Culture Day: Shawlands Academy hosted it’s annual Cultural Day in the Assembly Hall and Library celebrating the school’s rich cultural and diversity and featured several information kiosks, a fashion show, food, and our library’s large range of books. It was a fantastic effort by the teachers and pupils involved in organising.

What’s Your Magic Power Competition Winner: Congratulations to our S1 pupil who won second place in our What’s Your Magic Power art competition in Swatch, the Glasgow School Libraries’ eMagazine for their design ‘Clarivoyance’.

New Book Highlights

An Anthology of Fungi by Ali Ashby, Lynne Boddy, and Daniel Long

Cosmos: Explore the Wonders of the Universe by Dr Becky Smethurst

How Philosophy Works by DK

Legacies: Black British Pioneers by Lania Narjee, Illustrated by Chante Tomothy

Myths of China: Meet the Gods, Creatures and Heroes of Ancient China by Xiaobing Wang, illustrated by Katie Ponder

Rise Up and Sing!: Power, Protest, and Activism in Music  By Andrea Warner, Illustrated by Louise Reimer

Weird and Wonderful Nature: Tale of More Than 100 Unique Animals, Plants, and Phenomenon by Ben Hoare

Underwater World: Aquatic Myths, Mysteries and the Unexplained by Tamara Macfarlane

 

Book of the day

03.02.25: Elle Campbell Wins Their Weekend by Ben Khan

05.02.25: Women in STEM: Women Scientists in Physics and Engineering by Catherine Brereton

07.02.25: Failosophy for Teens by Elizabeth Day and Kim Hankinson

10.02.25: Rebel Girls Celebrate Pride: 25 Tales of Self-Love and Community by Elena Favilli

12.02.25: Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell

14.02.25: Saints and Misfits by SK Ali

21.02.25: Fantastically Great Women Scientists and their Stories by Kate Pankhurst

24.02.25: The Exes by Anam Iqbal

26.02.25: Jay’s Guide to Crushing It by Ruby Clyde

28.02.25: This Book Will (Help) Make You Happy: 50 Ways to Find Some Calm, Build Your Confidence and Make Yourself Smile by Suzy Reading and Alex Paterson

 

Author of the Week

03.02.25: Ross MacKenzie

10.02.25: Robin Talley

17.02.25: Tiffany D Jackson

24.02.25: Malorie Blackman

 

Series of the Week

03.02.25: Onyeka by Tola Okogwu

10.02.25: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

17.02.25: Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

24.02.25: Leap Cycle by Patience Agbabi

Literary and Cultural Celebrations for February (Book Lists and Displays)

LGBT+ History Month UK: LGBT+ History Month takes place in the UK every February. LGBTQ History Month was initiated in the UK by  Schools OUT UK, and first took place in February 2005.

Children’s Mental Health Week (3rd -9th February): Hosted by national charity ‘Place2Be’, Children’s Mental Health Week takes place every February. and aims to promote positive mental health for children.

Languages Week Scotland (3rd-7th February): Languages Week Scotland is a celebration of language learning and multilingualism in Scotland. The theme for 2025 is “Our multilingual futures”.

International Day of Women and Girls in Science (11th February): 2025 marks the 10th anniversary of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (IDWGS) and the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, two significant milestones in the global effort to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment.

PALentines’s Day (13th February): Palentine’s day is a global celebration of friendship and platonic love to compliment Valentine’s Day.

Valentines Day (14th February):  Valentine’s Day is originated as a Christian feast holiday honoring Saint Valentine but is now also a celebration of romance and love around the world.

Random Acts of Kindness Day (17th February): Random Acts of Kindness Day is an global celebration about spreading kindness without expecting anything in return and offer a chance to reflect on the value of empathy.

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: Inclusive Book Awards | Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize | Waterstones Book Prize

Shortlists: UKLA Book Awards | YOTO Carnegie Medals

Rights Respecting Schools E qualities: This month we worked with the BGE E qualities group to look at ways the School Library can support out Rights Respecting Schools journey. Pupils suggested created themed book lists relating to some of the 54 articles in the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child and will also be spearheading a reading suggestions wall of rights themed books.

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 14^th February.

 Read Your Way Creative Writing Competition: As part of our upcoming World Book Day festivities, we’ll be hosting our next seasonal creative writing competition on the theme ‘Read Your Way’. Participants have the freedom to write whatever inspires them in any creative format they enjoy. Maximum 1800 words, deadline 6^th March.

