Musings on booklists

Booklists are something that can produce a rant from me in seconds. I cannot say how many times I have come across a booklist intended for children that has not been updated for years (sometimes decades). Indeed I have seen booklists with suggestions that would not have been out of place in my own schooldays, over 40 years ago.

This is, in my opinion, really lazy and shoddy. It is vital that children are given the opportunity to discover the best new writing that is available for them. There is, of course, a place for classics but it is shameful that the same list is churned out year after year by people who claim to know about children's literature.

Every year I set up a booklist for the new Y7 students. This is annotated with a short description of the book. (I have yet another rant about booklists that are mere lists but shall not indulge myself this time.) I do not include popular authors as I believe that my job is to encourage pupils to read as widely as possible - they will find the popular writers by themselves, it is up to me to introduce them to others. My colleague and I have had many discussions about our booklists (her particular list will be available later this term and is intended for Upper School, Y10 and above.) We are of the firm opinion that our lists are suggestions for reading and should not be considered definitive or prescriptive. We are firmly for choice in reading for pleasure.

This year I have managed, with the assistance of the site's technical help, to set up a list for Y7 on Love Reading For Schools. (You will need to register to use the site - instructions are on the site and a blog page) This list has a mixture of titles as our students have different reading abilities and different interests. I hope there is something for everyone.

For the first time we are linking with the Public Libraries' Summer Reading Challenge and following their Creepy House theme. There are two books that are definitely not creepy just in case it is too much for anyone. We are in the process of developing an exciting aid support book choice from this list- I shall keep you posted!

Two books missing from the main picture, both on loan at the moment.

 

Normal Service Resumes ...

Hello there! The blog is back in business and life in the Library is getting hectic. We have three special events in June based in the Library and more being planned even as I write.

The first event is Ealing Readers' Award (ERA) 2013. The grand final will take place in the Library on Tuesday 11th June and we shall be shifting the stacks around to make room for the eight visiting school panels. We are delighted that the shortlisted book that we are championing is Charlie Higson's The Sacrifice. The shortlisted books are:-


Summer's Dream by Cathy Cassidy
After by Morris Gleitzman
The Sacrifice by Charlie Higson
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel by Jeff Kinney
Missing Me by Sophie McKenzie
Guardian Angel by Robert Muchamore
Ratburger by David Walliams
Emerald Star by Jacqueline Wilson
Four Children and It by Jacqueline Wilson

 

The second big event is the welcome for our Writer-in-Residence, Joe Craig on Friday 14th June. We consider ourselves to be very lucky indeed to have Joe as not only is he a very accomplished author but he also has many strings to his bow, including music, cricket and philosophy. His latest book in the Jimmy Coates sequence is published on June 6th (Jimmy Coates: Blackout)so we shall have copies of his books on sale. I shall keep blog readers updated about the many things Joe is doing in school.

The third big event is Carnegie Shadowing. The judges' decision will be announced on 19th June and our band of readers is cracking on reading all the books on the shortlist. This year's list is extremely strong - I'm particularly glad to see Wonder on the list as it did not make the cut for ERA. The Carnegie shortlisted books are:-

The Weight of Water by Sarah Crossan

A Greyhound of a Girl by Roddy Doyle

Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner

In Darkness by Nick Lake

Wonder by R. J. Palacio

Midwinter's Blood by Marcus Sedgwick

A Boy and a Bear in a Boat by Dave Sheldon

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Killer heels

As mentioned before, I am a sucker for a good cover and I think this one is fabulous. I'm not a wearer of heels but that doesn't mean to say I don't appreciate them and, yes, I was drawn to this book by the killer heel on display.

Then there's the intriguing glimpse of an apparently metallic skeleton inside the leg, and a hint of an old, old story. It also indicates that it is the first of a series ... The Lunar Chronicles. So, does Marissa Meyer make something of the Cinderella story in this book?

Well I think she does. Cinder lives in a future time when vast swathes of earth have been devastated and individual countries no longer exist. She lives with a cruel stepmother who despises her partly because she is a cyborg - part human, part machine.

And yes, there is a handsome prince who asks Cinder to a ball. There is much more too so the author is not just ticking off the appropriate Cinderella boxes. There is a terrible, deadly plague that is killing off the citizens of earth and trouble with the lunar colonists who seem to have amazing mental powers.

Then there's the fact that there seems to be some mystery about just who, and what Cinder is. There's plenty to think about in this book and I found it most enjoyable. Cinder has great character, she is no wimpy princess who relies on others, she is a self-assured mechanic who faces up to her problems.

Roll on the next books in The Lunar Chronicles.

(Cinder by Marissa Meyer is a Puffin paperback and costs £6.99.)

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Seraphina - meaning fiery or ardent - very apt

I read Seraphina by Rachel Hartman partly on the tube on the way home from a buying expedition to Foyles in Charing Cross Road. It was powerful enough to hold my attention from Tottenham Court Road to my home station in the western 'burbs and then that journey in reverse the next day when I went to a CILIP meeting at Library HQ.


