The Library
We have bought some fantastic new books with the money we raised from the book fair. Here are just a few.
Just some of the pictures from World Book Day 2021
World Book Day Activities Grid
Try something different. 50 top titles recommended by The Library this World Book Day
World Book Day. Book Review Templates
We've used some money we got from Tesco to add some great fiction and non-fiction books to our library. Thank you to anyone who helped collect the tokens earlier this year.
The Good Thieves by Katherine Rundell.
The Good Thieves is an amazing adventure story that pits a group of mismatched children against one of the most notorious gangsters of 1920s New York.
Rundell’s fiesty main character Vita has travelled to New York with her mother to support her ailing grandfather Jack, after he has been cheated out of his home and possessions by Victor Sorrotore, a powerful and ruthless mob boss.
Vita devises a plan to outwit her enemies and return Hudson Castle to its rightful owner. Her accomplices are three young circus performers, whose unique skills are ideally suited to pulling off this incredible heist as well as an orphaned, pickpocket whom they encounter by chance.
The book is probably most suited to year 4 and above. It raises some interesting questions such as: what lengths should you go to right a wrong, is it ok to steal back something that has been stolen from you and how far can you go to achieve that? For anyone who enjoyed Rundell’s other books, Rooftoppers, Wolf Wilder or perhaps the Cogheart series by Peter Bunzl, this is an obvious choice.
'Something Else'
Why not listen and watch ‘Something Else’ by Katherine Cave being read aloud by clicking on this link.
It’s very powerful book, beautifully illustrated by Chris Riddell. It’s a book that makes you think and ask questions. Here are some questions for you to think about or discuss with others.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx4AjMOf5ps
What mood is Something else in at the very start of the book?
How everyone else treat him and why?
What did Something Else do to try and fit in?
How does Something Else feel about his visitor at first?
How does he treat his visitor?
What happens when he looks in a mirror?
What does Something Else realise?
What do think the message of the book is?
A Bear Hunt with Michael Rosen
We all know Michael Rosen’s book, ‘We’re going on a Bear Hunt’, right?
Click the link below to see the man himself read the book, make the noises and do the actions. Why don’t you do them too and get a grown up to join you? They’ll love it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gyI6ykDwds
Then, if you want to create your own ‘Bear Hunt’ bear to hide around your house or to make some cut-out bear ears to wear yourself, copy and paste the link below into your browser.
'How to be a Lion' by Ed Vere
Check out this story read by the author and illustrator Ed Vere. It’s called ‘How to be a Lion’ and is a lovely tale about friendship and other stuff I’d like you to think about if you do decide to watch. Just click the link to hear the story.
Like all good stories, this one you thinking. Talk to someone about these questions or just think about them and see if you can come up with some answer.
How is Leonard different to what “they say” a lion should be?
What happens when Leonard plays with words?
Would you expect a lion and duck to be friends? Explain your answer.
What’s the message of this story?
James Campbell on Facebook
If you want some fun with books, James Campbell is doing a Facebook Live page every day where you get a say in what he reads from his two books, ‘The Funny Life of Teachers’ and
‘The Funny Life of Pets’. Some of you might remember him from the camp out last summer. He’s really funny and a great writer so why not have a look.
Amelia Fang and the Unicorn Lords by Laura Ellen Anderson
Amelia Fang is an adventurous young vampire who lives in the kingdom of Nocturnia with her friends Florence (a rare breed of yeti), Grimaldi Reaperton (a kind of young version of the grim reaper), Squashy (her pet pumpkin) and Prince Tangine La Floofle the First (a rather spoilt half vampire, half fairy).
The story begins with the friends agreeing to help Tangine’s father, King Vladimir in his ongoing search for his beloved wife Fairyweather (a lovely fairy) who has been missing somewhere in the Kingdom of Light for many years. The King is cheered by the fact that Amelia and chums have agreed to go with him to the Kingdom of Light, which is seen by the people of Nocturnia as a treacherous place. Amelia has discovered though that it’s not quite as scary as she and her friends have been led to believe. To avoid suspicion when they get there, because the people they will meet believe (wrongly) that the inhabitants of Nocturnia are nasty things, the chums dress up as creatures from the Kindom of Light ,so as not to cause undue panic when they arrive. Kitted out as fairies, a daisy, a unicorn, a ladybird and an angel kitten, they set off in search of Sherryweather.
Unfortunately, their adventure gets off to a bad start, when they encounter the Wishing Well of Wishes where, due to Florence getting in a muddle, King Vladimir gets turned into a bee. Things take a turn for the better soon after though, when they meet a cheery and extremely helpful Leprechaun, called McSparkle who tells them about his plans to go to the magical city of Glitteropolis, accessible only by the Rainbow Rail. They join their new-found friend and head to the city that seems to promise eternal happiness and safety, in the hope of finding Sherryweather. However, not all is quite as it seems. The Unicorn Lords that rule the city guard several sinister secrets which Amelia and her friends are about to discover.
A wonderfully funny twist on fairytale conventions, this book is ideal for children from seven years and upwards. It’s a fun read for adults too. As well as laugh out loud moments, it’s also a book that raises serious questions that will provide excellent discussion as the reader progresses through the book. Beautifully illustrated by the author, it’s a great book to share and read alongside someone else and the fact the main character is a girl, hints at some of the barriers and preconceptions that the author is trying to challenge.
A new display has gone up in the library today.
We have purchased some beautiful and informative books on the subject of caring for our planet.
Next week is Children’s Mental Health Week. There is a display in the library with colouring, activities and relevant books.
Joe Lewis (yr5) and Lucy Macmillan (yr4) have written some book reviews we'd like to share with you.
Lime and Hazel classes made good use of their library time.
New ICT books for the library.
Thank you to our parents who generously donated some new books
The new reading buddies in the library have been well-received. We're encouraging children to read out loud to them.
It was wonderful to see children and parents/carers/grandparents enjoying our library on World Book Day.
Some new library books arrived this week, thanks to Mrs Burrell's contacts on the Carnegie Children's Book Award panel.
Hazel Class Enjoying the library on a Friday afternoon
Oak Class enjoying library time
Most Tuesday and Thursdays Mr Phillips will be available after school between 3.30pm and 4.30pm if any parents have any questions or queries about anything relating to children’s reading habits, book recommendations or plans for the library. Any queries he is unable to answer at the time will be looked into and if at all possible provided at a later date. If Mr Phillips is unavailable, please leave questions written down in the library suggestion box.
It's great to see that all the new books and furniture we now have, thanks to our wonderful PTA, are being put to good use.
The new library is proving very popular.
The new library furniture has arrived.