New Book Highlights:

Hedgewitch by Skye McKenna

The Fight That Makes Us by Sarah Hagger-Holt

Rivet Boy by Barbara Henderson

Stars and Smoke by Marie Lu

Goddess Crown by Shade Lapite

Book of the Day:

06.01: Last Gate of the Emperor by Kwame Mbalia

08.01: Iron Widow by Xiran jay Zhao

10.01: Eagle Warrior by Gill Lewis

13.01: Dear Martin by Nic Stone

15.01: Illustrated Encyclopedia of Animals: An Incredible Journey Through the Animal Kingdom by Claudia Martin, illustrated by Marc Pattenden

17.01: All About Religion by Aled James

20.01: Stride Towards Freedom by Martin Luther King Jr

21.01: Robert Burns And All That by Allan Burnett, illustrated by Scoular Anderson

27.01: The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank

29.01: All About Lunar New Year: Things to Make and Do by Kevin Tsang, Illustrated by Linh Nguyen

Author of the Week

06.01.25: Hanna Alkaf

13.01.25: Alastair Chrisholm

20.01.25: William Sutcliffe

27.01.25: Vashti Hardy

Series of the Week

06.01.25: School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

13.01.25: Front Desk by Kelly Yang

20.01.25: Grishaverse by Leigh Bardugo

27.01.25: Supernatural Investigators by BB Alston

Literary and Cultural Celebrations for December

Science Fiction Day (2^nd 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 (20^th 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 (27^th 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 (19^th 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 (24^th-26^th 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 (25^th 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 New Year (29^th 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

Pop-Up Library: Prelims took place in the School Library throughout December, so we took the library to the classrooms! We delivered our ever-popular Pop-Up Library in the English classrooms during lunchtime, given our regulars a safe and warm place to chill as well as a chance to return books and get help with their Libby app before the festive period.

Festive Quiz: We visited ten S1 and S2 classes to deliver a fun festive quiz for a chance to win a prize. We had thirty questions across rounds: Literature, Film, Music, Traditions, Nature, and Food. Pupils found it both fun and challenging, with some of the questions prompting a lot of discussion and debate.

Swatch Magazine: Our Winter 2024 issue of Swatch, the Glasgow School Libraries eMagazine is out now including an exclusive interview with Skye McKenna, talking about her new book Seawitch.

 New Book Highlights

Goosebumps: The Haunted Mask by RL Stine, illustrated by Maddi Gonzalez

Artificial Intelligence: The Road to Conscious Machines by Michael Woolridge

Ditching Saskia by John Moore and Neetols

Author of the Week

02.12.24: Maz Evans

09.12.24: Danielle Jawando

16.12.24: Savita Kalhan

Series of the Week

02.12.24: Big Nate by Lincoln Peirce

09.12.24: Football Academy by Tom Palmer

16.12.24: BZRK by Michael Grant

Literary and Cultural Celebrations for December

UK Disability History Month (14^th Nov – 20^th Dec): UK Disability History Month (UKDHM) is an annual event creating a platform to focus on the history of disables people’s struggle for equality and human rights. It is a chance to discuss the history of disabled people, the positive contributions disabled people have made, and a chance to find out how we as a society can be more inclusive.

Bhodi Day (8^th December): Bodhi Day is the Buddhist holiday that commemorates the day that Gautama Buddha (Shakyamuni) is said to have attained enlightenment.

World Soil Day (5^th December): World Soil Day (WSD) is held annually as a means to focus attention on the importance of healthy soil and to advocate for the sustainable management of soil resources.

Human Rights Day (10^th December): Human Rights Day commemorates the anniversary of one of the world’s most groundbreaking global pledges: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). This landmark document enshrines the inalienable rights that everyone is entitled to as a human being – regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

International Animal Rights Day (10^th December): International Animal Rights Day is an annual event honouring animals as sentient beings who deserve the same protections as people. This global observance is marked by demonstrations that expose animal exploitation, mourn the animal victims of human tyranny and rally support for universal animal welfare.

International Migrants Day (18^th December): International Migrants Day gives us a special opportunity to shine a spotlight on the invaluable contributions of millions of migrants around the world. It’s also a day for us to highlight the increasingly complex environment in which migration occurs.

Yule (December 21^st): Yule is a winter festival historically observed by the Germanic peoples. In present times adherents of some new religious movements (such as Modern Germanic paganism) celebrate Yule independently of the Christian festival.

Christmas (25^th December): Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world.

Hanukkah (25^th December – 2^nd January): Hanukkah is a Jewish festival commemorating the recovery of Jerusalem and subsequent rededication of the Second Temple at the beginning of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BCE.

Kwanzaa (December 26^th – January 1^st): Kwanzaa is an annual celebration of African-American culture from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a communal feast called Karamu, usually on the sixth day.

New Years Eve/Hogmanay (31^st December): In the Gregorian calendar, New Year’s Eve refers to the evening, or commonly the entire day, of the last day of the year also known as Old Year’s Day. Hogmanay is the Scots word for the last day of the old year and is synonymous with the celebration of the New Year in the Scottish manner.

