Friday 27 January 2023

Spotlight on 'Britannica'

This term Y8 students have been visiting the Library during registration to learn how to use Britannica. As we have learnt, Britannica contains only articles published by reliable sources and all information there has been very carefully edited - making it the perfect resource for homework!


Britannica is accessible via the Library App. You can also find this under 'The Grey Coat Hospital', 'Library' in SharePoint if you're working at home, or pinned to your desktop if you're using a school computer.


  1. You now need to login to access Britannica. To do so, click 'Guest' in the top right corner of the screen and select 'Login via SSO'.
  2. This will bring you to your account which will show you all the books on loan to you!
  3. Type in your research term into the 'Search' bar at the top of the screen. This is the topic that you are trying to learn more about - e.g. 'Mary, Queen of Scots', 'Chess' or 'Japanese Mythology'.
  4. When you search this term, the Library App will then show you all the books we have in the library on this topic. 
  5. To find the Britannica resources relating to your search you must select 'One Search' from the bar on the left side of the screen. You should then see 'Britannica' as one of the top options underneath this.
  6. To login to Britannica, follow the instructions that appear on screen: open the 'Connect with Provider' page, close this new tab and then select the second button which should say 'Search'.
  7. This will show you all the Britannica resources on your chosen topic. From here you can browse articles, images, videos and explore the 'More' tab which will show you a list of 'Web's Best Sources'. This is full of accurate, fact-checked information written by credible sources.


As always, please ask for help at the Library if you are struggling to use any of our resources!




Wednesday 18 January 2023

New book adaptations to look out for this year!

In a follow-up to our earlier blog post, the GCH Library team have put together an updated list of book-to-screen adaptations coming in the next year following the success of Heartstopper, The Summer I Turned Pretty, Vampire Academy and many more!


Coming soon in 2023:

Catherine Called Birdy (Out Now on Prime)

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight (Netflix, TBA)

The Power (Prime, TBA)

One Piece (Netflix, TBA)

The School for Good and Evil (Out Now on Netflix)

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (In Cinemas November 2023)

On the Come Up (Out Now on Paramount+)

Matilda (In Cinemas November 2022, Netflix 2023)

Red Queen (Peacock, In Development)

Raybearer (Netflix, Development Approved)

Siege and Storm - 'Shadow and Bone' Season 2 (Netflix, March 2023)

Interview with the Vampire (Out Now on AMC, UK streaming TBA)

Percy Jackson & the Olympians (Disney+, Late 2023)

It's Not Summer Without You - 'The Summer...' Season 2 (Prime)

Lockwood & Co. (January 2023, Netflix)

Half Bad (Out Now on Netflix)

Heartstopper Vol.2 (Netflix, Filming Complete) 

Firekeeper's Daughter (Netflix, Development Approved)

The Colour Purple (In Cinemas December 2023)

The Fall of the House of Usher (Netflix, TBA)


All titles listed are available to borrow from GCH Library!




Wednesday 11 January 2023

Recommendations from the Graphic Novel Club

This week, the Graphic Novel Club would like to share some of their own recommendations!

Collectively the group have put together a new reading list of graphic novels and manga titles. All of these are available to borrow from GCH Library.

All titles in italics are the first in their series.


Assassination Classroom [STM]

'The students of class 3-E have a mission: kill their teacher before graduation. He already destroyed the moon, and has promised to destroy the Earth if he can not be killed within a year. But how can this class of misfits kill a tentacled monster, capable of reaching Mach 20 speed, who may be the best teacher any of them have ever had?'



Pumpkinheads [STA/STM]

'Deja and Josiah are seasonal best friends. Every autumn, all through high school, they’ve worked together at the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world. (Not many people know that the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world is in Omaha, Nebraska, but it definitely is.) They say good-bye every Halloween, and they’re reunited every September 1.

But this Halloween is different—Josiah and Deja are finally seniors, and this is their last season at the pumpkin patch. Their last shift together. Their last good-bye.

Josiah’s ready to spend the whole night feeling melancholy about it. Deja isn’t ready to let him. She’s got a plan: What if—instead of moping and the usual slinging lima beans down at the Succotash Hut—they went out with a bang? They could see all the sights! Taste all the snacks! And Josiah could finally talk to that cute girl he’s been mooning over for three years . . .

What if their last shift was an adventure?'


