Pupil Librarian Training Day

 This week, our Pupil Librarians travelled to The Elmgreen School for a busy day of training and a talk by Sufiya Ahmed, author of Rosie Raja: Churchill's Spy and Noor Inayat Khan.

At Elmgreen, we heard from former CILIP* President Barbara Band about the Pupil Library Assistant of the Year award and gained a lot of inspiration from hearing about the work of other Pupil Librarians throughout London. 

In the morning, our students learnt more about day to day library work, customer service and GDPR. We then spent a busy afternoon completing book themes quizzes and working on promotional posters. As part of this task, students were introduced to a new book and asked to create an A3 promotional poster. 

Our Pupil Librarians did a great job producing two beautiful posters in oil pastels which will soon be up on display in the LCA!

* Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals

 

Summer Reading for Staff

As the summer holidays approach, our Pupil Librarians and Library regulars have been busy helping everyone get ready for a summer full of reading!

This year, teachers and support staff alike have been encouraged to request a summer reading recommendation from our students. 

With the vast majority of staff opting for a 'Student's Choice' recommendation, our pupils have had a great week selecting books they think their teachers will enjoy and sharing their favourite books with GCH staff!

All Summer Reading picks are now available for staff to collect from both Libraries. We look forward to hearing your reviews and having some great discussions in September!

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!