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:  Lollies | The Saltires: Scotland’s National Book Awards | SLA Information Book Awards | Waterstones Book of the Year

Shortlists: Excelsior Awards

Book Week Scotland: The School Library held some fun activities to celebrate Book Week Scotland. On Monday 18^th, we announced our winner of the Shawlands Academy Quills Creative Writing Cometition on the theme of ‘Hope’ or ‘Scotland’, judged by our pupil-led panel. Congratulations to our S2 winner for their excellent poem ‘Hope’.  On Wednesday we held our annual quiz. On Friday, we held another successful ‘Biblio Bistro’ in collaboration with our talented baristas from Wider Achievement who served us up some very yummy, extra special hot chocolate. Pupils and staff were invited to come along to our ‘café’ and partake in our ‘Interview A Reader’ activity to chat about books and for a chance to entry our prize draw. And throughout the week, the School Library teamed up with the English Department to deliver a scavenger hunt that encouraged pupils to solve clues and locate picture of famous book covers displayed in classroom windows.

Rights Respecting School: Shawlands Academy are going for the Rights Respecting School bronze award and the School Library is thrilled to be involved. The Rights Respecting Schools Award UK is run by UNICEF UK, which ‘encourages schools to place the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child at the heart of its ethos and curriculum’.

eResource Workshop for Seniors: We delivered a workshop specifically designed for seniors who are university bound, where we introduce them to online databases and how to navigate scholarly journals as well as tips for conducting research using these resources.

New Book Highlights

The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson

Braids Take A Day by Zainab Boladale

Astronomy for Curious Kids by Giles Sparrow and Nik Neves

Books of the Day

1:11.24: Amazing Muslims Who Changed the World by Burhana Islam, illustrated by Nabi H. Ali, Reya Ahmed, Saffa Khan, Aaliya Jaleel, Deema Alawa, Aghnia Mardiyah

4.11.24: Horrible Histories: Woeful Second World War by Terry Deary, illustrated by Martin Brown

6.11.24: What’s the T? The No-nonsense Guide to all Things Trans and/or Non-binary for Teens  by Juno Dawson, illustrated by Soofiya

8.11.24: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

11.11.24: Armistice Runner by Tom Palmer

13.11.24: Black Poppies: The Story of Britain’s Black Community in the First World War by Stephen Bourne

15.11.24: A Different Sort of Normal by Abigail Balfe

18.11.24: Talking about Islamophobia: What is it and How Do We Challenge It? A Beginners Guide for Children by Sabeena Akhtar and Na’ima B. Robert

20.11.24: Lily and the Rockets by Rebecca Stevens

22.11.24: Keedie by Elle McNicoll

25.11.24: Muslim Girls Rise: Inspirational Champions of Our Time by Saira Mir

27.11.24: Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

29.11.24: Eyewitness World War I by Simon Adams

Author of the Week

4.11.24: Cath Howe

11.11.24: Sarwat Chadda

18.11.24: Yasmin Rahman

25.11.24: Renee Watson

Series of the Week

4.11.24: Crossover by Kwame Alexander

11.11.24: First Aid for Fairies by Lari Don

18.11.24: Pages & Co by Anna James

25.11.24: Tales of Terror by Chris Priestley

Literary and Cultural Celebrations for November

Anti-Bullying Week (11^th – 15^th): Anti-Bullying Week is an annual campaigned aimed at raising awareness, impact and prevention of bullying. This year’s theme is ‘Choose Respect’.

Book Week Scotland (18^th – 22^nd): Book Week Scotland is an annual celebration of books and reading run by the Scottish Book Trust. This year’s theme is ‘Hope’.

Islamophobia Awareness Month: Islamophobia Awareness Month is aimed at raising awareness of islamophobia and challenge stereotypes as well as celebrate the contributions and culture of Muslims. This year’s theme is ‘Seeds of Change’.

Nonfiction November: Nonfiction November is an annual celebration of information and factual books run by the Federation of Children’s Book Groups. This year’s theme is Why Don’t You? (Hobbies and Leisure)

Remembrance Day: Shawlands Academy honored Remembrance Day on November 11^th with a minute of silence at 11am.

Transgender Awareness Week 913^th-19^th): Transgender Awareness Week is a weeklong celebration leading up to Transgender Day of Remembrance. This year’s theme is ‘Our Trans Heroes’.

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 – Baillie Gifford Prize for Nonfiction | Booker Prize | Diverse Book Award | Wainwright Prize

Libby Inductions: Now that the s1s have received their iPads, we visited s1 English classes to deliver Libby inductions. Pupils were given their library card numbers and given step by step instructions on how to access and navigate the eBook app suing their School Library cards.  Pupils loved the ease of access and range of topics and genres available on the app. For more information, visits the Glasgow Life Libraries Libby page.

Black History Month: We compiled scores of books by Black British authors as part of an S3s English reading project for Black History Month. Pupils were presented with a range of fiction and nonfiction books for junior, Young Adult, and Senior audiences to select from.

Pupil Library Committee: Our new Pupil Library Committee recruits successfully completed their first task of helping to process a huge six-box delivery. They helped stamped the date labels with the school library logo, sorted and arranged each book according to genre or subject, and helped shelved the books into the appropriate places.

Creative Writing Contest: Our Creative Writing Contest submission date was the 31^st October, and we received six excellent entries from pupils across all year groups. They have been handed over to our pupil judges who will select and announce the winner come Monday, 18^th November during Book Week Scotland.

