The Fifth of November

Every fifth of November, people all over the UK commemorate Guy Fawkes Night and celebrate this failed attempt to attack Parliament and King James VI and I in 1605. 

In line with the library's celebration of Non-Fiction November, we've formed a Guy Fawkes Night themed reading list to highlight some useful resources. Check out these titles available now at the library and learn more about the origins of this enduring tradition, explore conspiracies and delve into the fascinating context of this 17th century assassination attempt.

For more on Guy Fawkes see:

Rebels With A Cause: Undercover Agents by Paul Thomas

The Gunpowder Plot: Unclassified by Nick Hunter

Guy Fawkes by Leon Ashworth

The Truth about Guy Fawkes: A Stuart Mystery by Terry Deary 

       'The Gunpowder Plot Conspirators'* 

If you would like to learn more about King James, early modern England and the political and religious contexts surrounding the events of 1605 you may also wish to read:

The Gunpowder Plot: Terror and Faith by Antonia Fraser 

Elizabethan and Jacobean England: sources and documents of the English Renaissance by Arthur Kinney 

The Stuarts ed. Antonia Fraser 

'Domme preachers'? post-reformation English Catholicism and the culture of print by Alexandra Walsham 

The Church of England 1570-1640 by Andrew Foster 

As ever, please ask the library team if you have any questions or need help finding resources!

This week the Year 7 Book Club also discussed Guy Fawkes and created some wonderful acrostic poems.

Here's one by Mena, Hawa and Yu Qing:

F    Fire works in the sky

I     Interfered with the Christian religion

R    Re-tell me the story of Bonfire Night

E    Enrich your knowledge 

W   Wonder why they light the fire

O    Ongoing legends of Guy Fawkes

R    Remember that night

K    Kneel down in prayer and

S     Say thanks 

Well done to all of the Year 7 Book Club for their fantastic work!

*Crispijn de Passe the Elder, c.1605, The Gunpowder Plot Conspirators, National Portrait Gallery, London. 

Remembrance Day

Originally called 'Armistice Day' in 1919, Remembrance Day is observed every year on November 11th to mark the armistice agreement made at 11am on November 11th 1918 which ended the First World War. Today, the anniversary is used to remember everyone who died during war. 

This month the GCH Library will also be celebrating 'Non-Fiction November' - a great opportunity to challenge yourself to read more non-fiction books! Texts on topics such as the World Wars and many more can be found in the library. 

If you would like to find out more about Remembrance Day and its history and traditions, you may wish to read The Story of Remembrance Day by Monica Hughes or 1918: Remembrance Day by Gillian Clements. 

Other great non-fiction resources linked to Remembrance Day include:

Horrible Histories: The Blitzed Brits by Terry Deary 

In Flanders Fields: the 1917 Campaign by Leon Wolff 

Memoirs of an Infantry Office by Siegfried Sassoon

Hidden: True Stories of children who survived World War II by Marcel Prins and Peter Henk Steenhuis 

Dear Jelly: Family letters from the First World War by Sarah Ridley 

Tales from the Secret Annexe by Anne Frank 

Somme Mud: The Experiences of an Infantryman in France, 1916-1919 by E.P.F. Lynch 

Armistice 1918 by Reg Grant 

Women at War (ed.) Nigel Fountain 

Another very important resource is The Black British soldiers who were deliberately forgotten video which can be accessed via the library app. This is a great way to learn about the black military units who, though vital to the Allied victory, were intentionally erased in order to advance the ideology of the British Empire. For more information about the contributions of Black British soldiers in the World Wars you may also wish to read Black and British by David Bygott or Black and British: a forgotten history by David Olusoga. 

While this selection has focused mainly on the World Wars, as we remember those who died during all wars on November 11th, you can also find non-fiction books on other conflicts such as the Korean War, the Vietnam war and the conflict in Afghanistan at the library. 

Although this months focus is non-fiction, we have some great fiction books relating to both World Wars in the library too! While reading non-fiction is a great way to learn more about these subjects, reading fictional accounts can be a useful way to put yourself in the shoes of people who lived in very different circumstances to us.

