24 May 2008

Half-term listening

Big Toe Books on BBC Radio 7 have a feast of books on offer over half-term. You can also listen again online for 7 days after they have been broadcast on the radio.
Go to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/kids/bigtoe/
Saturday and Sunday - The Thieves of Ostia
By Caroline Lawrence, read by Emily Raymond
Monday - The Snow Spider
By Jenny Nimmo, read by Dylan Williams
Tuesday - Invisible Stanley
By Jeff Brown, read by Andrew Dunn
Deadly Famous
By Richard Kidd, read by James Phelps
Naughty Stories for Good Boys and Girls - Part 3
Written and read by Chris Milne
Kingdom of the Golden Dragon
By Isabel Allende, read by Anne-Marie Duff and Chris Pavlo.

2008 Bisto Book of the Year Awards

The 2008 Bisto Book of the Year Awards winners were announced on 22 May in Dublin. The awards are presented annually in recognition of excellence in writing and illustration, and are administered by Children's Books Ireland.

Bisto Book of the Year:
The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd.
Eilis Dillon Award:
The Thing With Finn by Tom Kelly.
Honour Award:
The Black Book of Secrets by FE Higgins.
Honour Award:
The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers (Picture book).
Honour Award:
Wilderness by Roddy Doyle.

Book summaries and full shortlist for the 2007/2008 Awards at http://www.childrensbooksireland.com/content/view/132/192/

13 May 2008

The DFC - a new children's comic

The DFC - a new children's comic will be popping through letter boxes on 30 May. It will come out weekly and is not available in the shops, only by subscription. There will be some super stories and illustrations by well known writers, artists and storytellers, including Philip Pullmann. The website is counting down to the launch, but there are a few sneak previews, and subscription offers including a free trial of four issues.
http://www.thedfc.co.uk/
Interview with the man behind the comic.

01 May 2008

Mind and Body

The National Year of Reading’s monthly theme for May is Mind and Body. A suggestion of books for the month can be seen at: http://www.sla.org.uk/nyr-booklist-may08.php .
I recommend The Philosophy Files by Stephen Law, who visited our school shortly after his book came out. This book is an introduction to philosophy for teenagers. Attractively illustrated, and in a very accessible format, the big questions are asked: Does God exist? Where did we come from? Should I eat meat? How real is virtual reality? There are several of his books available for loan from the school library. His The Philopsophy Gym is recommended reading for the new AS in Religious Studies starting in September 2008.

The rest of the year’s themes for National Year of Reading:
June: Reading Escapes
July: Rhythm and Rhyme
August: Read the Game
September: You Are What You Read
October: Word of Mouth
November: Screen Reads
December: Write the Future