 

New Book Highlights

The History of the Computer: People, Inventions, and Technology That Changed Our World by Rachel Ignotofsky

The Secret World of Plants: Tales of More Than 100 Remarkable Flowers, Trees, and Seeds by Ben Hoare

Lonely Planet Kids The Ocean Book: Explore The Hidden Depth of Our Blue Planet by Derek Harvey

 

Books of the day

02.10.24: Black Artists Shaping the World by Sharna Jackson

04.10.24: Dragonracers by Peter Bunzl, illustrated by Lia Visrin

07.10.24: Horrible Histories: Ghosts by Terry Deary, Illustrated by Martin Brown

09.10.24: Hidden Figures: the True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race by Margot Shetterly

11.10.24: Kemosha of the Caribbean by Alex Wheatle

21.10.24: Wrath by Marcus Sedgewick

23.10.24: An Illustrated History of Ghosts by Adam Allsuch Boardman

25.10.24: Science Museum: The Book of Discoveries: Incredible Breakthroughs That Changed the World by Time Cooke and Drew Bardana

28.10.24: Black and British: An Illustrated History by David Olusoga, Illustrated by Melleny Taylor

30.10.24: Haunted Dolls by Martha London

 

Author of the Week:

01.10.24: Tom Mitchell

07.10.24: Ross Welford

21.10.24: Gill Lewis

28.10.24: Efua Traore

 

Series of the Week

01.10.24: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

07.10.24: My laugh Out Loud Life by Burhana islam

21.10.24: Strangeworlds Detective Agency by LD Lapinski

28.10.24: Thousand Worlds by Yoon Ha Lee

 

Literary and Cultural Celebration Book Lists and Displays for October

Dyslexia Awareness Week Scotland (Sept 20^th – Oct 6^th)

World Space Week (Oct 4^th – 10^th)

Black History Month (Throughout October)

Mental Health Day (Oct 10^th)

Diwali (Oct 31^st)

Halloween/Samhain (Oct 31^st – Nov 1^st)

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: Diverse Book Awards | Forward Prizes for Poetry | Polari Prizes

Shortlist: Baillie Gifford Prize for Nonfiction

With the Library back into full swing after last month’s S1 Library inductions, it has been one of the busiest months to date! We’ve issued over 700 books to our BGE classes this month alone.

Creative Writing Competition: We’re receiving some excellent piece for our Quills Creative Writing Competition on the theme of ‘Hope’ and/or ‘Scotland’. The winners will be selected by our Pupil Library Committee panel judges and announced during Book Week Scotland.

New Book Highlights:

The Djinns Apple by Djamila Morani

Girl, Goddess, Queen by Bea Fitrzgerald

 

Book of the Day:

02.09: Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell

04.09: Sky Dancer by Gill Lewis

06.09: The Big Ask by Simon James Green

09.09: Cat Kid Comic Club by Dav Pilkey

11.09: Hijab and Red Lipstick by Yousra Imran

13.09: The Upper World by Femi Fadugba

16.09: Meesh the Bad Demon by Michelle Lam

18.09: Kane Rules by Simon Mugford

20.09: We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal

23.09: Usborne Politics for Beginners by Rosie Hore, Alex Firth, and Louie Stowell

25.09: Super Fake Love Song by David Yoon

 

Author of the Week:

WB 2^nd: Brittney Morris

WB 9^th: Elizabeth Wein

WB 16^th: Nick Lake

WB 23^rd:  Kacen Callander

 

Series of the Week:

WB 2^nd: Daevabad by SA Chakraborty

WB 9^th: Enemy by Charlie Higon

WB 16^th: Train to Impossible Places by PG Bell

WB 23^rd:  Imposters by Scott Westerfeld

 

Literary and Cultural Celebration Book Lists for September:

East and South East Asian Heritage Month: September is East and South East Asian (ESEA) Heritage Month with the aim to celebrate and honour people of ESEA heritage and their culture, and everything in between.

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

 

Recent Awards: UK book award winners, shortlists, and longlists

Winners: Klaus Flugge Prize, McIlvanney Prize Scottish Crime Book of the Year, Wainwright Prize, The Week Junior Book Awards

Shortlist: Booker Prize

Longlist: UKLA Book Award

 

Book Buzz: Latest book news from major media outlets and websites

BBC | Book Riot | Buzzfeed | Epic Reads | The Guardian | Huffpost

 

S1 Inductions: What a delight it was to meet all the new S1s in our library inductions this year! We managed to cover all 10 of our S1 English classes in August meaning as of September, we can begin our regular book borrowing periods. Throughout August, our S1s have borrowed 160+ books for class and personal reading.

Reading Challenges: We’re launching three reading challenges this year. Bookopoly encourages pupils to read out with their comfort zone, challenging them to select books on different themes and genres they wouldn’t normally choose. Pupils have a chance for their names to be enter into a quarterly prize draw when the book is read and returned. Our 4 Word Book Review slips are a super easy way to get pupils to review and recommend books using only four words to describe the book. Each completed slip earns and entry into the quarterly prize draw. We’ve brought back Ask Me What I’m Reading challenge to encourage discussion around books and reading for leisure. Each completed form earns an entry into the prize draw.