Highlights from the Remembrance Day fiction display include: 

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne 

Remembrance by Theresa Breslin 

Carrie's War by Nina Badwen 

Salt to the Sea  by Ruta Sepetys 

Medal for Leroy by Michael Morpurgo 

The Enigma Game by Elizabeth Wein 

Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo 

Charley's War [GN] by Patt Mills and Joe Colquhoun 

Please do ask the library team if you are looking for something in particular and keep an eye out for our Non-Fiction November display!

Black History Month

To celebrate Black History Month this year, our librarians have curated displays in both St Andrew's and St Michael's Library which have proved to be very popular!

Non-fiction books here include:

- I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou 

- Black and British: A Forgotten History by David Olusoga 

- Rosa Parks: The Life of a Civil Rights Heroine by Rob Shone 

- The Extraordinary Life of Michelle Obama by Sheila Kanani and Sarah Walsh 

- Roots by Alex Haley 

- Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad by Ann Petry 

We've also included a selection of fiction books by Black authors such as With the Fire on High and The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta, Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi, Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman. 

For older readers, or those seeking a more challenging book, you may want to try Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, The Colour Purple by Alice Walker, White Teeth by Zadie Smith or Another Country by James Baldwin. 

Find these (and more) at the library next term!

Happy half-term and happy reading! 

 

Intro to Graphic Novels: a reading list

 Interested in reading graphic novels but unsure where to start? The Graphic Novels Club have come up with this handy introductory reading list to help you get started!

All titles listed are either standalones or the first in their series. They are all available to borrow from the library. Please feel free to send us your own reviews and recommendations!

The Graphic Novels Club runs every week from 3:30-4:30 on Wednesday afternoons and always welcomes new members of any age.

Maximum Ride by James Patterson

Fourteen-year-old Maximum Ride, better known as Max, knows what it's like to soar above the world. She and all the members of the 'Flock' - Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman and Angel - are just like ordinary kids - only they have wings and can fly. It may seem like a dream come true to some, but their lives can morph into a living nightmare at any time - like when Angel, the youngest member of the 'Flock', is kidnapped and taken back to the 'School' where she and the others were genetically engineered by sinister scientists. Her friends brave a journey to the blazing hot Death Valley, California, to save Angel, but soon enough, they find themselves in yet another nightmare - this one involving fighting off the half-human, half-wolf 'Erasers' in New York City. Whether in the treetops of Central Park or in the bowels of the Manhattan subway system, Max and her adopted family take the ride of their lives. Along the way Max discovers from her old friend and father-figure Jeb- now her betrayed and greatest enemy - that her purpose is to save the world - but can she?

Smile by Raina Telgemeir

From the artist of the Baby-sitters Club Graphix comes this humorous and charming true story! Eleven-year-old Raina just wants to be a normal sixth grader. But one night after a trip-and-fall mishap, she injures her two front teeth, and what follows is a long and frustrating journey with on-again, off-again braces, corrective surgery, embarrassing headgear and even a retainer with fake teeth attached. And on top of all that, there's still more to deal with: a major earthquake, buy confusion, and friends who turn out to be not so friendly. This coming-of-age true story is sure to resonate with anyone who has ever been in middle school, and especially those who have had their own dental drama.  

The Baby-sitters Club: Kristy's Great Idea by Ann M Martin

In this new graphic novel edition of the very first BABY-SITTERS CLUB book, Raina Telgemeir captures all the drama of the original in warm, spunky illustrations. Witness Kristy's eureka moment, when she gets the idea of a 'baby-sitters club' and enlists her best friends, shy Mary Anne and artistic Claudia, in an exciting new adventure. But the baby-sitting business isn't the only thing absorbing their attention: Kristy is having a hard time accepting her stepdad-to-be, and the newest member of the gang, Stacey, seems to be hiding a secret.    

Lumberjanes: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson 

Five best friends spending the summer at Lumberjane scout camp... defeating yetis, three-eyed wolves, and giant falcons... what's not to love?! Friendship to the max! Jo, April, Mal, Molly and Ripley are five best pals determined to have an awesome summer together... and they're not gonna let any insane quest or an array of supernatural critters get in their way! 

