Find out why Europe’s next refugee crisis is closer than it thinks as trouble brews in the Sahel; why the Middle East must look beyond oil and sand to secure its future; why the eastern Mediterranean is one of the most volatile flashpoints of the twenty-first century; and why the Earth’s atmosphere is set to become the world’s next battleground

The future of geograp hy : how power and politics in space will change our world

Spy satellites orbiting the Moon. Space metals worth billions. Humans on Mars within our lifetimes.

This isn’t science fiction. It’s astropolitics.

We’re entering a new space race – and it could revolutionise life on Earth.

Both of these books are available now to borrow from the school library.

Ross Mackenzie at Riddrie Library

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On November 20th, a group of S1 pupils from Smithycroft Secondary School had the fantastic opportunity to stroll over to Riddrie Public Library to engage in a session with author Ross Mackenzie.

Ross is a captivating storyteller and kept the pupils group enthralled for the whole session by sharing the memories of how he became a reader and by transporting us into the magical worlds he created. When he unveiled the storyline of his book “The Colour of Hope”, and proceeded to read a chapter of this book out loud to us, we were on the edge of our seats, curious to hear what was coming next!

The element that made Ross Mackenzie into a reader was the excitement he felt when his P5 teacher would read “The Witches”, out loud to his classroom – a great testimony to the impact expressive storytelling can have on a young mind, flicking a switch that turns a child into an enthusiastic, curious reader.

The session continued with some creative writing inspired by “The Colour of Hope”, with Smithycroft pupils having a go at finding a story as to why a villain would steal colours from the world. Here are some of the explanations the participants came up with (click on image to open a large version in a new tab)!

At the end of the session, a Q&A allowed kids to ask Ross some questions – here are some of his answers to inspire everyone! When asked how to find what story to write next and how to find a story to write, Ross’ advice was to ask questions about the world, because questions help dig out stories; a beautiful metaphor likened this to “panning for gold”, a worthy nugget of gold might appear when sifting through all the questions and ideas travelling around the imaginative mind, so just give it a try!

The Power of Uniting Against Prejudice

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We live in a diverse world, and it’s more important now than ever to stand up against prejudice, discrimination, and bullying. By observing Anti-Bullying Week in conjunction with Islamophobia Awareness Month, we can address the complex causes and effects of prejudice. So, let’s explore why viewing these initiatives together is important, and how we can have nuanced conversations about the issues they touch on.

Both Anti-Bullying Week and Islamophobia Awareness Month aim to promote understanding, respect, and empathy. Discrimination affects not only individuals but also entire communities. By connecting these events, we can begin to unravel the root causes of prejudice that impact vulnerable ethnic and religious minorities, such as Islamophobia.

To have nuanced conversations about prejudice, we first need to recognise our own biases. We all have them, but being aware of them the key to breaking their hold on our thoughts and actions. Start by reflecting on your own beliefs asking yourself why you hold them.

Next, open up to listening and learning from others’ perspectives. Engage in discussions with respect and empathy, even if you disagree. Remember, everyone’s experience is unique, and we can develop a greater understanding of prejudice by listening and sharing our own stories. Fittingly, this year’s Islamophobia Awareness Month theme is #MuslimStories — giving you extra incentive to seek out and immerse yourself in the experiences of those who may be different from you.

Explore the history, culture, and contributions of different ethnic and religious groups. Education is crucial in challenging stereotypes and breaking down barriers. Seek out accurate information, read diverse books, watch documentaries, or even invite someone from a different faith or culture to speak at school.

Finally, be an ally and advocate for those who face discrimination. Encourage your friends, family, and school to create safe spaces that celebrate diversity and respect everyone’s uniqueness.

By uniting Anti-Bullying Week and Islamophobia Awareness Month, we can address the complexities of prejudice and work toward a more inclusive society. Remember, small actions can make a big difference in creating a world where everyone can thrive. Together, let’s stand against prejudice and build a brighter future for all.

The BBC have released a Live Lesson for Anti-Bullying Week you can find here; Anti-Bullying week also provide free online CPD here. Additionally, if you’d like to try a book that spotlights Muslim experiences, you can find some curated lists here, here, and here.

Discovering the Power of #MuslimStories

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November is a month of immense significance, where we come together to celebrate Empathy Action Month and Islamophobia Awareness Month. These initiatives promote empathy, understanding, and tolerance towards people of all backgrounds, specifically focused on dispelling myths and educating ourselves about Islamophobia. This year, the theme for the Islamophobia Awareness campaign is #MuslimStories, emphasising the power of storytelling and reading to cultivate empathy and open-mindedness.

Stories hold tremendous potential to bridge gaps and foster empathy. They transcend boundaries, allowing us to explore the lives of others and challenge our preconceptions. By delving into #MuslimStories, we gain insights into the diverse experiences and perspectives within the Muslim community, breaking down stereotypes and fostering understanding.

In our school library, we are proud to support this cause by curating a collection of books that highlight Muslim experiences. These titles provide a platform for authentic voices, showcasing the beauty, resilience, and struggles of individuals from different backgrounds, helping us better understand their stories. As we immerse ourselves in these narratives, we begin to see beyond the headlines, beyond the biases, and into the rich tapestry of human experiences.

Reading these stories not only raises awareness about Islamophobia but also cultivates empathy within us. Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others – a skill that can be honed through reading. By temporarily stepping into someone else’s shoes, we develop a more open-minded and tolerant perspective towards people who may seem different from us. As our empathy grows, misconceptions fade, and prejudice diminishes.

This month, let us engage in conversations that challenge our own assumptions and encourage a deeper understanding of Muslim stories. Through book clubs, discussions, and even creative writing sessions, we can create empathetic spaces where we can learn, reflect, and celebrate the vast diversity within the Muslim community.

Together, as we embrace Empathy Action Month and Islamophobia Awareness Month, let us recognise the power of storytelling and reading. By delving into #MuslimStories, we can take a step towards a more inclusive and compassionate society, where every voice is valued, respected, and understood.

This year’s Read for Empathy collection can be found here; and if you’d like to try a book that spotlights Muslim experiences, you can find some curated lists here, here, and here.