Creative Writing Competition: The School Librarian is collaborating with the members of the Pupil Library Committee on launching our Quills Creative Writing Competition. We’re accepting any form of creative writing, maximum 500 words on the theme of ‘Scotland’ and/or ‘Hope’. Deadline is Friday, November 1^st.  Senior members of our Pupil Library Committee are judging the competition and we’ll announce the winner and three runner ups on Monday, 18^th November during Book Week Scotland.

AHE Gale Literature Resource Centre Workshop: We visited Miss McDonald’s Advanced Higher English class to deliver the Gale Literature Resource Centre workshop to help them with their upcoming dissertation. Gale Literature Resource Centre provides up-to-date biographical information, overview, full-text literary criticism and reviews for 13K+ writers, offering high quality source of information useful for Advanced Higher English pupils. Glasgow Libraries subscribes to Gale and pupils can access the resources with their school or community library card.

Games in the library: In last year’s pupil survey, respondents requested that the School Library have board games. We now have the following board games in stock to borrow during breaks and lunchtime: Catastrophe, Chess, Disney Villainous, Exploding Kittens, Lost Worlds, Monopoly: Glasgow Edition, Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza, Throw Throw Burrito, Uno

Creation Station: The School Library now offers borrowable creation packs containing a selection of felt tipped pens, pencil crayons, mechanical pencil, sharpener, ruler, eraser and glue sticks to help pupils get crafty and creative.

Monthly Newsletter: We’ve relaunched our monthly newsletters this year, featuring new book and eBook highlights, current book award information, short books lists, genre spotlight, librarian recommendations, monthly book lists, and author and book birthday calendar. The interactive newsletter is in PDF format on the Library Channel in Teams.

New Book Highlights:

The Evolving Truth of Ever-Stronger Will by Maya MacGregor

Four Eids and a Funeral by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Adiba Jaigirdar

Gwen and Art are Not in Love by Lex Croucher

The Hills of Estrella Roja by Ashley Franklin

Medicine: A Magnificently Illustrated History by Briony Hudson, illustrated by Nick Taylor

Unlocking the Universe by Stephen Hawking

 

Book of the Day:

19.08: Thornhill by Pam Smy

21.08: Frankie’s World by Aoife Dooley

23.08: Sisters by Raina Telgemeier

26.08: Little White Lies by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

28.08: Brilliant Black British History by Atinuke, illustrated by Kingsley Nebechi

30.08: A Trip to the Future: How Today’s Science Will Shape Tomorrow’s World by Moira Butterfield, illustrated by FagoStudio

 

Author of the Week:

WB 19^th: Susin Nielsen

WB 26^th: Katherine Woodfine

 

Series of the Week:

WB 19^th: Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

WB 26^th: Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare

 

Literary and Cultural Celebration Book Lists for August:

South Asian Heritage Month: South Asian Heritage Month (July 17^th-August 17^th) celebrates the heritage of people with roots in South Asian countries. This year’s theme is ‘Free to be me’.

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

 

Recent Awards: UK book award winners, shortlists, and longlists

Winners: Arthur C Clarke Award for Science Fiction | CWA Daggers Awards | James Tait Black Memorial Prize | UKLA Book Awards | Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize, YA Book Prize | Young Quills Award for Historical Fiction

Shortlists: Forward Prize for Poetry | Little Rebels Award | Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing

Longlists: Booker Prize | Diverse Book Awards

 

Book Buzz: Latest book news from major media outlets and websites

BBC | Book Riot | Buzzfeed | Epic Reads | The Guardian | Huffpost

Library Mascot: We welcome our new School Library mascot, Maximus, designed by ‘C’ in S4 who’s winning design was voted by pupils and made by the talented Miss West, School Librarian at John Paul Secondary School. As mascot, Maximus will be our sidekick for the upcoming school year and will help promote reading for pleasure on our displays at during activities as well as appear in future School Library Twitter photos.

 Bookmarks: Our winning bookmark designs have arrived in time for the 2024-25 school year, and we can’t wait to show them off. The bookmarks will be revealed and available come August.

 Zine Workshop: We had a fabulous time with Martha from Glasgow Zine Library who delivered an engaging lunchtime zine making workshop in the School Library. Pupils enjoyed browsing the selection of the GZL collection which inspired them to create their own. We really look forward to more collaboration with the GZL in the future.

 Senior Libby Refreshers: We visited some English classes to deliver Libby refreshers for our senior pupils in hopes of inspiring them read for leisure over the summer. Libby by Overdrive is an app subscribed to by Glasgow Life Libraries which has thousands of fiction, nonfiction, and magazine titles. There is something for everyone.

