Carnegie Shadowing

Our reading group of keen readers who are shadowing the Carnegie Medal have not only been busy reading but have also been writing reviews. This is an important element of the shadowing process, considering whether the books match the award criteria. This includes the plot, characterisation and style, and crucially "The book that wins the Carnegie Medal should be a book of outstanding literary quality. The whole work should provide pleasure, not merely from the surface enjoyment of a good read, but also the deeper subconscious satisfaction of having gone through a vicarious, but at the time of reading, a real experience that is retained afterwards."

We have over 50 reviews on the OLA page, do take a look at them here.

CAT Talks - Culture and Technology in Abingdon

The first of our OLA CAT talks is tomorrow, Wednesday 17th April at 7.30pm in the Clare Moore Auditorium at Our Lady's Abingdon Senior School.

The speakers are:
• Mr Ian Yorston (Director of Digital Strategy, Radley College) - "Please be nice to your robot"
• Mrs Jill Carver (Proprietor of Added Ingredients and promoter of Choose Abingdon - "Food glorious food - my views on supermarkets"
• Professor Stephen Bennington (Founder of Cella Energy) - "Hydrogen, the fuel of the future"
• Mrs Helen Holden (Head of Art, OLA) - "Talking pictures"

The event will start at 7.30 pm with two talks and then an interval with refreshments. The other two talks will follow. The inspiration for the format of the CAT Talks is based on the well regarded TED Talks.

This event is open to all adults in the Abingdon area and will be the start of regular CAT forums. RSVP to Miss Gunn at the school.

Any Questions at OLA on 5 April

BBC Radio 4's Any Questions was recorded at OLA yesterday. One of my questions - The Times Educational Supplement today [5 April] lists the top 100 favourite books by 500 teachers. What are the panel's favourite reads? - was selected! But the programme ran out of time before I could ask it. I had prepared my own choices in case I was asked the question and here they are:
Books I re-read every few years: E.M. Forster's A Room with a View, Jospeh Heller's Catch 22, Aldous Huxley's Brave New World.
Children's books: J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Louis Sachar's Holes, Michael Morpurgo's Private Peaceful and a new best book, one recently shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal, Sally Gardner's Maggot Moon.
Reading group recommendations: Henry James' Washington Square, Ian McEwan's Atonement and the recent children's book by R.J.Palacio, Wonder.
At the OLA Reading Festival in September Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games was by far the most popular title.