READING NEWSLETTER
Issue No. 5 Winter
Welcome to our festive edition of the St Cuthbert’s Reading Newsletter. In this issue, we continue to reflect and update you on how we have promoted and celebrated reading this half term and hear from book-loving pupils, students, and staff. We would like to take this opportunity to wish you a very Happy Christmas and best wishes for 2024.
The library is in full operation!
The library is quickly becoming a central hub within our school community. Approximately, 150 to 200 pupils and students visit the library every day, whether that is before school, at break and lunch times, or after school. Throughout the term, we have also hosted chess tournaments where pupils have competed against each other to become the champion. In total, we now have 3000 books on the shelves and 4500 e-books and audio books. We have 28 pupil librarians who help with shelving, checking out books and general management of the library. We also host reading challenges for prizes - check out the festive one in this edition!
Book Fai r The library hosted the school’s first Scholastic Book Fair this term. With hundreds of titles for pupils to choose from, there was something for everyone. This was a wonderful opportunity for pupils to choose their own books and inspire them to become lifelong readers. Every purchase at the fair benefited our school with free books for the library.
CHRISTMAS BINGO READING CHALLENGE This Christmas holiday pupils and students have the chance to complete mini-reading challenges through our Christmas Reading Bingo. For every row of challenges completed, pupils and students will have their name entered into a prize draw! So, cosy up with some of those leftover Christmas chocolates and a good book. See our recommended festive reads in this edition to give you some inspiration...
l Literature An interview with Stan Zarzycki, Year 13 A Leve student, on his reading experiences. is an escape from the erses me in narratives and it I enjoy reading because it imm and exploring other different perspectives of society world. I really enjoy reading cultures. book has to be Percy audiences, I think my favourite r nge you for is it ugh tho n Eve ve plot, characterisation because of the exciting narrati Jackson and the Last Olympian and tension. and the build up of suspense revision for my Stoker’s Dracula as part of my I’m currently re-reading Bram rature because I enjoy se to study A level English lite cho I ms. exa l leve A ing om upc authors criticise the to understand how and why critically analysing texts and worlds in which they lived.
An interview with Mrs Ca rter, Teacher of Computer Science. What is your favour
ite book and why? ‘The Long Walk’ by Richard Bachma n (Stephen King). This was the first Sci-Fi story I’d ever read (and the Stephen King). Set in a Dystopian first by America, 100 young men voluntee r to walk without rest across America surviving Walker earns a large sum . The last of money and a "prize" of his cho ice...but all is not as it seems. When and where do you most. like
I have a reading chair in the corner
For me, reading is a way to escape
of the sitting room and it is perfect
to read?
for relaxing with a good book and
a cup of tea.
Why do you enjoy reading?
the stresses and hustle and bustle of every day life. I love to visualise the characters and places described in the books I read.
What are you curren
tly reading? ‘The Shovel and the Loom’ by Carl Frie dman. This is the original book vers ion of one of my favourite films (‘Le Luggage’). Set in 1970s Belgium, it ft is about a Jewish student who beco mes a nanny for a Hasidic family and redi scov her Jewish identity. I'm enjoying ers the book more than the film so far!
How can you support your son's reading at home? Watch a film version and then read the book. Ask questions about the book your son has taken out of the library. Use the words of the week around the home.
Allocate at least 20 minutes each evening to reading (maybe just before bed). Read aloud with/to your son. Listen to audiobooks with your son. Read a festive book together.
BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS YEAR 7 The Accidental Father Christmas by Tom McLaughlin
The Christmas Pig by J.K. Rowling
Ben has one important thing on his Christmas list, and it's the same thing every year. He wants his dad to be at home for Christmas. But his wish never comes true. And Ben's starting to get a bit sceptical about Father Christmas's existence, he needs proof. So, on Christmas Eve, he sets up an elaborate booby trap to capture the jolly bearded fella as he comes sliding down the chimney. Kicking off a sequence of hilarious events that makes this Christmas the most bonkers ever!