Swatch: The Summer issue of Swatch, the Glasgow School Libraries’ eMagazine is now live. Packed with booklists, an exclusive interview with Maisie Chan, and lots of fun stuff including a recipe for salt and chilli wedges, an origami paper fan craft, and a quiz. Interactive back issues are available on the Library Channel on Teams.

Book of the Day:

03.06: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

06.06: Lionheart Girl by Yaba Badoe

07.06: An Amazing Animal Atlas of Scotland by Anders Frang

10.06: Furthermore by Darren Simpson

13.06: Guardians of the Wild Unicorns by Linday Littleson

14.06: Magical Boy by Vincent Kao

17.06: All about Eid: Things to Make and Do by Sarah Shaffi and Aaliya Jaleel

20.06: I Kick and I Fly by Ruchira Gupta

21.06: Windrush Child by Benjamin Zephaniah

 

Author of the Week:  Chosen by pupils

03.06: Patrick Ness

10.06: Camryn Garrett

17.06: Krystal Sutherland

 

Series of the Week: Chosen by pupils

03.06 Zeroes by Scott Westerfeld

10.06: The Extinction Trials by SM Wilson

17.06: Rugby Academy by Tom Palmer

 

Literary and Cultural Celebration Booklists for June:

Read with Pride: June i Pride month, an internationally recognised celebration of the LGBT+ community. We’ve compiled a list of LGBT+ fiction and nonfiction for all ages.

Empathy Day: Empathy Day (June 6^th) ‘inspires children to learn more about empathy, have transformational experiences through stories, and to put empathy into action’ by shining a ‘light on book’s role in raising an empathy-generated generation’. Check out Empathy Lab’s Primary and Secondary booklists, the majority of titles are available in the school library.

Refugee Week: Refugee Week (June 17^th-23^rd) is ‘the world’s largest arts and cultural festival celebrating the contributions, creativity, and resilience of refuges and people seeking sanctuary. This year’s theme is ‘Our Home’. Our booklists features fiction and nonfiction for Junior and Young Adult readers.

Windrush Day: Windrush Day (June 22^nd) honours the contributions of British Caribbean communities and marks the arrival of passengers of the Empire Windrush to the UK. Our booklist includes fiction and nonfiction for all ages.

South Asian Heritage Month: South Asian Heritage Month (July 17^th-August 17^th) celebrates the heritage of people with roots in South Asian countries. This year’s theme is ‘Free to be me’. Our booklist come a month early to ensure it is promoted within the school term and includes fiction and nonfiction for all ages.

 

Trending Booklists:

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

Recent Awards: UK book award winners, shortlists, and longlists

Winners: Branford Boase Award, Excelsior Awards, FCBG Children’s Book Awards,  Jhalak Prize, The Kitchies, Orwell Prizes, Sports Book Awards, Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, Women’s Prize for Fiction and Nonfiction, YOTO Carnegies.

Shortlists: The Week Junior Book Awards, YA Book Prize

Competitions:

Foyles Young Poets of the Year Award

 Book Buzz: Latest book news from major media outlets and websites

BBC | Book Riot | Buzzfeed | Epic Reads | The Guardian | Huffpost

 

Book Returns: As exams took place throughout May, the School Librarian visited all S1-3 English classes to distribute lists of books on loan. There are over 900 books on loan to S1-3 pupils, highlighting the brilliant readership of our pupils and support from our English department in Shawlands. The lists have proved to be a helpful reminder to the pupils of the books they have borrowed and the library book return boxes are located in each classroom make it easy for them to return their loans. So far, pupils have returned 200 books, with more being returned each day. This is a tremendous effort on behalf of our department and the young people who truly value their library service and love reading for pleasure. Great work everybody, keep them coming!

Creative Writing Contest: Our seasonal creative writing contest is underway with ‘Summer’ as the theme. Any form of creative writing is accepted, maximum 500 words.

International Museums Day: International Museums Day was celebrated May 18^th. We uploaded an interactive list of 50 famous international museums and a list of 20 Glasgow museums on our Library Channel for pupils to explore, featuring famous art galleries and national museums who’ve digitised pieces from their collections. Visit the Glasgow Life Museums page for information on local museums and galleries or try one of these highlights from our international list:

Anne Frank House – Amsterdam, Netherlands

The Louvre – Paris, France

The Metropolitan Museum of Art – New York City, USA

Natural History Museum – London, England

Smithsonian Museum of Natural History – Washington, USA

Sistine Chapel – Vatican City

National Walking Month: May was National Walking Month. On our Library Channel, we’ve uploaded a list of local community libraries in the catchment area all within a walking distance of an hour or less from the school.  Community Libraries nearby the school include:

Langside Library, 2 Sinclair Drive (0.8 miles, 19 mins walking time)

Pollokshaws Library, 60 Shawbridge Street (0.8 miles, 19 mins walking time)

Pollokshields Library, 30 Leslie Street (0.9 miles, 21 mins walking time)

Govanhill Library, 170 Langside Road (1.1 miles, 25 mins walking time)

Couper Library, 84-86 Clarkston Road (1.8 miles, 40 mins walking time)

Gorbals Library, 180 Crown Street (2.0 miles, 45 mins walking time)

Ibrox Library, 1-5 Midlock Street (2.0 miles, 45 mins walking time)

Pollok Library, Pollock Civic Realm, 2EN Cowglen Road (3.0 miles, 1 hour walking time)

Poe or Young Adult Quiz: Pupils were invited to take part in our Poe or Young Adult quiz on Teams as part of World Goth Day. Participants had to decide whether the quotes were from a YA novel or from the ‘Father of Goth’, Edgar Allan Poe.

