The days are getting colder, the nights are getting longer, and the vibes are getting spookier – join in with these spooky tales, available from your school library!
Just click on the cover to learn more about the book:
Looking for more? Here’s the Glasgow Libraries Halloween selection for teens – available here on Libby!
Autism Acceptance Week, Easter, Eid, exams – April is one busy month! Here’s what’s been happening in St Roch’s School Library.
This month some of our pupils have been reading through the Yoto Carnegie shortlist titles and sharing mini-reviews. Here are Roya’s thoughts on Steady for this by Nathanael Lessore. Find out about the other shortlist books available in the school library here.
Q: Tell me about the book, but don’t give away the ending!
The book is about a boy who wants to be a rapper and then a big twist happens. It is a book about racism and lifestyle. At first you might not like it but at the end it’s a nice and smooth going book.
Q: Tell me about your favourite part of the book
When he meets a new friend who doesn’t know about his embarrassment and sticks with him till the end.
Q: I recommend this book to anyone who likes..
A nice, easy going, romantic comedy.
Q: What would you like to ask the author?
What would you do if your mum exposed your dirty laundry to the world, live? ?
It aims to help more people understand what autism is and how it can affect life for people. It also highlights and celebrate the achievements of autistic people past and present.
Reading books is a brilliant way to develop understanding and share life experiences from many perspectives. Along with information books, there’s a great range of fiction books written by or about people with autism, available in the school library. You can get the full list on our library Padlet page here.
Earlier this month Muslim people around the world celebrated Eid, marking the end of Ramadan and 30 days of fasting. It is one of the biggest festivals in the Islamic calendar, celebrated with family, friends, food and prayer. We put together a collection of books by Muslim authors to mark Ramadan and Eid, which you can find on our Padlet page.
You can borrow any of these from the school library, just ask at the desk.
St Roch’s pupils have a great reading culture, with library visits and personal reading time built into English classes. Pupils regularly visit us regularly for new reading material, but sometimes they can find it hard to choose something. Our library assistant Ava had a great idea to help pupils who just can’t decide- a Lucky Dip book box!
We chose a range of different books we thought pupils would enjoy, non fiction, quick reads, comics and all types of fiction genres. Then Ava made up tickets with the book title and 3 word descriptions. Now pupils who are stuck can take a ticket from the box and bring it to the desk to get there lucky dip surprise read. It’s worked really well with our regular class visits. Well done Ava for a great idea!
It’s exam time for our senior pupils! This time of year can be very stressful few weeks, so it’s extra important to take care of yourself and your mental health. There are lots of books that can help you manage stress/anxiety and find a little bit of calm. Check out some of these books on the Stress Less book display, available now in the school library. Well done to the library assistant team for putting this together.
Autism Acceptance Week is a yearly event planned around Autism Acceptance Day. It aims to help more people understand autism and the experience of autism. It also highlights and celebrates the achievements of autistic people past and present.
Reading books is a brilliant way to develop understanding and share life experiences from many perspectives. Along with information books, there’s a great range of fiction books written by or about people with autism, available in the school library. You can get the full list on our library Padlet page. Here’s a bit more about a few of our top picks from the list:
A kind of spark by Elle McNicoll
Kind of Spark tells the story of 11-year-old Addie as she campaigns for a memorial in memory of the witch trials that took place in her Scottish hometown. Addie knows there’s more to the story of these ‘witches’, just like there is more to hers.
Can Addie challenge how the people in her town see her, and make her voice heard?
Finding my voice by Aoife Dooley 
Frankie is different, and so is her best-friend, Sam. So when they both start secondary school, it’s tough.
When she gets the chance to compete in a Battle of the Bands contest Frankie couldn’t be more excited. Except, to have a band, you need to have band members. And to have band members, you need to be good at making friends… Can Frankie learn to find her voice and stand out?
Ways to be me by Libby Scott and Rebecca Westcott
Tally had high hopes for Year 6.Being in the top class at school means a whole host of privileges, and even better than that is the school production But at home, things aren’t going so well. Mum and Dad have been making Tally feel pressured and upset. Sometimes she feels so misunderstood and frustrated, she could explode! Then Tally’s mum and dad tell her about something she’s never heard about before. Something called autism. And everything changes.
