Fascinating War Fiction and Non-fiction available at Highlands School LRC

Were you fascinated by War Horse and want to find out more?  Have you been hearing about the outbreak of World War One one hundred years ago and would like to read more books to imagine what it was like back then? The library has a great selection of World War One and Two books available to read.  Click here to choose a book from our list and ask Ms O'Shea (Librarian) if you need help finding them in the library.  Fill in your thoughts on a poppy afterwards for our Remembrance display, just ask at the library desk.

If you would like to write a war story of your own we have a competition to help you.  Write a 7 - 14 page story, play or poem on the them of war, peace and these can affect ordinary people's lives and hand your entry into the library by the 6th November.  Winners will have the chance to have their work performed, receive a cash prize and a school trip.  Click here for more details.

Calling all writers: Writing Competition!

Teenager's writing organisation First Story has announced an exciting wriitng competition.  They are looking for stories which are themed on 'home'.  The closing date is December. We will be working on entering this competition in library lessons in November.  Click here to learn more.

Great Short Stories List

“Short stories are tiny windows into other worlds and other minds and other dreams. They are journeys you can make to the far side of the universe and still be back in time for dinner.”  (Neil Gaiman, author)

While we have a number of good short story collections in the library , there are also a great number of classic ones which are available for free online.  I have collected seventeen of these below. The stories  are famous short stories by writers who have become famous as masters of the art of the short story.  Examine the style carefully, these different stories will teach you a lot about writing your own short stories.  Click the link below to take you to the short story...

P.S. The great thing about reading short stories is that you can get the chance to try a famous writer to see if you like them before committing to a whole novel by them.

The Fall of the House of Usher; Edgar Allen Poe

Symbols and Signs; Vladimir Nabokov

The Diamond as Big as the Ritz; F. Scott Fitzgerald

(You have to scroll down to find the story on this page or type Ctrl and the letter f 7 and the diamond as big as the ritz to take you there)

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow; Washington Irving

Gooseberries; Anton Chekhov

The Looking Glass; Anton Chekhov

The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas; Ursula Le Guin

The Eyes Have It; Philip K. Dick

Lamb to the Slaughter; Roald Dahl

To Build A Fire; Jack London

Sea Oak; George Saunders

The Dying Fall; J.G. Ballard 

The Veldt; Ray Bradbury

The Bear Came Over the Mountain; Alice Munro

A Telephone Call; Dorothy Parker

The Willows; Algernon Blackwood

The Gift of the Magi;  O. Henry

If you are interested in reading more stories click the links below to help you find more short stories and more short story authors.

The New Yorker Short Story Archive

More famous short story writers

25 Scary Short Stories

Best Russian Short Stories

Short stories by Neil Gaiman

More short stories by Philip K. Dick

10 Short stories by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Short stories by H.P. Lovecraft

Ideas For Celebrating European Languages Week 2014 at Highlands Learning Resource Centre...........

By reading fiction books set in France and Spain ..(France and Spain were the most popular settings for YA novels, unfortunately I could not find any books set in Italy and Greece which are the two other main languages that our MFL faculty teaches.  Please get in touch with me if you have any recommendations..)

Reading books set in a country whose language you are studying is a great way of learning about about the culture there. Read about the sandy beaches of Spain, the side lanes of Barcelona and what it's like to work on an island like Ibiza for a summer. Read about croissants in Paris and exciting stories set during the French revolution..It's a bit like travelling there if you haven't got the time and is great escapism from the daily routine of school..Some of the these books feature school exchanges.

Click on the image of the library door below to take you to the list of books which are available to borrow and reserve.

P.S. If you enjoy language learning try out the free website and app Duolingo . It will help you to practice and revise the phrases that you learn in class.

Welcome to Highlands School Library Storybird

Online Magazines

http://www.rookiemag.com/

I recently stumbled across Rookie Mag , which is an online magazine aimed at teenage girls.  It is really high quality and features interviews with famous people, style tips, music and book reviews, writing by teenagers and tonnes more.  In fact it's so good stop reading this and click on the picture below to take you directly to the magazine!  I don't currently stock any paper magazines for girls in the library and this has inspired me to find more free online magazines for teenagers .  Stay tuned for a magazine list in the near future.

Sixth Form Essay Competition

Connell Guides are guides to great literature for Sixth Form students.  They aim to make the process of critical analysis an easier experience.  I will definitely be buying them for the library when we return in September.

They also run an annual essay prize, perfect for those of you who are hoping to study English at university and who want to practise their writing skills.  The competition will open in September.  Click here to read last year's winning entry.