As we reach the end of the academic year, we reflect on the action-packed year it has been in terms of reading. In this edition, we will update you with breakfast parties, staff and pupil book reviews and our recommended reads Whether you are away on holiday or sitting in a garden or nearby park this summer, be sure to have a look at our recommended reads for summer reading inspiration.
Each term, we host an exciting reading competition between the Form Classes in Year 7 and Year 8. Using Accelerated Reader quizzes to track progress, we encourage the boys to explore new books and achieve milestones in their reading journeys. At the end of each term, the Form Class to have read the highest number of books is rewarded with a special prize.
This half term, 7A2 claimed the top spot, reading 183 books. To celebrate their fantastic achievement, the class enjoyed a delicious breakfast party complete with doughnuts, muffins, and juice. Well done, 7A2 – keep up the great reading. Which Form Class will be the next reading winners?
Congratulations to the following boys for winning the creative writing context this half term:
1 place: Golden Igoru
2 place: Musa Elkutrani
place: Daniel Mathias
Summer reading competition
Get reading this summer! Using our e-platform, choose from the great books listed on our summer reading sheet Make sure you have picked up your sheet from the library and for every book you read, check them off on this sheet Return your checklist to the library after the summer, and you’ll be entered into a prize drawer. The more books you read, the more times your name will be entered into the draw.
Pupil Book Reviews
‘Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky’ By Kwame Mbalia
Reviewed by Munachi Onyebuchi
This book has lots of unique mythology with African American folk heroes and West African gods. It is filled with action and lots of suspense. Good for fans of Percy Jackson.
‘Skellig’ by David Almond
Reviewed by Michael Boateng
‘Skellig’ is about a kid named Michael who finds a sick, strange creature in his garage. He tries to nurse the creature back to health while also dealing with his own sister being sick. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to people who like realistic fiction with a magical twist.
Aninterviewwith
MrMurray,Headmaster
What is your favourite book and why?
This is always a difficult question, as I enjoy many different books depending on the genre. However, my favourite work of fiction is probably ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ by Charles Dickens Its enduring themes of sacrifice, justice, and redemption, combined with powerful imagery and unforgettable characters, continue to resonate The idea of friendship and selflessness is beautifully captured in the line: “It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done ”
When and where do you most like to read?
I most enjoy reading over a leisurely breakfast or while travelling it is a wonderful way to start the day or pass the time.
Why do you enjoy reading?
Reading broadens the mind and allows us to see the world through different perspectives It invites us to reflect, learn, and imagine beyond our own experience.
What are you currently reading?
At the minute, I am not reading a work of fiction, but a very thought-provoking book called ‘Raising Anxiety’, which explores the complex relationship between parenting, schools, and mental health in young people today
How can you support your son's reading at home?
Watch a film version and then read the book
Ask questions about the book your son has taken out of the library
Use the words of the week around the home
Allocate at least 20 minutes each evening to reading (maybe just before bed)
Read aloud with/to your son
Listen to audiobooks with your son
Encourage your son to take out audiobooks from our e-library
BOOKRECOMMENDATIONS
YEAR7
Marshall feels the need to escape because things are so tough at home Rory is just happy it’s the first day of the summer holidays While out on their bikes they stumble across a long-forgotten underground bunker at the edge of the woods This is the den, and going down inside will stretch their friendship to its limits There will be rivalry and betrayal, but can wrecked relationships be saved before the summer has even begun?
Wild
by Ele Fountain
Jack craves adventure, even if it means getting into trouble at school He thinks he can get away with it as his mum is too busy to notice But then she suggests that he comes along with her on a work trip – and doesn’t tell them where they’re going
As Jack spins further out of control, his mum eventually becomes concerned - and shocks him by suggesting a trip together
But this will be no relaxing holiday Soon Jack finds himself on an expedition deep into the rainforest, far from anything he's ever known He wanted an adventure - but has he plunged into real danger?
YEAR9
We Were Lirars
by E Lockhart
1A beautiful and distinguished family
A private island
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy
A group of four friends-the Liars-whose friendship turns destructive
A revolution An accident A secret Lies upon lies True love The truth
Thomas Taylor
Herbert Lemon, Lost-and-Founder at the Grand Nautilus Hotel, knows that returning lost things to their rightful owners is not easy – especially when the lost thing is not a thing at all, but a girl No one knows what happened to Violet Parma’s parents twelve years ago, and when she engages Herbie to help her find them, the pair discover that their disappearance might have something to do with the legendary sea-monster, the Malamander Eerie-on-Sea has always been a mysteriously chilling place, where strange stories seem to wash up And it just got stranger
It's the summer holidays, and thirteen-year-old Luke's life has been turned upside down First his older sister Rose moved 'across the road', where a community of climate rebels is protesting the planned airport expansion Then his dad followed her
Dad only went to get Rose back but now he's out there
building totem poles, wearing sandals and drinking mead (whatever that is) with the best of them
Can Luke save his family when all they want to do is save the planet?
Harper Lee
'Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird ' A lawyer's advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee's classic novel - a black man charged with a serious crime
Through the young yes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores the irrationality of adult attitudes to race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s
The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice violence and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina of one man's struggle for justice
But the weight of history will only tolerate so much
“New
YEAR8
When Delilah meets Sawyer Saffitz (son of Anya Saffitz aka Hollywood royalty), she becomes hooked on a decade-old scandal In her quest for the truth Delilah uncovers blogposts written by the mysterious “gottiewrites” and is soon caught up in a world of greed, fandom conspiracy theories and murder And the deeper Delilah digs the more dangerous it becomes – because someone is willing to kill to hide the truth
David Mitchell
Six interlocking lives - one amazing adventure In a narrative that circles the globe and reaches from the 19th century to a postapocalyptic future, Cloud Atlas erases the boundaries of time, genre and language to offer an enthralling vision of humanity's will to power, and where it will lead us