Jack loves his childhood toy, Dur Pig. DP has always been there for him, through good and bad. Until one Christmas Eve, something terrible happens - DP is lost. But Christmas Eve is a night for miracles and lost causes, a night when all things can come to life... even toys. And Jack's newest toy - the Christmas Pig (DP's annoying replacement) - has a daring plan: Together they'll embark on a magical journey to seek something lost, and to save the best friend Jack has ever known...
YEAR 8 A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig
Virtually Christmas by David Baddiel
You are about to read the TRUE STORY of Father Christmas. If you believe that some things are impossible, you should put this book down right away. (Because this book is FULL of impossible things.) Are you still reading? Good. Then let us begin . . A Boy Called Christmas is a tale of adventure, snow, kidnapping, elves, more snow and an 11-year-old boy called Nikolas who isn't afraid to believe in magic..
YEAR9
It used to be the most WONDERFUL time of the year, but for years Christmas has been taken over by Winterzone. All the things that made Christmas special are gone: the human connection, the baubles passed down through generations, even the rubbish cracker jokes. Instead, Christmas is run by robots, while 3D holograms of Santa Claus called Santavatars check if you’ve been naughty or nice – and on Christmas Eve, all of the presents are delivered by ZoneDrones instead of Santa’s reindeer! But when they stumble on a curious clue, eleven-year-old Etta and her friend Monty find themselves thrown into a fight to bring back Christmas. Racing against time and against the might of Winterzone, they must find the real Santa – before the true meaning of the festive season is lost forever . .
The Very Merry Murder Club by Serena Patel and Robin Stevens
A Very Curious Christmas by Maddie Moate Have you ever wondered why crackers go bang? Or where Christmas trees come from? Or why brussels sprouts make you fart? Maddie Moate is here to answer these questions and many more! From how toys work to where gingerbread comes from. You'll explore the science behind fairy lights, snowflakes, reindeer knees AND holly leaves! And you'll discover how different people around the world celebrate the Christmas period, and the curious history behind festive traditions. Prepare to be amazed at the wackiest Christmas facts including upside-down Christmas trees, flying panto fairies, and presents delivered by a goat.
The Christmas Murder Club by Lauren Munoz Lily Armitage never intended to return to Endgame House - the grand family home where her mother died twenty-one Christmases ago. Until she receives a letter from her aunt, asking her to return to take part in an annual tradition: the Christmas Game. The challenge? Solve twelve clues, to find twelve keys. The prize? The deeds to the manor house. So, for the twelve days of Christmas, Lily must stay at Endgame House with her estranged cousins and unravel the riddles that hold the key not just to the family home, but to its darkest secrets. However, it soon becomes clear that her cousins all have their own reasons for wanting to win the house - and not all of them are playing fair. This Christmas is to die for . . . Let the game begin!
Sleuthing through the snow, on a merry mysterious day, in disguise we go, investigating all the way . . . This gorgeous wintery collection brings together thirteen bestselling, award-winning and exciting debut authors: Abiola Bello, Annabelle Sami, Benjamin Dean, E.L. Norry, Elle McNicoll, Dominique Valente, Joanna Williams, Maisie Chan, Nizrana Farook, Patrice Lawrence, Roopa Farooki, Serena Patel and Sharna Jackson. With stunning illustrations by Harry Woodgate. Join them as part of the Very Merry Murder Club as they lead you on a snow-covered wintery journey of festive foul play and murderously magnificent mysteries!
KS4 Let it Snow by John Greene, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle
It's Christmas Eve and the worst blizzard for fifty years has blanketed Gracetown. But as well as snowflakes, love is in the air and appearing in the most unexpected ways . . . Who'd have thought a freezing hike from a stranded train would end with a delicious kiss from a charming stranger? Or that a trip to the Waffle House through four feet of snow could lead to romance with an old friend? Or that the path to true love begins with a painfully early morning shift at Starbucks? Touching, hilarious and filled with festive cheer, the magic of the holiday season shines on these three interconnected tales. The perfect book for a cold winter's night for any fan of The Fault in Their Stars, The Sun is Also a Star and Eleanor and Park.
“We have seen that boys read for enjoyment less than girls do. This tracks through to adulthood, even among adults who do buy books. 77% of females describe themselves as passionate about books and reading as opposed to 63% of males.” (Farshore and HarperCollins Children’s Books, 2023).
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