Reading Club magazine

All year 7 and 8 received a copy of OLA Book Magazine out this week. This pamphlet, by year 7 reading club members and other contributors, was put together by VI Form club leaders. It features a Christmas word search, book reviews, book quizzes, Twilight saga crossword, maze, Harry Potter word search, name the characters, Eoin Colfer author profile, Jacqueline Wilson quiz, sudoku, book recommendations, and cut out your own bookmark. Great entertainment and well done to all!
Happy Christmas and keep reading every day!
Mrs Hickford

Costa Book Awards 2009 Shortlists

The Costa Book Awards is one of the most prestigious and popular literary prizes in the UK and recognises some of the most enjoyable books of the year by writers based in the UK and Ireland.
The shortlists have been announced for the five categories: First Novel, Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children's Book. The winner in each category will receive £5,000, and one of those five books will be selected as the overall winner of the Book of the Year and receive a further £25,000.
Costa Children's Award
* Solace of the Road by Siobhan Dowd
* Troubadour by Mary Hoffman
* The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness
* Guantanamo Boy by Anna Perera
Costa First Novel Award
* The Finest Type of English Womanhood by Rachel Heath
* John the Revelator by Peter Murphy
* Beauty by Raphael Selbourne
* The Girl with Glass Feet by Ali Shaw
Costa Novel Award
* Family Album by Penelope Lively
* Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
* The Elephant Keeper by Christopher Nicholson
* Brooklyn by Colm Toibin
Costa Biography Award
* The Strangest Man: The Hidden Life of Paul Dirac, Quantum Genius by Graham Farmelo
* The Music Room by William Fiennes
* Coda by Simon Gray
* Dancing to the Precipice by Caroline Moorehead
Costa Poetry Award
* Angels Over Elsinore by Clive James
* One Eye'd Leigh by Katharine Kilalea
* Darwin: A Life in Poems by Ruth Padel
* A Scattering by Christopher Reid

The award winners in all five categories will be announced on Tuesday 5 January and the 2009 Costa Book of the Year on Tuesday 26 January 2010.
Full details.

Booktrust Teenage Prize 2009

Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book has won the Booktrust Teenage Prize 2009, which is aimed at older readers. It tells the story of Nobody ‘Bod’ Owens, a child abandoned in a graveyard after the vicious murder of his parents and sister by The Man Jack. Raised and educated by the ghosts that live there, Bod encounters terrible and unexpected menaces in the horror of the pit of the Sleer and the city of Ghouls. It is in the land of the living that the real danger lies as The Man Jack is determined to find Bod and finish him off.
Taken from: http://www.booktrust.org.uk/show/feature/Home/Booktrust-Teenage-Prize

UK Final of Kids' Lit Quiz

The 2009 National Final of the Kids' Lit Quiz will take place on Friday 27 November at Oxford Town Hall. The winning teams from the 15 Regions, including Oxfordshire & Berkshire Winners from Wheatley Park School, will be competing for the coveted KLQ National Cup, and prizes which include magazine subscriptions, books, book tokens and a place in the KLQ World Final 2010.
This exciting event will begin with a local actor Nicholas Atkinson introducing comedian HARRY ENFIELD and then KLQ Quizmaster WAYNE MILLS. As well as the Lord Mayor of Oxford, Cllr Mary Clarkson and two other local Mayors, many local dignitaries and publishers will be there to support the teams together with the following authors:
PHILIP ARDAGH - TIM BOWLER - DAVID CALCUT - LUCY COATES - ELEN CALDICOTT - GILLIAN CROSS - SUSIE DAY - FIONA DUNBAR - STEVE FEASEY - ECHO FREER - ALAN GIBBONS - JULIA GOLDING - GABY HALBERSTAM - DENNIS HAMLEY - MG HARRIS - MARY HOFFMAN - MARY HOOPER - JULIA JARMAN - CATHERINE JOHNSON - ELIZABETH KAY - RUPERT KINGFISHER - JOSH LACEY - AMANDA LEES - MARIE LOUISE JENSEN - BEVERLY NAIDOO - LINDA NEWBERY - ANDREW NORRISS - MARK ROBSON - CRAIG SIMPSON & ELEANOR UPDALE.
Waterstones will be selling their books and there will be an opportunity for book signing. There will also be KLQ Souvenir MUGS on sale at a cost of £6 each.
A special Celebration Tea will be held in the Assembly Room for all the teams, authors and invited guests.
Well done to Wheatley Park School, Oxfordshire & Berkshire Regional Winners, who are now UK 2009 Kids' Lit Champions! The team will represent the UK at the Kids' Lit Quiz World Final on 14 August 2010 taking place during the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

Kids' Lit Quiz

Our two OLA teams have been selected, and are ready to take part in the Oxfordshire and Berkshire regional heat of the international Kids' Lit Quiz on Monday 23 November. The heat will be taking place in Oxford at the Newman Rooms, Rose Place, St Aldates. Over 30 teams of four children in Years 7 & 8, and this year some from Year 6 also, will be answering 100 questions in 10 rounds. No-one knows what the questions will be, but the rounds will be themed. Previous categories have included poetry, authors, titles, settings, characters, and nursery rhymes. The KLQ is hugely entertaining, not only for the keen readers taking part, but also for the spectators who also have the chance of winning a prize in between each round. Children's authors Ann Evans, Susie Day, Dennis Hamley, Elizabeth Kay, MG Harris, Lucy Coats and Mark Robson will also be at the quiz, and will play as a team. A book shop selling a selection of their books will also be available.
Congratulations to the team from Whealtey Park School who won the Heat and go to through to the UK Final.
Children's writer Helena Pielichaty attended the Yorkshire heat and wrote up a hilarious report on her blog: http://www.helena-pielichaty.com/blog/2009/11/roundhay-school-rocks-in-kids-lit-quiz/

Roald Dahl Funny Prize 2009

For children aged six and under, the winning book was Mr Pusskins Best in Show by Sam Lloyd. For children aged seven to fourteen, the winning book was Grubtown Tales: Stinking Rich and Just Plain Stinky by Philip Ardagh, illustrated by Jim Paillot.
Mr Pusskins Best In Show is the story of a grumpy but loveable cat who just has to get his paws on a trophy for the Best-Looking Pet at the beauty show. Grubtown Tales: Stinking Rich and Just Plain Stinky is the story of a town of oddballs plotting to rid Grubtown of the disgusting Manual Org, whose breath smells of ‘two-thirds of a pickled raw herring, a pickled onion, 11 gherkins and one jar of sandwich spread (one month past its sell-by date)’! The winners were presented with a cheque for £2,500 and a bottle of wine from Roald Dahl’s personal wine cellar.
Read more.

