Category Archives: Whitehill Secondary School

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

Book Awards

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

Shortlists: UKLA Book Awards | YOTO Carnegie Medals

January 2025 Roundup – Whitehill Secondary School Library

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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 14^th 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 (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^thJanuary): 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 (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

Book Awards

Winners: Nero Book Awards

Longlists: Branford Boase Award

December 2024 Roundup – Whitehill Secondary School Library

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Festive Quiz: We spent out last lunch break before the winter holidays to deliver a fun festive quiz. We had thirty questions across rounds: Literature, Film, Music, Traditions, Nature, and Food.

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

The Exes by Anam Iqbal

If My Words had Wings by Danielle Jawando

Some Like it Cold by Elle McNicoll

Books of the Day

03.12.24: The Bubble Boy by Stewart Foster

05.12.24: The Usborne Encyclopaedia of Planet Earth by Anna Clayborne and Gillian Doherty

10.12.24: Raise Your Voice: Make Yourself Heard in a Noisy World by Nadia Jae, et al.

13.12.24: Mark My Words by Muhammad Khan

17.12.24: Who Are Refugees and Migrants? What Makes People Leave Their Homes? And Other Big Questions by Michael Rosen

19.12.24: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Author of the Week

02.12.24: Sabina Khan

09.12.24: Kirsty Applebaum

16.12.24: Adiba Jaigirdar

Series of the Week

02.12.24: Ninja by Chris Bradford

09.12.24: Track by Jason Reynolds

16.12.24: Crooked Oak Mysteries by Dan Smith

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

Book Awards

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

Shortlists: Excelsior Awards

November 2024 Roundup – Whitehill Secondary School Library

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Book Week Scotland: We hosted our Book Week Scotland quiz during lunchtime and collaborated with the English department to host a series of ‘Book Speed Dating’ sessions for the S1 classes. The library set up five stations consisting of books across different genres such as ‘Comedy’, ‘Thrills and Chills’, ‘Realistic’, Speculative’, and ‘Nonfiction’. Groups spent five minutes at each table, reading and rating books before moving onto the next stations. Pupils loved this activity as they got to discover books across different genres they otherwise wouldn’t have tried. Special thanks to Miss Lugton for the brilliant idea!

New Book Highlights

You Owe Me A Murder by Eileen Cook

The Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal

Read, Scream, Repeat by Jennifer Killick

Books of the Day

5:11.24: Amazing Muslims Who Changed the World by Burhana Islam, illustrated by Nabi H. Ali, Reya Ahmed, Saffa Khan, Aaliya Jaleel, Deema Alawa, Aghnia Mardiyah

7.11.24: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

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

14.11.24: A Different Sort of Normal by Abigail Balfe

19.11.24: 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

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

26.11.24: Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

28.11.24: Eyewitness World War I by Simon Adams

Author of the Week

4.11.24: Catherine Doyle

11.11.24: Dan Freedman

18.11.24: Serena Patel

25.11.24: Ross Sayers

Series of the Week

4.11.24: Brightstorm Chronicles by Vashti Hardy

11.11.24: Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

18.11.24: Max Einstein by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein

25.11.24: STEALTH by Jason Rohan

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

Book Awards

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

October 2024 Roundup – Whitehill Secondary School

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Libby Inductions: We’ve been busy delivering Libby inductions to our S1s who have now received their iPads. 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.

New Book Highlights

Lightlark by Alex Aster

Still Water by Chris Priestly

Hollow Fires by Samira Ahmed

Books of the day

01.10.24: Cane Warriors by Alex Wheatle

03.10.24: The Silver Eyes by Scott Cawton

08.10.24: Timelines from Black History by DK

10.10.24: Dear Martin by Nic Stone

22.10.24: Mind Your Head by Juno Dawson

24.10.24: Last Gate of the Emperor by Kwame Mbalia

29.10.24: Windrush Child by Benjamin Zephaniah

31.10.24: Through the Woods by Emily Carroll

Author of the Week:

01.10.24: Sharna Jackson

07.10.24: Patrice Lawrence

21.10.24: Anthony Horowitz

28.10.24: Tanya Landman

Series of the Week

01.10.24: The Lizzie and Belle Mysteries by JT Willaims

07.10.24: Dark Hunter by Benjamin Hulme-Cross

21.10.24: Nicky and Kenny by Anthony McGowan

28.10.24: Loop Trilogy by Ben Oliver

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:

Book Awards

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

Shortlist: Baillie Gifford Prize for Nonfiction

August 2024 Roundup – Whitehill Secondary School Library

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S1 Inductions: We had a great time meeting all of our S1 pupils during Library inductions throughout the month and managed to cover the majority of our S1 English classes which mean we can get back into our regular scheduled book borrowing periods. Throughout August, our S1s have borrowed 70+ books for class and personal reading. Great effort by all!

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.

Bookmark Design Competition: We’re hosting our inaugural bookmark design competition. Participants can submit their designs which will be posted on our School Library Teams to be voted on by pupils. The winning design will become this year’s official School Library bookmark. Winner announced during Book Week Scotland in November.