Alex Rider: Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz

Forcibly recruited into MI6 after the mysterious death of his guardian, fourteen-year-old Alex is sent to infiltrate the organization of a sinister billionaire. Within days he's gone from schoolboy to superspy - and it looks like his first assignment may be his last...

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: High School is Hell by Jordie Bellaire

Go back to the beginning as the critically acclaimed pop culture phenomenon Buffy the Vampire Slayer is reimagined under the guidance of series creator Joss Whedon!

This is the Buffy Summers you know, who wants what every average teenager wants: friends at her new school, decent grades, and to escape her imposed destiny as the next in a long line of vampire slayers tasked with defeating the forces of evil... only this time around, her world looks a lot more like the one outside your window.

Ms. Marvel: No Normal by Willow Wilson 

Presenting the international sensation: the all-new Ms. Marvel! 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 behind her newfound powers, she also unlocks a secret behind them. Is Kamala ready to wield these immense gifts? Or will the weight of the legacy before her prove too much to bear?  

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

Nimona is an impulsive young shapeshifter with a knack for villainy. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. As a sidekick and supervillain, Nimona and Lord Blackheart are about to wreak some serious havoc. Their mission: prove to the kingdom that Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and his buddied at the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics aren't the heroes everyone thinks they are.

But as small acts of mischief escalate into a vicious battle, Lord Blackheart realizes Nimona's powers are as murky and mysterious as her past. And her unpredictable wild side might be more dangerous than he is willing to admit. 

Honor Girl by Maggie Thrash

Maggie Thrash has spent basically every summer of her fifteen-year-old life at the one-hundred-year-old Camp Bellflower for Girls, set deep in the heart of Appalachia. She's from Atlanta, she's never kissed a guy, she's into Backstreet Boys in a really deep way, and her long summer days are full of pleasant, peaceful nothing... until one confounding moment. A split-second of innocent physical contact pulls Maggie into a gut-twisting love for an older, wiser and most surprising of all (at least to Maggie), female counsellor named Erin. But Camp Bellflower is an impossible place for a girl to fall in love with another girl and Maggie's savant-like proficiency at the camp's rifle range is the only thing keeping her heart from exploding. When it seems as if Erin feels the same way about Maggie, it's too much for both Maggie and Camp Bellflower to handle, let alone to understand. 

Black Butler by Yana Toboso (Manga)

Just a stone's throw from London lies the manor house of the illustrious Phantomhive earldom and its master, one Ciel Phantomhive. Earl Phantomhive is a giant in the world of commerce, Queen Victoria's faithful servant...and a slip of a twelve-year-old boy. Fortunately, his loyal butler, Sebastian, is ever at his side, ready to carry out the young master's wishes. And whether Sebastian is called to save a dinner party gone awry or probe the dark secrets of London's underbelly, there apparently is nothing Sebastian cannot do. In fact, one might even say Sebastian is too good to be true... or at least, too good to be human...

Libraries Week 2021

Did you know that this week is Libraries Week in the UK?  

To celebrate our librarians have come up with a list of books which explore the definitions and significance of libraries - spanning a great range of genres including fantasy, poetry, graphic novels, sci-fi and historical fiction!

We've also attached their blurbs here so you can look into our selection before your next visit. 

Challenge yourself by picking something new and perhaps reconsider the role and definition of the library!

THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY - MATT HAIG 

Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better? 

Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place. 

THE INVISIBLE LIBRARY - GENEVIEVE COGMAN

Irene must be at the top of her game or she'll be off the case - permanently... 

Irene is a professional spy for the mysterious Library, which harvests fiction from different realities. And along with her enigmatic assistant Kai, she's posted to an alternative London. Their mission - to retrieve a dangerous book. But when they arrive, it's already been stolen. London's underground factions seem prepared to fight to the very death to find her book. Adding to the jeopardy, this world is chaos-infested - the laws of nature of nature bent to allow supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic. Irene's new assistant is also hiding secrets of his own. Soon, she's up to her eyebrows in a heady mix of danger, clues and secret societies. Yet failure is not an option - the nature of reality itself is at stake. 

