OLA House of Books

The OLA House of Books which was started on World Book Day earlier this year was completed during the OLA Reading Festival.
This exciting installation by the Art Department was developed from an initial idea by the Library and involved the whole school in creating a structure made of books. Inspired by the work of prize-winning Canadians Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller, who exhibited at Modern Art Oxford in 2009, OLA's construction is made of old books many of them individually wrapped. Each contributor has labelled their parcel (an old book) with details of their favourite book and a one-word description.

Recent book news

The Guardian Children's Book Prize 2011 has been won by Andy Mulligan for Return to Ribblestrop

The Roald Dahl Funny Prize
The Brilliant World of Tom Gates by Liz Pichon is the winner of the seven to fourteen category, and the first in a series of books about Tom, an expert doodler and master of excuses.
Cats Ahoy! written by Peter Bently and illustrated by Jim Field, a rhyming picture book about pirate cats, won the funniest book for children aged six and under. Both category winners receive a prize of £2500.

The Costa Book Awards 2011
The shortlists for best novel, best first novel, best biography, best poetry collection and best children's book have been announced. Costa Children’s Book Award shortlist:
Flip by Martyn Bedford
The Unforgotten Coat by Frank Cottrell Boyce
Small Change for Stuart by Lissa Evans
Blood Red Road by Moira Young.
The Costa Book Awards recognises some of the most enjoyable books of the year by writers based in the UK and Ireland. Judges will name each category winner on 4 January. The winner in each category receives £5000, and then one of the five winning books is selected as the overall Costa Book of the Year, to be announced on 24 January. The winner will receive £30,000.

Book awards round up

Guardian Children's Fiction Prize shortlist for 2011
My Name Is Mina, by David Almond
Return to Ribblestrop, by Andy Mulligan
Moon Pie, by Simon Mason
Twilight Robbery, by Frances Hardinge
The winner will be announced on Thursday 10 November. Established in 1967, the Guardian children's fiction prize is the only children's prize to be judged by writers. This year's judges are Julia Eccleshare, Michelle Paver, Julia Golding and Marcus Sedgwick. Previous winners include Alan Garner, Joan Aiken, Ted Hughes, Philip Pullman and Jacqueline Wilson.


Richard and Judy’s Children’s Christmas Book Club 2011 is made up of twelve titles for mixed age groups and includes old and new favourites:
* Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Pop-Up Book, Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake
* Dear Zoo Noisy Book, Rod Campbell
* Egyptology, Emily Sands, Dugald Steer, Nick Harris and Helen Ward
* Farmyard Tales Wind-up Tractor Book, Stephen Cartwright
* Happy Christmas Boris!, Sam Lloyd
* The Jolly Postman or Other People's Letters, Janet Ahlberg and Allan Ahlberg,
* Monstersaurus, Claire Freedman and Ben Cort
* Snuggle Bunny, Emma Goldhawk and Jon Lambert
* Paddington's Cookery Book, Michael Bond and R.W. Alley
* Pippi Longstocking Gift Edition, Astrid Lindgren and Lauren Child
* Puss in Boots, Stella Gurney
* See Inside: Noisy Castles, Katie Daynes and David Hancock
Further information


Roald Dahl Funny Prize 2011 shortlists
The Funniest Book for Children Aged Seven to Fourteen:
* Animal Tales by Terry Jones, illustrated by Michael Foreman
* The Brilliant World of Tom Gates by Liz Pichon
* The Get Rich Quick Club by Rose Impey
* Letters from an Alien Schoolboy by Ros Asquith
* Penny Dreadful is a Magnet for Disaster by Joanna Nadin, illustrated by Jess Mikhail
* The Wrong Pong by Steven Butler, illustrated by Chris Fisher
The Funniest Book for Children Aged Six and Under:
* Bedtime for Monsters by Ed Vere
* Cats Ahoy! by Peter Bently, illustrated by Jim Field
* First Week at Cow School by Andy Cutbill, illustrated by Russell Ayto
* Limelight Larry by Leigh Hodgkinson
* Marshall Armstrong is New to Our School by David Mackintosh
* A Place to Call Home by Alexis Deacon, illustrated by Viviane Schwarz

Forward Prize
Poet John Burnside has been named the winner of the £10,000 Forward Prize for his collection Black Cat Bone. The Scottish writer has been nominated for this prize four times. "Burnside's Black Cat Bone is at once a very direct and a very subtle book," said Sir Andrew Motion, chairman of the judging panel. The Forward Prizes were founded in 1992 and reward both established and up-and-coming poets. Irish poet Seamus Heaney received last year's prize for his collection, Human Chain.