There are lots of books and ebooks available from the school library to help with managing stress, anxiety and finding a wee bit of calm in the chaos! Browse our ebook collection, ‘Young Minds – Mental Health and Wellbeing’, in the Teen section of Overdrive and Libby.
You can also download digital practice papers in lots of exam subjects. Browse the collection on Overdrive here or search for ‘SQA’ in Libby.
Finally we’ve got lots of lovely new books in this month! There’s a great variety of genres so plenty to choose from. Here’s a few of the highlights we think will be first off the shelves.
Boy like me / by Simon James Green
Cuts both ways / by Candice Brathwaite
A British girl’s guide to hurricanes and heartbreak / by Laura Taylor Namey
Tyger / by S. F. Said & Dave McKean
The kingdom over the sea / by Zohra Nabi & Tom Clohosy Cole
The ivory key / by Akshaya Raman
Most haunted theatres / by Yvette Fielding & Hannah Shaw
Jodie / by Hilary McKay & Keith Robinson
Wise creatures / by Deirdre Sullivan
March means World Book Day time! The library has handed out lots of tokens and they’re available until the end of the month. WBD token can be used to claim a free book in bookshops an participating shops until 31st March. You can find out about the books and shops here.
To mark the day, this year pupils competed in quizzes and joined in some bookish games of Tumbling Towers. Every block had a question or action and we had some delightful reading dares as forfeits. Big thanks to all the pupil library assistants who helped out as activity leaders.
On 13th March the Yoto Carnegie award shortlist was announced and the pupil assistants have jumped right in. We’re reading Away with words , The door of no return and Steady for this at the moment, you can find out more about these titles below. Stay tuned for next month’s blog to see what we thought.
Away with words by Sophie Cameron
Gala and her dad, Jordi, have just moved from home in Cataluña to a town in Scotland, to live with Jordi’s boyfriend Ryan. Gala doesn’t speak much English, and feels lost, lonely and unable to be her usual funny self. Until she befriends Natalie, a girl with selective mutism. Set in a world where words appear physically when people speak, AWAY WITH WORDS explores the importance of communication and being there for those we love
The door of no return / Kwame Alexander
Eleven-year-old Kofi Offin loves these things above all else: his family, the fireside tales of his father’s father, a girl named Ama, and, of course, swimming. But when the unthinkable occurs during a festival between rival villages, Kofi ends up in a fight for his life. What happens next will send him on a harrowing journey across land and sea, and away from everything he loves.
Steady for this by Nathanael Lessore
Shaun (aka MC Growls) is ready to drop his best bars and smash the competition at Raptology. That way, he’s convinced Tanisha, his crush, will finally give him a chance.
But when a livestream practice goes epically wrong, Growls’s dirty laundry is literally exposed. He’s finally achieved his dreams of going viral – not in the good way.
Now Tanisha won’t look at him, he’s the joke of the school and there’s no way he can show his face at the competition. Will he ever catch a break?
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, taking place in March and April this year. It is a holy month which Muslims observe by giving, fasting, worship, studying the Quran, spiritual reflection, prayer and helping others. The end of Ramadan will be celebrated in April with Eid al-Fitr – the Festival of the Breaking of the Fast. Remember to be considerate of your Muslim friends during Ramadan, as they may be fasting during the day.
Many St Roch’s pupils are observing Ramadan this month, including some of our library volunteers. They put together a lovely library display to share information about Islamic culture and promote Muslim authors. Well done to Rose & co for their work.
Ramadan Mubarak & Happy Easter to everyone celebrating.
World Book Day is all about celebrating the magic of storytelling and the joy of reading. It’s a chance for book lovers of all ages come together to share their favourite stories, discover new adventures, and explore the wonderful world of books. Every year during March, you can claim a FREE book from book shops and participating retailers. All you need is a World Book Day token- and there’s lots of available in school. You can collect tokens from your English teacher or the school library until March 31st. Check out what books are available to choose from here.
The CHS Equalities group provides a welcome space for all LGBTQ+ pupils and allies to meet every Wednesday at lunchtime. The group has been meeting in the library recently, where
they’ve made a new LGBT+ book display, bringing a lovely bit of colour to the shelves. This month everyone has been reading Heartstopper by Alice Oseman. The latest book in the series is in high demand, so if you have to wait, you can try one of Alice Oseman’s other books like Loveless, Solitaire or Radio Silence.
