Upcoming author visit: Phil Earle

The GCH Library are delighted to announce that another great author will be visiting us soon! 

Award-winning novelist Phil Earle will be visiting Grey Coat on Monday 7th February.

He will be speaking to all students from years 7 and 8 during period one about his latest book When the sky falls. Phil will also be hosting a workshop for a smaller group of students later in the morning.

Copies of When the sky falls will be available to purchase on Monday 7th but we advise students to pre-order a copy from the Library to avoid disappointment. Books will be sold at the special GCH price of £6 rather than the standard £7.99!

Phil will also be available to sign books at break.

If you'd like to read a book by Phil Earle before his visit we have a good range of his works available right here in St Andrew's Library.

Titles here include: When the sky falls, Saving Daisy, Mind the gap, Heroic, The bubble wrap boy and Being Billy. 

Remember, order forms must be in by Thursday 3rd February!

When the sky falls by Phil Earle

'Inspired by a true story. Its 1940, and Joseph has been packed off to stay with Mrs F, a gruff woman with no great fondness for children. To Joseph's amazement, she owns the rundown city zoo where Joseph meets Adonis, a huge silverback gorilla. Adonis is ferociously strong and dangerous, but Joseph finds he has an affinity with the lonely beast, But when the bombs begin to fall, it is up to Joseph to guard Adonis's cage should it be damaged by a blast. Will Joseph be ready to pull the trigger if it comes to it?'

Writing Competition: British Asian Own Voices

Are you aged 11-14 and love writing stories? Do you have a fascinating story about your family to tell?

Scholastic are currently looking for own voices to contribute to their new book Bedtime Stories: Amazing Asian Tales from the Past which will publish in the UK in October 2022.

Bedtime Stories: Amazing Asian Tales from the Past will be an inspiring new book of stories based on real historical events that celebrate and share British Asian experiences. 

The competition will be judged by a panel including an editor from Scholastic Children’s Books.

The winning story will be included in the published book and the writer will receive a huge inclusive collection of books for their school.

Conditions:

Stories must be by writers 7-14

Stories must not exceed 1,500 words in length

They must be based on real history – perhaps based on your family or local history near to you

To enter, submit your story by 14th February 2022 to publicity@scholastic.co.uk with the subject line ‘Bedtime Stories entry for Amazing Asian Tales from the Past’

Looking for inspiration? Scholastic have also provided the following writing prompts to get you started!

- What story would be important for others to hear?

- Talk to your family for ideas.

- Explore your local area's history for any hidden stories.

- Is there something that you want to know more about?

Story starter sentences from Scholastic:

- Once upon a time, there was a...

- One of the most interesting things about...

-You'll never guess what happened!

- Despite the fact that....

-I must tell you about...

For more information please see the Scholastic webpage: Scholastic Competition: Bedtime Stories, Amazing Asian Tales from the Past. Please ask at the desk if you have any questions too!

GCH Most Popular Books: Reviews by our Pupil Librarians

Following on from our earlier post on the top books of 2021, our Pupil Librarians have kindly reviewed their favourites for us to share!

Black Butler by Yana Toboso - reviewed by Marisa 10G

'Black Butler by Yana Toboso was one of the best mangas I've read. The lore is thrilling and captivating at times, and paired with the art in the book, is a visual treat for readers. The characters have three dimensional personalities, making you feel sympathy, anger and joy as this story progresses which is a rare and impressive feat.'

Run Rebel by Manjeet Mann- reviewed by Anu 9G 

'This is a verse novel, young adult fiction book. It is about Amber, a young girl who is struggling to free herself from the oppression of her father's rules, when all she wants to do is run. I really enjoyed reading this book. My favourite character was Amber herself because she really has to struggle to find it within herself to stand up. She has a lot of troubles at home and at school yet she still manages to do what she loves. I would give this book five stars and I would recommend it to people who like stories about rebellion and verse novels.' 

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - reviewed by Lena 8G

'This book is the second book of the Hunger Games. This book is full of plot twists and surprises and is very exciting and I would definitely recommend it.  As in the first book she wins the games, in this one in the beginning Katniss and Peter live their lives after the games - although its not the same. They also go on to the other districts and if you read the book you will find out what happens. The next games is coming up and this year there is a twist in the games (it's the quarter quell and on year its double the people). Read on to find out what happens.'

