Harry Potter's Christmas Quiz

Have you got a spellbinding Christmas lined up? Try the Harry Potter Christmas quiz and find out if your Hogwarts knowledge is simply wizard! Go to

http://www.guardian.co.uk/childrens-books-site

and see what you score..

Guinness World Records 2012

Want to know about the fastest animal, tallest building, highest mountain or deepest ocean? Discover 1000's of records in Guinness World Records 2012. Look out for over 900 new photos and a stunning 3D book cover. Put it on your Christmas list now!

New Release
Twilight fans can rejoice that Breaking Dawn – Part 1 is now in cinemas. Fans of the series have waited a long time for the final book to come to the big screen and will have to wait until next year for the very final instalment.

The new series ‘Frozen Planet’ on BBC One takes you on the ultimate polar expedition. You will learn about the frozen wildernesses of the Arctic and Antarctic as Sir David Attenborough explains about the geography of the region, the impact of the changing seasons and the wildlife that struggle to survive there. Have a look at the BBC website for more info and remember to tune in on Wednesdays at 9:00pm.

Catherine Fisher named young people's laureate

A writer from Newport, Catherine Fisher, has been named Wales' first Young People's Laureate.

Literature Wales said the Young People's Laureate post is the first of its kind in the UK and aims to inspire young people in Wales to become involved with reading and creative writing.

Comicmaker!

There are loads of really great websites which help you make your own comics. If you like Doctor Who, try http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/comicmaker/

This site allows you to look at comics, design your own and includes hints and tips for storytelling from Dr Who writer, Russell T Davies.

Keep up with the news!

First News is a weekly national newspaper aimed at children aged 7-14 and is now available in the Learning Resource Centre. It is published every Friday and delivers all the important stories in an easy to understand format. Why not call in and catch up with what's happening in the world?

Black History Month (BHM)is held every October in Britain, and February in USA and Canada.

The aims are to:

Promote knowledge of Black History , Cultural and Heritage
Provide information on positive Black contributions to British Society
Heighten awareness of cultural heritage.
To find out more go to

http://www.black-history-month.co.uk/

The Fear

Mothers and fathers, older brothers, sisters and best friends. No one escaped its touch. Now children across London are being hunted by ferocious grown-ups . . .

They're hungry. They're bloodthirsty...and they aren't giving up.

Find out more about this third book in the 'Enemy' series by Charlie Higson at http://www.charliehigson.co.uk

Planet Dinosaur

This new series deals with recent discoveries and the kinds of terrible lizards not much was known about in the past. The star of episode one was a Spinosaurus, all the way from North Africa, a carnivore that looked like a crocodile with distended legs and a hunchback. At 18 metres long, it wasn't the sort of thing you'd like to bump into!
Follow the series on BBC1 every Wednesday at 8.30.

Harry Potter Premiere

The final film in the Harry Potter series, 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2', will premiere on July 7.
The cast, filmmakers and guests attending the final Harry Potter premiere will start the evening on the red carpet in Trafalgar Square before strolling up the road to Leicester Square to watch the film.
The film will be on general release from 15 July.

Author Visit

A huge thank you to Phil Hill who visited us twice this term to talk about his new book 'The Red Chair'. He talked about the writing process, how he thinks up ideas for storylines and how he creates characters. The students then had a go at creating some characters and storylines of their own.
Phil also visited the 'Books for Boys' group to read the final chapter of 'Deadline'.

Can't find what you want?

If there is a book that you would like to read and you can't find it in the LRC, just pop in and fill in a 'Have Your Say' form and I'll do my best to track it down!

My Kinda Book!

http://www.mykindabook.com/
is a website packed with information about newly published titles, author profiles, competitions, YouTube clips and much more.

Winning Website

If you are interested in finding out the latest information about new books, try the website http://www.guardian.co.uk/childrens-books-site

Why not try the 'swotty characters in fiction' quiz, browse the '10 most frightening books for teenagers' list, watch new audio and video clips and read news, views and opinions of some of the best new fiction for teenage readers.

Book Club Shadow the Carnegie Book Award

Our Book Club members are currently reading the titles shortlisted for the Carnegie Book Award. There is a wide variety of fiction on the shortlist, from gothic horror to adventure and science fiction.

Reviews and comments on the books can be found on the shadowing area of the Carnegie website http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk

Calling older readers!

Richard and Judy have just announced their Summer Book Club reads. There are eight novels on the list include thrillers, mysteries, period drama and family stories. Offers are available at W H Smith and details of all titles can be found at http://www.richardandjudy.co.uk/

Book Club

We are currently reading 'If I Stay' by Gayle Forman.

In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident.
Now she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck...

Look out for our reviews of this moving novel on the library notice board.