Waterstones Haul: We received a fantastic haul from Waterstones, selected by our very own Glasgow School Librarians. Here are some highlights:

The Attack of the Robot Librarian by Sam Copeland and Jenny Pearson, illustrated by Robyn Boyden and Katie Kear

Bite Risk by SJ Wells

The Ramadan Family Cookbook by Anisa Karolia

Roar: A Guide to Dreaming Big and Playing the Sport you Love by Beth Mead

Explanatorium of Science by Robert Winston

Human 2.0: A Celebration of Human Bionics by Patrick Kane and Samuel Rodriguez

Swatch: The Summer issue of Swatch, the Glasgow School Libraries’ eMagazine is now live. Packed with book lists, an exclusive interview with Maisie Chan, and lots of fun stuff including a recipe for salt and chilli wedges, an origami paper fan craft, and a quiz. Interactive back issues are available on the Library Channel on Teams.

Author of the Week:  Chosen by pupils

06.05: Benjamin Zephaniah

13.05: Sue Wallman

20.05: Bali Rai

27.05: Samira Ahmed

Series of the Week: Chosen by pupils

06.05: Pandava (Aru Shah) by Roshani Chokshi   

13.05: Young Elites by Marie Lu

20.05: Pages & Co by Anna James

27.05: Pizazz by Sophy Henn

Literary and Cultural Celebration Book Lists for May:

Gothic Book List: Featuring all ages gothic fiction to tie in with World Goth Day festivities.

Shelf Help Book List: Mental Health Awareness Week took place from 13^th-19^th May on the theme of “Movement: Moving more for our mental health”. Our book list features some helpful titles on mental health for Young People that are available in the School Library.

 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

Recent Awards: UK book award winners, shortlists, and longlists

Winners: International Booker Prize | British Book Awards | CrimeFest Awards | Dylan Thomas Prize | Jhalak Prize

Shortlists: CLiPPA Poetry Award | CWA Daggers Awards | Klaus Flugge Prize | Sports Book Awards |

Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction

Competitions:

Foyles Young Poets of the Year Award

 Book Buzz: Latest book news from major media outlets and websites

BBC | Book Riot | Buzzfeed | Epic Reads | The Guardian | Huffpost

 

What’s On in June

Zine Workshop: Glasgow Zine Library will be popping by Thursday, June 20th during lunchtime to host a zine workshop. Pupils will; learn how to create their very own zine from scratch.

 Picnic in the Library: The School Library will host a special ‘picnic in the library’ during lunchtime as part of National Picnic Week. Music, books, and snacks will be provided.

Libby refreshers for seniors: The School Librarian will make her rounds to S4, 5, and 6 English classes to deliver Libby refresher sessions to promote reading for leisure throughout the summer holidays. The Libby app has thousands of fiction and nonfiction books, audiobooks, and eMagazines that can be accessed on their iPads

Book Lists for June: Interactive book lists available on the Library Channel on Teams

Read with Pride: June is Pride month, an internationally recognised celebration of the LGBT+ community. We’ve compiled a list of LGBT+ fiction and nonfiction for all ages.

Empathy Day: Empathy Day (June 6^th) ‘inspires children to learn more about empathy, have transformational experiences through stories, and to put empathy into action’ by shining a ‘light on book’s role in raising an empathy-generated generation’. Check out Empathy Lab’s Primary and Secondary book lists, the majority of titles are available in the school library.

Refugee Week: Refugee Week (June 17^th-23^rd) is ‘the world’s largest arts and cultural festival celebrating the contributions, creativity, and resilience of refuges and people seeking sanctuary. This year’s theme is ‘Our Home’. Our book lists features fiction and nonfiction for Junior and Young Adult readers.

Windrush Day: Windrush Day (June 22^nd) honours the contributions of British Caribbean communities and marks the arrival of passengers of the Empire Windrush to the UK. Our book list includes fiction and nonfiction for all ages.

South Asian Heritage Month: South Asian Heritage Month (July 17^th-August 17^th) celebrates the heritage of people with roots in South Asian countries. This year’s theme is ‘Free to be me’. Our book list come a month early to ensure it is promoted within the school term and includes fiction and nonfiction for all ages.

 

 

 

 

It’s exam time for our senior phase pupils which means that our school library will be used throughout the exam period. However, the School Librarian has taken this opportunity to reach out to our S1-3 classes to deliver a list of books out on loan. It’s fantastic to see that over 950 books are issued to our BGE pupils alone!

