Writing Guides from Cliff McNish

Author Cliff McNish writes brilliant fantasy and supernatural novels, some of which are available to borrow in the Discovery Library.  He has created six guides to help you write amazing stories, which he normally only gives away as part of an author visit.

The six guides are entitled The 4 Basic Stories, Five Easy Steps to Creating a Great Story, Creating great Heroes/Heroines in your stories, Creating Great Villains in Your Stories How to Write a Fantasy Story and How to Write a Ghost Story.

To find out more about Cliff McNish click here.

School Library Association Information Book Awards 2017 - Winners Announced!

The Information Book awards are designed to support school libraries, reinforce the importance of non-fiction and highlight the high standard of resources available.  The winner of this year's SLA Information Book Awards are:

Survivors of the Holocaust by Kath Shackleton - overall winner.  A graphic novel telling the stories of real-life holocaust survivors. On our wish list!



Mind Your Head by Juno Dawson - Children's Choice winner.  A must have book for teenagers about their mental health.  This is available to borrow from the War Memorial Library.

In addition, the winner of the first Hachette Children's Group Award for Outstanding Contribution to Information Books 2017 is Nicola Davies.  You will find some of her books in the Discovery Library.

Save our School Libraries

A campaign to halt the continuing decline in school library provision and the number of professionally qualified librarians in state-funded schools and colleges in England has been launched by CILIP, the professional body for Library and Information Professionals. 

150 authors, including Neil Gaiman, Philip Pulman, Malorie Blackman and Chris Riddell have co-signed an open letter to Justin Greening, the Secretary of State for Education, written by Dawn Finch, past President of CILIP, urging the Government to take urgent action to “counter the loss of school and college libraries before we consign a generation to a lifetime of low attainment and mobility”.  Caroline Roche, Chair of the School Libraries Group, has written an excellent piece on her blog, The Heart of the School, about the campaign, which has also been covered by the Guardian newspaper.

In an article in The Bookseller, Jo McCrum from the Society of Authors highlights the effects that cuts to libraries have on children 'who have limited or no access to books at home or through public libraries' and the importance, in an age of 'fake news', of teaching them how to 'question, to research and seek out well-documented evidence to support assertions'.  As she puts it, "guidance from a trained librarian and access to books is vital to their learning of these skills as well as general wellbeing, mental health and, ultimately, economic success".

We are fortunate at TRS that we currently have two excellent Libraries, which are well resourced and staffed by three professionally qualified librarians who are passionate about encouraging reading for pleasure and equipping students with information literacy skills.

World Book Day Christmas Poetry Competition

Why not get into the Christmas spirit by writing a 12 line poem (for the 12 days

of Christmas) on the theme of Christmas for the World Book Day Christmas Poetry Competition?  The poem can be about anything to do with the festive season!  

The competition is open to students up to age 18 and is split into three categories, 5-8, 9-12 and 13+.  The winner from each age group will receive a £25 National Book Tokens gift card and the top three entries will have their poem published on the World BookDay website.

The closing date is 1^st December and entries should be emailed to mail@worldbookday.com.  For more information click here.

Anti-bullying Week 2017

This week is Anti-Bullying Week, coordinated by the Anti-Bullying Alliance, which aims to highlight bullying and encourage students, teachers and parents to take action against it.

We have a display of brilliant books in the Discovery Library on difference, acceptance and bullying, to highlight anti-bullying week, many of which appear on The Book Trust list.

Remembrance Day

Armistice Day, also known as Remembrance Day, takes place on 11 November every year, marking the official ending of the WWI on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918.  A two minute silence is held to remember the people who have died in wars.  There is also Remembrance Sunday, the second Sunday in November, which falls on 12th November this year. 

The Discovery and War Memorial Libraries have special Remembrance displays of war time books for you to borrow.

At TRS, we will be holding assemblies for all form groups and selling poppies and other products in support of the Royal British Legion Annual Poppy Appeal.  There will also be visits for Year 7 students to see the school War Memorial. Initially dedicated to students and staff who gave their lives in the Great War, the Memorial is in the KS4/5 Library; known as the War Memorial Library.