Snow Goose by Paul Gallico

According to a BBC poll The Snow Goose by Paul Gallico is the neglected classic most deserving of rediscovery. Originally published in 1940 as a newspaper short story, The Snow Goose is the work of American writer Paul Gallico (1897-1976). The story is about a painter and a young girl who seeks his help in caring for an injured bird. There are two copies available in the Library, one of them beautifully illustrated by wildlife artist Peter Scott.
Listen to an extract.
More information.

The 2010 Blue Peter Book Awards Shortlist

The 2010 Blue Peter Book Awards Shortlist is:
Best Book With Facts:
Usborne Lift-the-flap Picture Atlas by Alex Frith & Kate Leake
Tail-End Charlie by Mick Manning & Brita Granstrom
Why Eating Bogeys is Good for You by Mitchell Symons
Book I Couldn't Put Down:
Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce
The Boy Who Fell Down Exit 43 by Harriet Goodwin
Frozen in Time by Ali Sparkes
Most Fun Story with Pictures:
Peter the Penguin Pioneer by Daren King
Spells by Emily Gravett
Dinkin Dings and the Frightening Things by Guy Bass & Pete Williamson
The panel of adult judges included the Editor of Blue Peter, a children's librarian and Matt Haig, who won Blue Peter Book of the Year 2009 for Shadow Forest. These books will now be judged by Blue Peter viewers. They will decide both the winners in each category, and the overall winner of Blue Peter Book of the Year 2010. The awards will be announced on a special Blue Peter in March 2010 to coincide with World Book Day and an extract from each of the nine shortlisted titles will be dramatised for the show.

Book Swap

All this week there has been a Book Swap in the Library.

How does it work?
- Bring in a book in reasonably good condition that you no longer want, which is suitable for your age group
- Receive a token in exchange
- Exchange that token for another book.
No money changes hands.

Each day there will be different books, depending on what people bring, so it's worth a visit every day. You can also keep your token for the next Book Swap (or I can keep it for you).

Scholastic Book Club

I’ve just set up our latest Scholastic Book Club school group order online. This means you can order your book choices from the Book Clubs leaflet (which I'll be handing out this week) and from a wider selection at http://clubs-school.scholastic.co.uk/olab and, what's more, you'll be able to have your books delivered to school for free.

You need to order your books by Tuesday 17th November 2009 and the books will be delivered to school for me to hand out. For every £1 you spend 20p goes back to the library to spend on books.

Take a look at what’s on offer at http://clubs-school.scholastic.co.uk/olab – there are some great bargains with books costing as little as £1.99! Please note that some books are badged 13+.

Selecting OLA's teams for the Kids' Lit Quiz

Preliminary rounds to select OLA's two Kids' Lit Quiz teams have been taking place for all pupils in Year 7 and Year 8. 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 Oxfordshire and Berkshire Heat will be taking place at the Newman Rooms on Monday 23 November, 2.30 - 5.30 p.m. It’s a great spectator event and super entertainment: put the date in your diary now! The winning team from this heat will go through to the UK Final taking place later the same week, on Friday 27 November this year also in Oxford, in the Town Hall, 1.30 - 4 p.m.

New books

Recently published books include:
Mal Peet's novel, Exposure which has won the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize;
Hetty Feather by Jacqueline Wilson, historical fiction for younger readers;
David Benedictus' Return to the Hundred Acre Wood, an authorised Sequel to Winnie the Pooh;
Eoin Colfer's And Another Thing, the sequel to Douglas Adams's Hitchhikers Guide;
Terry Pratchett's Unseen Academicals, his 37th Discworld novel, a fantasy series which can be read in any order;
1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up edited by Julia Eccleshare.

Julia Golding visit

Oxfordshire author Julia Golding visited Our Lady's Abingdon to talk to pupils in Years 7 and 8 about why and how she writes, answer questions and autograph copies of her books. This was followed by two writing workshops for Year 10 students.
Julia Golding’s writing career followed work as a diplomat for the Foreign Office in Poland and working for Oxfam as a lobbyist. Her first novel, The Diamond of Drury Lane, won the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize 2006 and the Nestle Children's Book Prize 2006. In 2007 Waterstone's nominated her as one of their 'Twenty-five authors for the future'.
The Diamond of Drury Lane is set against the backdrop of the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane in 1790 and is full of local colour and authentic detail. Cat Royal is an orphan who lives at the back of the theatre, who mingles with the actors on stage to the lords and ladies in the stalls to the barrow boys in the grimy marketplace, as a gripping diamond mystery unfolds.
Many of her books are available for loan from the school library.

Oxfordshire Book Awards

The Oxfordshire Book Award (formerly the West Oxfordshire Book Awards) is an award in which children in the Oxfordshire area - almost 1000 of them - were involved in selecting, shortlisting and voting. There are three categories: Best Picture Book, Best Junior Novel, and Best Teen Novel which were announced at the awards ceremony in Abingdon.
Charlie Higson’s fifth Young Bond novel By Royal Command won Best Junior Novel; Stephanie Meyer's Breaking Dawn won the Best Teen Novel; and Michael Rosen and Nick Sharrat collected their awards for Best Picture Book for Dear Mother Goose, a delightfully witty lift the flap book where Agony Aunt Mother Goose helps Humpty Dumpty conquer his fear of falling and Little Miss Muffet deal with an over-friendly spider as well as helping a whole host of other much-loved nursery characters.