Charlie and Nick are at the same school, but they’ve never met … until one day when they’re made to sit together. They quickly become friends, and soon Charlie is falling hard for Nick, even though he doesn’t think he has a chance.
But love works in surprising ways, and Nick is more interested in Charlie than either of them realised.
International Women’s Day is held annually on 8th March. The aim of IWD is to raise awareness for gender equality and challenge stereotypes. It is also an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women across the world, both from the past and the present day. These can range from female leaders to pioneers in technology to the women in our everyday lives, like female friends, mothers and grandmothers.
We have two spotlight lists for IWD this month. Our ‘heroines’ list features stories with inspirational women and girls, chosen here for their bravery, conviction,and smarts. Our HERstory list features books about real women who have done amazing things throughout history in science, art, politics and society.
You can view both lists on our School Library Padlet.
There are loads of new books to choose form this month, particularly if you like a murder or a lol in your stories! Here’s some that we’re most excited to read this month.
A dark and twisty murder mystery – Ace of Spades meets Riverdale
Trapped in a mansion with a murderer and a family of liars – how would you survive? A mind-blowing thriller from the author of THIS BOOK KILLS, perfect for fans of Holly Jackson and Karen McManus.
Shocking twists, family secrets, a fish-out-of water protagonist and a page-turning mystery combine in Little White Lies and Deadly Little Scandals (The Debutantes Duology) – perfect for fans coming from THE INHERITANCE GAMES series looking for their next addictive read from the Master of YA Mysteries, Jennifer Lynn Barnes.
Loki’s third doodle-packed diary in the number one best-selling series.
The first book in the hilarious new seven-part highly-illustrated series for fans of Tom Gates, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and the Treehouse series.
Lottie Brooks continues to navigate the many perils of growing up in this fantastically funny illustrated series, filled with friendship, embarrassing moments and plenty of lols.
Happy reading!
Our library assistants out done themselves with book displays and promotions this month. Well done everyone who pitched in! Morire and Ava made our Dark reads for Dark nights display, full of thrillers and chillers. Along with a love-themed book display, Iman and Amani decided to conduct some pupil research, asking library visitors to vote For or Against Valentine’s day. The votes were counted and ( drum roll)… turns out it’s an even split, so the love stories can stay.
Everyone helped decorate for International Mother Languages Day. We’ve got colourful signs up to represent lots of the languages spoken in school. Did you know that in the library you can find books in languages from all around the world too? Including old favourites like Harry Potter, Dork diaries and Diary of a wimpy kid.
This month we had a delivery of new senior stock, hurray! Our senior collection includes fiction and non fiction for S4+ upwards. These new books were recommended by teachers, pupils and librarians. There’s lots of different genres, from contemporary to classic sci-fi, so there’s plenty to choose from if you’re ready to branch out from teen fiction. here.
Ready player one / Ernest Cline
Ready player one is a thrilling science fiction novel by Ernest Cline that follows teenager Wade Watts as he navigates a virtual reality world in search of a hidden Easter egg that holds the key to a massive fortune. Packed with 80s pop culture references, high-stakes challenges, and a race against time, this book is a must-read for gamers and nostalgia enthusiasts alike.
Klara and the sun / Kazuo Ishiguro
From her place in the store, Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, watches carefully the behaviour of those who come in to browse. She remains hopeful a customer will soon choose her, but when the possibility emerges that her circumstances may change for ever, Klara is warned not to invest too much in the promises of humans.
In Klara and The Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro looks at our rapidly changing world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator to explore a fundamental question: what does it mean to love?
The night circus / Erin Morgenstern
The Night Circus is a fantastical and enchanting tale of a mysterious, travelling circus that only opens at night. Within its black-and-white striped tents, two young magicians engage in a magical competition that could have far-reaching consequences for everyone involved. With its vivid imagery and intricate storytelling, this novel will transport readers to a world where the line between reality and illusion is blurred.
The Goldfinch is a gripping novel that follows the life of Theo Decker after a terrorist attack changes his world forever. As he navigates loss, love, and the pursuit of a stolen painting, Theo’s story is a heartbreaking and captivating exploration of fate and redemption.
