DARN Issue 17 June 2025

DARN Douglas Academy Reading Newsletter

Welcome to the latest edition of our reading newsletter.

Issue 17

by Gracie, S5

Happy summer holidays from DARN and all of our wonderful Reading Ambassadors.

This month’s Summer edition wraps up another amazing year of reading for all of our pupils. In this edition you will find a roundup of all the latest reviews and features on how we have been promoting reading and literacy across the school.

This newsletter has been put together by the Reading Ambassadors, a group of pupils who are passionate about reading and want to promote it across the school.

Please speak to Mrs McConnachie in the Library or Mrs Baxter if you want to find out more.

INSIDE THIS MONTH’S EDITION:

New staff picks from our washing line display The results of the Library Interclass quiz An exclusive interview with Mr Arthur And much more…

June 2025

BOOK OF THE MONTH:

SUNRISE ON THE REAPING

by Suzanne Collins

by Cathie, S2

16 year old Haymitch Abernathy’s odds are not in his favour. After getting reaped on his birthday, he’s forced to leave his family and girlfriend to compete in the brutal 50th Hunger Games, a showcase of the Capitol’s power, alongside the snobbiest girl in town, Maysilee Donner, his old friend Louella McCoy and the odds maker Wyatt Callow.

The iconic prequel to The Hunger Games follows the story of Katniss Everdeen’s mentor, and introduces characters from the trilogy in a whole new light. It’s dystopian, exciting and sad.

Fans of the Hunger Games will love this!!!

By Aoife, S5

DARN Summer Reading Quiz 1. In Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, where does Percy go on a summer adventure?

A) Camp Half-Blood B) Camp Jupiter C) Camp Green Lake D) Camp Crystal Lake

6. In The Secret Garden, what season does Mary Lennox first discover the garden starting to bloom?

A) Summer B) Autumn C) Spring D) Winter

2. In The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, what season does the White Witch keep Narnia in?

A) Summer B) Winter C) Spring D) Autumn

7. In Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, what summer voyage does Jim Hawkins set off on?

A) To Narnia B) To Treasure Island C) To Skull Rock D) To Neverland

4. In Anne of Green Gables, what is the name of the island where Anne spends her summers?

A) Prince Edward Island B) Treasure Island C) Long Island D) Fantasy Island 5. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, where does Harry spend part of his summer before the Quidditch World Cup? A) The Burrow B) Hogwarts C) Privet Drive D) Diagon Alley

9. In Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, what summer activity does Greg Heffley dislike the most?

A) Water slides B) Swimming at the public pool C) Riding roller coasters D) Camping in the backyard 10. In The Maze Runner by James Dashner, what is unusual about the place Thomas finds himself in?

A) It's a magical forest B) It's a desert island C) It's a giant maze D) It's an underwater city

Answers: 1A, 2B, 3A, 4A, 5A, 6C, 7B, 8A, 9B, 10C.

3. In Holes by Louis Sachar, what is the name of the camp where Stanley Yelnats is sent?

A) Camp Green Lake B) Camp Yellow Lake C) Camp Blue Lake D) Camp Red Lake

8. In Charlotte’s Web, where do the children and animals go during the summer fair?

A) County Fair B) School Carnival C) Zoo D) Museum

STAFF / PUPIL PICK OF THE MONTH Staff / Pupil Pick of the Month highlights a junior or young adult book recommended by a member of staff.

The Dragon Legend Series by Katie and Kevin Tsang

Show Us Who You Are by Elle McNicoll

Get ready for an electrifying adventure bursting with magic, mystery, and… dragons!

In Kevin and Katie Tsang’s Dragon Legend series, ordinary kids are thrust into an extraordinary world of ancient powers and hidden realms.

With fast-paced action, brilliant friendships, and fire-breathing excitement at every turn, this series is perfect for readers who dream of flying with dragons and defeating darkness with courage and heart. A must-read for fantasy fans who crave epic quests and fierce loyalty!

