Library Newsletter 3: Summer 2016
Another school year has come to an end, and with it comes another edition of the library’s newsletter. In this edition, you’ll find some suggestions for reading that may expand your horizons, a report on our exciting visit to Stormont to meet the UK Children’s Laureate Chris Riddell, and information on our Summer Challenge. Have a lovely break. Miss Skipper.
Chris Riddell Chris Riddell, the UK’s Children’s Laureate, made a visit to Northern Ireland in the last week of April. Excitingly, the library was invited to take three th pupils to Stormont on Wednesday 27 April to take part in a special ‘meet the illustrator’ event run by BookTrust and the School Library Association of Northern Ireland! In collaboration with the art department, three Year 8 boys were invited to take part in this. We arrived at Stormont at 10am, and made our way to the Long Gallery, which was quickly filling up with pupils from around 20 other schools across Northern Ireland – over 100 pupils took part in the event! Chris gave a humorous talk about his life, covering how his love of art encouraged him to read, his day to day work as an illustrator, and his love of libraries and librarians (which went down particularly well with the audience!). He then held a question and answer session, followed by a book signing. Our three lucky pupils had each been given a copy of Chris’s most recent book Doodle-a-Day, which he very kindly signed and personalised for them before we returned to Campbell.
Summer Challenge Once again, the library has set a challenge for you over the summer! This year, we have eight challenges for you, which range from designing a new book jacket to creating a playlist for a book. You do not have to do all eight challenges, but you will receive a house point for each challenge you complete. Completing all eight challenges over the holidays will earn you a book-ish prize and entry into a draw to win a book token, as well as eight house points. You can find the challenge booklet online on issuu or on Firefly – have fun!
Ask a Librarian My son has read the entire Diary of a Wimpy Kid series – what else might he enjoy? I couldn’t start this list with anything other than the original diary of teenage angst, The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole! Although perhaps somewhat dated in terms of the cultural references, the underlying humour and day to day trials of Adrian still ring true to today’s teenagers.
Books that have a similar format to Diary of a Wimpy Kid include Lincoln Pierce’s Big Nate series, which is often credited with inspiring Jeff Kinney, and is another book that combines text and cartoon illustrations to great comedic effect. Diary of a Wimpy Vampire by Tim Collins parodies the original series – Nigel Mullet is miserable; transformed into a vampire at the age of 15, he is faced with the prospect of spending eternity at school, ignored by the love of his life Chloe. In the first title in the World of Norm series, the hapless main character is completely confused after moving house – can life get any worse? Finally, James Patterson’s Middle School series follows Rafe Khatchadorian through his school days, dealing with friends and family along the way. Dark Lord: The Teenage Years is the first in a humorous series of novels about an all-powerful warlord from another planet banished to Earth and trapped in the body of a 13 year old schoolboy. For more comic novels, the shortlist for the Lollies prize is well worth looking at, as are the past winners of its former incarnation, the Roald Dahl Funny Prize. If you have a book-ish question you’d like our librarian to answer, please do get in touch!
Summer Reading One of the best things about reading is the power a good book has to transport you to a different world, introduce you to different characters and cultures, and open your mind to new ideas. The following six books are all great stories that can help us learn a little more about the world around us from a different perspective. The Cloud Hunters - Alex Shearer
The Child’s Elephant - Rachel Campbell-Johnston
The Weight of Water - Sarah Crossan
In a world of conformity, The Cloud Hunters are outsiders, outcasts – best kept at arm’s length. For Christien, they represent adventure, independence and romance – everything he has been waiting for.
When a baby elephant is left orphaned on the African savannah, Bat, a young herdsboy, takes her home and cares for her. But Bat’s grandmother knows that Meya cannot stay with them forever – the call of the wild will always be sounding in her soul.
Armed with a suitcase and an old laundry bag filled with clothes, Kasienka and her mother head for England.
And there are rumours born on the wind; frightening stories of kidnapping and suffering and war.
But when someone special swims into her life, Kasienka learns that there might be more than one way for her to stay afloat.
In his world, water is a rare luxury. Only the Cloud Hunters are brave enough to sail through the skies full of danger to find it…
Life is lonely for Kasienka. At home her mother's heart is breaking and at school friends are scarce.
When Jenine, the exotic and alluring Cloud Hunter girl, arrives at school one day, he sees a chance to make his dream come true. At last he will see the sky’s magical, deadly creatures for himself. But will he find all that he hopes for when he sets sail with her family?
Bat and his closest friend, Muka, are catapulted into a new life of unimaginable terror. Now memories of their village world feel so far away. Will the bond between elephant and child remain strong enough to save them?
Caught in the Crossfire - Alan Gibbons
Oranges in No Man’s Land - Elizabeth Laird
Guantanamo Boy - Anna Perera
Shockwaves sweep the world in the aftermath of 11 September. The Patriotic League barely need an excuse in their fight to get Britain back for the British, but this is chillingly perfect.
Ayesha lives in a battle-scarred building with her granny. Outside, a war is ripping the city apart – but Ayesha doesn’t even know why the two sides are fighting.
Khalid, a fifteen year old Muslim boy from Rochdale, is abducted from Pakistan while on holiday with his family.
Rabia and Tahir are British Muslims, Daz and Jason are out looking for trouble, Mike and Liam are brothers on different sides.
Life gets even scarier when Granny’s medicine runs out. So Ayesha takes matters into her own hands – and in her search for a doctor makes the forbidden journey across no man’s land…
None of them will escape unscarred from the terrifying and tragic events which will weave their lives together.
He is taken to Guantanamo Bay and held without charge, where his hopes and dreams are crushed under the cruellest of circumstances. An innocent denied his freedom at a time when Western boys are finding theirs, Khalid tries and fails to understand what's happening to him and cannot fail to be a changed young man.
Non-Fiction Focus
Pop-Up New York – Jennie Maizels
World Book Day On March 3rd we celebrated World Book Day with a range of activities. Each boy in Years 8-10 was given a £1 book token that could be spent on a specially produced World Book Day book, or alternatively used to receive a £1 discount on a book of his choice. The library also organised a ‘Big Book Quiz’ competition for tutor groups to take part in, which was won by the following tutor groups: Year 8 Alden’s, Year 9 Dobbin’s and Year 10 Yates’s.
Librarian: Cath Skipper Campbell College Library Belmont Road Belfast BT4 2ND Tweet: @ccb_library
Although perhaps aimed at slightly younger readers, this is an engrossing pop-up introduction to New York. It’s packed with fascinating facts about the city, and the paper engineering helps to give you a sense of the scale of the city. Illustrations and facts cover both the front and the back of the pop up scenery, and this ensures that you spot something new every time you read it. It was the Children’s Choice winner of the School Library Association’s Information Book Award in 2015 – which came as no surprise to our book group who shadowed the award earlier in the year!