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Showing posts from October, 2020

2021 UKLA Book Award longlist Announced

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UKLA Book Awards 2021 Longlists The longlists for the 13th year of these unique book awards highlight a diverse range of authors, from exciting debuts to prize-winners and best-sellers. All the books exemplify the award criteria’s aim of encouraging teachers’ knowledge of high-quality children’s books that can reflect all identities and promote diversity. The Longlist for 11-14+ are: Clap When You Land  written by Elizabeth Acevedo. (Hot Key Books) Black Flamingo  written by Dean Atta, illustrated by Anshika Khullar. (Hodder) The M Word  written by Brian Conaghan. (Bloomsbury) Furious Thing  written by Jenny Downham. (David Fickling Books) The Last Paper Crane  written by Kerry Drewery, illustrated by Natsko Seki. (Hot Key Books) Sofa Surfer  written by Malcolm Duffy. (Zephyr) On Midnight Beach  written by Marie Louise Fitzpatrick. (Faber & Faber) Invisible in a Bright Light  written by Sally Gardner (Zephyr) Bearmouth  written by Liz Hyder. (Pushkin) And the Stars Were Burning Bri

The Library Weekly Book Recommendation - KS3 - The wheel of Surya by Jamila Gavin

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  A beautiful new edition of the first volume in the Surya Trilogy by Whitbread award-winning author Jamila Gavin. India, August 1947: Fleeing from their burnt-out village as civil war rages in the Punjab, Marvinder and Jaspal are separated from their mother, Jhoti. Marvinder has already saved her brother's life once, but now they both face a daily fight for survival. Together they escape across India and nearly halfway around the world to England, to find a father they hardly know in a new, hostile culture... A powerful story of culture, class, family and faith set against the backdrop of Indian independence and the Partition of India and Pakistan. Perfect for fans of The Bone Sparrow, Morris Gleitzman's Once, and Katherine Rundell's The Wolf Wilder. -- Jamila was born in Mussoorie, India, in the foothills of the Himalayas. Her Indian father and English mother met as teachers in Iran and by the age of eleven she had lived in an Indian palace in the Punjab, a flat in a bomb

The Library Weekly Book Recommendation - KS4 - Gloves Off by Louisa Reid

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  Lily turns sixteen with two very different sides to her life: school, where she is badly bullied, and home with her mum and dad, warm and comforting but with its own difficulties.  After a particularly terrible bullying incident, Lily's dad determines to give his daughter the tools to fight back.  Introducing her to boxing, he encourages Lily to find her own worth. It is both difficult and challenging but in confronting her own fears she finds a way through that illuminates her life and friendships.  Meeting Rose, and seeing that there is another world out there, enables her to live her own life fully and gives her the knowledge that she is both beautiful and worth it. Publisher:  Guppy Publishing Ltd   ISBN:  9781913101022   Number of pages:  320  

The Library Weekly Book Recommendation - KS5/Adult - Mutiny on the Bounty by John Boyne

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  Pickpocket John Jacob Turnstile is on his way to be detained at His Majesty's Pleasure when he is offered a lifeline, what seems like a freedom of sorts - the job of personal valet to a departing naval captain. Little does he realise that it is anything but - and by accepting the devil's bargain he will put his life in perilous danger. For the ship is HMS Bounty, his new captain William Bligh and their destination Tahiti. From the moment the ship leaves port, Turnstile's life is turned upside down, for not only must he put his own demons to rest, but he must also confront the many adversaries he will encounter on the Bounty's extraordinary last voyage. Walking a dangerous line between an unhappy crew and a captain he comes to admire, he finds himself in a no-man's land where the distinction between friend and foe is increasingly difficult to determine... Publisher:  Transworld Publishers Ltd   ISBN:  9780552773928   Number of pages:  544  

The Library Weekly Book Recommendation - KS3 - I Am Not a Label: 34 disabled artists, thinkers, athletes and activists from past and present by Cerrie Burnell

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In this stylishly illustrated biography anthology, meet 30 artists, thinkers, athletes and activists with disabilities, from past and present. From Frida Kahlo to Stephen Hawking, find out how these iconic figures have overcome obstacles, owned their differences and paved the way for others by making their bodies and minds work for them. These short biographies tell the stories of people who have faced unique challenges which have not stopped them from becoming trailblazers, innovators, advocates and makers. Each person is a leading figure in their field, be it sport, science, maths, art, breakdance or the world of pop. Challenge your preconceptions of disability and mental health with the eye-opening stories of these remarkable people: Publisher:  Wide Eyed Editions   ISBN:  9780711247444   Number of pages:  64    