Seraphina lives in a world where dragons and humans co-exist in an uneasy fashion. Dragons are able to assume human form but lack, and despise, human emotions.
There have been forty years of a truce between the species, but something is amiss and Seraphina gets herself involved in the heart of it all. She is a great character, full of power and energy and lives up to her name.

Early on, we discover a secret about her birth and about her family that she is unable to tell her friends - usually I find this plot device infuriating but this time, it is believable and works well.

There is loyalty and love and treason and adventure and plenty of action. Seraphina is tried and tested as are many others. A traitor is unmasked and emotions run high even amongst the dragons.


This is Rachel Hartman's first (published) novel. I am looking forward to many more.

Summer in the city

I was delighted to receive a cheering text on Friday from my daughter-in-law (who resides in bonny Scotchland) - school's out for summer - a celebration of the prospect of six weeks to hope for better weather, i.e. much less rain and much more sun. Yes, indeed, the summer holidays have started as has the summer reading.

I am refusing to think of the horrors of moving the school library from its old home - two former technical rooms - into a spanking new block. The books and shelves have made the transition, albeit unpacked but we may not do anything with them until September. Sadly, all our other bits and bobs have gone awol ... Lost in the abyss of the old gym, the hall, somewhere behind the bike sheds. Who knows.


So, thinking positively, summer reading. I intend to read as many new books for children and young adults as possible whilst also keeping up with a goodly amount of adult novels.
Today, I have just finished Team Human by Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan and jolly good it was too. It's set in contemporary USA and its characters are vampires, humans and zombies. However despite there being something of a lurve story there is also mystery, intrigue and an exploration of friendship that had me engrossed. I even put aside my Saturday crossword in order to finish it. I forgot to mention that it avoids having a feeble heroine, a tedious love triangle and sparkles with wit and humour.

I've read several books by Justine Larbalestier* (and enjoyed them all very much) but none yet by Sarah Rees Brennan, something I shall rectify over the holidays.


*Liar, How To Ditch Your Fairy, and the Magic Or Madness Trilogy

CWCS Battle of the Books 2012 - FINAL ROUND!

The time has come to let everyone know which book has won our BoB.
The judge for this round was T. Daly whose first response was to thank us for asking him to read the three books because "they were amazing."

What We Keep is a beautiful novel that I read with my heart. There was a lovely quirkiness about it. In the end I suspect that Angela would have made the same mistakes as her mother and would have gone all the way to destruction with Jesse except that the heavy hand of the author gave her such good sense. I hope she and Noah will be happy for a while.
I read Nothing with my stomach. As the heap of meaning grew so did my mounting sense of dread. This was one of the best horror stories I have read.

Fishtailing, I read with my mind - wondering at the strange format. By about the second page I was completely engaged. The terse sentences drew me into poor wounded Natalie's web of evil. I needed the coming together of Kyle and Tricia at the end. I needed the smell of spring.

My winner is Fishtailing.


Hooray! We have a decision ... and next term in the new Library, in the new Block we shall have a party to celebrate not just this wonderful book but all the others too.

Battle of the Books -penultimate round

Apologies for the lateness of this post. We are in the process of moving our Library to a new building and life is, to say the least, chaotic.
Enough said, let us move to business.


The books pitted against each other for this round were Cat's Table vs Fishtailing and Ship Breakers vs What We Keep Is Not Always What Will Stay.


The judge for the first two books was J. Waudby, Greenford resident and writer and she wrote of the book she chose as winner:-
I chose Fishtailing because it hooked me from the first page, and also because it raises questions about looking at poetry as creativity or as an expression of anguish - even a cry for help. Every word is important and each verse holds the voice of that character. The way the poem structure reflects the poems written by Natalie, Miguel, Tricia and Kyle is very satisfying and the language in this book is breathtakingly beautiful. But I thought the best thing about it is the haunting story and the way that it builds slowly but inevitably to the tragic climax. I also liked the echo of the teacher's writing advice, to give the protagonist hope, in the moment of hope at the end of this poem-story.


The judge for the other two books was M. MacInnes, a School Librarian from Ealing.
Ship Breakers is set in a dystopian future and I found it a difficult read. However, if you enjoy literature which describes a society that struggles with fear violence and shortages as the main characters spend their days just trying to survive.
What We Keep ... is not a book that I would normally pick up but I really, really enjoyed it. Angie the main protagonist is a very likeable 15 year old who has the normal teenage stresses that go with life. Her relationship with her Mum is strained as is her relationship with Jesse, the war hero, who returns to school to finish her education.
Her confidante throughout is Felix, who listens to her and encourages her to come to her own conclusions about her life and the people in it.


My winner is What We Keep Is Not Always What Will Stay.


There you have it. The finalists for the CWCS Battle of the Books 2012 are Fishtailing by Wendy Phillips vs What We Keep Is Not Always What Will Stay by Amanda Cockrell.

What of the contestant brought back from the dead? The group of judges have decided that Nothing by Janne Teller is the choice for them.

A triumph for North American and European publishing ...
The judge for the last round has been given copies of the books and will let us know his decision soon. Watch this space!