What’s happening this month..
World Autism Acceptance Week: 2-8th April
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.
Exam Season
Image by Freepik
It’s a busy and stressful time for our senior pupils, as they begin their exams this month. It’s extra important to look after yourself and your mental health during these kinds of stressful times.
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.
Good luck to everyone starting exams next week!
New books
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.
Romance
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
Fantasy
Tyger / by S. F. Said & Dave McKean
The kingdom over the sea / by Zohra Nabi & Tom Clohosy Cole
The ivory key / by Akshaya Raman
Spooky
Most haunted theatres / by Yvette Fielding & Hannah Shaw
Jodie / by Hilary McKay & Keith Robinson
Wise creatures / by Deirdre Sullivan
Fabia & Hunnah in S3 are keen readers of new and trending fiction and popped in after school to chat about books.
“A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” is such a thrilling book! It’s about a high school girl named Pip who decides to investigate a murder case for a school project. As she delves deeper, she uncovers secrets and twists that keep you on the edge of your seat. The book is full of suspense and unexpected turns. It’s a real page-turner! If you enjoy mysteries, you’ll love this one! Fabia, S3
“The Inheritance Games” 
For World Book Day, I recommend ‘A Song of Wraith and Ruin’ by Roseanne A. Brown. I rated this book five stars. It is a fast paced, action-packed story about two people who experience love, loss, betrayal and it is very bingeable! It honestly felt almost like watching a movie (I even bought my own copy after reading it).
I loved that this book doesn’t portray black people as the negative stereotype seen in films, but instead portrays us as exactly what we are. Human. Chantelle, S6
This quirky title is an unusual mix of manga and traditional novel styles, with cartoons then followed by a chapter of writing. The story itself is great too. It’s about Julian who meets a rabbit called Chie-san who leads him to the Tokyo Ghost Cafe. There Mama-san welcomes them to this strange and unusual place, and tells them that she has found a young boy called Akira-San who has wondered into the cafe and told her that he is lost and needs to go home. Mama-san asks them to guide Akira-San home. However, this isn’t straightforward as Akira-san doesn’t quite know where home is and no-one really knows who he is. As each trip progresses, Akira-san seems to remember more and more about home along the way. However the group are met by set backs such as tigers, temples, crocodiles and snow blizzards – which stop them in their tracks. You’ll love this action packed adventure – with the unusual styles and Japanese words to learn thrown in – you won’t be able to put it down… Lochend loves it !
S1 pupils enjoyed our special writing competition for Book Week Scotland. This competition was pupil led and inspired by award winning author Lindsay Littleson’s book EuroSpies. The mission was: “Write a job application to become a Spy” Some great entries. Lindsay thought they would definitely get the job!