The Library Weekly Book Recommendation - KS4 - You Can Change the World!: Everyday Teen Heroes Making a Difference Everywhere by Margaret Rooke

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  This inspirational book tells the stories of more than 50 of today's teenagers who've dared to change the world they live in. It's been written to show other teens they can do the same. Bestselling author Margaret Rooke asks teens about their experiences of being volunteers, social entrepreneurs and campaigners, online and beyond. They explain how they have survived in a world often obsessed by celebrity, social media and appearance, by refusing to conform to other's expectations. If you want to achieve against the odds and create genuine impact, this book may be the encouragement you need. The interviews cover race, sexuality, violence, grief, neurodiversity, bullying and other issues central to life today. Read about teens from around the world including - Trisha, 18, who has invented a way of preventing bullying online - Dillon, 18, who takes damaged and donated clothing and upcycles it for the homeless  - Guro, 13, who persuaded a pop band to portray women differe

The Library Weekly Book Recommendation - KS5/Adult - You're Crushing It: Positivity for living your REAL life by Lex Croucher

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  Sometimes life can be pretty amazing. But other times it feels like: A. Your heart and stomach have been steamrolled into a grisly organ pancake B. You are being put through an emotional spiralizer that creates human courgetti C. Both of the above. You're a courgetti pancake No, Instagram filters won't make it look any better. And, yes, we all feel this way. An honest, thoughtful and hilarious survival guide for young people by social media sensation, Lex Croucher. Learn that you can face whatever today throws at you, because it has terrible aim anyway. And realise that only you scrutinise your flaws - seriously, no one else is paying attention, there's far too much interesting stuff on Netflix. A must-read for anyone who wants to embrace their actual, real, unedited life. Just always remember ... YOU'RE CRUSHING IT. Lex Croucher's frank and candid text is THE survival guide to help you make it through the crazy, topsy-turvy, whirlwind ride we call life. Brace you

The Library Weekly Book Recommendation - KS5/Adult - When Rain Clouds Gather And Maru - Virago Modern Classics by Bessie Head

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  When Rainclouds Gather: Escaping South Africa and his troubled past, Makehaya crosses the border to Botswana, in the hope of leading a peaceful, purposeful life. In the village of Golema Mmidi he meets Gilbert, a charismatic Englishman who is trying to modernise farming methods to benefit the community. The two outsiders join forces, but their task is fraught with hazards: opposition from the corrupt chief, the pressures of tradition, and the unrelenting climate ever threaten to bring tragedy. Maru: Margaret, an orphan from a despised tribe, has lived her life under the loving protection of a missionary's wife. She has only to open her mouth to cause confusion, for her education and English accent do not fit her looks. When she accepts her first teaching post, in a remote village, Margaret is befriended by Dikeledi, sister of Maru the chief-in-waiting. Despite making influential friends, Margaret faces prejudice even from the children she teaches, and her presence causes Maru and

The Library Weekly Book Recommendation - KS4 - The Boy and Girl Who Broke The World by Amy Reed

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  Billy Sloat and Lydia Lemon don't have much in common, unless you count growing up on the same (wrong) side of the tracks, the lack of a mother, and a persistent loneliness that has inspired creative coping mechanisms. When the lives of these two loners are thrust together, Lydia's cynicism is met with Billy's sincere optimism, and both begin to question their own outlook on life. On top of that, weird happenings including an impossible tornado and an all-consuming fog are cropping up around them - maybe even because of them. With a unique mix of raw emotion, humor, and heart, the surreal plotline pulls readers through an epic exploration of how caring for others makes us vulnerable - and how utterly pointless life would be if we didn't. Publisher:  Little, Brown Book Group   ISBN:  9780349003405   Number of pages:  464  

The Library Weekly Book Recommendation - KS3 - The Slightly Alarming Tale of the Whispering Wars by Jaclyn Moriarty

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  The town of Spindrift is frequented by pirates, Shadow Mages and charlatans. It's also home to the Orphanage School, where Finlay lives with Glim, Taya and Eli. Just outside town is the painfully posh Brathelthwaite Boarding School, home to Honey Bee, Hamish and Victor, Duke of Ainsley. When the two schools compete at the Spindrift Tournament, stakes are high, tensions are higher, and some people are out to win at any cost. Before long, the orphans and the boarding school are in an all-out war. And then Whispering Wars break out, and Spindrift is thrust onto the front lines. Children are being stolen, Witches, Sirens and a deadly magical flu invade the town, and all attempts to fight back are met with defeat. Finlay, Honey Bee and their friends must join forces to outwit the encroaching forces of darkness, rescue the stolen children, and turn the tide of the war. But how can one bickering troupe outwit the insidious power of the Whisperers? And who are the two mysterious figures