LGBT+ History Month is celebrated every February across the UK and was founded in 2004 by Schools OUT UK. It started as a way to claim the past, celebrate the present and create the future for LGBT+ people.
You’ll find a great mix of fiction and non-fiction books on display in the library to mark the month. If you prefer to use Libby, there’s plenty of ebooks and audiobooks available too.
Check out our LGBT+ fiction and non-fiction book lists on Padlet to see what’s available.
Our S3 Duke of Edinburgh Volunteers made a book display for Holocaust Memorial Day.
Readers from S1 & S2 classes chatted about what they’ve been reading, and here are their recommendations :
S1-S3 pupils’ booklist
We discussed the importance of books and films, as there are now very few remaining survivors of the Holocaust, making it more important than ever that their voices be honoured and saved for future generations.
On 1st February we celebrated World Hijab Day. Our book display included authors and book characters who proudly wear the hijab, including Ayaan Mohamud, A.M. Dassu, Tahereh Maafi, Hiba Noor Khan, & S. K. Ali.
Our Rights Respecting Schools pupils did a tannoy announcement, and explained all about the origins of World Hijab Day, founded by Nazma Khan. While making our book display, we chatted about Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad (who has written several books), and ballet dancer Stephanie Kurlow. We all want to see more library books showing better representation of hijab wearing, so we did some research on this, and have ordered some exciting new titles.
The lovely artwork is by Evelina and Brenna in S5.
Lorraine, at her Waterstone’s book launch
I went to the book launch of ‘The Island Swimmers’, and met Lorraine Kelly at Waterstones bookshop. It was lovely to meet a TV personality who is such a passionate supporter of books and reading. Can’t wait to read this, as I’ve been to Orkney , where the book is set, many times, and it’s a place that I love (although I’ve never been wild swimming!).
Coming soon….
‘Reading Schools’ gifts from Scottish Book Trust
We have lots to look forward to in March including World Book Day, lots of reading, a good bit of book partying from our young people & staff, and more great work from our Reading Schools leadership group. Happy reading!
Children’s Mental Health Week takes place from 5–11 February 2024. This year’s theme is ‘My Voice Matters’, which is all about empowering children and young people to express themselves.
To mark the week, this month in school we’re highlighting books from our ‘shelf help’ collection. School libraries have a great range of mental health and well being books available for pupils. These titles are chosen to support young people in building resilience and self-esteem, as well as managing anxiety and overall mental health.
You have the power : find your strength and believe you can/ Leah Williamson
Join Lioness Leah Williamson, Arsenal and England women’s football player, as she shows girls that they can be a leader at any age, and that huge things can happen when they believe in themselves!
Dare to be you / Matthew Sayid 
What would you dare to try if you stopped worrying about fitting in?
When you stop doubting yourself, embrace change and let your kindness loose, you become your own action hero. This groundbreaking, practical and positive book will help kids develop the inner confidence to grow into happy adults who know – and, more importantly, LIKE – themselves.
Banish your self-esteem thief : a cognitive behavioural therapy workbook/ Kate Collins-Donnelly
Packed with activities and real-life stories, this imaginative workbook will show you what self-esteem is, how it develops, the impact it can have and how all this applies to your own self-esteem
Yes you can : ace school without losing your mind / Natasha Devon 
Secondary school can seem overwhelming – but it doesn’t have to be. Natasha Devon uses her expertise to show you how to navigate school and stay calm in the face of exams. Learn how your brain works, what kind of learner you are, and how to deal with exam days with the help of mindfulness.
A better day : your positive mental health handbook/ Alex George
A positive, accessible and practical toolkit guiding young readers in how they can care for their mental health with confidence.From peer pressure and exam stress to online trolls and anxiety, life is full of ups and downs. But there are ways we can stay on top of our mental health – including overcoming stigma, talking about our feelings, developing resilience and switching our mindset.
Fighting invisible tigers : stress management for teens/ Earl Hipp 
This book offers proven techniques that teens can use to deal with stressful situations in school, at home, and among friends. They’ll find current information on how stress affects health and decision making and learn stress-management skills to handle stress in positive ways—including assertiveness, positive self-talk, time management, relaxation exercises, and much more. Filled with interesting facts, student quotes, and fun activities, this book is a great resource for any teen who’s said, “I’m stressed out!”