Wales' first Young People's Laureate
Catherine Fisher, an award-winning author of fantasy novels for children, is named Wales' first Young People's Laureate. Specialising in myth and history, Fisher's futuristic novel Incarceron is available from the school Library.

OLA Visitor Theresa Breslin wins Young Quills prize

OLA Visitor Theresa Breslin has won the Young Quills prize for historical fiction. Organised and awarded by the Historical Association and introduced two years ago in recognition of the important role fiction can play in introducing children and young people to history, the Young Quills are shortlisted by young people. Only historical fiction from the previous 12 months directly aimed at children and teenagers are included.
The winner in the teenage section (12+) is Prisoner of the Inquisition by Theresa Breslin, who was one of the guests at our recent OLA Reading Festival. The book is set in Spain during the fifteenth century, and had already been shortlisted for the prestigious Carnegie Medal. The winner in the primary section (under 12 years ) for this year is ‘The Sacred Scarab’ by Gill Harvey, set in Ancient Egypt.

OLA Reading Festival 26-30 September

During the week of 26-30 September OLA will be hosting a Reading Festival, with a selection of authors and poets coming to the junior and senior school to talk about their work. Here are the highlights for the Senior School.
Monday 26th: David Melling, children’s book illustrator, in the Art Department in the afternoon.
Tuesday 27th: Bernard O'Donohue, Whitbread Poetry Prize winner. Evening event for Sixth formers and adults. 6 pm - Refreshments. 6.30 pm - Poetry reading for about 30 minutes. 7 pm – Book signing. Parents, readers and poetry lovers welcome. All welcome.
Wednesday 28th : Katherine Rundell, young author of The Girl Savage and Oxford University academic. P.3: Year 7; P.5: Year 8. Lunchtime in the Library - available for questions about writing, and studying English at university.
Thursday 29th: Steve Wilson. Journalist and travel writer. P. 4 : Year 9, Non-Fiction writing and his travels across Africa on a motorbike; P7 - PSHE : Yrs 9 upwards, Journalism and P8 Q & A (optional, depends on teacher). Weather permitting Steve will arrive on his classic motorbike which will be in the Mall or outside reception and he will be ready to chat about it during lunch break.
Friday 30th September: Theresa Breslin. Prisoner of the Inquisition was shortlisted for this year’s Carnegie Medal, the prestigious award which she won in 1994 for Whispers in the Graveyard. P 1 & 2 : JS Yrs 3 & 4+ 150 visitors in CMA; P. 3 & 4: Yrs 9-10, Fact into Fiction and Power of Place; P. 6 & 7 Yr 8: Brisk beginnings.
The OLA Reading Festival also sees the construction of OLA's House of Books, which was started on World Book Day earlier this year. This exciting installation is being developed by the Art Department who are involving the whole school and will culminate in a structure made of books. Inspired by the work of prize-winning Canadians Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller, who exhibited at Modern Art Oxford in 2009, OLA's construction will be made of old books individually wrapped. Each contributor has labelled their parcel (an old book) with details of their favourite book and a one-word description.

Welcome to a new year of reading

Reading Olympics, the OLA Reading Festival and the Kids' Lit Quiz are some of the highlights happening this term. The holidays saw new shelving fitted in the Library so Fiction books in particular can be better displayed. More information about the Reading Festival, 26 - 30 September coming soon.

Summer Reading

Circus Stars, the national Summer Reading Challenge for children, is running in most UK public libraries throughout the summer holidays, with incentives, activities and events designed to create a real buzz around children's reading. The challenge is simple - to read six or more library books over the summer.

