Countdown!

The Fault in Our Stars film is released in the UK in a mere 23 days!

Buzzfeed and The Guardian's Childrens Books have recently released book lists with more bookish recommendations for fans of TFIOS.  I am currently ordering some of these for the library. Just click on the links above to check them out.

Student Library Helpers

Last year we began a scheme which gave Year 11 prefects the opportunity to volunteer in the library at break and lunch times.  Students have the opportunity to learn invaluable professional skills such as how a library works and customer service skills while also serving as role models for younger students.  It has really helped to raise the profile of the library within the school and we currently have 14 brilliant prefects in training! Read testimonies below from two of last years helpers:

"Working in the library has helped me to identify my strengths and weaknesses.  I learned how to use the library system and I have been able to meet and socialise with people from other years in the school who I wouldn't have had the chance to meet.  Thank you for giving me the chance to work in the library and as a part of a team!"

"I really enjoyed working in the library as a prefect as I got to help with various tasks and meet other students at the same time."

Coming of Age Books

Common Sense Media is a helpful not for profit organisation which provides reviews and age ratings of books and films on their website.  Reviews are added by parents and teenagers and a quick search can help you to determine if a book or film, is suitable for your child and highlights any grown up issues which might be in them.

Today when I clicked on the website to check if a book was suitbale for a student I came across their brilliant fiction book lists for teenagers, on the the theme of coming of age, which you can download for free.  Click the links below to have a look.

Coming of age books;

Ages 7 -12

Ages 13 -17

Help Highlands School to win £5000 worth of books for the Learning Resource Centre!

Please enter this and share with your kids, parents, friends and anyone you know to help our library win a mind bogglingly scrumdiddlyumptious £5000 worth of books in this National Book Token Competition. And that's not all, you could also win an amazing £250 worth of book tokens for yourself.   It just takes 2 minutes to enter and you have until 31st July 2014.

Click the link below to take you to the National Book Token website. 

http://www.nationalbooktokens.com/schools/schools.aspx

Carnegie Review No.1...Anne Fine's Blood Family

The following review of Blood Family was written by one of our brilliant Carnegie Group readers in Year 8. The novel tells the tale of a boy with a difficult past who wonders if he can create a hopeful future for himself...

Blood Family
This book is great it's written in a style where you get every ones opinions on the events. It let me see all the events and by writing this way it lets you connect with the characters. I found it very emotional and because these things happen in real life i found it really harsh and real. I didn't have a dull moment reading it and there were so many feelings and so much sympathy and empathy towards the characters. I especially liked him changing in age so when bad things start to happen you feel so attached and sadder about the events. READ IT!!! 

'The Fault in Our Stars' Phone Covers!

'My thoughts are stars that I can't fathom into constellations.'

There is a website which is now selling phone covers with designs and quotes inspired by John Green's best-selling novel 'The Fault in Our Stars'.

Have a look at them here.  The quotes that they have chosen are a great reminder of the book before the film comes out at the end of June.