My Hero Academia [STA]

'What would the world be like if 80 percent of the population manifested superpowers called “Quirks” at age four? Heroes and villains would be battling it out everywhere! Being a hero would mean learning to use your power, but where would you go to study? The Hero Academy of course! But what would you do if you were one of the 20 percent who were born Quirkless?

Middle school student Izuku Midoriya wants to be a hero more than anything, but he hasn’t got an ounce of power in him. With no chance of ever getting into the prestigious U.A. High School for budding heroes, his life is looking more and more like a dead end. Then an encounter with All Might, the greatest hero of them all, gives him a chance to change his destiny…'


Ms Marvel [STA]

'Kamala Khan is an ordinary girl from Jersey City — until she's suddenly empowered with extraordinary gifts. But who truly is the new Ms. Marvel? Teenager? Muslim? Inhuman? Find out as she takes the Marvel Universe by storm! When Kamala discovers the dangers of her newfound powers, she unlocks a secret behind them, as well. Is Kamala ready to wield these immense new gifts? Or will the weight of the legacy before her be too much to bear? Kamala has no idea, either. But she's comin' for you, Jersey!'



Fullmetal Alchemist [STA]

'Breaking the laws of nature is a serious crime!

In an alchemical ritual gone wrong, Edward Elric lost his arm and his leg, and his brother Alphonse became nothing but a soul in a suit of armor. Equipped with mechanical “auto-mail” limbs, Edward becomes a state alchemist, seeking the one thing that can restore his and his brother’s bodies...the legendary Philosopher’s Stone.

Alchemy: the mystical power to alter the natural world; something between magic, art and science. When two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, dabbled in this power to grant their dearest wish, one of them lost an arm and a leg…and the other became nothing but a soul locked into a body of living steel. Now Edward is an agent of the government, a slave of the military-alchemical complex, using his unique powers to obey orders…even to kill. Except his powers aren't unique. The world has been ravaged by the abuse of alchemy. And in pursuit of the ultimate alchemical treasure, the Philosopher's Stone, their enemies are even more ruthless than they are…'


Mooncakes [STA]

'A story of love and demons, family and witchcraft.

Nova Huang knows more about magic than your average teen witch. She works at her grandmothers' bookshop, where she helps them loan out spell books and investigate any supernatural occurrences in their New England town.

One fateful night, she follows reports of a white wolf into the woods, and she comes across the unexpected: her childhood crush, Tam Lang, battling a horse demon in the woods. As a werewolf, Tam has been wandering from place to place for years, unable to call any town home.

Pursued by dark forces eager to claim the magic of wolves and out of options, Tam turns to Nova for help. Their latent feelings are rekindled against the backdrop of witchcraft, untested magic, occult rituals, and family ties both new and old in this enchanting tale of self-discovery.'


Zita the Spacegirl [STA]

'Zita's life took a cosmic left turn in the blink of an eye.

When her best friend is abducted by an alien doomsday cult, Zita leaps to the rescue and finds herself a stranger on a strange planet. Humanoid chickens and neurotic robots are shocking enough as new experiences go, but Zita is even more surprised to find herself taking on the role of intergalactic hero. Before long, aliens in all shapes and sizes don't even phase her. Neither do ancient prophecies, doomed planets, or even a friendly con man who takes a mysterious interest in Zita's quest.

Zita the Spacegirl is a fun, captivating tale of friendship and redemption from Flight veteran Ben Hatke. It also has more whimsical, eye-catching, Miyazaki-esque monsters than you can shake a stick at.'


Happy reading!


Friday 6 January 2023

New Year, New Books!

The GCH Library team have been busy this week processing new books! 

We have plenty of exciting titles available with genres ranging from fantasy and romance to horror, poetry and graphic novels and brand new books from the Scholastic Book Fair.

These can all be found on our 'New Year, New Books' displays at both Libraries.


Check out some of the books available below:


This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi [STA/STM]

The Heartstopper Yearbook by Alice Oseman [GN]

They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman [STM]

Rapunzella, or Don't Touch My Hair by Ella McLeod [STA] 

Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds by Gwenda Bond [STM] 

The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera [STA] 

The Honeys by Ryan La Sala [STM]

Meet Me in Mumbai by Sabina Khan [STA] 

These Are the Words by Nikita Gill [STA/STM - 821.9 GIL] 

The King is Dead by Benjamin Dean [STA] 



Happy New Year!