Anthony Horowitz and Charlie Higson

A conversation between Anthony Horowitz and Charlie Higson was published in The Times last Saturday - a fascinating read at http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article6856941.ece

National Poetry Day - 8 October

National Poetry Day falls on Thursday 8 October, and the theme is Heroes and Heroines. Poetry celebrates heroes of all kinds from sporting heroes to mums and dads. Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy has written a poem for National Poetry Day which you can be sent as an e-card from the National Poetry Day website. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for poetry on the radio, TV and in school.
The Library's National Poetry Day Competition was won by Isabel and Georgina in Year 9 - well done for identifying all the poems.

Man Booker prize

The winning writer of the prestigious Man Booker Prize for Fiction will be handed the £50,000 prize during a ceremony at London's Guildhall on 6 October. This year's shortlist has been considered a vintage year, the six nominees including JM Coetzee and AS Byatt, both of whom are past winners of the literary award.

South African Coetzee is hoping to become the first three-time winner with his fictional memoir, Summertime. Byatt is nominated for The Children's Book, a saga that follows a series of Arts and Crafts families at the turn of the 20th century. Adam Foulds' The Quickening Maze is based set in and around an asylum in 1840, whilst Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall is an account of the life and times of Thomas Cromwell, Chief Adviser to Henry VII. With the exception of Sarah Walters’ The Little Stranger, the novels are based on real figures – or, in the case of Simon Mawer’s The Glass Room, on a modernist house, Der Glasraum. [more detail].
Interviews with each of the authors and audio extracts of each of their titles can be found on the Man Booker website as well as a teaser section of each of the titles to download to mobile phones in both audio and text versions.
Winner: Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel.

Booktrust Teenage Prize 2009 shortlist

Launched in 2003 to recognise and celebrate contemporary fiction written for teenager, the Booktrust Teenage Prize is judged by a mixed panel of adults and teenagers. The shortlist for the 2009 prize has been announced.

Auslander by Paul Dowswell (Bloomsbury)
It’s 1942 and Peter is seized from an orphanage in Warsaw by Nazi soldiers, only to be classified as an Aryan and adopted by the prominent Nazi Professor Kaltenbach. Peter is expected to perfectly embody the values of the regime, but he has his own ideas on how to undermine its horrific pursuit of perfection.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (Bloomsbury)
This chillingly fantastical tale is Gaiman’s first full-length novel since his internationally bestselling and highly acclaimed Coraline. Bod is alive…but his friends are not. Raised by ghosts, werewolves and other ethereal graveyard inhabitants, how will Bod reconcile the world of the living and the dead?

Ostrich Boys by Keith Gray (Definitions)
Left despondent after the funeral of their friend Ross, three friends – Kenny, Sim and Blake – steal Ross’ ashes and embark on an epic journey in search of a more fitting memorial. Described as a 'modern classic' (Jake Hope, The Bookseller), this tale explores deep friendship and devastating loss.

The Ant Colony by Jenny Valentine (HarperCollins)
33 Georgiana Street is home to an eclectic and chaotic assortment of runaways and misfits. Their disparate lives only briefly cross paths as they each purse their isolated existence; no questions asked. Yet below the surface everyone has a secret to hide.

The Vanishing of Katharina Linden by Helen Grant (Puffin)
Intrigue and eerie mystery lie at the heart of Grant’s captivating debut novel, which entwines ancient German folklore with contemporary life-changing tragedy. The disappearance of ten-year-old Katharina reduces the small German town of Bad Munstereifel to panic. Only young Pia is determined to discover the truth.

The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness (Walker)
The second sci-fi fantasy novel in the ‘Chaos Walking’ trilogy and sequel to the Booktrust Teenage Prize-winning The Knife of Never Letting Go, this fast-paced thriller continues the adventures of Todd and Viola. Fuelled by tension and mistrust, the pair find themselves on opposites sides of a civil war in this work of dystopian fiction.

Information from Booktrust website.

The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA) is the world's largest prize for children's and young adult literature, and the nominees for the 2010 prize has been abnnounced. The award, which amounts to SEK 5 million, is awarded annually to either a single or to several recipients. Authors, illustrators, oral storytellers and those active in reading promotion may be rewarded. The award is designed to promote interest in children's and young adult literature, and in children's rights, globally. An expert jury selects the winners from candidates nominated by institutions and organisations worldwide. The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award is administered by the Swedish Arts Council. This makes the list of nominees a good starting place if you want an overview of what's going on in children's literature today. The list is long and includes several names familiar to a British school readership:
Almond, David: Author, Great Britain
Blake, Quentin: Illustrator, Great Britain
Chambers, Aidan (nominated singly and with Chambers, Nancy): Author/Promoters of reading, Great Britain
Gleitzman, Morris: Author, Australia
Hoban, Russel: Author, USA
Hughes, Shirley: Author/Illustrator, Great Britain
IBBY International: Reading promotion organisation, International
Innocenti, Roberto: Illustrator, Italy
Lowry, Lois: Author, USA
Mahy, Margret: Author, New Zealand
Morpurgo, Michael: Author, Great Britain
Scheffler, Axel: Illustrator, Germany
Sempé, Jean Jacques:Illustrator, France
Sis, Peter: Illustrator, USA
Thompson, Kate: Author, Ireland
Wilson, Jacqueline: Author, Great Britain
Wynne Jones, Diana: Author, Great Britain

Around the World in 80 Books

European Day of Languages which celebrates linguistic diversity seems an appropriate day to launch a Library promotion encouraging reading of books set in diverse cultures. There are many ways to find a library book, on the shelves, on the Library catalogue and on the web:
* Browse the bookshelves. Look for a ‘Multicultural’ spine label;
* Search Olly (Oliver) the Library catalogue. Type in the name of a country and then look for Fiction, or search Fiction - Multicultural;
* Go to MapAList and find the map 'OLA - Around the World in 80 Books' http://mapalist.com/Public/PublicMapViewerShell.aspx?mapid=54496 and click on a place marker to find a book title and author. Zoom in to find more titles. If you read a book on the map and hand in a slip, your first name and form will soon appear on MapAList too, as I'll be updating it regularly.
* Look at http://www.librarything.com/catalog/OLALibrarian for more ideas.