The mental health and wellbeing workout for teens
Informed by the experiences of teens themselves, this friendly guide gives practical tips and strategies on how to overcome everyday stresses and ditch negative thinking ‘frenemies’ before they develop into more serious issues. Teens will be better equipped to recognise negative thoughts and emotions, monitor their mood and behaviour, and flex their positive thinking muscles in order to combat the mental health blips we all face sometimes.
You can browse for more books in the ‘mental health and well being’ section of our school library book lists.
After an excellent Christmas, 2024 looks like it will have a number of excellent things happening in and around the library. Today, we will give you a sneak peak of some of the many new books we have in before giving you some updates as well as our plans for February and beyond.
Our new stock is coming in thick and fast! This month we have a number of excellent titles fresh out of the box, including these:
The library refurb is officially underway! Unfortunately this means there will be disruptions to the library service over the next couple of weeks but we promise it’ll be worth it! We’ll be sure to throw a big party once it’s done…
As of next month we will be welcoming a series of authors to come and talk to our S3s as part of a Scottish Government-funded project called Library Young Team! First up, we will be welcoming Brian Conaghan to the school on Tuesday 20th February.
Happy 2024! My name is Ms Barron and I’m the new librarian in Castlemilk High School. I’m looking forward to meeting lots of new pupils getting to know everyone this year. I will be in school on Wednesdays and Fridays this term. You can visit the library during breaks and after school.
January is prelim time and the library has been very busy with senior pupils doing exams. Good luck everyone! Did you know you can borrow SQA practice papers on your ipad? Search ‘SQA’ on the libby app to see what subjects are available. While the exams are on, there will be a mini mobile library visiting classrooms for pupils to borrow from. Visits will be back to normal in February.
January 25th is Burns Night, celebrating Robert Burns and Scottish traditions with haggis, neeps, tatties and poetry. Why not join in the celebration of Scotland’s creativity and read a Scottish author in January? Check out this month’s burns Night collection, available now from Glasgow Libraries, for ideas.
Not sure what to pick? You could try ‘A night out with Burns: ‘, a collection of Burn’s greatest poems that brings his timeless work to life.
If you a prefer a story to poetry, there’s also a nice selection of teen fiction on the list. Here are a few suggestions to get you started:
Dylan Mint has Tourette’s. Being sixteen is hard enough, but Dylan’s life is a constant battle to keep the bad stuff in – the swearing, the tics, the howling dog that seems to escape whenever he gets stressed… But a routine visit to the hospital changes everything. Overhearing a hushed conversation between the doctor and his mother, Dylan discovers that he’s going to die next March. So he grants himself three parting wishes or ‘Cool Things To Do Before I Cack It’. But as Dylan sets out to make his wishes come true, he discovers that nothing – and no-one – is quite as he had previously supposed.
Fifteen-year-old Sam is not a famous vlogger, he’s never gone viral, and he doesn’t want to be the Next Big Thing. In fact he’s ordinary and proud of it.
None of which was a problem until Dad got rich and Mum made the whole family move to London. Now Sam’s off to the North London Academy for the Gifted and Talented, where everyone’s busy planning Hollywood domination or starting alt-metal psychedelica crossover bands. Sam knows he’ll never belong, even if he wanted to. And that’s before he ends up on stage wearing nothing but a fur onesie …
The story of a runaway slave girl and her dangerous journey through the murky underworld of Roman Britain, by Carnegie Medal-winning author Tanya Landman.
Cassia does not fear to die, but for her – for a slave who has maimed her master – there are worse things than death. Yet the mighty Roman Empire has its limits. Beyond her master’s estate, beyond the river, far to the north stands Hadrian’s Wall. And beyond the wall? Freedom. With dogs on her trail and a bounty on her head the journey seems impossible. But then Cassia meets Marcus – slick, slippery, silver-tongued – a true and perfect son of Rome. And her only hope.
All of these titles are available as eBooks on the Libby by Overdrive app. Click the book covers to find out more about each one. You can use your library card and PIN to add them to your account.
Remember if you have any trouble using eBooks or other eResources you can visit your school library for help.
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