Half-term reading

Make sure you visit the Library to stock up on your half-term reading! If you're not a big reader then it's all the more important you read every day of the holiday. When we come back I'll be making a list of all the different kinds of reading we'll have done during the break, and I'll have some prizes for anything that impresses me, not just because it's long! Use the holiday to try and finish off the books with 'Dalmatians'. There are over 70 slips on the board. Once we have 101 slips we'll hold the first draw. Should I find a well behaved dalmatian to sniff out the winner? Then the remaining Dalmatian slips will be collected until the end of term, when we'll hold a second draw.

Book news

Julie Bertagna has won the Catalyst Award for her latest book Zenith, the sequel to Exodus. These are epic stories set in a flooded future - a Savage Earth saga. Published for young adults her books are read by a wide 'crossover' audience. Click here for her website.

Aravind Adiga has been named the winner of the £50,000 Man Booker Prize for his novel The White Tiger. Announced on 14 October at an awards ceremony at Guildhall, London, Adiga became the fourth debut novelist to win the coveted prize. Shortlisted runners-up Steve Toltz, Linda Grant, Philip Hensher, Amitav Ghosh and Sebastian Barry each received £2,500 with all authors, including Adiga, also receiving a designer-bound edition of their book. Click here for more information.

London is hosting the 2012 Olympic Games but just as important for worldwide reading promotion and literacy it will also host the IBBY World Congress, a biennial conference for publishers, authors, illustrators, librarians, teachers, booksellers, cultural institutes and reading organisations. Attracting 1000 delegates from over 70 countries, this congress will provide professional and academic
opportunities and cultural exchange for those working to develop children's reading and access to books. An eBay benefit auction will be held between the 8th and 22nd November. Bidders will be given the opportunity to own an original Emily Gravett illustration, a rare first edition set of a Darren Shan novel or appear as a character in the next Cliff McNish book. These are just a few of the long list of pledges that children's writers and illustrators have generously donated for the IBBY World Congress Benefit auction. For more information click here.

Kids' Lit Quiz - selecting OLA teams for the Oxford Heat

All this week the preliminary rounds to select OLA's two Kids' Lit Quiz teams will be taking place during Year 7's and Year 8's Library lessons. Higher scorers will be invited to a second round taking place in their own time, and they will need to confirm their availability to take part.

This year the Oxford Heat will be taking place at Our Lady's Abingdon on Tuesday 11 November, 4.30 - 7.30 p.m. It’s a great spectator event and super entertainment: put the date in your diary now!

Word of Mouth

The National Year of Reading’s monthly theme for October is Word of Mouth. It's a great opportunity to celebrate oral storytelling traditions.
Have fun storytelling!
Enjoy reading out loud!
Spend some time reading together!
Explore poetry!
Entrance an audience by reading aloud!
Suggestions for the month can be seen at: http://www.sla.org.uk/nyr-booklist-october08.php. These include the following, all in the Library:
The Iron Man by Ted Hughes Age 6+
One of the greatest modern fairy tales raising questions about good and evil…
The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dave Pilkey Age 6+
George and Harold create the greatest super-hero in their school's history. Meet Captain Underpants. His identity is so secret, even he doesn't know who he is. Great to read out loud with lots of sound effects!
The Legend of Spud Murphy by Eoin Colfer Age 8+
Will and Marty are packed off to the library during the school holidays. Can they escape the clutches of the legendary librarian Spud Murphy and her gas-powered spud gun? How did Ugly Frank got his nickname? Who gets tattooed with the pink Barbie stamp? Read on to discover how Will and Marty find out that libraries and books aren’t so bad after all...
Holes by Louis Sachar Age 10+
‘If you take a bad boy and make him dig a hole every day in the hot sun, it will turn him into a good boy.’ When he is sent to Camp Green Lake Detention Centre Stanley Yelnats has to dig a hole five foot wide by five foot deep each day and report if he finds anything. Digging holes has got nothing to do with turning a bad boy into a good boy and Stanley eventually digs up the truth...
Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz Age 10+
Alex Rider’s world is turned upside down when his guardian is killed. Forcibly recruited into MI6, Alex trains with the SAS and armed with special gadgets is sent off on his first mission. Why would he need to investigate Herod Sayle who is giving free computers to every school in the country?
Witch Child by Celia Rees Age 12+
After her grandmother is hanged for witchcraft Mary escapes to a new life in America but soon realises that the atmosphere of superstition and suspicion have followed her. Mary uses all her wits and skill to survive the corruption of those around her.

Teen novel wins 2008 Guardian children's fiction prize

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness (Age 13+) has won the 2008 Guardian children's fiction prize. Todd is the last boy left in Prentisstown, a place where only men live; they exist in a world of noise, as their every thought can be heard. As Todd approaches his 13th birthday, he finds himself in great danger. Accompanied by his dog and guided by nothing but his own good sense, Todd must flee from Prentisstown and make his own way in a bleak and desolate world.
The Guardian children's fiction prize is the only children's book award in which writers are judged by their peers. This year's judges were Jenny Valentine, who won last year with Finding Violet Park, Mary Hoffman, author of The Falconer's Knot and Mal Peet, author of Keeper. The author receives a cheque for £1,500.
Report http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/sep/25/guardianchildrensfictionprize.booksforchildrenandteenagers
Longlist http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/may/24/guardianchildrensfictionprize.booksforchildrenandteenagers
More about the prize http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/guardianchildrensfictionprize