When you have read a book fill in your slip with all the details. If it’s complete you will receive a commendation, and your slip will go on display. When there are 80 books which have been read, the names of the readers will go into a draw for a prize.
Don't forget that this book will also count as one of your books for your Reading Olympics.

School Book Club - now also online

I’ve just set up our Scholastic Book Club school group order online. This means you can now order your book choices from the Book Clubs leaflet (which I'll be handing out soon) and from a wider selection at http://clubs-school.scholastic.co.uk/olab and, what's more, you'll be able to have your books delivered to school for free.

You need to order your books by Thursday 24th September 2009 and the books will be delivered to school for me to hand out. For every £1 you spend 20p goes back to the library to spend on books.

Take a look at what’s on offer at http://clubs-school.scholastic.co.uk/olab – there are some great bargains with books costing as little as £1.99! Please note that some books are badged 13+.

A Summer's Reading

Welcome back! What have you read during the last two months?

Over the holiday I hope many of you will have enjoyed the leisure time to read. New Year 7s - bring in your OLA Summer Reading Challenge or your Quest Seekers certificate for a commendation. Year 8s and 9s - a book review will earn you a commendation. Bring it or email it to the Library.

New for senior school - OLA Fast News. Click on the link, also in the side bar on the right, to access all the major news services in English, French, Spanish, and for science, sport and business.

This term in the school library: the start of the Reading Olympics and reading buddies, book clubs, book chains, a book swap, 'poetree', Kids' Lit Quiz heats, and very soon: Around the World in 80 Books....

August Worldwide Readalong

In August 2009 a worldwide readalong will take place of Yann Martel's Life of Pi, which won the Booker Prize in 2002.

Like its noteworthy ancestors (Robinson Crusoe, Gulliver's Travels, the Ancient Mariner and Moby Dick) Life of Pi is a tale of disaster at sea. Both a boys' own adventure (for grown-ups, and readers 14+) and a meditation on faith and the value of religious metaphor, it was one of the most extraordinary and original novels of 2002. The only survivor from the wreck of a cargo ship on the Pacific, 16 year old Pi spends 221 days on a lifeboat with a hyena, a zebra (with a broken leg), a female orang-utan and a 450-pound Royal Bengal Tiger called Richard Parker ... [From: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/yann-martel/life-of-pi.htm]

There is a special website http://www.lifeofpi.co.uk/ where you can sign up or follow Tweets.

Summer Reading Challenge

Can you read six books over the summer? Yes, of course you can! I want to encourage you to read over the summer. Read anything, but don’t stop! You could even challenge your mum or dad to do the same, or read the same books as you do.

If you are about to join Our Lady's in September then you will have received the OLA Summer Reading Challenge in your pack. Another way is to go along to your local public library and take part in Quest Seekers during the school summer holidays. There are games, activities, jokes, messages, and author blogs to enjoy as you read your books.

When you complete the challenge by reading six or more books will receive a certificate. There’s a super website http://questseekers.org.uk All you need to do now is get reading!

It’s free to join your public library. You’ll need an adult to sign the membership form, and then you can borrow up to 20 books! More info at Kids & Teens @ Libraries, http://kidlib.oxfordshire.gov.uk

Another huge advantage is that public library membership gives you (and your family) access to Reference Online. You probably don't want to know this at the start of your summer holidays but that includes being able to use all three versions of Encyclopedia Britannica for free!

Summer Reading - what shall I read?

In the last week or so of term Years 7-10 will have received, either in their Library lesson, or in their English lesson, a booklet of Reading Suggestions. There are three booklets, targeted at Years 7-8, Year 9 and Years 10-11, and include reviews of a number of the books listed, all of which could be borrowed from the Library. Year 11 leavers have had their booklet posted home. For those finishing Year 7-8 the booklet includes a page of puzzles, and an invitation to write a book review in return for a commendation at the start of the new term.
Happy Reading!

Campaign for the Book latest

The Campaign for the Book was set up by the children's author, Alan Gibbons in September 2008 to fight cuts in school libraries, and to defend the place of books in libraries. He has been campaigning tirelessly and has now raised the gauntlet for school libraries and has today sent an open letter to the government - have a look at the text It begins:
Question: what do prisoners have that school students don’t?
Answer: the statutory right to a library.
Alan has also set up a petition on the Number 10 website whose text is - We, the undersigned, call on Her Majesty's Government to accept in principle that it will make school libraries, run by properly qualified staff, statutory and to prepare the necessary legislation in consultation with the appropriate professional associations and trade unions.

Carnegie Medal Winner

The Winners of the Cilip Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Awards have been announced. Siobhan Dowd has won the Carnegie Award for Bog Child and Catherine Rayner has won the Kate Greenaway Award for Harris Finds His Feet. At the Abingdon Carnegie Forum on 23 June The Knife of Never Letting Go was voted the winner.

Abingdon Carnegie Forum

Tuesday 23 June sees the Abingdon Carnegie Forum. Pupils from the six local schools will come together, and in mixed groups, will discuss the shortlisted books, and prepare a visual presentation about their favourite book. The aim is to convince a panel of judges that their book is the one they want to read. Lots of prizes on offer! We'll also be voting for our Abingdon Carnegie winner and sharing a specially made celebration cake. OLA shadowers have been meeting on a weekly basis to discuss books, read and write reviews, and in between have been chatting about them on a private wiki.

