AGS Reads #6 -Summer 2023

SUMMER 2023, No. 6. #AGSREADS INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Thisisabumper,bonussummeredition ofAGSReadswhichnotonlycoversall the usual book reviews and recommendations, but includes the wholeyearreviewofalloureventsand activities.

Take a nostalgic walk through each month starting with August 2022 and the summer camp for new Year 7 students!HaveagreatsummerandI'll seeyouallinSeptember!

MissPushong

Contentsbelowareallhyper-linked

September - Year 7 Harry Potter Quiz

October 1st-7th - Banned Book Week

October - Black History Month

November 15th-17th - Anti-Bullying Week

2023 2023 2023 autumn autumn autumn What’son What’son What’son

December 1-15th - The 12 11 days of Christmas.

December 11th - Bucks Book Award Shortlist Announced.

THIS TERM'S RECOMMENDED BOOK

THE BLUE BOOK OF NEBO

by Manon Stefan Ros

DylanwassixwhenTheEndcame,backin2018;whentheelectricity went off for good, and the 'normal' 21st century world he knew disappeared

Now he's 14 and he and his mam have survived in their isolated hilltop house above the village of Nebo in north-west Wales, learningnewskills,andreturningtooldwaysofliving.

Despitetheircloseunderstanding,therelationshipbetweenmother and son changes subtly as Dylan must take on adult responsibilities. And they each have their own secrets, which emergeas,inturn,theyjotdowntheirthoughtsandmemoriesina found notebook - the Blue Book of Nebo. In this prize-winning novel, Manon Steffan Ros not only explores the human capacity to find new strengths when faced with the need to survive, but also questionsthestructuresandnormsofthecontemporaryworld.

Winner of the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing 2023

LIBRARY RESOURCES

LIBRARY RESOURCES WEBSITE

Have you visited the Library's Google site? It contains links to reading lists, links to all our online resources such as the library catalogue and the eLibrary as well as linkstogamessuchasonlineescaperooms,puzzlesandbrainteasers

Pluslinkstoalltheformsmentionedbelowareonthesite

Clickheretovisitthesite

DID YOU KNOW?

Aswellasreservingbookswehaveyoucanalsorequest fortheLibrarytopurchase booksthatyouwouldliketoread

Youcaneithervisitthelibraryandfillinabookrequestcard,orCLICKHEREtofillin the requestgoogleform.Youwillbenotifiedwhenthebookisavailable.

DO YOU NEED SOME BOOK SUGGESTIONS?

If you are struggling to find books to read, or maybe want some suggestions for differenttypesofbooksthenyouneedtheBookDoctor!

The Book Doctor has helped many students since it was introduced in September 2020 and with the introduction of the eBook library we can offer suggestions in different formats.

CLICKHEREfortheBookDoctorgoogleform.

eLIBRARY

Don't forget you can use the AGS eLibrary to download and read books on your phone, laptop etc. There is also an app available from the Windows/Google/Apple store.

Youcansign-inwithGoogleusingyourAGSlogin

CLICKHEREtoaccesstheeLibrary

Just to remind you you can alter the reading settings on the eBooks to suit your needs. You can change the font andfontsizeandyoucanalsousethedyslexiafriendlysettings

There are also some new features including Text to Speech (TTS), translation to 150+ languages, plus TTS for translatedlanguages.CLICKHEREtowatchashortvideoonthesenewfeatures.

BUCKS BOOK AWARD

2024 LONGLIST ANNOUNCED!

Students in Bucks have been nominating books over the last few months. The following booksareonthe2024Longlists.VotingisnowopenontheBBAwebsite: http://bucksbookaward.org.uk

Some of the books are available to borrow from the library now, the rest of them will be available from September. I will also be forming a book group to shadow the awards when the shortlist is announced in November, so if you are interested in joining look out for the email I will send out closer to the time.

THE CHILDREN'S BOOK PRIZE

Crook Haven: school for thieves by J.J. Arcanjo

Murder at the museum by Alasdair Beckett-King

Wild by Ele Fountain

Running out of time by Simon Fox

My life on fire by Cath Howe

The elemental detectives by Patrice Lawrence

Tyger by SF Said

The Ministry of Unladylike Activity by Robin Stevens

THE SUE HARRIS YA PRIZE

The Lighthouse by Alex Bell

Stand up Ferran Burke by Steven Camden

Five survive by Holly Jackson

If you could see the sun by Ann Liang

Nothing more to tell by Karen M. McManus

The haunting of Tyrese Walker by JP Rose

Black night falling by Teri Terry

Bite risk by S.J. Wills

4. The maze runner by James Dashner

5. One of us is lying by Karen M. McManus

6. One Piece 1-2-3 by Oda, Elichiru

7. Skeleton key by Anthony Horowitz

8.Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy

9 Playing with fire by Derek Landy

10. Animal farm by George Orwell

KS3 LOAN STATS

LIBRARY BOOK AWARDS!

