Code Read Christmas

 

Check out our new Code Read books in the Library and get your Christmas reading sorted. Be more Santa!

You can see some of the fantastic books in the collection below:

Reading Schools - Manga

In a galaxy far, far away, our manga and anime fans in the library decided to help Mrs Lumsden obtain some new books for the library. Budgets are tight but they knew that Reading Schools (Scottish Book Trust) might be able to help...

They trudged to Modern Languages and begged the guru of all things movie related (aka Mr Haddad) to help them in their quest for more manga. They also sought the assistance of Dr Manga, who told them all the ways that manga and graphic novels could improve their reading.

And so, the epic application video was created and the Reading Schools agreed that we should have more manga.

Reading school - fund application

Code Read

 

We are delighted to announce that we and school libraries across Scotland have been awarded funding for our Code Read project. 

The Scottish Libraries and Information Council awarded us funding under the School Library Improvement Fund to encourage pupils to read fiction, develop their media literacy, and create a playable game. 

This will enable us to create a core reading list with titles suitable for each year group. Pupils would be asked to choose and read at least one book from the list. Based on the themes and characters in one of the Core Reads, pupils will then create either:

• an offline plan or storyboard of their proposed game; or 
•  a digital game 

Submissions will be uploaded to Basecamp for pupils at other Code Read schools to play and comment on.  A winner will be chosen by each school that will then go forward to a national final where pupil - teacher- librarian judges will vote on each category: 

• Read ‘em Up Award- Made me want to read the book after playing 
• Battle Royale Award - Most playable 
• Boss Award - Most books read 
• Avatar Award - Best character created 
• NOOB Award – Participation 

There will be a meeting in the Library at lunchtime on 12 December to discuss this.

SOME LIKE IT COLD by Elle McNicoll

 Having read Elle McNicoll’s other books, I was intrigued as to how her first foray into YA would fare. I will confess that I was little disappointed at first as I thought it was going to be the archetypal “rom com” churned out regularly on the Hallmark channel, with the golden girl loved by everyone, the evil older sister and the broodingly handsome Mr Darcy cipher. However, I soon realised that Elle had brought in many of the classic romantic tropes but there was much more to this story. For me, by far the best part of the story was Jasper’s neurodiversity which was described in an achingly effective way. I enjoyed the setting; who can resist a small-town vignette in the run up to Christmas? The characters were well written, and Elle fleshed out the selfish older sister and brooding boyfriend admirably. The minor characters also felt real. Best of all, there was a lovely happy ending, as you would expect with a rom com. I’m looking forward to recommending this to neurodivergent readers and those who love a great romance.

🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🤶

Creative Writing

We are very excited to announce some creative writing workshops taking place in the library during Book Week Scotland in November. If you would like to take part, please see Mrs Lumsden in the Library. 

Victoria Williamson will be holding two creative writing workshops based on her fabulous novels The War of the Wind and Feast of Ashes. Both these titles feature climate change and we will talking about this and Victoria's writing process. 

Ellie Stewart is a playwright working in Scotland, and her recent productions include A Different Country for BBC Radio Scotland, The Return for Eden Court Theatre, and Mischief for the Traverse Theatre. She will be talking about her plays and the art of being a playwright.

For all our writers, poets, illustrators, and storytellers, check out the great opportunities to showcase your work here:

//www.scottishbooktrust.com/writing-and-authors/opportunities-for-young-writers

You Could Be So Pretty

 

Set in a dystopian near future, where girls are expected to conform to exacting beauty standards and are constantly scrutinised and graded. Beauty comes at a price. And girls must pay. In Belle and Joni's world there are two options for girls: like Belle - follow the rules of the Doctrine - apply your Mask, work hard to be crowned at the Ceremony, be a Pretty. Or be like Joni - leave your face bare, work hard to escape to the Education, be an Objectionable. Bella, the highest rated ‘pretty’ in school, clashes with Joni, an ‘objectionable’ who refuses to follow the norms and wishes to be herself. The two girls initially clash and eventually work together to subvert the Doctrine.

This novel was really enjoyable and will hit a nerve with many young people today – is this so unbelievable when we look at our own attitudes and exposure to social media? It has been described as Uglies meets The Handmaid's Tale for the new YA generation, and that’s a pretty fair description. Read it and throw away your eyelash curlers forever!

GIRL, GODDESS, QUEEN by Bea Fitzgerald

To hell with love, this goddess has other plans...

Thousands of years ago, the gods told a lie: how Persephone was a pawn in the politics of other gods. How Hades kidnapped Persephone to be his bride. How her mother, Demeter, was so distraught she caused the Earth to start dying. The real story is much more interesting.

Persephone wasn't taken to hell: she jumped. There was no way she was going to be married off to some smug god more in love with himself than her. Now all she has to do is convince the Underworld's annoyingly sexy, arrogant and frankly rude ruler, Hades, to fall in line with her plan. A plan that will shake Mount Olympus to its very core. But consequences can be deadly, especially when you're already in hell .

This is a funny and romantic retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth, interwoven with mythical family dynamics. Persephone is no shrinking violet and it's great to see such a strong female character who's not afraid to be ambitious (and vulnerable, when it comes to the vagaries of love!) The 'will they, won't they' romance with Hades is appealing - one can't help but swoon - and the fraught relationship with her parents is well written. This will appeal to many of our older readers.

⭐⭐⭐⭐