THE LIBRARIAN OF AUSCHWITZ - ANTONIO ITURBE 

Fourteen-year-old Dita is one of the many imprisoned by the Nazis at Auschwitz. Taken, along with her mother and father, from the Terezin ghetto in Prague, Dita is adjusting to the constant terror that is life in the camp. 

When Jewish leader Freddy Hirsch asks Dita to take charge of the eight precious books the prisoners have managed to smuggle past the guards, she agrees. And so Dita becomes the secret librarian of Auschwitz, responsible for the safekeeping of the small collection of titles, as well as the 'living books' - prisoners who know certain stories so well, they too can be 'borrowed to educate the children in the camp. But books are extremely dangerous. They make people think. And nowhere are they more dangerous than in Block 31 of Auschwitz, the children's block, where the slightest transgression can result in execution, no matter how young the transgressor. 

Based on the incredible and moving true story of Dita Kraus, holocaust survivor and secret librarian for the children's block in Auschwitz.

INK AND BONE - RACHEL CAINE 

Rachel Caine rewrites history, creating a dangerous world where the Great Library of Alexandria has survived the test of time. In 48 AD, a fire set by the troops of Julius Caesar destroyed much of the Great Library of Alexandria. It was the first of several disasters that resulted in the destruction of the accumulated knowledge of the ancient world. But what if the fire had been stopped? What would the Library have become? Fast forward: the Great Library is now a separate country, protected by its own standing army. It has brown into a vast power, with unquestioned and unrivalled supremacy. Jess Brightwell, seventeen and very smart, with a gift for mechanical engineering, has been sent into the Great Library as a spy for his criminal family. 

STRANGE THE DREAMER - LAINI TAYLOR 

Strange the Dreamer is the story of: - the aftermath of a war between gods and men - a mysterious city stripped of its name - a mythic hero with blood on his hands - a young librarian with a singular dream - a girl every bit as perilous and she is imperiled - alchemy and blood candy, nightmares and godspawn, moths and monsters, friendship and treachery, love and carnage.

THE BOOK THIEF - MARKUS ZUSAK 

Here is a small fact - you are going to die. 

1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier. Liesel, a nine-year-old girl is living with a foster family on Himmel Street. Her parents have been taken away to a concentration camp. Liesel steals books. This is her story and the story of the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin to fall.

Some important information - this novel is narrated by Death.

It's a small story, about: a girl, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. 

  Another thing you should know - Death will visit The Book Thief three times. 

THE GIRL WHO BECAME A TREE - JOSEPH COELHO

A story told in poems about a young girl deeply affected by her father's death, finds herself in a strange library and a dark forest as she grapples with her loss. Daphne is unbearably sad and adrift. She feels the painful loss of her father acutely and seeks solace in the security of her local library and the escape her phone screen provides by blocking out the world around her. As Daphne tries to make sense of what has happened she recalls memories of shared times and stories past, and in facing the darkness she finds a way back from the tangle of fear and confusion, to feel connected once more with her friends and family. 

FAHRENHEIT 451 - RAY RADBURY

(GN also available)

The hauntingly prophetic classic novel set in a not-too-distant future where books are burned by a special task force of firemen, Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to burn books, which are forbidden, being the source of all discord and unhappiness. Even so, Montag is unhappy; there is discord in his marriage, Are books hidden in his house? The Mechanical Hound f the Fire Department, armed with a lethal hypodermic, escorted by helicopters, is ready to track down the dissidents who defy society to preserve and read books. The classic novel of a post-literate future, 'Fahrenheit 451' stands alongside Orwell's '1984' and Huxley's 'Brave New Word' as a prophetic account of Western civilization's enslavement by the media, drugs and conformity. Bradbury's powerful and poetic prose combines with uncanny insight into the potential of technology to create a novel which over fifty years from first publication, still has the power to dazzle and shock. 