PATERSON

Paterson House came out top in the battle of the books reading an incredible 1036 books over the year! Well done to all KS3 students who made this win possible

BOOKS

YEAR7

Not only did PH7 take out the most books out of all the Year 7 classes, they also came out top of ALL the KS3 classes, with an impressive494loansovertheyear.

AspecialmentiongoestoPA7whoreadanequallyimpressive 480books!

YEAR8

DE8 were the top borrowers from Year 8 with a total of 349 loans

YEAR9

LE9borrowedthemostbooksoutofalltheYear9classeswith 398loans.

TOPYEARGROUP

BEST IN YEAR!

THE YEAR

AUGUST 2022

Summer Camp

Wolf Hollow escape room

SEPTEMBER 2022

Banned Book Week

OCTOBER 2022

Black History Month

Year 7 Harry Potter Quiz

IN REVIEW

NOVEMBER 2022

Anti-Bullying Week

Screening of High School Musical during lunchtimes

Karl Nova writing workshop & Book signing

DECEMBER 2022

12 Days of Christmas

Book in a Jar

Scavenger Hunt

Book Art

Christmas at Hogwarts Quiz

Reindeer Hoopla

Christmas Origami

Christmas Bingo

Christmas Carol-oke

AGS Uno Competition

Games@Lunch

Foodbank collection

Golden Ticket Tree

THE YEAR

FEBRUARY 2023

Diversity Focus Week

LGBTQ+ History Kahoot Quiz

Rainbow Origami

MARCH2023

BucksBookAwardCeremony

AuthortalkandTeamQuiz

Year10-Philo-fest

AGSBookWeek

BookFair

BookinaJar

PetsCaughtReadingCompetition

10minuteKahootQuizeverylunchtime

Guesswho'scomingtodinnerCompetition

IN REVIEW

MAY 2023

Star Wars Kahoot Quiz

Diversity Focus Week: Culture

Focus Week Kahoot Quiz

JUNE2023

YotoCarnegieShadowingMeeting

HostedbySt Mary'sSchoolGerrardsX

Attendedbyseveralschoolsthroughout Bucks,plusonefromHertfordshire!

JULY2023

Year6TransitionDays

TeriTerryAuthortalkforYears7and8.

TERI TERRY

JULY - AUTHOR VISIT

On Monday 10th July, students in Years 7 and 8 attended a talk by author Teri Terry. Teri has written some of the best children's/YA fiction in the last few years and has been a regular fixture on the Bucks Book Award shortlists over the last few years and in 2022 her book 'Dark Blue Rising' won The Sue Harris YA Prize.

Teri spoke to students about her new book 'Scare Me' which has just been released. This book is a tense, YA ghost story.

After the talk students were given the opportunity for a Q&A session which varied from asking Teri about her journey to becoming a published author to wanting if writing was a financially lucrative career!

It is clear that Teri has had a very busy, international employment history, before she embarked on a career in writing. She previously worked as an optometrist,a lawyer and a scientist, in Canada and Australia before finally ending up in the UK and following her dream of being an author.

As a final word, Teri also mentioned that her husband is a former AGS student!

SUMMER COMPETITION

WINASIGNEDCOPYOFSCAREME!

AllyouneedtodoisdesignanalternativebookcoverforScareMe Myadviceisto useCanva,butyoucanuseanydesigntoolyoulike.

Whenyouhavefinishedyourdesignuploadittothis googleform. ThewinningdesignwillbechosenwhenwereturntoschoolinSeptember.

Rules

Allentriesmustbeinanimageformat-JPEGorPNG

DesignsshouldbenobiggerthanA4

Lastdateforentriesis11thSeptember2023

BOOK SHELF

WHAT'SONTHESHELF?

Thesearejustafewofthenewbooksthathavejustarrivedin theLibraryandarereadyforyoutoborrow.

ClickonacovertoviewitontheOnlineLibrary.