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 booklists, and author and book birthday calendar. The interactive newsletter is in PDF format on the Library Channel in Teams.

New Book Highlights:

Pizza Face by Rex Ogle

Stormbreaker: The Graphic Novel by Anthony Horowitz and Anthony Johnston, illustrate by Kanako & Yuzuru Tuzuru

Skylar and the K-Pop Headteacher by Luan Goldie

Football’s Champions of Change by Damian Johnson, illustrated by Damian Greenan

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

Book of the Day:

20.08: They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

22.08: Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell

27.08: Good Girls Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

29.08: Barda by Ngozi Ukazu

Author of the Week:

WB 19^th: Stewart Foster

WB 26^th: Leigh Bardugo

Series of the Week:

WB 19^th: How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell

WB 26^th: School for Good and Evil by Somain Chainai

Literary and Cultural Celebration Booklists 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 Booklists:

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

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

April 2024 Roundup – Whitehill Secondary School Library

This month, 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.

Recent Arrivals: New Book Highlights

Forensic Science by Chris Cooper

Joey Drew Studios: Employee Handbook by Cala Spinner, illust. Paul davies

Johnny Ball: International Football Genius by Matt Oldfield, illust. Tim Wesson

Seven Million Sunflowers by Malcolm Duffy

The Weather Well by Vashti Hardy, illust. Natalie Smillie

Literary and Cultural Celebration Booklists for April: Booklists to tie into various literary and cultural celebrations.

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 Booklist: Stress Awareness Month calls for a greater awareness of the negative impact of stress. Our booklist 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 Juniorl, Young Adult, and Senior + Staff book list feature nonfiction and fiction titles.

Trending Booklists: 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

What’s On in May

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 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 Whitehill Secondary School which will be available in the Library Channel on 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:

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

March 2024 Roundup – Whitehill Secondary School Library

Events: Events and activities that took place in the School Library during March

To celebrate World Book Day, the School Library invited pupils to write a review about any book of their choice using only five words for a chance to be entered into a prize draw. Read the reviews on our 5 Word Book review blog post. We also hosted a quiz featuring three rounds: a general literature knowledge, emoji book titles, and a Shakespeare or Young Adult quote taster round in preparation for our Shakespeare week quiz.

Shakespeare Week Quiz and choice board: We uploaded an interactive choice board for pupils to explore more of Shakespear’s works and hosted our first Shakespeare Week quiz. Pupils were to guess whether a quote was from a Shakespeare play or a Young Adult novel. We’ve included a selection of quotes below, can you guess which ones were from a Young Adult novel and which ones were from one of Shakespeare’s plays? Answers are at the end of this blog post.

“Reading would make me brilliant, but writing would make me infinite”

Juliet takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera or William Shakespeare?

2. “All that glitters is not gold”

All That Glitters by Lucy and Lydia Connell or William Shakespeare?

3. “If love is like a possession, maybe my letters are like my exorcism”

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han or William Shakespeare?

4. “My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations”

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green or William Shakespeare?

5. “If music be the food of love, play on”

Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan or William Shakespeare?

Swatch: Our Spring 24 issue of Swatch, the Glasgow School Libraries eMagazine is now available. Here are some links to our previous issues: Winter 23, 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.

Literary and Cultural Celebration Booklists for March: Booklists to tie into various literary and cultural celebrations.

Anti-Racism Book List: Anti-Racism fiction and nonfiction.

International Women’s Day Book List: Fiction and nonfiction books about women’s history, feminism, and equal rights.

Neurodiversity Book List: Nonfiction and fiction books featuring neurodiverse characters.

Ramadan Reads Book List: Fiction and nonfiction books by Muslim authors and featuring Muslim characters.

STEM Nonfiction Book List: STEM nonfiction.

Trans & Gender Nonconforming Book List: Nonfiction and fiction books featuring transgender and gender nonconforming characters.

Recent Arrivals: New Book Highlights

Forensic Science by Chris Cooper

The Illustrated History of Ghosts by Adam A Boardman

The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland

Kicked Out by AM Dassu

The Minecraft Ideas Book by Thomas McBrien

Trending Booklists: 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 Favorite New Children’s Books This Month

Waterstone’s – Books of the Month

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

Inclusive Books for Children Award – Winners

British Book Awards – Shortlist

UKLA Book Award – Shortlist

Women’s Prize for Fiction – Longlist

Women’s Prize for Nonfiction – Longlist

YOTO Carnegie Medals – Shortlists

Competitions: Writing competitions for young people

Foyles Young Poets of the Year Competition

Henrietta Branford Writing Competition

Poetry By Heart Competition

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

What’s On in April

Pop-Up Library: Exams will be taking place in the library starting April and throughout May, but pupils can visit our Pop-Up Library stall (location TBA) for book returns and collections as well as weekly activities.

Talk Like Shakespeare Day Activities: We’ll be creating Shakespeare masks and Elizabethan ruffle collar using the templates from Talklikeshakespeare.org and uploading a list of Shakespearean phrases still commonly used today.

Teams Quizzes: Our Quizzes will be uploaded to Teams using MS Forms in lieu of exams.