LIRAEL - GARTH NIX

When the future is unclear, who holds the key to destiny? Sequel to the spellbinding, award-winning fantasy adventure SABRIEL. Lirael has never felt like a true daughter of the Clayr. Abandoned by her mother and ignorant of her father's identity, Lirael resembles no one else in her large, extended family living in the Clayr's Glacier. She doesn't even have the Sight - the ability to See into the present and possible futures - that is the very birthright of the Clayr. Nonetheless, it is Lirael in whose hands the fate of the Old Kingdom lies. She must undertake a desperate mission under the growing shadow of an ancient evil - one that opposes the Royal Family, blocks the Sight of the Clayr, and threatens to break the very boundary between Life and Death itself. With only her faithful companion, the Disreputable Dog, to help he, Lirael must find the courage to seek her own hidden destiny. Garth Nix draws readers deeper into the magical landscape of the Old Kingdom and weaves a spellbinding tale of discovery, destiny and danger. 

THE DEVIL MAKES THREE - TORI BOVALINO 

When Tess and Eliot stumble upon an ancient book hidden in a secret tunnel beneath their school library, they accidentally release a devil from his book-bound prison, and he'll stop at nothing to stay free. He'll manipulate all the ink in the library books to do his bidding, he'll murder in the stacks, and he'll need to bleed into every inch of Tess's life until his freedom is permanent. Forced to work together, Tess and Eliot have to find a way to re-trap the devil before he kills everyone they know and love, including, increasingly, each other. And compared to what the devil has in store for them, school stress suddenly doesn't seem so bad after all. This is a fast-paced YA crossover/gothic horror debut, with a strong romance and an eerie, page-turning plot that will make this a great choice for fans of VE Schwab and Library of the Unwritten by AJ Hackwith.

Libraries Week: 4th-10th October 2021

Space Reads

Here are some recommendations for books about space. All these books are available to borrow from the library. Happy reading!

Adult Fiction

Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie - a pioneering and ambitious science fiction novel

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - a classic comedy

Cold Welcome by Elizabeth Moon - fast paced space opera

Dune by Frank Herbert - science fiction bestseller (film coming Autumn 2021!)

First Man: The Life of Neil Armstrong by James Hansen - an enlightening biography of the first man to walk on the moon

The Martian by Andy Weir - comedy about an astronaut stranded on Mars

Radiance by Catherynne M Valente - an amazing space mystery set in alternative history Hollywood

Graphic Novels

Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke - a charming, beautifully drawn space adventure

Tie Fighter by Jody Houser - Star Wars from the villain's perspective 

Midas by Ryan North - discovering a planet that turns everything it touches to gold

Young Adult

The Loneliness of Distant Beings by Kate Ling - a romance that happens to be set in space

Ascension by Victor Dixen - a reality show in space goes wrong

Chasing the Stars by Malorie Blackman - a space thriller

See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng - about a young boy obsessed with space

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James - the sole survivor aboard a spaceship starts receiving some mysterious messages

Satellite by Nick Lake - engaging adventure 

library ebooks

During lockdown you can still borrow ebooks from the library! Download the eplatform app from Wheelers which looks like this:

Search for The Grey Coat Hospital and sign in with your normal school username and password.

That's it! There are loads of ebooks to choose from and the selection is growing. The app works best on a phone and you can borrow up to two ebooks at a time.

We recommend looking at the 'New/ Recent Releases' section - there are some books there we don't have in the physical library yet!

Reading on your phone can take a little getting used to. Turning on night reading really helps if your eyes are feeling strained. 

I recently finished The Rules by Tracy Darnton on the app. Amber is a teenage girl on the run from her abusive survivalist father, using the rules and skills that he taught her to avoid returning to his extreme way of life. This is a really well plotted pacy read that I struggled to put down! The characters are compelling - I especially liked Josh, the friend who helps Amber while she is on the run - and I am still puzzling over the implications of the ending!

Whether you want to read a comforting favourite, explore a genre you enjoy or challenge yourself to read something new, there is definitely something for you in our selection of ebooks.

Contact me (egoodwin@gch.org.uk) or any of the librarians if you need any help and happy reading!