A powerful, pulsequickening story about identity, courage, and the limitless potential of neurodivergent minds.

In Show Us Who You Are, Elle McNicoll crafts a futuristic tale where AI and ethics collide, and a brilliant autistic heroine steps up to challenge a world that wants her to conform. With its gripping plot, heartfelt friendships, and fierce celebration of individuality, this book will leave readers inspired to speak out, stand tall, and—most importantly—be unapologetically themselves.

Both Recommended by Mrs Fleming, English

DA'RISTA - STAFF BOOK OF THE MONTH Well done to Mrs Baxter from the English department for recommending this issue’s DA’rista Book of the Month! Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins is the second prequel in the Hunger Games series, focussing on Haymitch Abernathy’s fascinating backstory. Another great read for fans of dystopian fiction!

Each issue of DARN features DA'rista ' Book of the Month' chosen by a member of staff! Staff are asked to recommend a book that could be suitable for adults or younger readers. The staff member who recommends the book of the month chosen for the next issue of DARN will receive a free coffee from DA'rista (thanks Mrs McDaid!)

Have you been inspired to get reading?

Then look no further: the school library is available for you to borrow books at break and lunchtimes every day except Thursday Lunch.

All pupils and staff are able to borrow up to three books at time.

Reading Ambassadors Our fantastic group of Reading Ambassadors meet on Thursday lunchtimes in the library. All pupils are welcome to join in, and contribute to DARN, enjoy some book chat, and play some games!

IN THE SHADOW OF THE WOLF QUEEN KIRAN MILLWOOD HARGRAVE

ONE OF US IS LYING – KAREN M MCMANUS

By Lily, S2

By Cathie, S2

When orphan Ysolda travels to get back her captured sister Hari, she has no idea what she’s getting into nor what the journey will hold. A dangerous warrior king, an annoying stranger, an ancient girl, a mysterious prophecy and a wolf queen all come together to form a thrilling story, the first in the geomancer trilogy.

This tale, written by the author of ‘The Girl of Ink and Stars’, is an epic fantasy novel for anyone wanting a fast-paced magical world to get into.

A geek, a jock, a criminal, a princess. Who would you trust?

In detention, gossip king Simon Kelleher gets poisoned with peanut butter. There were only 4 students in the room with him. So, which one did it?

This book is exciting, addictive and a great book! Fans of murder mysteries will love it!

HEARTSTOPPER VOLUME 3 – ALICE OSEMAN

By Anna, S2

THE HUNGER GAMES – SUZANNE COLLINS

By Jennifer, S2

Nick and Charlie are now boyfriends and as they go on a school trip drama unfolds.

If you like a sweet romance full of drama and secrets then you’ll love this book. In this book Charlie and Nick go to Paris where they unveil a lot of new secrets to each other while touring around France together. I really enjoyed this book because it was full of twists and turns and always keeps you gripped. It is also a series, this is the third book out of five.

There is also a TV series of the books on Netflix.

74 years ago in Panem the Dark Days came followed by a Rebellion.

Now, as punishment, a yearly Hunger Games must be played by two people from each district as a sacrifice. In District 12… our main character Katniss will be entered to fight for glory and to the death will she make it out? Or will the story end with her death? Only one way to find out.

I loved this book so much with the ups and downs of our main character - every setback was conquered with the fierceness of Katniss Everdeen.

You will love this book!

ANIMAL FARM – GEORGE ORWELL

By Jennifer, S2 This political novel’s point of view comes from the animals of Manor Farm or should I say ‘Animal Farm’. Soon the animal’s rebel from the mistreatment from Mr Jones and drive him out so they get to work and start on their own new fair treatment farm but things start to turn sour and we learn what will happen as a democracy turns into a dictatorship. This is a very good political book, it’s very popular as well as a great starter book if you love politics, democracy, dictatorship, or work then you should definitely try out this book!

THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE – SUZANNE COLLINS

BETTER THAN THE MOVIES – LYNN PAINTER

By Gracie, S5

By Murrin, S2

In the cold dark woods of District 12, Katniss stands and strolls back to the Victor’s Village with tiredness and trauma fresh in her mind.

All the lives… 22 incident people dead.

She’s just glad that she made it out alive, but another challenge faces her President Snow wants to send her back into the games for the third quarter quell. He wants her dead.

This is a great teen dystopian book that features detailed emotions, happiness and sadness both at the same time. It features political issues and a lot of gore and death. In my opinion it is one of the best books.

Liz Buxbaum loves rom-coms and has grown up on watching them with her mum before she died. She wants everything about Prom to be perfect, just like it was straight out a film – meaning she wants her forever crush Michael (who has just moved back into town) to ask her out. Michael is perfect in every way, and Liz knows that her mum would have approved of him, since he is so charming and sweet: her dream boyfriend. To reach her dream guy, Liz gets the help of annoying next-door neighbour Wes to help her get closer to Michael, but things don’t go as planned.

I really enjoyed this book and have loved every Lynn Painter book I have read so far and recommend this one.

THE SONG OF ACHILLES - MADELINE MILLER

By Morgan, S2

YOU WILL FEEL THE FIVE STAGES OF GRIEF WHILE READING THIS BOOK: Denial, anger, bargaining, depression and finally acceptance.

Patroclus has just been banished from his kingdom, and sent to another. He is put into work but wins the favour of his new friend Achilles. The two’s bond grows stronger, however they are being torn apart.

Patroclus was a mere banished prince but Achilles was born for greatness. He was going to become the greatest hero and ascend to Godhood. So what happens when Achilles and Patroclus are forced into war? Will their bond keep them together or will the predicaments of war stress the strings holding them together…

‘Beautifully descriptive and heart-achingly lyrical, this is a love story as sensitive and intuitive as any you will find’ - Daily Mail ‘A hard book to put down’ - Donna Tartt

A GOOD GIRL’S GUIDE TO MURDER – HOLLY JACKSON

By Jennifer, S2 The nerdy, schoolhungry Pip Fitz-Amobi has the opportunity to pick what she studies and no surprise she chooses the cold case of Andie Bell and Sal Singh murder/suicide of course things start to turn scary…

I personally LOVE this book it’s definitely one of the best series I’ve ever read, if you love thriller, shock and sadness this book is for you!

Not all books recommended in DARN will be appropriate for all readers.

Please check with parents, carers, our librarian, or a teacher if you are unsure.

Interview with…

Mr Arthur

by Aoife and Tilly, S6 What book are you currently reading?

I am currently reading ‘The Earth Transformed’ by Peter Frankopan.

Are you enjoying it?

Yeah, it's an interesting book about the history of how civilization began in Mesopotamia and how civilization rose and fell.

What is your favourite book and why?

I think this one is more nostalgic than anything else, but it's ‘The Last Wish’ by Andrzej Sapkowski.

He’s a Polish author who created The Witcher series and basically I got into it during covid, which was a nice time to read and actually get through a full series and escape from the fact the world was in absolute turmoil. The Last Wish is the first book in the Witcher series, and I really enjoyed that.

Do you have a favourite author?

Yes, I do. J.R.R Tolkien is very good. His symbolism is very good in all the Lord of the Rings books. I also read The Hobbit as well and a lot of stuff he relates to Christianity which is quite interesting, so that good versus evil and how he relates it to heaven and hell throughout.

Do you have a favourite book by him?

I think The Two Towers. The Two Towers is a very good one out of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Is there a book that you think everyone should read?

Yeah, I think everyone at some point should read Mythos by Stephen Fry. It's a very interesting approach to old Greek tales from classics so basically told in a way that is a bit more manageable to read. It’s funny and interesting and Stephen Fry is a good author.

Why do you enjoy reading?

I think the main part of why I like reading is just to kind of escape the worries that I have and move away from what is happening around me and calm

my mind a little bit. And, then I like to read nonfiction to learn more and take in a bit more information and be more knowledgeable about the world around me.