Carnegie Quiz

Eighty pupils from the six local schools came together today for a quiz on the books shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. In mixed teams any shyness soon dissipated as they collaborated over the correct answers. A break for juice and delicious cookies in the middle refreshed spirits. A Librarian's Award for a keen and enthusiastic reader and reviewer from each school plus edible prizes for the winning team, and the pleasant afternoon was soon over. Our thanks to Abingdon School for hosting this enjoyable event.

Newly found Hercule Poirot stories

Two never-before-seen Hercule Poirot short stories by Agatha Christie are to be revealed in a new book published this autumn.

The stories, which will be published in Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks: Fifty Years of Mysteries in the Making, were found inside 73 notebooks discovered at Greenway, Christie's family home in Devon, when the archive at the National Trust property was being established. Due out on 3 September the book will be published as a £20 hardback and promoted to tie into Agatha Christie Week.
More information

Anthony Browne named new Children's Laureate

Illustrator Anthony Browne has just been announced as the new Children's Laureate for 2009 to 2011. He follows the distinguished list of Quentin Blake (1999-2001), Anne Fine (2001-2003), Michael Morpurgo (2003-2005), Jacqueline Wilson (2005-2007) and Michael Rosen (2007-2009) in this key role in children's literature.

Gorillas feature in many of Anthony's books. He says, 'I am fascinated by them and the contrast they represent – their huge strength and gentleness. They're thought of as being very fierce creatures and they're not.'

'I hope to encourage more children to discover and love reading, but I want to focus particularly on the appreciation of picture books, and the reading of both pictures and words. Picture books are for everybody at any age, not books to be left behind as we grow older. The best ones leave a tantalising gap between the pictures and the words, a gap that is filled by the reader's imagination, adding so much to the excitement of reading a book.'
More information

Red House Children's Book Award winners

Hundreds of books have been read, shortlisted and voted for by children from around the country.
The overall winner for 2009 is Sophie McKenzie for her gripping thriller Blood Ties, which also wins the Older readers category. Sophie visited OLA last year.
The Pencil by Allan Ahlberg and Bruce Ingman won the Younger Children Category.
Daisy and the Trouble with Zoos by Kes Gray won the Younger Readers Category.
More information

Essex Book Award

Essex secondary school children have voted the book The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd as their favourite read for the Essex Book Award 2008. The novel describes how, after their friend Salim mysteriously disappears from the London Eye, Ted and Kat follow a trail of clues across London in a desperate bid to find him before time runs out. Bog Child, also by Siobhan Dowd is shortlisted for this year's Carnegie Medal.

Guardian Children's Fiction Longlist

The Guardian Children's Fiction prize will be awarded in September and this is the Longlist, a mixture of revenge, romance and revolution:
Genesis by Bernard Beckett (Quercus, £10.99)
The Silver Blade by Sally Gardner (Orion, £9.99)
Nation by Terry Pratchett (Doubleday, £16.99)
Then by Morris Gleitzman (Puffin, £5.99)
Rowan the Strange by Julie Hearn (Oxford, £10.99)
Exposure by Mal Peet (Walker Books, £7.99)
Solace of the Road by Siobhan Dowd (David Fickling Books, £10.99)
Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick (Orion, £9.99)
More details about each of the books

Carnegie Medal - Author interviews

Watch, Listen and Read on the Shadowing website features all the authors on the shortlist for the Carnegie Medal, and also the illustrators shorlisted for the Kate Greenway Medal. Definitely unmissable. Click here http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/shadowingsite/watch_listen.php

Branford Boase Award Shortlist

The Branford Boase Award was set up to reward promising new writers, as well as to reward excellence in writing and in publishing. A shortlist has been announced, and the winner will be revealed on 9 July.
The Traitor Game by B R Collins (Bloomsbury)
The Toymaker by Jeremy De Quidt (David Fickling Books)
Flood Child by Emily Diamand (published originally as Reavers Ransom by Chicken House)
Between Two Seas by Marie-Louise Jensen (OUP)
Bloodline by Katy Moran (Walker Books)
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness (Walker Books)
Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nicholls (Marian Lloyd Books)
More information

Carol Ann Duffy becomes first female Poet Laureate

Carol Ann Duffy has been appointed the first female Poet Laureate succeeding Andrew Motion, and 400 years after the first Poet Laureate John Dryden. Her tenure will last for ten years. This is poetry's most prestigious job, though it has no job description and the salary is nominal. The poet has decided to donate her yearly sum of £5,750 to the Poetry Society to fund a new poetry prize for the best annual collection, but has said she will be happy to receive her 'butt of sack', the 600 bottles of sherry traditionally given to the laureate .
The Poet Laureate is chosen by the monarch from a list of nominees compiled on behalf of the Prime Minister, and is expected to write about events of national importance, although this does not always happen. Past Poet Laureates include William Wordsworth, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Sir John Betjeman and Ted Hughes.
Carol Ann Duffy
List of Poets Laureate
Andrew Motion biography

10 years of the Children's Laureate

Earlier this week Michael Rosen and the four previous Children's Laureates - Quentin Blake, Anne Fine, Michael Morpurgo and Jacqueline Wilson - celebrated the tenth anniversary of the award. They also gave a lsit of their favourite books when they were young.
Jacqueline Wilson's favourites include A Little Princess, Little Women, Ballet Shoes and The Family From One End Street. Anne Fine’s favourite is The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, and her list includes Eva Ibbotson's Journey to the River Sea, set in the Amazon. Michael Rosen chose Fairy Tales by Terry Jones, Emil and the Detectives, Daz 4 Zoe by Robert Swindells, and Anne Frank's Diary. Blake, who is an illustrator, chose Rose Blanche, Ian McEwan's touching story of a young girl’s view of a concentration camp; John Masefield’s The Box of Delights, Little Tim and the Brave Sea Captain, and Stuart Little. Michael Morpurgo's choices include Dickens' Oliver Twist, The Happy Prince, Five Go To Smuggler's Top, A Book of Nonsense, and the Just So Stories.
More news
Full list of titles

