Read with Pride!

This year the UK are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Pride!

Inspired by the Stonewall riots, the very first UK Pride march took place here in London on 1 July 1972. At this time, and for many years to come, LGBTQ people in the UK faced terrible discrimination. For example, gay marriage would not be legalised until 2013 and gay and bisexual people were forbidden to enter the armed forces until 2000.

Pride is now celebrated every year to celebrate the impact that LGBTQ people have had in the world, uplift their voices, raise awareness of issues facing the community and promote important ideals such as acceptance and equality. 

While London Pride does not take place until July, Pride Month is celebrated throughout June. 

Here at the Library, we have selected a broad range of titles featuring LGBTQ characters and written by LGBTQ authors. Ranging from graphic novels, classics, fantasy fiction, to romance and mysteries there is sure to be something for everyone! 

If you would like to learn more about LGBTQ History and the importance of Pride, check out the following resources available via the Library:

Sensible Footwear: A Girl's Guide by Kate Charlesworth 

Blending her own personal experiences with social history, Sensible Footwear explores the movement for LGBTQ rights in Britain chronicling events from the 1950s to present day. Featuring key events such as Stonewall, Pride and the introduction of Section 28, this graphic novel is a brilliantly accessible introduction to anyone wanting to learn more about LGBTQ history. 

English Heritage -  London Pride: LGBTQ stories from history (Blue Plaque Stories)

In this article, English Heritage provides fascinating insight into the lives of famous London residents including Alan Turing, Oscar Wilde, Virginia Woolf and Siegfried Sassoon. Learn more about their work and experiences by clicking the link above and keep an eye out for their Blue Plaques around the city!

The British Library - A short history of LGBT rights in the UK

Here Steven Dryden traces the history of LGBTQ rights from the reign of Henry VIII up until the 21st century. Explore this brief timeline to learn more about how laws have changed over the years and check out the brilliant primary sources available via the British Library!

These articles, and many more, are all available via the Library app.

All students also have access to the digital library JSTOR which is full of brilliant academic journals, primary sources and books. Access to History Today is also available via the Library app. Aimed at students this is a great resource which explores a broad variety of topics including LGBTQ history.

You can find our Pride displays in both St Andrew's and St Michael's Libraries. 

Exam season at the Library

As we enter exam season, the GCH Library team would like to highlight some of the brilliant wellbeing resources available to students.

It is normal to feel a bit nervous about exams but there are plenty of helpful resources available to help you prepare. Our Librarian has also compiled a great selection of guides on exam preparation, managing stress and what to expect on exam days.

To access these links (and many more useful online resources!) please log on to the Library App and select your dashboard as pictured here.

These exam guides are also available here via the following links: GOV.UK Exam pressure guide for students, The Student Room's Guide to Dealing With Exam Stress.

If you're unsure or worried about what to expect regarding the exam process, our Librarian has also highlighted this excellent guide to the general format of exams: Getting Ready for Exams: Top Tips for Students. Of course if you have any specific concerns do reach out to your subject teachers who will be  happy to answer any questions!

It is also important to take breaks when revising and reading is a brilliant way to take some time for yourself  while reducing stress.

To encourage you all in this, we have put together several reading lists for years 8-9, 10-11 and 12-13. Each list features a broad range of escapist fiction and relaxing reading material for the exam season. We've also included lighter reading, graphic novels and collections of short stories! 

Please do collect a reading list from St Andrew's and St Michael's Libraries and let us know if you need any help finding these titles or accessing our online resources.

Good luck to everyone in their exams!

The Big Jubilee Read

As we draw closer to the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June, the GCH Library team would like to highlight some of our own Jubilee themed events!

As many of our students will already know, our Jubilee displays can be found in both libraries. Inspired by the BBC's The Big Jubilee Read, our displays feature many of the titles found on the official reading list.

Intended to promote reading for pleasure and highlight the many talented authors across a wide range of Commonwealth countries, the list features a book for every year of Elizabeth II's reign from 1952-2022.

Titles from the official list such as The Remains of the Day, Things Fall Apart, The Memory of Love and Life of Pi can all be found at GCH Library.

Click here to view all 70 Big Jubilee Read titles!

The Library team have also come up with a Jubilee reading list of our own including a wide range of teen and YA Commonwealth authors.