What is your favourite genre of books?

Probably fantasy or non-fiction depending on the day which I suppose is obvious from what I've said so far.

What is your favourite childhood book.

My favourite childhood book is called ‘Love you for always’. It's one my mum used to read for me when I was wee. It’s always like, 'I love you forever I love you for always as long as I'm living my baby you'll be’ and that's the end of every sentence. I like it a lot because I've got good memories from when I was wee.

Who would you want to be from a book ?

I think part of me wished I could live in a medieval time so I think it would be Geralt from the Witcher.

I think that would be cool because I can kill monsters and be the good guy and be really cool.

What is the best film/TV adaptation from a book in your opinion?

I would choose Game of Thrones. I think the first half of Game of Thrones seasons is really good because they follow along with the book almost part for part which was quite good, they got bad at the end but initially the first part is good and really interesting and its very true to the original book.

Do you judge a book by its cover?

I think I do. I think the ones that draw you in depend on the colours and patterns. I really don't like the ones that have a film adaptation and put the film characters on the front and then you've got the first one without the actors but then you can't find the rest of the series without the film characters on the front cover.

FIRST YEAR LIBRARY INTER CLASS QUIZ The final of the annual first year Library inter class quiz took place on 19th May with Miss Di Mambro acting as quizmaster. A range of questions tested pupils’ literary and general knowledge. In a nail-biting final, 1F were victorious, beating 1C by just one point in a tie break situation! The winners (Morgan, Amy, Jennifer and Ròs) were presented with their medals and the prized Library shield.

Well done to all who took part!

S1 Literacy and Numeracy Evening

EAST DUNBARTONSHIRE LEISURE & CULTURE TRUST – LIBRARY SERVICE Your local library service provides free access to eBooks & eAudiobooks.

You can join for free in East Dunbartonshire at https://www.edlc.co.uk/libraryservices/library-memberships/

In May we invited pupils and their families to the first literacy and numeracy family learning evening. The literacy sessions were run by Mrs Baynham and Mrs Baxter and focused on the benefits of reading as a way to improve literacy. The evening was very successful and both pupils and parents were engaged in the activities. We hope this is the start of more collaborative learning with pupils and families!

Borrow ebooks and Audiobooks free from EDLC libraries using the BorrowBox app. https://www.edlc.co.uk/libraryservices/online-library/borrowbox/ Borrow ebooks, audiobooks, magazines and comics to read on your phone or tablets using the Libby app. https://www.edlc.co.uk/ library-services/onlinelibrary/libby/

S1 FAMOUS AUTHOR COMPETITION First year pupils were challenged to research an author of their choice and create a poster. The standard of work was very high with a diverse range of authors featured.

Featured in this month’s DARN are the runners up.

At the top of the page we have Amelia from 1C with her JK Rowling poster, and underneath we have Amber from 1C who created the F. Scott Fitzgerald poster.

Well done to all those involved!

Staff Picks ‘Washing Line’ display As part of our World Book Day celebrations, we asked to staff to share their reading recommendations. Our Reading Ambassadors created the ‘washing line’ style display. This colourful display can be viewed on the Reading Schools noticeboard near the drama studio.

THE BERRY PICKERS BY AMANDA PETERS On a hot day in 1960s Maine, four-year old Ruthie vanishes without a trace while her while her family, Mi’kmaq people from Nova Scotia, pick fruit. As the last person to see her, Ruthie’s older brother Joe will be forever haunted by grief and guilt.

A multi-layered tale of hope and regret.

Mrs Lister, School Assistant – currently reading

ICE RIVERS BY JEMMA WADHAM As one of the world's leading glaciologists, Professor Jemma Wadham has devoted her career to the glaciers that cover one-tenth of the Earth's land surface. Prompted by an illness that took her to the brink of death and back, in Ice Rivers Jemma recalls twentyfive years of expeditions around the globe, revealing why the glaciers mean so much to her - and what they should mean to us.

