Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

How would you feel if when you read aloud from a novel, the characters came alive in front of you whilst simultaneously someone from your world was dragged into the story and disappears? Excited or terrified? This is what had happened to Meggie when her father read the book Inkheart to her and her mother 9 years ago. Suddenly her mother was gone, and the evil Capricorn had appeared.  However, Meggie remembers nothing of this until a fire-eater called Dustfinger appears at their house. Suddenly they are leaving to stay at her Aunt Eleanor’s book filled house and her father won’t say why. Has Capricorn finally has tracked down Meggie’s father? What evil does he want him to read out of Inkheart now? I loved all the characters in this book, and it gripped me right until the end. This is a book and a world that I really didn’t want to leave. I can’t wait to get stuck into the next one in this trilogy!

Mrs Godden

Year 7 Library Activity

We have just finished a very enjoyable year 7 Library Activity with Hilliard’s House. Read on to find out what we got up to… 

 

Anti-Bullying Week 15th - 19th November 2021

We are celebrating anti-bullying week’s One Kind Word initiative in the Library this week and we have brought out lots of great fiction on display to inspire you. 

Black History Month Book Reviews

We are celebrating Black History Month in the Library showcasing some of the fantastic resources we are lucky enough to have here that reflect on the importance of comprehending black histories of the world, ancient to modern, through the glorious medium of books!

Year 7 Activity - Glenn's House

This was the first week of the first library activity for Year seven in this academic year and we were very excited because we were back in the library rather than in tutor rooms! We had a amazing house to begin with lots of lovely readers in it.

What did you read this summer?

 Do you think books can still be gripping if you know the central plot in advance? This is what I decided to find out when I read these two books this summer!

 

Supporting cast by Kit de Waal

If you fancy a collection of amazing short stories set in the present world, then I would thoroughly recommend this book.

Rampart Trilogy by MR Carey

If you like dystopian books that seem like they could actually come true in a few years’ time, then you will love these books!

 

Easter Reading: (Other) things to think about this March!

We are nearing the Easter holidays and there is a lot for us all to grapple with at this time of year and that’s without “the pandemic that shall not be named” in tow. So we thought you might like some interesting distractions to remind you that the Earth is still turning and there is still intrigue and curiosity to be fulfilled!

All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness

My last series recommendations is my favourite trilogy of all time! This trilogy is about a vampire and a witch falling in love and a quest for an ancient book that tells of their origin but it is about so much more than that. It covers prejudice, intolerance and a distrust of anyone who is not like you. It speaks of abuse of power and what friendship really means. It is also about reaching your own potential and not letting the past affect how you are today. There are so many amazing characters in it and my favourite doesn’t even appear until Book 2! This is one of the few series that not only do I reread again and again but that all three books are brilliant in their own right. Very often trilogies start with a strong narrative in Book 1, end satisfyingly in Book 3 but Book 2 seems more of a bridge to get from one to the other. However, because each book is set in a different time and place, they are equally as strong. Suitable for age 14+, I have recommended this book to everyone I know and will probably end up reading it again over Christmas as Sky are just about to release the second book on their TV channel in January. Given that the author is on the production team and given how amazing series one was, I can’t wait!!

Mrs Godden

The Roman Mysteries by Caroline Lawrence

Our penultimate series recommendation is for The Roman Mysteries by Caroline Lawrence. This historical fiction series is set in ancient Rome (starting in AD79) and incorporates real events and real people within its stories. The series grow with you as a reader which means the books get more complex as it progresses. There are 17 books in total and although I have read every one of them, you can stop at any time as each book is a separate adventure. The stories follow the exploits of Flavia Gemina (who is a natural at solving mysteries and the daughter of a ship's captain), Jonathan (a Jewish boy and secretly a Christian), Nubia (an African slave girl) and Lupus (a mute beggar boy). Together they work together to solve various mysteries and crimes. Suitable for year 7 and above and I loved them.

    

Mrs Godden

The Rosie Project Series by Graeme Simsion

 More series recommendations and this time this trilogy is set in the modern day starring a thirty-nine-year-old geneticist called Don who's never had a second date. To solve this, he devises the ‘Wife Project’, a scientific test to find the perfect partner. He knows exactly what he wants and thinks the logic of science is the way to achieve it. Enter Rosie - 'the world's most incompatible woman' - throwing Don's safe, ordered life into chaos. This is a great trilogy about fitting in and what happens when you don’t think like other people but don’t realise it. It is very funny and you are routing for Don as he tries to work out what is happening in his life! The first and second books are great but the third one is absolutely brilliant! Age 14+

 

Mrs Godden