How it works
- Children sign up for the Challenge at their local library where they receive their free starter pack.
- The Challenge invites children to read six library books of their choice throughout the holidays.
- Children collect rewards and receive incentives along the way to encourage them to complete the challenge.

The Circus Stars website is packed with games and activities to keep children engaged and motivated to keep reading, http://www.summerreadingchallenge.org.uk/, and there are linked activities to encourage families into libraries throughout the summer.

Incoming Year 7 pupils have also been challenged to read over the summer, and can produce their Circus Stars record or their OLA Summer Reading Challenge to gain their a commendation in September. All summer reading will count towards the OLA Reading Olympics - just remember to keep a list of what you read.

Exhibition at Imperial War Museum

Once Upon A Wartime: Classic War Stories is a family-friendly exhibition at the Imperial War Museum which looks at some of the best-loved books written for children about conflict from World War I until the present day. It runs until 30 October 2011.

Once Upon A Wartime brings five stories of war dramatically to life. Adults and children can wander through life-size sets, peer into intricate scale models and explore the stories’ themes of loyalty, separation, excitement, survival and identity.

From the bleak landscape of no man’s land in War Horse to the imposing tower blocks of London’s gang warfare in Little Soldier, this exhibition is an immersive journey through the worlds of the books. Pull up a chair in Hepzibah’s kitchen where the scene is set straight out of Carrie’s War, discover the secret fortress from The Machine Gunners and listen to the footsteps above the cellar where the Balicki children find shelter in The Silver Sword.

Behind the scenes of the stories, see what inspired the authors to write their books, and find out about the historical context of each story through objects, photographs and films.

Information above taken from http://wartime.iwm.org.uk/

Regional Book Awards

Recent regional book award results, where the winners have been chosen by school pupils who vote after reading the shortlisted books:
OXFORDSHIRE BOOK AWARD 2011
Primary Picture Book - Zog by Julia Donaldson & Axel Sheffler
Primary Book - Shadow by Michael Morpurgo
Secondary Book - Boy's Don't Cry by Malorie Blackman
HAMPSHIRE BOOK AWARD
Timeriders by Alex Scarrow, with Halo by Zizou Corder a close second.
GRAMPIAN CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARD
Joint Winners - Cathy MacPhail (for Grass)and Charlie Higson (for The Enemy)
REDBRIDGE CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARD
Children's category - Cherry Crush by Cathy Cassidy
Teenage category - Boys Don’t Cry by Malorie Blackman.

Branford Boase Award 2011

Out Of Shadows by Jason Wallace has won this year's Branford Boase Award, which is given each year to the most outstanding work of fiction for children by a first time novelist. Previous winning writers include Marcus Sedgwick, Meg Rosoff, Kevin Brooks and Mal Peet.
The other books on the 2011 shortlist were:
I Am The Blade by J.P. Buxton
When I Was Joe by Keren David
Tall Story by Candy Gourlay
Unhooking The Moon by Gregory Hughes
The Crowfield Curse by Pat Walsh.
Out of Shadows also won this year's Costa Children's Book Award and was voted winner by the Carnegie shadowers at our joint schools' Abingdon Carnegie Forum.

Abingdon Carnegie Forum

The joint schools' Abingdon Carnegie Forum took place at Abingdon Guildhall. Over eighty students attended, from the six secondary schools. They have been avidly reading the six books nominated for the prestigious children's book award, the Carnegie Medal. This event was the culmination of 10 weeks of reading and reviewing.

All over the country students have been shadowing the Carnegie Medal: reading the shortlist and posting their reviews on a special website. Fifteen students from OLA's Year 7 & 8 met other keen readers to discuss the shortlisted titles and, in nine mixed school groups, present a review of their favourite book in front of a panel of judges.

The judges had to decide which presentation would convince them to read that book, and also decided on the best book reviews. Prizes were given: book tokens, books and some edible prizes too. The students also voted for the Abingdon Carnegie winning book and shared a Carnegie cake.