SwimmingontheMoonbyBrianConaghan

EnemiesbySvetlanaChmakova(GraphicNovel)

WhichWaytoAnywherebyCressidaCowell

TheHeadmastersListbyMelissadelaCruz

TheBookofStolenDreamsbyDavidFarr

TheLongWeekendbySavitaKalhan

GrowbyLukePalmer

CameronBattleandtheHiddenKingdombyJamarJ.Perry

FairyTalesbyStephenKing

HuxleySparksandtheBookofSecretsbySuzyJQuinn

TheSunandtheStarbyRickRiordan

HappyHeadbyJoshSilver

GameOver:RiseoftheRaidMobbyM.J.Sullivan

TheManifestorProphecybyAngieThomas

EveryWordaLiebySueWallman

MyOwnLightningbyLaurenWolk

Remember, new books are added to the Library all the time. If there is a book you want to read that we do not have, you can fill in a Book Request Card in the Library or submit a Book Request Google Form.

ARRIVING IN NEXT TERM!

There are always a lot of new releases over the summer. All the titles below have been pre-ordered, so if you want to go on the reservation list click the cover to go to the Online Library and click the Reserve button

THE BIG THREE..!

There are always a lot of new releases over the summer and this summer is no exception! This year we see the release by three of the biggest names in children's writing! Anthony Horowitz has a new Alex Rider book and Rick Riordan is releasing the long awaited book #6 of the Percy Jackson and the Olympian series. In addition, Derek Landy who won this year's Bucks Book Award Children's Prize, is publishing his first graphic novel based in the Skulduggery world which is scheduled for release in October 2023!

All the titles below have been pre-ordered, so if you want to reserve any of them, click the book cover to go to the Online Library where you can click the Reserve button

Nightshade Revenge (Alex Rider #14) by Anthony Horowitz

Alex’s fight against the deadly assassins Nightshade continues. Alex still has unfinished business with this sinister group made up of brainwashed children, not least trying to reunite MI6 chief Mrs Jones, along with her long lost son and daughter. The adventure takes us deep into the life-changing world of augmented reality, where even Alex will struggle to succeed against the technology. With no idea who to trust, Alex finds himself dragged into a nightmare world – where nothing is real but the game could kill you. The clock is ticking and Nightshade is closing in…

Percy Jackson and the Chalice of the Gods (Percy Jackson #6) by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson has saved the world multiple times - battling monsters, Titans, even giants - but these days the modern-day son of Poseidon is hoping for a regular final year at school. Too bad the Greek gods have other plans, and three new quests for Percy to complete.

First up: the cupbearer of the gods, Ganymede, is missing his golden chalice. Not only is this embarrassing (why do the gods keep losing their magical items?), it's also potentially disastrous.

One sip from the cup will turn any mortal into a powerful god. And the old gods do not take kindly to newbies Can Percy and his friends Annabeth and Grover find the chalice before it falls into the wrong hands? And even if they do, will they be able to resist its awesome power. . .?

Bad Magic (Skulduggery Pleasant Graphic Novel) by Derek Landy

A small town in the middle of Ireland, a string of unexplained deaths and a monster on the loose Better call in the experts

When Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain drive into Termoncara, they discover a town with a dark past and a people haunted by their own secrets. There is a creature stalking the streets –a creature who delights in cruelty, who feeds off the little hatreds, who grows stronger with every drop of blood spilled.

BOOK REVIEWS

SWIMMING AGAINST THE STORM BY JESS BUTTERWORTH

REVIEWED BY JAYDEN, HA7

SwimmingAgainsttheStormisathrillingadventurestorybasedaroundagirlcalledEliza,hersister Avery and their friends, Huy and Grace. Eliza and Avery had always dreamed of being the greatest shrimping team ever However, when she sees how many fish die in the process, Eliza loses her passion for it, but isn't sure how to express it. It is her birthday the same day, so as a birthday surprise,hersistershowshersomethingsheandGracefoundtogetherintheswamps.Averythinks the footprints belong to a loup-garou (a human-like creature with a wolf head) and a couple of nightslater,shetriestoproveit.

HoweverwhenElizaandHuyareunsureoftheloup-garousexistence,sheandGraceheadofftogetsomeberriesas baitforaplantheyhavetocatchaloup-garou,herthoughtprocessbeingthatiftheyfindsuchararecreature,the authorities will have no choice but to save the land from sinking. When Grace comes back without Avery, the three start searching all across the swamp for her. Having had no luck, they head back home and tell their parents, who gatherahugesearchparty Worriedthattheadultsdon'tknowtheswampaswellastheydo,Eliza,HuyandGracego back to the swamp to search. As they get close to finding her, they stumble upon a giant sinkhole and run in the oppositedirection.Whentheystoprunning,theyseeasmallhole,andtheylookdowntoseeAverydownthere.They hoist her up and head back home, but a hurricane hits and they get lost in the sea. They eventually find each other andareabletogetbackhome.Ifoundthisbookreallyinterestingandthoroughlyrecommendit.