The Espresso Book Machine

A new device capable of creating perfectly-bound paperback books, has just hit the UK. The Espresso Book Machine is able to print titles in a matter of minutes, putting an end to the annoyance of bookshop customers being told that their book is 'no longer in print', or 'out of stock'. The customer simply selects a book from a network of 500,000 available titles, most of which are out of print. Then, roughly 5 minutes later, the Espresso Book Machine, prints, binds, trims and shoots out a flawless factory-quality book.

The device, which Time Magazine named Best Invention of 2007, was launched in the UK on Monday at Blackwell, Charing Cross Road in London, and is being hailed as the biggest advancement in the literary world since Gutenberg invented the printing press over 500 years ago.

Blackwell hopes to increase the number of digital titles the Espresso Book Machine will carry, to over a million titles by the end of this summer.
Information taken from http://www.alchemyworx.com/publishingnews/2009/apr_09/news.htm

Shadowing News

The Carnegie Medal is awarded by children's librarians for an outstanding book for children and young people. Shadowing involves school students reading the books, assessing them using the same criteria that the judges will use, and writing a review.

Many schools have, like us at Our Lady's Abingdon, set up a shadowing book group, and meet regularly to change books, exchange views and opinions, and write reviews. The reviews are posted on a special website.

There are also plans for keener readers to meet with students from other local schools, and take part in a quiz and a joint forum to nominate our ‘Abingdon’ winner of the Carnegie Medal.

Timetable for Shadowers:
Friday 24 April Shortlists available. Start reading!
Mondays, 4.15 Shadowers’ meetings in the Library. Finish 4.50 pm
Tues. 28 April 3.45 – 4.30 Carnegie ‘Tea’, at John Mason School, for initial reactions and tips on reviewing books (by minibus, max. 14 girls.)
Tues. 9 June 2.00 – 3.30 Carnegie Quiz, at Abingdon School (walk, max. 18 girls. Must have read and reviewed at least 3 books.)
Tues. 23 June 10.30 – 3.30 Abingdon Carnegie Forum at Abingdon Guildhall (walk, max. 20 girls. Must have read and reviewed at least 4 books.)
Thurs. 25 June Carnegie Medal Winner announced nationally, and revealed ‘hot off the press’ at 12.50 in the Library.

Find out more about the shadowing scheme, where you can read about the shortlist , and read student reviews. Click on ‘Shadowing Groups’, at the top, then ‘Reading Groups’ to find Our Lady's Abingdon. It may even inspire you to read some of the titles or past winners.

Shadowing the Carnegie Medal

What does Shadowing the Carnegie Medal involve?

• Reading Books. Past Carnegie Medal winners have become classics. These include The Borrowers, Watership Down, Skellig, Flour Babies, and Northern Lights. You will be reading future classics!

• Meetings. There will be ‘shadowing’ meetings in the Library on Mondays, at 4.15, where you can come to change your books, chat about the books you have read, write reviews and persuade others why your favourite should win the Medal.

• Writing Reviews. You post your review on a special shadowing website, where other ‘shadowers’ around the country are doing the same

• Meeting Carnegie Shadowers from other schools and the Carnegie Forum. The six secondary schools in Abingdon have worked together over the Carnegie Medal for several years. We have three joint meetings: a 'tea' to introduce the books, a quiz a few weeks into the shadowing, and a joint Abingdon Carnegie Forum where 100 students from local schools discuss and vote for their Abingdon winner.

St George's Day - 23 April

St George's Day is 23 April. Although it is not a public holiday, unlike some countries' national days, many official buildings will fly the flag. St George’s Day events will be taking place throughout England and it is hoped that more people will celebrate England's national day.
A new national song for England, reflecting English customs, ideas and creativity will be heard publicly for the first time on St George's Day.
Here are some ideas on how to celebrate St George's Day:
- Read some stories about St George.
- The Reluctant Dragon is a children's story by Kenneth Grahame, written in 1898. Click here for the link to an e-book and a free audio version.
- Wear a red rose for England in your jacket lapel. It is the national flower of England.
- Enjoy some fish & chips, a traditional English take away meal!

London's Mayor Boris Johnson, has said "St. George's Day has been ignored in London for far too long. We have much to be proud of in this great country, England has given so much to the world, politically, socially and artistically. St. George's Day is a time to celebrate the very best of everything English and the Cross of St George will proudly fly outside City Hall on 23rd April.” London will be celebrating St. George's Day with a week long celebration on English culture starting with traditional English events such as Morris Dancing, Maypole dancing, Punch and Judy show at the V&A Museum of Childhood.
Source

Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat

An exhibition celebrating children's poems and rhymes has opened at the British Library, and it will run until 28 June. Children's Laureate Michael Rosen was involved in the selection of the exhibits for "Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat" which aims to show how language can bring to life journeys, tales and rhymes for a younger generation. Poetry from the 17th century to the present day is on show, including the earliest surviving printed collection of nursery rhymes, Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song-Book (1744), as well as copies of classics, such as Robert Louis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verses; William Blake's Songs of Innocence; Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland; Michael Rosen's Don't Put Mustard in the Custard, and Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes. Recordings of poets reading their own work are also be available at various points throughout the exhibition. What a treat, and it's free! More information

2009 Galaxy British Book Awards

The winners of the Galaxy British Book Awards have been announced.
WHSmith Children's Book of the Year::
Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
Galaxy Book of the Year:
The Suspicions of Mr Whicher by Kate Summerscale
Outstanding Achievement: Michael Palin
Richard & Judy Best Read:
When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson
Borders Author of the Year:
Aravind Adiga for The White Tiger
Tesco Biography of the Year:
Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama
Books Direct Crime Thriller of the Year:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Sainsbury's Popular Fiction Award:
Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks
Play.com Popular Non-Fiction Award:
The Suspicions of Mr Whicher by Kate Summerscale
Waterstone's New Writer of the Year:
Tom Rob Smith for Child 44.
Full details

Oxford Literary Festival

This exciting festival, still in progress, will have had over 430 writers coming to Oxford. The Young People's and Children's Events include a host of excellent and popular writers: Malorie Blackman, Michael Morpurgo, David Almond, Louise Rennison, Terry Deary , Philip Ardagh to name but a few.

