Taste: The Story of Britain Through Its Cooking

Our Lady's Abingdon enjoyed a visit by author Kate Colquhoun whose book Taste: the story of Britain through its cooking came out last year. Two hugely entertaining and knowledgeable illustrated talks brought history to life by examining food and cooking.
Year 9's talk focussed on changes after World War 1 for the rich, poor and middle income families: food availability, its preparation and cooking, and the development of technology surrounding food.
Year 8 were fascinated by the topic of food in Tudor times. We found out why Henry VIII changed British fish eating habits and Elizabeth I's favourite food. After the talk questions flowed, fuelled by the fact that Year 8 will be designing their own Tudor dessert in a Cook's Apprentice competition to be judged by our own Alan Sugar.
Kate encouraged us to think of history not just in a text book but through the lives of people. We can find out about their life in their letters and diaries but it is also recorded in paintings, and seen in historical houses, gardens and kitchens. It has certainly left many of us with taste to revisit the largest kitchens of Tudor England at Hampton Court. Our thanks to Kate Colquhoun for coming.

Roald Dahl Funny Prize

The winners of the first Roald Dahl Funny Prize have been announced.
For children aged 7-14:
Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear by Andy Stanton
For children aged six and under:
The Witch's Children Go to School by Ursula Jones.
The judging panel were author Sophie Dahl, comedian Dara O'Briain, author Kaye Umansky and illustrator Chris Riddell. The panel was chaired by the Children's Laureate Michael Rosen.
The winners receive a cheque for £2,500.

Blue Peter Book Awards Shortlists

Best Book With Facts:
Archaeology Detectives by Simon Adams
100 Most Dangerous Things on the Planet by Anna Claybourne
Horrible Geography Handbooks: Planet in Peril by Anita Ganeri, illustrated by Mike Phillips.
Book I Couldn't Put Down:
Abela by Berlie Doherty
Shadow Forest by Matt Haig
Foul Play by Tom Palmer.
Most Fun Story with Pictures:
Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear by Andy Stanton, illustrated by David Tazzyman
Fleabag by Helen Stephens
Lost! The Hundred-Mile-An-Hour Dog by Jeremy Strong.
The winner of the Blue Peter Book Awards will be announced in the spring of 2009.

Kids' Lit Quiz Oxfordshire and Berkshire Heat

Our two school teams have been selected, and are ready to take part in the sixth Oxfordshire and Berkshire Regional Heat of the international Kids' Lit Quiz on Tuesday 11 November. The heat will be taking place at Our Lady's Abingdon, 4.30 - 7.30 pm. Spectators are welcome! Because of numbers please be prepared to park the nearby public car park.

Over 30 teams from 20 schools will be taking part in the in the ten-round quiz, which is sponsored by Serco and the Department for Children, Schools and Families. Oxford University Press is sponsoring the local heat book prizes. Subject questions on books and reading could include animals, Harry Potter, fantasy, nursery rhymes and authors but the topics will not be revealed until the quiz itself.

The winning team will receive the Kids' Lit Quiz Regional Cup, book tokens, books, and win a place in the Kids' Lit Quiz National Final alongside the 15 other regional winners. They will also receive an invitation to participate in next March's Oxford Literary Festival.

The spectators at Our Lady's will include several well-known local children's authors: Dennis Hamley, Linda Newbery, Meg Harper, Mark Robson, MG Harris, Susie Day and Rachael Wing. Rachael had her second book published in July, and is still at school! Abingdon Mayor Pat Lonergan, Deputy Mayor Patricia Hobby and representatives from Oxford University Press and Scholastic publishers will also attend. Music played by students from Our Lady's will welcome the visitors.

The top three teams will be given book tokens and in between rounds Quizmaster Wayne Mills will ask adult audience members a question for the chance to win a book token themselves. Children watching will also have the opportunity to win £1 coins, by answering further questions.

Bookstore (Abingdon) Ltd will be selling books written by the invited authors and other favourite titles. Refreshments will be available during the interval, which will include Fairtrade items.
http://www.kidslitquiz.com/

Screen Reads

The National Year of Reading’s monthly theme for November is Screen Reads. Use the opportunity to explore the diversity of reading and writing; scripts, television and films. Why not read the book before the film is released! Here are a selection of screen reads available from the school Library.
Beowulf by Michael Morpurgo
Beowulf's terrifying quest to destroy Grendel, the foul fiend, a hideous sea-hag and a monstrous fire-dragon is the oldest surviving epic in British literature. This edition is artfully retold and magnificently illustrated by Michael Foreman, making this epic tale instantly accessible to children.
The Borrowers by Mary Norton
The Borrowers are a tiny race of people who live hidden away in houses or other safe, convenient places, and own nothing except what they borrow from 'human beans'. The last family to live in the old house, Pod, Homily and Arriety have made a comfortable home beneath the kitchen floor. But their lives become threatened when Pod is seen while on a borrowing expedition...
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
If you love a good story, then look no further... When a cyclone hits Kansas, Dorothy and her little dog, Toto, are whisked away to the magical land of Oz. All alone in this strange world, they wonder how they'll ever get home...
Northern Lights (film: The Golden Compass)by Philip Pullman
When Lyra is given the strange and secret alethiometer, she begins an extraordinary journey that will take her to the frozen lands of the Arctic, where witch-clans reign and ice-bears fight.
Prince Caspian by C S Lewis
Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy are mysteriously transported back to Narnia where they discover that it has been hundreds of years since their reign as Kings and Queens of the land ended. Along with their old friend Prince Caspian they race to overthrow the King, calling on the help of Aslan and his trusty follower, Reepicheep the mouse.
Read the book before the film is released:
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Meggie loves books. So does her father, Mo, a bookbinder, although he has never read aloud to her since her mother mysteriously disappeared. They live quietly until the night a stranger knocks at their door...
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
The tale of three unlikely heroes - a misfit mouse who prefers reading books to eating them, an unhappy rat who schemes to leave the darkness of the dungeon, and a bumbling servant girl with cauliflower ears - whose fates are intertwined with that of the castle's princess.
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Shortly after moving into an old house with strange tenants above and below, Coraline discovers a big, carved, brown wooden door at the far corner of the drawing room. And it is locked...
Marley & Me by John Grogan
A family learns important life lessons from their adorable, but naughty and neurotic dog.
For older readers:
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
An extraordinary, compelling and frightening novel examining the relationship between a father and son wandering a post-apocalyptic world in search of sanctuary.
Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
Eric Schlosser's disturbing and timely exploration of one of the world's most controversial industries.

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.