WHEN THE SKY FALLS BY PHIL EARLE

REVIEWED BY ARCHIE, LE7

When the Sky falls is a historic novel set in the Second World War. It is about a boy called Joseph who is sent to the city where he will live with Mrs F, and her silverback gorilla - Adonis. It is an interesting twist about life in the war I enjoyed this book lots, as the journey of the bonds deepening between Joseph and Adonis is heartwarming. I would highly recommend this book to anyonewhowantstostartto/betterunderstandlifeintheSecondWorldWar-butalsohavethe enjoymentofreadinganovel,insteadofjustthefactsfromanon-fictionbook.

AFTER BY MORRIS GLEITZMAN

REVIEWED BY ALEXANDER, PH7

AfteristhefourthbookintheOnceseriesbyMorrisGleitzmanandwaspublishedintheyear2012. Thestoryhasjumpedbackintimefrom2010(ThetimethatNowisbasedin)totheendofWorldwar twowhereyoungFelixishidinginaholefromtheNazisinhisfosterparent’sfarmandhasn’tleftfor twoyears Throughoutthebook,therearemanythrillingmomentsincludingwhenFelixhelpsblow upaNazitrainandgoestoaprisoncampinGermanytoseehismotherwhohethoughtwasdead. Overallthiswasaveryexcitingbookandisprobablymyfavouriteintheseriessofar Iwouldtotally recommendreadingthisbook.

BEANSTA

OUR READING GOAL

This year we introduced the Beanstack reading tracker for KS3 students and set a goal of 500,000readingminutesovertheyear.Withtime to spare - and even with some of you forgetting to log your reading minutes we still reached our goal-nextyearIamgoingtoincreasethegoalto 600,000!

Year7-BestReview

Prize:DaretobeYoubyMatthewSyed

AwardedtoGabRepton,7PA

Year8ReadAroundtheWorld

Prize:TravelJournal,BookmarkPen&

£5.00BookToken

AwardedtoBenjiColcloughMoss,8L

Year9BannedBookChallenge

Prize:TheHateUGivebyAngieThomas

AwardedtoJanStern,9R

BestNon-fictionBookReview

Prize:NeutralBuoyancybyTimEcott

AwardedtoGeorgeMaguire,8D

CK AWARDS

BEST YEAR 7 BOOK REVIEW THE DEMONATA BOXED SET #1 BY DARREN SHAN

REVIEWED BY GAB, 7PA

The Demonata are an amazing series of books which are filled to the brim with excitement and suspense. This book by Darren Shan (the author of the award winning series Cirque du freak) is a gory, funny and engrossing book that is not for the faint of heart. I liked the gore fromthebookbecauseeventhoughitcanleaveyouscaredIlikethesuspenseitgivesoff,it justmakesyouforgetaboutfearandyoujustwanttokeepreading!Oneofmymostfavourite scenesisfromthebookcalled“demonthief”whyaboycalledkernelhastofindhisbrother as he has been stolen by demons (or so he thinks) Another thing I have to say, one of the main things I was a little annoyed about in the book was the fact that lots of the characters whowouldhavebeenreallycoolinthestoryjustdied.

Anotherthing,Ididn’tthinkIwouldsaythisaboutahorror-thrillerbook,butIkindofthinkthattherewasabitto muchgoreanddeath,thecharactersalsodiedinverygruesomeway(hencewhyissaidthisbookisn’tforthefaint hearted) overall, this series is amazing and I recommend it to a teenage audience and anyone who likes gore and horror,Igivethisfantasticbookseriesa4starrating.

BEST AROUND THE WORLD BOOK REVIEW THE CORAL ISLAND BY R. M. BALLANTYNE

REVIEWED BY BENJI, 8L

‘This is an exploration book set in the Pacific Ocean. Its three main characters are shipwreckedonadesertisland,whichtheyexplore,discoveringamazingsecretsandnatural wonders. They soon settle into island life, but their life changes forever when they realise thatthissetofislandsisnotuninhabited Thisresultsinahugeadventurearoundtheislands of the Pacific Ocean. The book, though its plot was well thought out, was not the engaging page-turner you would expect from a desert island adventure book Particularly in the first half, it was slow-paced; they were still just living peacefully on the island around half-way through. However, it did pick up pace after this, but the plot-line itself was not especially interesting or original. It covered pirates, wars, imprisonment and many other overused themes,makingitaverystandardbook.

