Welcome to our third and final St Cuthbert’s Reading Newsletter for this academic year. In this issue, we continue to reflect on how we have promoted and celebrated reading this half term and hear from book-loving pupils, students and staff. We hope your summer reading lists are coming along nicely. Happy reading!
In our last edition, we announced the launch of the St Cuthbert's Carnegie Shadowing Group The purpose of this group was to read the seven nominated books put forward potentially claim the Carnegie Medal, and to select the St Cuthberts' winner
Following an afternoon of debate, a panel of pupil judges declared 'I Must Betray You' b Ruta Sepetys as St Cuthbert’s choice for the winner of the Carnegie Medal and Best Book of the Year
Described as “powerful and entertaining” by Daniel Warkman in Year 9 and “ an intricately woven web of lies and deception” by Om Patel, also in Year 9, this wor historical fiction depicts one teenager’s reality in communist Romania, in the lead to the 1989 Romanian Revolution A deeply gripping and powerful read, steeped history, the book is a page turner!
Definitely one to add to your summer reading lists!
read me!
We are very excited to launch our e-book collection, which can be accessed here: https://www scchs org uk/academic-life/reading-the-library To mark the launch, we're setting all pupils and students a summer challenge Read one e-book per week, evidence you have read it with a book review and be entered into a prize draw! All book reviews should be emailed to library@scchs.org.uk.
To celebrate the diversity of the LGBTQ+ communities, and as part of Drop Everything and Read in form time, pupils read Sarah Hagger-Holt's Proud of Me
This is a beautiful coming-of-age story which focuses on the experiences of two siblings with two mums Pupils engaged with the story's powerful and important messages about the dangers of prejudice and the discrimination experienced by LGBTQ+ communities, as well as the importance of family and friendship
An interview with Luke Neillis, Year 12 A Level Literature student, on his reading experiences
I have always loved reading stories. Reading allows you to fully engross yourself in a narrative and a character's journey I love reading at home to relax My love of reading has inspired me to want to become a writer when I leave school My studies in A level English Literature have further inspired my love of reading and my ambition to write. My favourite books of all time are Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting and J. D Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye
I am currently reading Franz Kafka's Metamorphisis and Other Short stories and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter Thompson.
read me!
AninterviewwithMrCheema,TeacherofPE.
What is your favourite book and why?
HarryPotterandthePhilosopher'sStone.Icanrememberreadingthefirstpageandbeinginstantly hooked.It'salsothefirstbookIcanrememberreadingwhichreallyallowedmetousemyimagination.
When and where do you most like to read?
MyfavouriteplacetoreadisonholidaybythepoolasI'mabletoreadwithoutanydistractions.
Why do you enjoy reading?
Ienjoyreadingasyou'reabletoreallyimmerseyourselfinagoodbookanditallowsmetocontinuetouse myimaginationevennow.Ialsoreallyenjoyreadingautobiographiesandhearingdifferentstoriesabout people'slives,whichIfindinteresting.
What are you currently reading?
DavidGoggins- Can'tHurtMe:MasterYourMindandDefytheOdds
How can you support your son's reading at 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
Stan is going on holiday to Italy with his (fifth) best friend Felix and a load of strangers Stan is absolutely terrified
Luckily, his mum's given him an emergency list that includes how to survive a shark attack, and what to do if he gets kidnapped Stan thinks that a better list would include how to cope with odd food, and what to do if he accidentally calls Felix's mum 'mum' in front of everybody
Worst Holiday Ever is a funny story about facing fears, dealing with worries, and how it's OK to be anxious, scared, and sometimes a little bit brave
Ted Sparks’ brain works a bit differently than everyone else’s He notices things other do not Which is why he is the perfect detective While on holiday in New York City to visit his Aunt Gloria, a painting is stolen from the Guggenheim Museum, where his Aunt Gloria works
The news made national headlines, the missing painting is worth £98 million and now Aunt Gloria is the prime suspect Ted Sparks has to use all his skills and unique brain to help clear his Aunt’s name and find the the true criminals responsible A light summer holiday mystery to keep you on the edge of your seat
Red and her friends are on a road trip in an RV heading to the beach
It’s a long drive but spirits are high Until the RV breaks down in the middle of nowhere And as the wheels are shot out one by one the friends realise that this is no accident
There’s a sniper out there He’s watching them and he knows exactly who they are One of the group has a secret that the sniper is willing to kill for
As a game of cat-and-mouse plays out the group desperately tries to get help Buried secrets are forced to light and tensions within the group reach deadly levels Only one thing is for sure Not everyone will survive the night
Centred on the wealthy, Sinclair’s, a beautiful and distinguished family who spend every summer sitting gathered on their private island Their life is like a dream However, not every is as it seems
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy
A group of four friends-the Liars-whose friendship turns destructive
A revolution An accident A secret Lies upon lies
The truth
An exciting best-selling psychological thriller that will leave you guessing until the very last page
Katy Balen
From the 2022 winner of the Yoto Carnegie Medal, a touching story about blended families and making peace with change
Tom and Zofia are opposites Tom is quiet and timid, and Zofia is a storm, loud and raging
But Zofia’s and Tom’s parents are in love and having a baby Tom and Zofia both wish the stupid baby had never happened But then Tom's mum gets ill, and it begins to look horribly like their wish might come true Set in an idyllic seaside village, this is the perfect holiday book to read to the soundtrack of crashing waves
William Sutcliffe
It's the summer holidays, and thirteen-year-old Luke's life has been turned upside down First his older sister Rose moved 'across the road', where a community of climate rebels are protesting the planned airport expansion Then his dad followed her Dad only went to get Rose back, but now he's out there building totem poles, wearing sandals, and drinking mead (whatever that is) with the best of them
Can Luke save his family when all they want to do is save the planet?
A safe haven between four realms and the girl sworn to protect it at any cost Hidden deep in the mountains of Colorado lies the Inn at Havenfall a sanctuary that connects ancient worlds each with its own magic For generations, the inn has protected all who seek refuge within its walls, and any who disrupt the peace can never return
For Maddie Morrow, summers at the inn are more than a chance to experience this magic firsthand, where one day she hopes to inherit the role of Innkeeper from her beloved uncle
But this summer, the impossible happens a dead body is found, shattering everything the inn stands for With her friend missing, uncle gravely injured, and a dangerous creature on the loose, Maddie suddenly finds herself responsible for the safety of everyone in Havenfall As dark secrets are revealed about the inn itself one thing becomes clear to Maddie no one can be trusted, and no one is safe
Camino lives for the summers when her dad comes from New York to visit her in the Dominican Republic
When Camino leaves for the airport to meet her father arriving for the summer, everything is fine and full of hope When she reaches the airport everything changes in an instant when she learns of the plane crash
Suddenly she finds herself hurtling through a world of secrets, upheaval, and a sister she doesn’t know Cleverly told from two perspectives, this is a great holiday read for KS4
the Lines: the Benefits of Reading for Pleasure, 2015).
Studies have found that reading for pleasure enhances empathy, understanding of the self, and the ability to understand one's own and others' identities (J. Billington, Reading betweenHaven Fall by Sara Holland Five Survive by Holly Jackson We Were Liars by E. Lockhart Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