OLA Book Review prizewinners:
Best Book Review for Out of Shadows - Anastasya
Highly Commended Book Review - Olivia

At the end of the Forum the chair of the judges, who were from the worlds of publishing, bookselling and education, spoke about how much they had enjoyed the day. They were impressed by the good understanding of the books shown in the reviews, the presentation of the shadower's own responses, whether positive or negative, and use of similes to express their opinions. Noting that all this reading and reviewing was conducted in their own free time the judges applauded the reviewers' good work and their often witty personal styles. The judges were persuaded by these reviews that they wanted to read Out of Shadows first.

OLA Best Contributor in Group winners:
These nominations were made by the group leaders for group work during the course of the day.
Best Contributor in Group - Isobel
Best Contributor in Group - Phoebe

Group presentations, lasting no longer than three minutes, took a variety of forms from advertisements to news reports and key scenes to a game show. The judges said what a high standard these were: witty, exciting, interesting to watch, involving all the students in each group, who took part enthusiastically. Hard though it was choose the judges decided that the Best Group Presentation should go to 'The Beggars' who convinced them that Prisoner of the Inquisition was the book to read.

Which book was voted by the shadowers as the Abingdon Carnegie Winner? It was Out of Shadows, with Prisoner of the Inquisition a close second. The official winner of the Carnegie Medal announced on 23 June - Monsters of Men.

Finally, a couple of comments from the Judges:
"I was startled by the excellence of the children's responses."
Fantastically organised and a really enjoyable day. The quality of reviews and presentations was amazing."

Scholastic Book Club

I’ve just set up our Scholastic Book Club school group order online. This means you can now order all the books in your Book Clubs leaflet and many more 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 23rd June 2011. After that date, I’ll confirm that all orders are in and the books will be delivered to school for me to hand out in class. For every £1 you spend 20p goes back to our school to spend on much-needed books for our library!

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

Red House Children’s Book Award 2011

Michael Morpurgo's book Shadow is the overall winner of the Red House Children’s Book Award 2011
TimeRiders by Alex Scarrow won the Older Readers Category.
Yuck! That's Not a Monster! by Angela McAllister & Alison Edgson won the Younger Children's Category.
The Red House Children's Book Award is awarded annually in three categories, and judged entirely by children from shortlist to final overall Winner. Read more and see the top 50 titles each year published as the Pick of the Year list

The longlist for the Guardian children's fiction prize was recently announced. It is the only children's prize to be judged by writers. The eight titles, with the suggested ages, are:
My Name is Mina, by David Almond 9+
Small Change for Stuart, by Lissa Evans 8+
Twilight Robbery, by Frances Hardinge 11+
Momentum, by Sacci Lloyd 12+
Moon Pie, by Simon Mason 10+
Return to Ribblestrop, by Andy Mulligan 10+
My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece, by Annabel Pitcher 10+
Mr Gum and the Secret Hideout, by Andy Stanton, illustrated by David Tazzyman 7+
A shortlist is usually announced in September with the winner revealed in October.

The Orange Prize for Fiction has been won by Téa Obreht for her debut novel, The Tiger's Wife. The prize is awarded for the best novel of the year written by a woman. Obreht, aged 25, is the youngest-ever author to win the £30,000 prize.

Julia Donaldson - the new Children's Laureate

The new Children's Laureate has been announced today. It is Julia Donaldson, the author of over 120 books and plays for children and teenagers, including some of the UK’s best-selling picture books, including The Gruffalo. Julia is the seventh Children's Laureate, and her term will last two years.

Book Reviewing

As OLA's Carnegie shadowers are busily reading and reviewing books on the Carnegie Medal shortlist, a timely article by two children's book reviewers, who share their expert tips. Read Philip Ardagh's and Linda Buckley-Archer's advice.
Read OLA shadowers' reviews.

Vote for your favourite Harry Potter character

Bloomsbury Publishing is launching a worldwide search to find the most favourite character from the Harry Potter books. Visitors can vote on their website. If your favourite character is missing from the list of 40 names, then you can add your favourite.
The poll runs until 26 August and the winning character will be announced on 30 August.
Children under 13 years of age must have the consent of their parent or guardian to vote.

