Family Summer Book Group

Every family in the school is invited to take part in OLA’s Family Summer Book Group, where all members of the family read the same books. Later, during the Michaelmas term, with the help of some of the Senior School Association, we’ll meet up for a social evening centred around the books you have read in the summer holidays.

2008 is National Year of Reading so what better way than to enjoy books together. Parents often ask how they can help their children. Reading, and then talking about books, is an excellent way of doing this; being part of a family book group promotes the pleasures of reading.

In the school mailing you will have a received a card on which to record your choices, with a few comments. In September the Library will collect in your reading choices and collate them to produce a booklet of OLA Family Favourite Reads.

Please enjoy choosing your own books, but, if you want some ideas each card has a selection of recommendations made by your year group to be.

Happy Reading!

P.S.
Reading Olympics
The Library runs a Reading Olympics, for Years 7 & 8, to gain Bronze, Silver and Gold certificates. Books read over the summer, and/or in the Family Summer Book Group will give a head start for the Bronze award. For this you will need to have read 7 books, so your selection could include:
- 5 Fiction books - including a favourite writer, an author you have never tried before, a mixture of genres, and including one classic,
- 1 non-fiction book,
- 1 biography or autobiography.
We also write a book review, usually in a session in the library, although keen readers sometimes do one in their own time.

Reading Diploma
For those who have completed their Gold Reading Olympics. See details by clicking on the 'Reading Diary' link in the side menu.

UK team win World Final of Kids' Lit Quiz

The winners of the 2008 World Final were UK National Winners, Arnold House School, London. Truro School, representing England, came second. Whitchurch High School from Wales came third, and Cathedral Grammar School, Christchurch, New Zealand came fourth. This was a nail-biting competition, tense until the very end.
http://www.kidslitquiz.com/World/2008.html

The Kids' Lit Quiz World Final 2008

The 2008 World Final will be held in Oxford, UK on 10 July 2008 with KLQ National Champions from China, New Zealand, South Africa and UK, plus regional winners Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales.

The Oxford Playhouse will host the KLQ World Final. Over 25 well-known children's writers will be there and 500 school children from local Oxfordshire schools, with teachers, librarians, family and friends in the audience to watch the action unfold. Tickets are free and available directly from the Oxford Playhouse - there are still a few seats left, so do ring and reserve a seat.

The finalists are the same children who took part in their local regional heats, and then went on to win their National Finals. They are also enjoying a week of cultural events in and around Oxford as part of their prize for reaching the World Final.

http://www.kidslitquiz.com/World/2008.html

UK heats begin again in the autumn, with the 2009 KLQ World Final planned for South Africa.

Rhythm and Rhyme

Rhythm and Rhyme
The National Year of Reading’s monthly theme for July is Rhythm and Rhyme. It's a great opportunity to explore a whole range of poetry, and a suggestion of books for the month can be seen at: http://www.sla.org.uk/nyr-booklist-july08.php.
These include:

Heard it in the Playground
Allan Ahlberg
Heard it in the Playground is a collection of poems that are particularly enjoyed by children aged between 7 and 10, but can also be a trigger to reminiscences by older readers. As a former teacher, Ahlberg clearly draws on his classroom experiences, has great insight into the school environment and reveals many humorous aspects of school life. Most of the poems are quite short (although the final chapter consists of four longer poems) and they appeal and trigger the imagination of children who find they can easily relate to each and every verse. This book will help develop a child's interest in poetry and is a great addition to any bookshelf.

Not Just a Game Not Just a Game
Eds. Andy Croft and Sue Dymoke
Not Just a Game is a unique archive of modern British sporting life - angling, boxing, canoeing, cricket, darts, golf, motorcycling, netball, polo, rugby, rowing, running, skating, snooker, swimming and tennis - as recorded by almost 100 poets including W H Auden, Wendy Cope, Seamus Heaney, John Betjeman, Tony Harrison, P G Wodehouse, Carol Ann Duffy, Ted Hughes, Andrew Motion, Douglas Dunn, Philip Larkin, Roger McGough... and John Arlott. It's not just a book for sports fans. It's not just a book for poetry lovers. It's not just a game...

By Heart: 101 Poems to Remember By Heart
Edited and with an introduction by Ted Hughes
This is an anthology of poems to remember. In his foreword, Hughes gives a short introduction to the topic and his view on the importance of memorising poems. He follows this with 101 of his personal favourites. Spanning four centuries, the anthology offers the reader a 'mental gymnasium' as well as a treasury of some of our most enduringly popular poetry.