Titles from our list include:

Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales (Australia)

Growing Yams in London by Sophia Acheampong (Ghana)

The Tiffin by Mahtab Narshimhan (India)

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko (Nigeria)

Longbow Girl by Linda Davies (Wales)

To mark the occasion, we are also running a new Jubilee Bunting Competition. To enter simply read a book from the Commonwealth Book List (found in the Library) and colour in the author's country on our map. We will then give you the corresponding bunting flag for you to write a review on the back. The flags will then be combined to form a string of bunting to decorate the Library!

Please do ask at the Library desk if you have any questions - we look forward to seeing your entries!

Shakespeare Week: Competition Entries!

Following the 458th birthday of William Shakespeare on 23rd April, GCH Library have spent the last week celebrating his work!

To mark the occasion, the Library team put together a display including the classic works of Shakespeare, manga adaptations of his texts and Lisa Klein's brilliant Hamlet retelling titled Ophelia. 

As part of the week's celebrations, students also had the opportunity to partake in an exciting 'Shakespeare's Idioms' competition. To enter, we asked everyone to create a piece of art based on a Shakespearean idiom such as 'a heart of gold' (Henry V) and explain in their own words what this means.

Thank you to Ivy (7R) for her brilliant interpretation of 'the world's mine oyster' which she defines as 'you can do anything or go anywhere you want to'.

We also encouraged students to create an illustration based on a passage from A Midsummer Night's Dream,  Antony and Cleopatra or a play of their own choosing.

Thank you to Bea (7R) for this lovely illustration inspired by Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream!

Well done to everyone who entered! 

The Excelsior Award

As following yearly tradition, the Graphic Novels Club have been busy reading and reviewing the blue and red shortlists for the Excelsior Award!

Beginning in 2011 as The Stan Lee Excelsior Award, this project aims to encourage reading for pleasure among the students and highlight the value of graphic novels and manga within schools. 

As part of this, our Librarian kindly provides the club with the books selected for the blue and red shortlists. These are then circulated within the Graphic Novel Club where we discuss and compare the shortlist picks. 

This year, we have read and rated Black Knight: Curse of the Ebony Blade, U.S.Agent: American Zealot, The Eternals: Only Death is Eternal, Mama Akuma, Miss Endicott and How to Pick a Fight. All six titles will shortly be available for all library users to borrow!

We have also created our own Excelsior themed display in the Library and entered our work in the official 'Nuff Said Award.

Featuring detailed reviews from club members, information on the Excelsior Award and bunting made from recycled graphic novels, the display can be found both in the Library and online via the Excelsior Award website.

Click here to view the 'Nuff Said Award entries!

The GN Club now looks forward to resuming work on their own original graphic novel!

Humaments

This week GCH Library would like to highlight the brilliant book-themed work done by our Year 9 Art classes!

Taking inspiration from artist Tom Philipps, Year 9 have each created three of their own original pieces of work.

Known as 'Humaments', these artworks all feature the reworking of old book pages in order to find the student's own story within the pages of the text.

Philipps first began to explore this technique in 1966 when the artist challenged himself to find a second-hand book for a threepence and adapt every page in the book to create a completely new one altogether. 

Philipps completed his initial project in 1973 and has been developing and revising it ever since.

Thank you to the Art Department for sharing these with us and to the Y9 students who told the Library team all about their exciting projects!

Year 9's work can now be found on display in the LCA at St Andrew's Library.

Recommend your favourite books with a pinger!

Keep an eye out for the latest competition at GCH Library! Starting this week, we are asking for your book recommendations to share with other students. 

Simply write a short, concise review of around 2-3 lines about why you liked the book and hand it in to us at the Library desk. 

We will then review all entries every fortnight and choose the best entry - winners will receive a prize!

These reviews will be displayed with the books as a Pinger (a bit like a bookmark but more attention grabbing!).

                                                                                                                   Unsure how to start? Here's an example from the Library to give you an idea of how to write a Pinger.

Code Name Verity- Elizabeth Wein      

World War II. A young woman spy, arrested by the Gestapo and forced to write what she knows. Can she keep her integrity?

Please ask at the desk if you have any questions. We look forward to reading your reviews!