Festival of Illustration

Blackwell's Bookshop in Oxford is holding a Festival of Illustration this weekend.
There are family events on Saturday, plus an evening event on Friday for adults, tickets are free.
Friday:
7pm Festival of Illustration Panel Discussion: “What is Reading?”
Saturday:
11 am - Tony Ross and David McKee
1.30pm - Chris Wormell
3 pm - Katie Cleminson
5 pm - An Event for Adults David McKee and Mini Grey
Further Information from Blackwell's Bookshop

Girls Heart Books

This is a new blog by writers who all write girls' fiction, from age 8 up to older teens, over 30 authors!
Every day there's a new post (including weekends) from a different author, including Susie Day, Leila Rasheed, Cathy Cassidy, Karen McCombie, Liz Kessler, Cathy Hopkins and our 'own' (former OLA pupil) Jo Cotterill.
Read more at http://girlsheartbooks.com/

Carnegie Tea

Over 100 Carnegie Shadowers from schools in Abingdon met at Larkmead School to discuss first reactions to the six titles shortlisted for the prestigious Carnegie Medal. After the all-important refreshments the mixed school groups found themselves playing a kind of pass-the-parcel game, which encouraged each of the to talk about the covers, blurbs and openings of the books. At this early stage they each voted for the one they thought would win - results here soon.

The CILIP Carnegie Medal Shortlist 2011:
BRESLIN, THERESA PRISONER OF THE INQUISITION
McCAUGHREAN GERALDINE THE DEATH DEFYING PEPPER ROUX
NESS, PATRICK MONSTERS OF MEN
ROSOFF, MEG THE BRIDE'S FAREWELL
SEDGWICK, MARCUS WHITE CROW
WALLACE, JASON OUT OF SHADOWS

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 4.05, 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. We will also be discussing the books informally on our own OLA private wiki.

• 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.

The shortlist of books for the Carnegie Medal was announced on Friday, 1 April and OLA Shadowers went home with books to read, enjoy and consider.

Mini Kids' Lit Quiz

What colour is Hermione Granger's cat?
Who owned a faithful dog called Snowy?
Because his parents and uncle were dead Jack Starbright was asked to look after whom?
Which animal is missing from this famous line-up: Toad,Water rat, Badger and ....?

Twelve teams from OLA Senior and Junior school battled it out to answer questions such as these at OLA's annual Mini Kids' Lit Quiz. A fun-filled 40 minutes sped by in front of an audience of pupils, staff and parents, who also had a few questions thrown at them. Prizes were won - Highest scoring team, Best Junior School team, Best Buddies team, but everyone, whether spectator or participant, enjoyed themselves at the MIni KLQ. The international heats of the Kids' Lit Quiz, which started in the UK last November, are currently continuing in New Zealand.

Did you know the answers? Ginger, Tintin, Alex Rider, Mole.

Monday 4 April - Mini Kids' Lit Quiz

On Monday 4 April, at 4.05 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', in time for the late buses.

Make up a team of 6 - anyone can enter, you can even ask a teacher to join your team. OLA Junior School is fielding two teams.

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 so even if you are not a great reader you should be able to answer most questions in a team.

There will be PRIZES but you will be surprised at how much entertainment the KLQ generates.

Please join us!

Oxford Literary Festival

The Oxford Literary Festival runs from Saturday 2nd to Sunday 10th April, and the children's and young adults events offer a wide programme of events. Authors and illustrators include Anthony Browne, Anne Fine, Michael Rosen and Jacqueline Wilson, the current and previous Children's Laureates, as well as Eoin Colfer, Michelle Magorian, Justin Somper, Francesca Simon and Andy Stanton. Find out more http://www.oxfordliteraryfestival.com/#Childrens

Book award news

Dead Man's Cove by Lauren St John is the Blue Peter Book of the Year. Set in St Ives it's the adventures of an 11-year-old amateur detective, Laura Marlin and her three-legged husky, Skye. More

2011 Shortlist Red House Children's Book Award. The prize is awarded annually in three categories and judged entirely by children from shortlist to final overall Winner. Children have been reading and reviewing books all year long and these are their favourite ten.
Books for Older Readers:
Trash by Andy Mulligan
The Kane Chronicles: the Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
TimeRiders by Alex Scarrow
Books for Younger Readers:
The Great Hamster Massacre by Katie Davies
Time Train to the Blitz by Sophie McKenzie
Shadow by Michael Morpurgo
Books for Younger Children:
Gilbert the Hero by Jane Clarke and Charles Fuge
Annie Hoot and the Knitting Extravaganza by Holly Clifton-Brown
Yuck! That’s not a Monster! by Angela McAllister and Alison Edgson
Dragon Stew by Steve Smallman and Lee Wildish.