A timely, informative, and beautifully written memoir.

Recommended by Mr Rowlands, Geography

THE NIGHTINGALE BY KRISTIN HANNAH Vianne and Isabelle Mauriac are two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path towards survival, love and freedom in war-torn France.

The Nightingale is a heart-breakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the endurance of women.

Recommended by Mrs McDaid, Health & Food Technology

LAIDLAW BY WILLAM MCILVANNEY When a young woman is found brutally murdered in Kelvingrove Park, only one man stands a chance of finding her killer - Jack Laidlaw. He is a man of contrasts, ravaged by inner demons but driven by a deep compassion for the violent criminals in Glasgow’s underworld. But will Laidlaw’s unorthodox methods get him to the killer in time, when the victim’s father is baying for blood?

A highly acclaimed classic of crime fiction Mr Kane, P.E. – favourite book

THE DARK REMAINS BY WILLIAM MCILVANNEY AND IAN RANKIN Lawyer Bobby Carter did a lot of work for the wrong type of people. Now he’s dead and it was no accident. Besides a distraught family and a heap of powerful friends, Carter’s left behind his share of enemies. So, who dealt the fatal blow?

The Dark remains tells the story of iconic detective Jack Laidlaw’s first case.

Recommended by Mrs Fleming, English

TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE BY MITCH ALBOM For Mitch Albom, Morrie Schwartz, his college professor from nearly twenty years ago was a key influence in his life. After many years, Mitch re-connects with his mentor to discuss the big questions in life.

A truly uplifting and inspiring memoir.

Mrs Rutherford, English – currently reading

AFTER THE PARTY BY LISA JEWELL Eleven years ago, Jem and Ralph fell in love. They thought it would be for ever, that they'd found their happy ending. Then two became four, a flat became a house.

Romantic nights out became sleepless nights in.

Now two people who were so right together are starting to drift apart. As they try to find a way back to each other, back to what they once had, they both become dangerously distracted. A page-turning sequel to Ralph’s Party.

Mrs Lyons, Biology – currently reading

TREES BY PERCIVAL EVERETT When the rural town of Money, Mississippi is beset by a series of brutal murders, a pair of detectives from the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation arrive. Only to be met with resistance from the local sheriff, his deputy, the coroner, and a mob of racist white townsfolk. As a spate of copycat killings spreads across the country, what begins as a murder investigation soon becomes a journey into the soul of America’s violent past.

Shortlisted for the Booker Prize, Percival Everett's The Trees is a powerful satire of revenge and racial justice in America.

Ms. Hunter, English – currently reading

CHILDHOOD'S END BY ARTHUR C. CLARKE When the silent spacecraft arrived and took the light from the world, no one knew what to expect. At first everyone thinks the Overlords are here to dominate, but after their arrival, the world becomes a much more peaceful place. War is banished, and humans live their lives in freedom and peace.

Some complain that humanity has lost its drive, but most accept the change.

But all is not what it seems. Arthur C. Clarke's classic in which he ponders humanity's future and possible evolution.

Mrs Lymperopoulou, Music – favourite book

LOITERING WITH INTENT BY MURIEL SPARK Would-be novelist Fleur Talbot works for the snooty, irascible Sir Quentin Oliver at the Autobiographical Association, whose members are all at work on their memoirs. When her employer gets his hands on Fleur's novel-in-progress, mayhem ensues as its scenes begin coming true... A funny and clever novel about art and reality and the way they imitate each other, from the author of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.

Ms Reid, English – currently reading

THE LIES WE TELL OURSELVES BY ROBIN TALLEY It’s 1959 in America. The battle for civil rights is raging. It’s Sarah’s first day at school as one of the first black students at the previously all-white Jefferson High. No one wants Sarah there, not the governor, the students and especially Linda, daughter of the town’s most ardent segregationist. Sarah and Linda are supposed to despise each other but the more time they spend together the less their differences matter.

An emotional and compelling young adult read.

Recommended by Mrs McConnachie, Librarian