Summer Reading Challenges

Incoming Year 7s - please enjoy a summer of reading, and come in September with a list of the books you have read.
Seven books and a book review will gain you the OLA Bronze Reading Olympics, ready to read for the Silver level.

You can, if you prefer, sign up at your local library for the Summer Reading Challenge, to read library books of your choice, collecting stickers and other rewards along the way. The Summer Reading Challenge takes place every year during the summer holidays, and ihis year’s challenge is called Creepy House . More information: http://summerreadingchallenge.org.uk/.

On 11 July Blue Peter featured the Summer Reading Challenge with Chris Riddell as ‘resident illustrator’ during the show, take a look at the BP website.

Guinness World Record

After a long wait for authentication, our 80 OLA writers received a certificate for their contribution to the Guinness World Record for the most people writing a story at multiple venues. They were part of 3,217 participants across 69 different venues on 6 February.

Super coverage in the local press, with a shortened article online here.

Abinbgdon Carnegie Forum 2013

The Abingdon Carnegie Forum at the Guildhall is an annual event organised by the Librarians of the six secondary schools, and is an opportunity for keen readers to share the love of reading, meet old friends, and make new ones. Fourteen OLA pupils from years 7 & 8 joined over 70 others to discuss the eight books on the shortlist for the Carnegie Medal, the prestigious children's book award, whose past winners include The Borrowers, Watership Down and Tom’s Midnight Garden.

The ‘Carnegie shadowers’ have been reading and reviewing the books since Easter, all in their own free time. On this day they were in mixed school groups, and devised a 3-minute dramatic presentation about their favourite book, which they later performed in front of a panel of judges. The judges, who were from the worlds of publishing, book selling and education, had to decide which presentation would convince them to read that book. They also read a selection of reviews, and selected the best book reviews. Prizes for Best presentation, Best group contributor and Best book reviews were awarded. The students also voted for the Abingdon Carnegie winning book and shared a Carnegie cake.

The winning book, by an overwhelming majority, was Wonder by R. J. Palacio. It seems to have become a tradition that the Abingdon Carnegie Forum vote is at odds with the official judges, who announced the following day that the winner of the Carnegie Medal, was Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner.

For a report by one of the judges, Mark Thornton, Manager of Mostly Books in Abingdon, do read his blog and navigate to 18th June 2013.

Planning the next OLA Reading Festival

The OLA Reading Festival will be 23-27 September, with six speakers, enabling all members of the school to enjoy at least one session. Fantasy writer and former RAF pilot Mark Robson, playwright and novelist David Calcutt, Carnegie nominated local writer Julie Hearn and H.L.Dennis, author of the acclaimed puzzle-breaking series, Secret Breakers will be guests at OLA. An evening with Whitbread winning poet Bernard O'Donoghue will also be open to visitors.

New Children's Laureate - Malorie Blackman

Congratulations to Malorie Blackman, OBE, author of more than 60 books for children and teenagers including the bestselling Noughts & Crosses series, who has today been announced as the new Children's Laureate.

The post is awarded every two years to an eminent writer or illustrator of children's books. Malorie takes over from Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson. Previous Children's Laureates include Anthony Browne, Michael Rosen, Michael Morpurgo, Jacqueline Wilson and Quentin Blake.

Each Children's Laureate plans a particular focus and in an interview with the BBC Malorie Blackman said that one of her 'major projects was a website to host creative responses to books by young people who had grown up immersed in technology and social media'.

More information: http://www.childrenslaureate.org.uk/

Carnegie Quiz

The Carnegie Quiz took place today with over 80 keen readers from all six secondary schools in Abingdon. In this annual event leading up to our Abingdon Carnegie Forum in the Guildhall next month, a dozen teams collaborated to answer 10 questions on each of the books on the shortlist. The most difficult thing was planning to ensure each team had a balance of readers who had between them read all the titles, and a mix of schools. The questions were tricky, but the winning team scored a magnificent 67 out of 80, with other teams close behind. Each of the Librarians also chose one of their shadowers for a deserving surprise prize, ranging from most competent reviewer to most enthusiastic and first to read and review all eight books.

OLA shadowers have posted over 90 reviews on the Carnegie website, do take a look at them here.

Carnegie Shadowing

Our reading group of keen readers who are shadowing the Carnegie Medal have not only been busy reading but have also been writing reviews. This is an important element of the shadowing process, considering whether the books match the award criteria. This includes the plot, characterisation and style, and crucially "The book that wins the Carnegie Medal should be a book of outstanding literary quality. The whole work should provide pleasure, not merely from the surface enjoyment of a good read, but also the deeper subconscious satisfaction of having gone through a vicarious, but at the time of reading, a real experience that is retained afterwards."

We have over 50 reviews on the OLA page, do take a look at them here.