The winning team of the Oxfordshire & Berkshire Kids’ Lit Quiz heat last November, as well as winning a place in the UK Final, were invited to take part in the Oxford Literary Festival on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th April. After the talks by authors Malorie Blackman, Michael Morpurgo, Philip Ardagh, Penny Nolan and Helena Pielichaty, each of the winning KLQ team will start the question and answer session. What's more they are invited into the 'Green Room' before the authors' events to meet them and have their photo taken with them. They will also be on the ‘soapbox’ in the main festival marquee talking for 'Just 2 minutes' about their favourite book.

Children's events cost between £2.50 and £6.50. Throughout the festival, tickets are available from the festival box office at Christ Church. More information

International Children's Book Day

Since 1967, on or around Hans Christian Andersen's birthday, 2 April, International Children's Book Day is celebrated all over the world to inspire a love of reading and to call attention to children's books.

The celebratory day is coordinated by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), a non-profit organisation dedicated to bringing children and books together. IBBY has members from over 70 countries, who work individually and together to promote and support children's literature and reading.

Each year, a different section of IBBY sponsors the worldwide event. This year, EBBY, the Egyptian section of IBBY, has chosen the theme for the celebration – “I am the World” – and the International Children’s Book Day poster for 2009 was illustrated by Egyptian artist and former Disney animator, Hani D. El-Masri.

Visit the IBBY website to read the special message EBBY have written for this year's International Children's Book Day.

The back page of Read It magazine features a list of fiction books set in different cultures - all are riveting reads, and available from the school library.

Read me!

Read me, a magazine by four Year 7 Reading Club members, assisted by VI Form leaders, is out this week, and includes a quiz, crossword, word search and book review. All Year 7 will receive a copy in their last Library session of this term.

2009 Orange women's fiction prize longlist

To reach this longlist of 20 books this year's judges have read 130 novels in about three months. Of the 20 writers named on the Orange women's fiction prize longlist five are British. Nine are American writers, and include Toni Morrison for her 17th century slave trade novel A Mercy. Six of the books are first novels. The judging panel chaired by broadcaster Fi Glover, includes entrepreneur Martha Lane Fox, journalist and academic Sarah Churchwell, writer Bidisha and the Guardian women's editor, Kira Cochrane. They will announce a shortlist of six next month, and the £30,000 winner will be announced in June. Full list

Monday 23rd - Mini Kids' Lit Quiz

On Monday 23rd March, at 4.15 pm there will be a mini Kids' Lit Quiz in the school hall. Everyone is invited to participate in or watch this lively and enjoyable event.

This is a fun team quiz which will finish by 4.50, the end of 'coach study'.

Teams of up to 5 from Year 7, teams of 4 from Year 8, and teams of 3 from the rest of the school, including staff. To celebrate the final week of Reading Buddies, buddy pairs will team up with another buddy pair to play in a foursome.

Don't be afraid you won't know the answers - you WILL know the answers to many of the questions! It's a team effort, and answers are written down - no-one is put on the spot!

There will be 5 rounds of 5 questions on: fairy tales, animals, classics, war and recent fiction, so even if you are not a great reader you should be able to answer most questions in a team.

There will be MANY PRIZES! Prizes for the team with the best score from each year group, a Buddy’s team prize and Staff team prize too.

Please join us!

National Science and Engineering Week:

As part of a celebration of science, engineering and technology taking place around the country, one of the events in school is the House Science Quiz taking place in the Library on Wednesday 11 March at 1.10 p.m. Teams of 4 from each House in Years 7, 8 and 9 will be able to use their library and research skills to answer some challenging questions set by the Science Department. Points scored for this win and for other events will be added to see which House will win the House Science Cup.

Blue Peter Book Award Winners

The Blue Peter 2009 Book Award have been announced.
2009 Overall Winner and Book I Couldn't Put Down
Shadow Forest by Matt Haig is the winner of the Blue Peter Book Awards 2009! And it also won the 'Book I Couldn't Put Down' category.
Book with Facts Winner
Planet in Peril by Anita Ganeri.
Most Fun Story with Pictures Winner
Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear by Andy Stanton.
Find out about all the books and category runners up here.

World Book Day

Celebrate World Book day today!
Come and dip in the Library from 1.30 pm for short readings (each only 2-5 minutes). Students and staff will delight you with extracts of some of their favourite reads. One treat will be to hear a story about Eeyore!
Tear yourself away from working on your entry for the Decorate-a-door-as-a-book competition, as this will not be judged until Monday lunch time.

The Joshua Files by MG Harris

Just published - and available from the Library, personally dedicated by the author too - Ice Shock, the second adventure in the thrilling Joshua Files series by Oxford based author MG Harris.
You'll instantly recognise these books as they have bright plastic sleeves: Invisible City, the first book has a day-glo orange sleeve, whilst Ice Shock's cover is fluorescent yellow.
In the first adventure, Invisible City, Joshua's father is reported dead in an air crash in Mexico. Was it simply a tragic accident? Why was his plane miles off course? Were there really UFOs in the sky at the time of the crash? Josh needs to find out the truth, and it's a dangerous path when an international hitman is on his trail in the depths of the Mexican jungle.
Visit thejoshuafiles.com and themgharris.com to find out more.