Bisto Children's Book of the Year Awards Shortlist. This is the leading annual children's book award to authors and illustrators born or resident in Ireland. More
A Bit Lost by Chris Haughton
Dancing in the Dark by Peter Prendergast
Mac Rí Éireann le Caitríona Hasting agus Andrew Whiton
Prim Improper by Deirdre Sullivan
Taking Flight by Sheena Wilknson
The Heart and the Bottle by Oliver Jeffers
The Lunatics Curse by F.E. Higgins
The Owl and the Pussycat illustrated by Kevin Waldron
Tiny Little Fly illustrated by Kevin Waldron
Up and Down by Oliver Jeffers.

Hans Christian Andersen Award nominations
Every other year the Hans Christian Andersen Awards are given to a living author and illustrator whose complete works have made a lasting contribution to children's literature. John Burningham and Philip Pullman have been nominated by the UK section of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) among an international field and the winner will be announced next year after detailed consideration by an international panel. More

5745

5745 minutes of reading took place in the last quarter hour of the school day as everyone stopped to read as part of our celebration of World Book Day. That's about 95 hours!

World Book Day 2011

We're celebrating World Book Day in a number of ways:
- House of Books installation! See below.
- Whole School Reading, 3.45 - 4.00 p.m. The three afternoon lessons are shorter by 5 minutes so everyone can stop and read. Stay with your teacher from period 8, but remember to bring something to read, or visit the Library earlier in the day;
- Read around the World: a huge selection of great reads on display on the shelf and online here;
- Fun activities based on fact-finding about countries;
- World Book Day voucher. All students will receive a £1 voucher which can be used towards book purchases in participating bookshops or towards an order from Cover2Cover magazine in school, return your order to the Library by 10 March; token valid until 27 March in shops;
- Launch of the Library's regular 'Best of OLA Library' delivered directly to your school email in-box and featuring some of the best reads and websites, hints and tips.

House of Books World Book Day sees the official launch of OLA's House of Books. This exciting installation is being developed with the Art Department who will involve the whole school and will culminate in a structure made of books. Inspired by the work of prize-winning Canadians Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller, who exhibited at Modern Art Oxford in 2009, OLA's construction will be made of old books individually wrapped. Each contributor will label their parcel with details of their favourite book and a one-word description. Years 7 & 8 pupils have already contributed one brick each but more will accumulate as other year groups add theirs. Watch this space for reports of how the project is progressing, and the plan for the construction develops.

Classic War Stories

Once Upon A Wartime: Classic War Stories for Children runs from 11 February to 30 October 2011 at the Imperial War Museum London.

Once Upon A Wartime delves into the pages of well-loved books, bringing five stories of war dramatically to life.

Adults and children can wander through life-size sets, peer into intricate scale models and explore the stories’ themes of loyalty, separation, excitement, survival and identity.

From the bleak landscape of no man’s land in War Horse to the imposing tower blocks of London’s gang warfare in Little Soldier, this exhibition is an immersive journey through the worlds of the books. Pull up a chair in Hepzibah’s kitchen where the scene is set straight out of Carrie’s War, discover the secret fortress from The Machine Gunners and listen to the footsteps above the cellar where the Balicki children find shelter in The Silver Sword.

Behind the scenes of the stories, see what inspired the authors to write their books, and find out about the historical context of each story through objects, photographs and films.

Information above taken from http://wartime.iwm.org.uk/

Carrie's War, The Machine Gunners, The Silver Sword, War Horse and Little Soldier are all available for loan from the school library.

Michael Morpurgo

Michael Morpurgo is one of Britain's most popular children's authors, and a previous Children's Laureate. He has written over 120 books and more recently become a household name among adults following the hugely successful dramatisation of his book War Horse, which is now being made into a film by Stephen Spielberg.

