READING NEWSLETTER
Issue No. 6 Spring
Welcome to our next 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.
Reading awards! With over 850 books and e-books checked out of the library this half term alone, it has been great to hear from pupils about how much they are enjoying what they read. From Manon Steffan Ros’s ‘The Blue Book of Nebo’ to the play-script of J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, there has been a lot of enthusiasm surrounding different narratives this half term. Pupils are encouraged to read widely through our Accelerated Reader programme and, from this, we are able to ensure pupils read books that are appropriate, track engagement, and track how many books pupils have read. We have recently awarded bronze, silver and gold awards to pupils in years 7-9, which are awarded to pupils who have read widely and have engaged with each and every one. Bronze is awarded to those pupils who have read 5 books; silver for 10 books, and gold for 25 books. Here is just a snapshot of some of the winners... Bronze: Mohammad Muzamil (Year 7); Matthew Lane (Year 8); Haroon Ahmed (year 9) Silver: Michael Hedley (Year 7); Matthew Boateng (Year 8); Zayed Miah (Year 9) Gold: Luke Brown (Year 7) Jaafar Al-sammarraie (year 8); Kevinas Rudzianskas (Year 9)
orm F comp etition We have also launched a form time competition, where all form classes compete against each other to read the most books. The winning form class will be invited to a pizza party. In the lead, currently, is 8O2 who have read 152 books collectively. Keep reading!
“IF READING BE THE FOOD OF LOVE, READ ON.” ...Okay, so Shakespeare did not actually write that. But his comment about music is just as relevant to reading! Especially this Valentine’s Day. The library has launched its Valentine’s reading challenge this half term. Pupils have been invited to write and submit a book recommendation, which outlines why they they love their favourite book and why somebody should read it. All entries will be rewarded with a sweet treat!
, Year 7 pupil, Book recommendations from Abdul Tanveer and Wilf Stewart, Year 10 pupil Abdul Tanveer (Year 7) ghlin Ate Our Brains’ by Tom McLau ‘The Day That Aliens Nearly right up until the end. read, which builds up tension "This book is a very interesting d on and on. This book is want to read and read and rea All of this tension makes you r read". one of the best books I have eve Wilf Stewart (Year 10) Castelle ‘Spellslinger’ by Sebastian De able and notable ing and exciting book with like "This is an incredibly interest g world building of a sation overall. There is amazin teri rac cha at gre h wit , ters charac it will have you ry has lots of twists and turns, very exciting universe. The sto hooked."
An interview with Mr Turn er, Head of Sixth Form What is your favourite boo
k and why? Boy on the shed - Paul Ferris; I'm not really here - Paul Lake; Adrian Doherty - Football's lost Genius. These books are all biographies/auto biographies based on professiona l sport and the challenges that it brin gs I also love a Jack Reacher book and have read the full series. When and where do you most. like to read? Big part of school holidays is give n over to reading. I read at least a chapter of my current book before going to sleep every night. I really enjoy reading about people
Why do you enjoy reading?
and the journeys that they have bee n on. I find reading to be very rela xing and provides lots of inspiration.
What are you currently readin
g? Bono - Surrender Next on my list is: Rafa: My Story and Ronnie O'Su llivan
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. Encourage your son to take out audiobooks from our e-library.
, Unbreakable
BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS YEAR 7 Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell Christopher is stunned when he discovers a passage to the Archipelago: a cluster of magical islands where all the creatures of myth still live and breed and thrive in their thousands. There he meets Mal: a girl from the islands, who is in possession of a flying coat and a baby griffin, and who is being pursued by a killer. Together they embark on an urgent quest to discover why the creatures are suddenly perishing, voyaging across the wild splendour of the Archipelago, where sphinxes hold secrets and centaurs do murder, in a bid to save both the islands and the world beyond them from a rising evil before it's too late
Foxlight by Katya Balen
Amulet: The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi A world of terrible, man-eating demons, a mechanical rabbit, a giant robot - and two ordinary children on a life-or-death mission. After the tragic death of their father, Emily and Navin move with their mother to the home of her deceased greatgrandfather, but the strange house proves to be dangerous. Before long, a sinister creature lures the kids' mom through a door in the basement. Em and Navin, desperate not to lose her, follow her into an underground world inhabited by demons, robots, and talking animals.
Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Fen and Rey were found curled up small and tight in the fiery fur of the foxes at the very edge of the wildlands. Fen is loud and fierce and free. She feels a connection to foxes and a calling from the wild that she's desperate to return to. Rey is quiet and shy and an expert on nature. She reads about the birds, feeds the lands and nurtures the world around her. They are twin sisters. Different and the same. Separate and connected. They will always have each other, even if they don't have a mother and don't know their beginning. But they do want answers. Answers to who their mother is and where she might be. What their story is and how it began. So when a fox appears late one night at the house, Fen and Rey see it as a sign - it's here to lead them to their truth, find their real family and fill the missing piece they have felt since they were born.
YEAR 8
Young Sophie Hatter from the land of Ingary catches the unwelcome attention of the Witch of the Waste and is put under a spell... Deciding she has nothing more to lose, Sophie makes her way to the moving castle that hovers on the hills above her town, Market Chipping. But the castle belongs to the dreaded Wizard Howl, whose appetite, they say, is satisfied only by the souls of young girls... There Sophie meets Michael, Howl's apprentice, and Calcifer the fire demon, with whom she agrees a pact. Her entanglements with Calcifer, Howl and Michael and her quest to break her curse come alive with Diana Wynne Jones's unique combination of magic, humour and imagination.
YEAR9 Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman
Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon Maddy is allergic to the world; stepping outside the sterile sanctuary of her home could kill her. But then Olly moves in next door. And just like that, Maddy realizes there's more to life than just being alive. You only get one chance at first love. And Maddy is ready to risk everything, everything to see where it leads.
Sephy is a Cross: she lives a life of privilege and power. But she's lonely, and burns with injustice at the world she sees around her. Callum is a nought: he's considered to be less than nothing - a blanker, there to serve Crosses - but he dreams of a better life. They've been friends since they were children, and they both know that's as far as it can ever go. Noughts and Crosses are fated to be bitter enemies - love is out of the question. Then - in spite of a world that is fiercely against them - these starcrossed lovers choose each other. But this is love story that will lead both of them into terrible danger . . . and which will have shocking repercussions for generations to come.
They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera On September 5, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They're going to die today. Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they're both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: There's an app for that. It's called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure--to live a lifetime in a single day. !
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe By Benjamin Alire Sae Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has a unique perspective on life. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they develop a special friendship – the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about the universe, themselves and the kind of people they want to be. .
“Reading enjoyment levels dropped between the Spring lockdown in 2020 and early 2021. This was true particularly for boys.” (National Literacy Trust, 2023).
KS4