National Pet Month Quiz: Learn fun facts about our furry, feathered, and leathered friends.

World Art Day Quiz: Test your knowledge of artists, paintings, and styles. Comes with an accompany list of links to famous museums and galleries from around the world.

International Guitar Month Quiz: For serious guitar aficionados, this quiz is packed with facts about one of the world’s most popular instruments. The interactive answer sheet included is jammed with links with further information and videos.

Displays and Booklists for April:

Planet vs Plastics Book List: The theme for this year’s Earth Day is Planet vs Plastics to raise awareness on 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 booklist 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 booklists feature nonfiction and fiction titles featuring Autistic characters.

Shakespeare Quiz answers:

Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera
The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Five Word Book Reviews – Whitehill Secondary School Library

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As part of our World Book Day festivities, pupils were invited to write a five word book review for a chance to be entered into a prize draw. Below is a list of the books they’ve reviewed.

Afterlove by Tanya by Tanya Byrne: Heartfelt, Emotional, Agonising, Romantic, Tragic by A
Billionaire Boy by David Walliams: Funny, wealth, youth, friendship, humour
Dracula by Bram Stoker: Seduction, bloodlust, pursuit, doom
The Final Problem by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: Confrontation, sacrifice, death, dedication,
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley: Senior, abandonment, tragedy, selfishness, consequence
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by JK Rowling: Mystery, exciting, enjoyable, magical, extraordinary
Heartstopper V1 by Alice Oseman: Heartfelt, sweet, romantic, freedom, trauma
Heartstopper V2 by Alice Oseman: Surprise, sweet, love, realisation, heartfelt
Heartstopper V3 by Alice Oseman: Supportive, encouraging, love, family, hope
Heartstopper V4 by Alice Oseman: Adventure, helplessness, love, care, charming
Heartstopper V5 by Alice Oseman: Growth, sensitive, relationships, love, heartfelt
The Malign Mischief of Megabyte by Steve Barlow: Cool, weird, boring, crazy, fun
Morgan Charmley, Teen Witch by Katy Birchill: Magical, growth, belief, hope, self-love
Over the Line by Tom Palmer and Ollie Cuthbertson: Dull, profound, cunning, silly, glorious
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan: Exciting, funny, comedic, thrilling, eye-opening
Powerless by Lauren Roberts: Unpredictable, Labyrinthine, convoluted, ambiguous, riveting
Solitaire by Alice Oseman: well being, helplessness, love, happiness, optimism
Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan: Realisation, Sweet, Heartfelt, Growing, Love

February 2024 Reoundup – Whitehill Secondary School Library

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This month, we’ve been busy working on reorganizing the library by expanding and adding new sections to our Fiction and Nonfiction collections. So far, we’ve expanded the Comedy, Horror, Fantasy and Science Fiction sections. Our new sections include:

Equality & Empowerment: Fiction and non-fiction books about equal rights for all and include our Shelf Help section with books about mental health and wellness.

Historical Fiction: Stories set in the past.

Slice of Life: Realistic stories, families, friendships, and romance.

Thrillers: Action, crime, and mystery stories.

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

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

The Extremely Embarrassing Life of Lottie Brooks by Katie Kirby

Charlotte Says by Alex Bell

Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas

Recent Arrivals: New book highlights.

The Football Encyclopedia by Emily Stead

Youngblood by Sasha Laurens

Plants & Fungi by DK

Amazing Ancient World Atlas by Nancy Dickman

Northern Soul by Phil Earle

Trending Booklists

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 Favorite New Children’s Books This Month

Waterstone’s – Books of the Month

Recent Awards

Excelsior Award – Shortlist

Klaus Flugge Prize – Shortlist

Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize – Shortlist

YOTO Carnegie Medals for Writing and Illustration – Longlist

Book Buzz

What’s On – March

World Book Day week:

5 Word Book Review Prize Draw – This year, we’re encouraging pupils to submit book reviews of some of their favourite or most recently read books using only 5 words. Each entry goes into our World Book Day prize draw. The reviews will be displayed outside the library on our bulletin board.

World Book Day Quiz – We’ll also be hosting our annual World Book Day quiz, hosted by members of our Pupil Library Committee during lunchtime.

Shakespeare Week:

Choice Board – Pupils can learn more about Shakespeare and his work using our interactive choice board which will be posted on our Teams Library Channel.

Shakespeare or YA Quiz – Participants must guess if a given quote was featured in either one of Shakespeare’s plays or from a popular Young Adult novel.

Displays and Booklists for March: Booklists of monthly cultural and literacy events.

Anti-Racism Book List: Anti-Racism fiction and nonfiction.

STEM Nonfiction Book List: STEM nonfiction.

Neurodiversity Book List: Nonfiction and fiction books featuring neurodiverse characters.

Ramadan Reads Book List: Fiction and nonfiction books by Muslim authors.

International Women’s Day Book List: Fiction and nonfiction books about women’s history, feminism, and equal rights.

Trans & Gender Nonconforming Book List: Nonfiction and fiction books featuring transgender and gender nonconforming characters.