Pride Club: The Whitehill Secondary Pride Club have now received their selection of LGBTQ+ Junior and Young Adult fiction and nonfiction books which are housed in the club’s classroom.
Glasgow 850 Challenge: 2025 marks Glasgow’s 850th birthday and to celebrate we’ve launched our Glasgow 850 Challenge, packed with Glasgow themed literacy activities including word jumbles, quizzes, match games, and fill-ins. Completion of each ‘mini-challenge’ earns an entry into a prize draw at the end of the school year. Our Glasgow -themed BGE and Senior book list is also available on the School Library Teams.
What’s Your Power Art Competition: Glasgow School Libraries are running an art competition for a chance to win the Hedgewitch trilogy by Skye McKenna. Participants are to draw their magical power and include a brief description of the power and why they’ve chosen it. Each entry will be featured in the Spring issue of Swatch, the Glasgow School Libraries eMagazine. Deadline Friday 14th February.
New Book Highlights:
Book of the Day:
7.01.25: Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman
9.01.25: The Battle of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
14.01.25: Internment by Samira Ahmed
16.01.25: What is Politics? Why Should We Care? And Other Big Questions by Michael Rosen and Annemarie Young
21.01.25: When the World Was Ours by Liz Kessler
22.01.25: Robert Burns and All That by Allan Burnett, illustrated b Scoular Anderson
28.01.25: Diary of a Young Naturalist by Dara McAnulty
30.01.25: Classifying Animals: Birds by Sarah Wilkes
Author of the Week
06.01.25: Jennifer Mathieu
13.01.25: Polly Ho-Yen
20.01.25: Nick Lake
27.01.25: Benjamin Zephaniah
Series of the Week
06.01.25: STAGS by MA Bennet
13.01.25: Kid Normal by Greg James with Chris Smith
20.01.25: Lockwood & Co by Jonathan Stroud
27.01.25: Enemy by Charlie Higson
Literary and Cultural Celebrations for December
Science Fiction Day (2nd January): National Science Fiction Day is unofficially celebrated by many science fiction fans on January 2, which corresponds with the official birthdate of famed science fiction writer Isaac Asimov.
Martin Luther King Jr Day (20th January): Martin Luther King Jr. Day (officially Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., and often referred to shorthand as MLK Day) is observed on the third Monday of January each year. King was the chief spokesperson for nonviolent activism in the Civil Rights Movement, which protested racial discrimination in federal and state law and civil society.
International Holocaust Remembrance Day (27th January) The International Holocaust Remembrance Day commemorates the victims of the Holocaust, which resulted in the genocide of one third of the Jewish people, along with countless members of other minorities by Nazi Germany between 1933 and 1945. It also commemorates recent genocides recognised by the UK government, and the genocide in Darfur. 27 January was chosen to commemorate the date when the Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated by the Red Army in 1945.
World Religions Day (19th January): World Religion Day is an observance that was initiated in 1950 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baháʼís of the United States, which is celebrated worldwide on the third Sunday in January each year. Though initiated in the United States, World Religion Day has come to be celebrated internationally by followers of the Baháʼí Faith.
RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch (24th-26th January): Big Garden Birdwatch is the UK’s biggest citizen science wildlife survey. By taking part, you can help the RSPB understand how garden birds are doing right now.
Burns Night (25th January): A Burns supper is a celebration of the life and poetry of the poet Robert Burns the author of many Scots poems. The suppers are normally held on or near the poet’s birthday, 25 January, known as Burns Night.
Chinese Lunar Year (29th January): Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival is a festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. Marking the end of winter and the beginning of spring, this festival takes place from Chinese New Year’s Eve (the evening preceding the first day of the year) to the Lantern Festival, held on the 15th day of the year. The first day of Chinese New Year begins on the new moon that appears between 21 January and 20 February.
Trending Book Lists
Epic Reads New Releases | The Guardian Children’s Book Roundup | LoveReading4Kids Books of the Month | Scholastic Books of the Month | Scottish Book Trust Book Lists |Toppsta Monthly Highlights | Waterstones Books of the Month
Book Awards
Winners: Nero Book Awards
Longlists: Branford Boase Award
International Mother Language Day
Volunteers Iman, Amany, Roya, Rose and Kah Jun have been working hard to get ready for our Pop Up Library at St Roch’s Cultural Diversity Event in February. They have chosen and collected books representing authors/characters from all around the world. Lots of effort is going into decorating the library stand too- we can’t wait to see it on the day. 
They labelled the books with a ‘Recommended by Us’ slip, as this works well in bookshops, and we like to guide readers to choose books that they will love.
From ghosts to UFOs and Yetis, there is very little left out of this packed book which is lots of fun. Although big on graphics, there’s a lot of great detail about your favourite spooky stuff and I certainly learned loads reading it. For instance did you know that there was a rumour Elvis is still alive? Or that the Japanese ghost Ala Manto is said to haunt bathrooms? Dive in and enjoy this just after your Christmas Dinner !
Or simply want to take your make up skills to a different level? This book is for you. It is a step by step, no nonsense guide to come up with amazing looks to take your Cosplaying to the next level.