Itcouldhavebeenmademoreinterestingifithadhadsomesortofplottwistorcliffhangertokeepmeengaged. Despite this, it used much effective descriptive language and effectively incorporated humour into the plot, particularly in the character Peterkin Gay, who frequently jokes and jests throughout the book There was also a very effective scene in which the characters are stuck on a rock island in a storm, which incorporates exhilarating descriptions to bring the grim scene to life. I would recommend this book to fans of exploration books and pirate bookfans.Overall,3outof5stars.

BEANSTACK AWARDS

BEST 'BANNED BOOK' REVIEW ANIMAL FARM BY GEORGE ORWELL

REVIEWED BY JAN, 9R

I thoroughly enjoyed reading 1984 as I found it a very interesting book primarily because it wasdifferenttomostmainstreamdystopiannovels.1984presentsaworldwherelovedoes notexist,thoughtcrimeispunishedbydeath;historyisconstantlyrewrittenandlanguageis meaningless.

Upon doing some research I discovered that Orwell wrote 1984 after observing the inner workings of the Soviet Union under the rule of Stalin. The book describes a life of a man calledWinston,wholivesinatotalitariancountry(calledOceania)andbecomesinvolvedin the act of rebellion against the regime. It is revealed that his act of defiance was actually influencedbyaspywhosejobwastoweedoutpeoplewhoopposethesystem.

One of the main things I enjoyed about the book was the fact that it did not end "happily ever after" like most booksbutintheend,itshowedhowinrealitytheactionsofonemancannotevencomeclosetobringingdowna nation.Winstonisarrested,torturedandbetraysthewomanheloves,andBigBrotherwins.Myfavouritepartofthe book was when the man who owned the store where Winston and Julia lived was revealed to be a member of the thoughtpolice.

While 1984 is set in near-future London the book is actually a parabole describing the fate of one man fighting againstatotalitarianregime Afterreading1984Ifeelthatthebookhasnotagedatallandpresentsarealdanger ofsomethingsimilarhappeninginournearfuture,andthethemeitportraysiscertainlynotapleasantone.

BEST NON-FICTION BOOK REVIEW

DOUGLAS HAIG: FROM THE SOMME TO VICTORY

REVIEWED BY GEORGE, 8D

Douglas Haig: from the Somme to Victory is a Biography of Douglas Haig’s life as a military field Marshal He was the single most controversial general in British military history During the first world war he played a major role during the battle of the Somme and other key turning points in the war. After he and his forces returned home he was heralded as a hero but his reputation soon began to fall apart and he was cast aside as a military failure The book goes in depth into his personal life before the war and his military ancestry as well as the relationship with his wife Dorothy and their 4 children. The reason I would rate this book so highly is because it takes a new perspective on Haig’s career and rather than presenting him as a military failure.

It takes all of his life and analyzes it critically and shows that he was more of successful tactician rather than a brutal butcherer For to long has the mainstream Historical author community presented Haig as a bad person and this book has changed the status quo forever. Another reason I enjoyed this book was because it used new found evidence such as some new personal diaries of Haig and letters to his beloved wife. These key pieces of new information shed a new light on the supposed failures of his and flips them on their head completely. This book is good for any budding historian who wishes to have a non biased but personal and detailed account of Haig's life that is reliable and uses trusted sources. Suggested audience: 12+ as the book uses complicated and more advanced vocabulary. Rating: 5 stars

PUZZLE CORNER

Ifyouarelookingforsomethingtododuringthesummerbreaktherearealotoffames andactivitiesontheLibrary'sGoogleSite(linkonp.2.

Belowaresomenewgamesyoumightenjoy

Justclickonthelinkstoaccessthem.

JIGSAW PUZZLE

NEW BOOKS - MEMORY GAME

Give your brain a workout with this memory game. There are 16 books to find and match

Clickheretoaccessthegame.

NAME THAT TUNE!

Can you match the tune to the TV show/Movie? There are 14 different tunes to match.

Click here to access the game

A 105 piece jigsaw featuring a double page spread taken from Derek Landy's as yet unreleased graphic novel 'Bad Magic' which is out in October 2023.

Click here to access the jigsaw.