Guts by Raina Telgemeier - reviewed by Anastasia  9G

'This graphic novel is about Raina (the author) and her journey as a teenager. Early in the book, Raina's school has an infestation of stomach flu, so everyone is talking about vomit everywhere. This book shows Raina's struggles as she copes with being sick (panic attacks and stomach aches) throughout her year.

I would recommend this book to anybody who experiences problems like this, or knows someone who does. As it shows ways to cope, and that not all people will react the same way. If you like this book make sure to read other graphic novels written by                                Raina Telgemeier.'

Keep an eye out for our Pupil Librarian book recommendations too! These can be found on the board by the languages room and are regularly updated with a range of books our PLs think other students will enjoy.

Don't forget that anyone can share their book reviews via the library app. Simply search the title you intend to review and click on the book. Select the 'review' button and then start typing!

Return of the Scholastic Book Fair!

From this Thursday 20th January to Wednesday 26th, the GCH Library will be hosting the Scholastic book fair. Come along at break or lunch to browse from the 200+ new books available with prices starting from £2.99!

Some exciting picks from the 2022 fair include the new Karen McMagnus mystery You'll be the Death of Me, a new historical adventure from Jacqueline Wilson entitled Runaway Girls and the increasingly popular They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera. 

The teen book fair also includes popular graphic novels such as Ghosts and beloved classics such as Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.

With genres ranging from romance and mystery to fantasy and non-fiction -  there truly is something of interest for everyone. If you would like to purchase a book from the fair please bring in cash to do so rather than other payment forms.

The book fair will open at break and lunch on Thursday 20th.

Upcoming book adaptations to look out for in 2022

Looking for something a bit different to try in the new year? This week our library team has compiled a list of books to look out for before checking out their screen adaptations later on in 2022!

The 2020's are providing to be a very busy time for YA (Young Adult) adaptations so far with the following books all premiering as films or TV series later on this year.

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen (Unconfirmed date, Netflix)

Are you there God? It's me Margaret by Judy Blume (Summer/Autumn)

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Mid-late 2022)

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman  (Summer 2022)

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson (February 2022)

On The Come Up by Angie Thomas (Autumn/Winter 2022)

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead (Mid-late 2022)

                                                  Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (late 2022/2023)

While no release dates are yet available, the following books are also in early stages of screen adaptation - giving us all plenty of time to read them first!

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

The Selection by Kiera Cass

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo 

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick 

A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi 

Opposite of Always by Justin Reynolds

All books mentioned here are available to borrow from GCH Library! Do let us know if you need any help finding these (or any other books) as books such as They Both Die at the End and Heartstopper can be found over at St Michael's library. 

Happy reading!

Spuddle: catch up with the Graphic Novel Club

 As 2022 begins, the Graphic Novels Club would like to share some of their work from the last twelve months! 

Earlier this year, members had the opportunity to take part in the Excelsior Award where they read and discussed the graphic novels nominated for the award before voting for their favourites. 

Witch Hat Atelier, They Called us Enemy and Hotel Dare proved to be popular choices among our members and are now all available to borrow from the library!

With the start of the new academic year in September, the club also worked together to compile a list of book recommendations. Intended as an introduction for new readers, the GN reading list reflects a broad range of genres and is a great resource for anyone looking to get into the genre or try something a bit different.

Please see our previous blogpost to see the list in full and get a taste of some of these brilliant picks: The Grey Coat Library - Books &c.: Intro to Graphic Novels: a reading list !

Of course, the majority of the GN Club's time has been focused on creating their very own graphic novel. After months of detailed planning, story boarding, script writing and designing, the GN Club has finally begun the final design for their own original graphic novel. 

Spanning multiple genres and featuring a broad range of pop culture references and artistic styles, Spuddle is an original and ambitious multi-verse comic detailing protagonist Sam's adventures attempts to find her missing friend as she travels across different realities and encounters surprising obstacles and romance in her quest.

Keep an eye out for further updates on the progress of Spuddle here on the library blog!

If the Graphic Novels Club sounds like something you might be interested in, please come along to our next meeting.

The GN club meets every Wednesday from 3:30-4:30 at St Andrew's Library and includes students from years 7-10 - new members from any year are always welcome!