Skulduggery Pleasant

Skulduggery Pleasant is the debut novel by Derek Landy and the first of the Skulduggery Pleasant series. The novel crosses the horror, comedy, mystery and fantasy genres. The story follows the character Skulduggery Pleasant, an undead sorcerer and detective, with his partner Stephanie Edgley (Valkyrie Cain), and numerous magic-wielding allies as they try to prevent Nefarian Serpine from unleashing a weapon of terrible power on the world. It won the coveted Red house Children’s Book Award in 2007. There are now five books in the series. To find out more go to: http://www.skulduggerypleasant.co.uk/

Carnegie Shortlist Announced

The importance of finding common ground and forging friendships across seemingly unbridgeable divides forms a unifying theme for the six novels for young people on the 2011 CILIP Carnegie Medal shortlist.
"In the context of a fascinating variety of settings, each novel shortlisted for this year's Medal offers a compelling narrative of its time" comments Ferelith Hordon, Children's Librarian for Wandsworth Library Service and Chair of this year's CILIP Carnegie Judging Panel.
"These writers are brave, and some might say controversial in their choices of subject matter for young people – the Spanish Inquisition; gruesome investigations into the afterlife; and the violence at the heart of Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe to name but three. But the quality of their writing ensures that the big questions are always treated in a way that is both thoughtful and completely absorbing." Now in its seventy fourth year, the CILIP Carnegie Medal is the UK's oldest and most prestigious book award for outstanding writing for children. It is the prize writers describe as the one they want to win.

Readathon Winners

Congratulations to the winners of the Reading Rocket Readathon that took place over the last 2 weeks. Prizes and certificates were awarded to the following students for reading the greatest number of books:
Alysha Maiorov and Simon Underhill, Year 7.
Emily Hurn and Daniel Holder, Year 8.

Need some help with revision?

Then try this website:
http://www.sparknotes.com/
This site has Sparknotes for loads of different subjects.

Just click on the list of Sparknotes on the Homepage to see the full list of subjects covered.

Great for GCSE and beyond!

Students in Key Stage 3 took part in a Book Title Treasure Hunt for World Book Day. All staff wore a badge showing a famous children’s book and students had to collect as many book titles as possible by the end of World Book Day. Prize winners were Caitlin Martin, Adam Fullwood, Chelsea Scott and Joseph Enos. Well done everybody!

Happy World Book Day!

Key Stage 3 students should now have been given a World Book Day voucher each. If you haven’t had your voucher, come along to the LRC to collect one. Just take your token into W H Smith and exchange it for one of the great books on the World Book Day stand.
Also, GOOD LUCK for the book title Treasure Hunt! Collect as many book titles as you can by writing down the title on the badges that the staff are wearing.
Prizes for those who collect the most!

World Book Day

There are only 3 days to go until World Book Day. Look out for some great competitions in school for Year 7 & 8 students and don't forget to pick up a World Book Day token for a free book available from W H Smiths or Waterstones. Tokens will be available from Year 7 & 8 form tutors.
If you want to learn more about what's going on, go to http://www.worldbookday.com/

Book Club chooses a Richard and Judy read!

Our Key Stage 4 and staff Book Club are about to start reading a novel from the Richard and Judy shortlist. 'Major Pettigrew's Last Stand' by Helen Simonson is set in a sleepy village, where the Major likes to lead a quiet life. All that changes when he finds his feelings deepening towards the village shopkeeper, Mrs Ali. Now, Major Pettigrew must look at his life in a new way and decide what matters most - family, tradition or love.....

Look out for the review board in the LRC to see what we think about this novel. Will we agree with Richard and Judy??

Eric Carle to write first book in four years for Puffin

Do you remember reading 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' when you were younger?
This book is much loved by children and adults alike.

Puffin is to publish a new picture book by author Eric Carle, his first in four years. 'The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse' will be published in October 2011. The book is inspired by Expressionist painter Franz Marc, who used blue horses in his paintings, with Carle's work telling the story of an artist who paints the world as he sees it, imagining a red crocodile, an orange elephant, a purple fox and a black polar bear.

Carle said: "When I was in high school, in World War II Germany, I was secretly shown works by the banned Expressionist painters by my teacher Herr Krauss. This was an experience that changed my life and had a deep impact on me."

We have a good selection of picture books in the LRC for all ages. Why not come in and and see for yourself?

Holocaust Memorial Day

Holocaust Memorial Day (27 January) is a national event dedicated to the remembrance of the victims of the Holocaust. It was first held in January 2001 and has been on the same date every year since. The chosen date is the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp by the Soviet Union in 1945.
Some absorbing reads about the Holocaust are shown here.

Calling Key Stage 4 & 5 Readers!

The 2011 list of titles for the Richard and Judy Spring Book Club have just been announced.
Once again Richard and Judy will review one of the eight books selected every fortnight, and exclusive interviews with each author can be read by going to the W H Smiths website at http://whsmith.co.uk/ and following the link. Why not get involved in what is on its way to becoming Britain’s biggest Book Club?
Don't forget, you can also write your own reviews and vote for your favourite book too!