In lieu of the library being closed for exams week beginning 22^nd April, we’ve uploaded some fun quizzes and activities to our Library Channel in each year group Teams. For Talk Like Shakespeare Day, we shared our ‘Shakespeare Dictionary’ and Shakespeare Phrases’ information sheets for pupils to learn more about the common words the Bard invented that are still in use today.  Our quizzes include National Pet Month, World Art Day, and International Guitar Month. Pupils were encouraged to complete one or all three quizzes for a chance to be entered into our monthly prize draw.

What’s Trending: Popular and recently borrowed books this month

Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli – ‘This is the best book I’ve ever read’.

Book of the Day: Featured pupil recommendations

15^th: A Different Kind of Freedom: A Romani Story by Richard O’Neill

18^th: Lil’ Muffin Drops the Mic by Romesh Ranganathan, illust. James Lancett

19^th: The Marvels by Brian Selznick

Author of the Week: Chosen by pupils

WB 15^th: Chris Priestly

WB 22^nd: Robin Talley

WB 25^th: Jenny McLachlan

Series of the Week: Chosen by pupils

WB 15^th: Onyeka by Tola Okogwu

WB 22^nd: Summoner Trilogy by Taran Matharu

WB 25^th: Burn for Burn by Jenny Han

Recent Arrivals: New Book Highlights

Awful Animals by John Wood, Illust. Jasmine Pointer

Barb and the Shadow Army by Daniel Raj Abdo, illust. Jason Linwood Patterson

The Impossible City: Vol 1 by Jed MacKay, illust. Carlos Villa

Only This Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian

Pandora Perfect by Roger Langridge, illust. Brett Parson

Literary and Cultural Celebration Book Lists for April: Book lists to tie into various literary and cultural celebrations. Interactive book lists available on the Library Channel on Teams

Planet Vs Plastics Book List: The theme for this year’s Earth Day is Planet vs Plastics to raise awareness of the health and environmental risks of plastics.

Stress Book List: Stress Awareness Month calls for a greater awareness of the negative impact of stress. Our book List features some nonfiction titles to help young people manage their stress.

Autism Book List: World Autism Month and Autism Awareness Day (April 2^nd) aims to celebrate Autism awareness and acceptance. Our Junior, Young Adult, and Senior + Staff book list feature nonfiction and fiction titles.

Trending Book Lists: Monthly highlights and new releases

Epic Reads – New Releases

The Guardian – Children’s Book Roundup

Love Reading for Kids – Books of the Month

Scholastic – Books of the Month

Scottish Book Trust – Book Lists

Toppsta – Our Favourite New Children’s Books This Month

Waterstones – Books of the Month

Recent Awards: UK book award winners, shortlists, and longlists

British Science Fiction Awards – Winners

Branford Boase Award – Shortlist

CWA Daggers Awards – Longlists

Granta Best of Young British Novelists – Winners

Jhalak Prize – Shortlists

Women’s Prize for Fiction – Shortlist

Competitions: Writing competitions for young people

Foyles Young Poets of the Year Award

Henrietta Branford Writing Competition

Young Writers Competition

Book Buzz: Latest book news from major media outlets and book websites

BBC

Book Riot

Buzzfeed

Epic Reads

The Guardian

Huffpost

The New York Times

 

What’s On in May

Shawlands Academy School Library Quills Prize for Creative Writing Contest: Our final seasonal creative writing contest of the school year in time for National Share a Story Month. Any form of creative writing is permitted, 500 words or less. Deadline May 31^st.

International Museums Day: Take a virtual tour and explore some artefacts held by some of the world’s famous museums and galleries using our interactive documents available on the Library Channel on each year group Teams.

National Walking Month: National Walking Month is a campaign launched by Living Streets. This year, Living Streets invites people to discover the #MagicOf Walking to celebrate the many health and happiness benefits of walking and wheeling. To celebrate, the School Library has created an interactive guide to local Glasgow Life Community Libraries all within walking distance to Shawlands Academy which will be available in the Library Channel on each year group Teams.

Teams Quizzes:

World Goth Day – Poe or Young Adult quiz: World Goth Day is observed annually on May 22^nd. We’re hosting a quiz on Teams featuring none other than the father of gothic literature, Edgar Allan Poe. Pupils are invited to guess whether the quotes are from Young Adult Gothic novels or from one of Poe’s works.

Book Lists for May: Interactive booklists available on the Library Channel on Teams

Gothic Book List: Featuring Junior, Young Adult, and Senior + Staff gothic fiction to tie in with World Goth Day festivities.

Shelf Help Book List: Mental Health Awareness Week takes place from 13^th-19^th May on the theme of “Movement: Moving more for our mental health”. Our book list features some helpful titles on mental health for Young People that are available in the School Library.

Mental Health websites:

Children’s Mental Health Scotland

Mental Health Foundation

Mind.org

Rethink.org

Scottish Action for Mental Health

See Me

Young Minds

Young Scot