Scholastic Book Fair

The Scholastic Book Fair is here every day until Wednesday 5th February!

A few books to look out for in particular:

One of Us Is Next - the hotly anticipated sequel to One of Us Is Lying. 

The new David Walliams book The Beast of Buckingham Palace.

A beautiful new edition of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials Trilogy with all three books in one.

There are loads of books to choose from plus it is all in aid of getting more books for the library so come along and have a look!

Remembering Terry Jones

Following the news of Terry Jones' death on 21st January 2020, we would like to pick some highlights from The Grey Coat Hospital Library of his absolutely wonderful writing. Terry Jones' written work spanned original fairy tales and children's stories to authoritative and well respected (but still very funny) medieval history. All are delightful to read and demonstrate Jones' originality and sense of humour.

Fantastic Stores [398.20942] A peerless collection of original fairy tales that are funny, clever and can be incredibly moving. There is not a dud among these stories and I highly recommend seeking them out.

Medieval Lives [940.2891] A popular history book that is well researched and informative, as well as witty and accessible. Jones seeks to debunk some of the myths surrounding this period and upset some of our preconceptions about what medieval life was like.

Chaucer's Knight [821.1 CHA] A more academic book that questions the idea that Chaucer's knight in The Canterbury Tales was a virtuous and chivalrous figure. He suggests instead that Chaucer's knight was a professional mercenary, linking to the historical reality of knights and their role in this period.

A New Leaf

Read and grow is the motto of the Grey Coat Library, so with that in mind the start of a new year and a new decade might be a good excuse to explore non-fiction books for new skills to try out and books that can help you to fulfill any New Year's resolutions.

Here are some ideas from the non-fiction and Just Ask sections of the library for books to help you turn over a new leaf.

The Smart Girl's Guide to Life by Sally Morgan [302.5] is a good all-rounder choice with tips on money, careers and self confidence. How to Walk In High Heels by Camilla Morton [646.7] is a more comprehensive book on a similar theme with tips on everything from appreciating modern art to putting in contact lenses.





 Those looking for a more emotional education might try Chicken Soup For The Teenage Soul by Jack Canfield [in Just Ask] which tells a series personal accounts about friendship, love and respect as well as covering tough issues. It can be a bit sentimental but the stories are definitely interesting and uplifting. Blame My Brain: The Amazing Teenage Brain Revealed by Nicola Morgan [153] is another great option that breaks down the inner workings of the teenage mind with some advice as well.

The library is the perfect place to find books to help you learn or improve on a particular skill. There are endless possibilities for new skills to hone. Some of my favourites are The Tree Key [582.16] which is a clear illustrated guide to how to identify over 200 types of tree, and Codes: How to Make Them and Break Them by Kjartan Poskitt [510] which breaks down how codes and ciphers work and how to make your own.






If you have been inspired to learn more about climate change and how to protect the environment 1001 Little Ways to Save the Planet by Esme Floyd [301.31] is full of tips for things to do to reduce your environmental impact.









If in the new year you would like to be more curious about the world and how things work then Thing Explainer by Randall Munroe [502] is perfect. Munroe explains difficult concepts covering a wide range of topics using diagrams with minimal accompanying text. The pages are densely packed but full of interesting information and answers to questions you may not have even thought of before!

Merry Christmas From the Library!

In our last post of 2019 we would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and above all a Christmas holiday filled with books! Remember to borrow six books to read over Christmas. Happy reading and see you in the new year.

And the winners are...

We now have our six winners for the Christmas bookmark competition! Congratulations to the winning designs. These six bookmarks are all available from the library until the end of term.

Jovita 7H

Clara 12A

Zarah 7H

Lucy 7T

Sophie 8H

Susannah 7G

Festive Activity at the Library

We are very much getting into the Christmas spirit at The Grey Coat Hospital Library. Here is a rundown of some of the activities on at the library leading up to the end of term.

Elf on the library shelf

This Christmas season we are joined by Elvis our Christmas elf (his brother Norbert has charge of upper school library). Every day of December will see Elvis moving around the library and wreaking havoc! 

We also have some Christmas themed colouring at the desk, which is a fun way to help everyone relax and get into the festive spirit.








Secret Christmas book borrowing

 Back from last year by popular demand! To create a mystery book students select a book that they really like, write a cryptic clue for that book on a label and take it to the desk to be wrapped. Then students can borrow a mystery book based on the clue to unwrap over Christmas. 












Our mystery books also make a lovely addition to our new festive fireplace display.

 Christmas bookmark competition

Our current competition is designing a festive bookmark for us to give out in the library. We 
have decided on choosing six designs as our winners but we have had so many fantastic entries it is definitely going to be a difficult one to judge!















We are also increasing the maximum number of books each student can borrow from four to six to ensure that the Christmas holidays will be as cosy and bookish as possible. Happy reading!