As part of the BBC's Year Of Books, this year’s Richard Dimbleby Lecture was given by Michael Morpurgo, who explored the increasingly urgent issue of children’s rights and the wrongs that young people have to endure.

Follow the link on his website http://www.michaelmorpurgo.com/news/ to watch the lecture on BBC iPlayer, where you can also listen to extracts of Michael’s books and watch videos of Michael Morpurgo talking about his new book Shadow, including an exclusive reading.

Once Upon A Wartime, a new exhibition which opened at the Imperial War Museum London earlier this month, delves into the pages of well-loved books, bringing five stories of war dramatically to life, including War Horse. Find out about what inspired Michael to write War Horse, see behind the scenes of the story, explore the historical context of the story through fascinating objects, photographs and films.

Julia Golding and 600 children

Successful children's author Julia Golding will be guest of Our Lady’s Abingdon on 9 February. During the day around 600 local children will hear her talk about her books and where she finds her ideas.

This event, jointly organised by the Librarians from Our Lady’s Abingdon, Abingdon and St Helen & St Katharine schools, aims to invite children from local primary and secondary schools who may not have the opportunity to meet an author. Children will hear one of the writer's three talks during this 6th annual Joint Schools' Author Visit.

In the morning Julia will 'be' Joss Stirling – her pen name for a teen title that she has recently published called Finding Sky, a paranormal romance and thrilling adventure story, and will also be talking about her book Wolf Cry. In the afternoon session Julia will talk to our younger guests about writing fantasy focussing on Glass Swallow and also mentioning The Ship Between the Worlds and Dragonfly.
Local book shop Mostly Books will be running a a book shop all day.

Costa and Marsh Awards

Poet Jo Shapcott has won the 2010 Costa Book of the Year for her collection Of Mutability and cheque for £30,000. This is the second year in a row that a collection of poetry has won the overall prize.

The Marsh Award for Children's Literature in Translation is awarded to the translator of a children's book into English. Awarded every two years, this year's award went to Martin Cleaver for his translation of Letters to Anyone and Everyone by Toon Tellegen, whose animal stories are best sellers in the Netherlands. Read more in Books for Keeps.

Sherlock Holmes sequel

Anthony Horowitz, author of the Alex Rider children's series, has been commissioned to produce an official Sherlock Holmes sequel for adult readers.
Read more

Crime Central - crime fiction for teen readers

Crime Central is a new blog aimed at teenagers who like crime fiction. The authors contributing write, "Ever noticed a teen crime section in bookshops, alongside the paranormal romances and the picture books? No? Well, you're not alone. Although crime fiction is HUGE for adults, somehow it never seems to get the attention it deserves for teens.
So we've set up this blog to showcase the best in crime writing for teens. We are authors Anne Cassidy and Keren David from London, and Gillian Philip and Linda Strachan from Scotland, and we're going to put books about crime for teens in the spotlight." There is also a competition to win a signed book by Anne Cassidy.
Visit Crime Central

Author Jo Cotterill visits OLA

Former OLA pupil Jo Cotterill, who is now an established children's author, visited Our Lady's Abingdon to talk to Years 7, 8 and 9 about her life at the school, her acting and teaching career, and now her writing. Hugely entertaining, and illustrated with photos, Jo gave the groups an insight into her life and book writing. Lunchtime was spent in the Library autographing her Sweet Hearts books, and chatting to each of her new fans.
Sweet Hearts home page

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 in the next few days) 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. They can also be delivered to your home.

For delivery to school you need to order your books by Friday 21 January 2011. For every £1 you spend 20p goes back to the library to spend on books. Take a look at what’s on offer – there are some great bargains with books costing as little as £1.99! Please note that some books are badged 13+.

Costa Children's Book Award

The Costa Children's Book Award has been won by Jason Wallace for Out Of Shadows. Set in newly-independent Zimbabwe in the 1980s, this is a compelling, thought-provoking novel about race, bullying and the need to belong: recommended to older readers.
By winning the category, the author received a cheque for £5000. The Costa Book of the Year is selected from the five Category Award Winners. The overall winner receives a further £30,000.