Alongside the launch of the second book, there is also an online alternate reality game The Descendant where characters and organisations from the world of the Joshua Files have their own blogs and websites. In this game Josh's godfather has been killed. Who did it, and why? During March 2009 clues, hints and tips will be revealed, and there will even be four live events with the characters. Watch the story unfold and try and solve the mystery. If you play in March you might expect to spend 10-15 minutes per day discovering and deciphering clues. At the end of the game you can post your answer, and a winner will be drawn. After March you can play the game at your own speed.

Red House Children's Book Award

Books have been nominated by children across the country, and these are the top ten books published in 2008, chosen by them!

The Older Reader category features two OLA visitors, Sophie McKenzie and Chris Bradford. The titles are:
Young Samurai: The Way of the Warrior by Chris Bradford
Blood Ties by Sophie McKenzie
Broken Soup by Jenny Valentine.
Copies of these books are in the Library. Voting to select the top book in this section closes 11 May. You need to have read all 3 books to vote 1, 2, 3.

The Younger Readers shortlist:
CIA - The Wild West Moo-nster by Steve Cole
Daisy and the Trouble with Zoos by Kes Gray
The Cat Who Liked Rain by Henning Mankell.

The Younger Children shortlist:
The Pencil by Allan Ahlberg and Bruce Ingman
Beware of the Frog by William Bee
A Lark in the Ark by Peter Bently and Lynne Chapman
The Three Horrid Pigs and the Big Friendly Wolf by Liz Pichon.

More information and how to vote.

Tim Bowler

Carnegie Medal winning author Tim Bowler visited Abingdon and spoke to over 600 local children about his books and where he finds his ideas. All of OLA's Year 7 and Year 8 listened to his expressive reading from his recent series Blade, and the thrilling opening to Frozen Fire.

This event, jointly organised by the Librarians from Our Lady’s Abingdon, Abingdon and St Helen & St Katharine schools, was the 4th annual Joint Schools' Author Visit, with the aim to also invite children from local schools who may not have the opportunity to see a ‘big name’ author.

In the afternoon children from local primary and prep. schools had their questions answered and were treated to readings from River Boy and Storm Catchers.

Last year's event took place at Our Lady's Abingdon with writer Caroline Lawrence, author of the Roman Mysteries.

Book Fair in the Library 24 Feb. - 2 March

There will be a Book Fair in the Library from Tuesday 24 February to Monday 2 March. All students will receive their £1 World Book Day voucher in advance so it can be used at the Book Fair. A selection of posters and stationery is also available, although the voucher can only be used towards books. Pay by cash, or cheque to 'Scholastic Ltd', please.

The World Book Day voucher can also be used towards orders from the March issue of Cover2Cover magazine, and in participating bookshops between 2 and 29 March.

World Book Day is Thursday 5 March. More news in a later posting.

Mystery solved

Thank you to all took part in the Library's murder mystery quiz. Well done to the sleuths who proved themselves to be excellent information detectives; enjoy your book prizes. The questions set by Reading Club members were challenging but fun to investigate. Thanks also to the teachers who were good sports in the roles of victim and murderer, and kept it secret. Read more in Newsdesk sent out in the half-term mailing.

Murder in the Library?

It’s Murder in the Library!
Use information sources in the library to solve the mystery of the 'murder in the Library'. Each week a set of clues will help you discover the victim, murder weapon and the murderer!
The final set of clues, revealed today, will lead you to the name of the murderer. The questions have all been set by members of Reading Club.
All the clues will be available for one more week and can also be found on the Library News page of the school intranet. Find your answer sheets from weeks 1 and 2, and hand in all 3 sheets (or copy the sets of answers onto one page) by 2 February.
The names of those who answer all the questions correctly and have solved the mystery will go into a prize draw.

The next Children's Laureate

Michael Rosen is the current Children's Laureate. His two-year appointment comes to an end this year, so who will be the new Laureate for 2009-2011?
The role of Children's Laureate, which has a bursary of £10,000, is awarded once every two years to an eminent writer or illustrator of children's books to celebrate outstanding achievement in their field. The illustrator Quentin Blake was the first Children's Laureate (1999-2001), followed by the author Anne Fine (2001-2003), Michael Morpurgo (2003-2005), Jacqueline Wilson (2005-7) and most recently Michael Rosen (2007-2009).
The selection panel for the award is changed every two years, and the judges will consider nominations by children as well as from a range of organisations representing librarians, critics, writers and booksellers. Children and adults can suggest any living British writer or illustrator of children's books – the deadline for nominations is 31 January 2009. To find out more about the Children's Laureate and Michael Rosen's activities, visit the Laureate website.

TS Eliot Prize and Costa Book Awards

The prestigious TS Eliot Prize has been won by Jen Hadfield, a relatively unknown poet, for her second collection of poems, Nigh-No-Place. The prize has been awarded every year since 1993 and previous winners include Seamus Heaney and Ted Hughes. The poet wins £15,000.

The category winners of the Costa Book Awards each receive £5,000, and compete for the Book of the Year Award, to be announced later this month. There are five categories:
Novel - Sebastian Barry: The Secret Scripture
Biography - Diana Athill: Somewhere Towards the End
First Novel - Sadie Jones: The Outcast
Poetry - Adam Foulds: The Broken Word
Children's Book - Michelle Magorian: Just Henry.
More information

New Year Resolutions

Make the most of the library as one of your New Year resolutions!
Here are some more ideas:
#Swap reads with friends
#Start a reading diary
#Make a poster about a book you have enjoyed
#Nominate a book for the new Oxfordshire Book Award
#Write a book review and hand it to the library
#Read an author you have never tried before
#Join your local public library.

For more suggestions click here.