Can you remember the first book you truly connected with at primary school? Maybe it was one your teacher read to the class, chapter by chapter, or perhaps it was one you chose – after much deliberation – from the school book fair. The books we read as children have a unique hold on our … Continue reading Reading for pleasure with Cheshire Education Library Service
Cheshire Schools’ Book Award 2024
A secret society of female detectives who fight injustice and scandal in Victorian England. A deep-sea mining rig with dark secrets to uncover. A dystopian London where a mythical creature needs protection. WEREWOLVES. The shortlist for the Cheshire Schools' Book Award 2024 covers a fantastic array of genres and subjects, from realistic family-centred stories to … Continue reading Cheshire Schools’ Book Award 2024
Author interview: Kate S. Martin
Kate S. Martin’s debut novel Are You Okay Elliot Hart? is a fantastically moving story that tells us, through the lives of two teenage boys – Elliot Hart and Josh McBride – that what you see on the surface isn’t always what’s going on inside. Ahead of the release of its sequel next month, we … Continue reading Author interview: Kate S. Martin
The reading corner: starting school
While starting secondary school is a rite of passage marked by the oversized blazer – sure to fit at the end of Year 10 – and that first morning waiting at the bus stop, nervously rootling through the new-but-not-too-new backpack – starting school for the very first time can be a momentous experience, full of … Continue reading The reading corner: starting school
My first year as a school librarian: the outstanding and the overdue!
In our first guest post of the summer, Olivia shares her experiences of being a new school librarian, including her passion for creating inclusive library spaces where all young people can feel seen and supported. From a very young age I have been passionate about books and have always enjoyed visiting libraries. During secondary school, … Continue reading My first year as a school librarian: the outstanding and the overdue!
Cheshire Schools’ Book Award 2023: Her Dark Wings by Melinda Salisbury
As part of our series focusing on the Cheshire Schools' Book Award 2023 shortlist, Rosie discovers the beauty and the fury of Melinda Salisbury's Her Dark Wings. Melinda Salisbury’s Her Dark Wings, nominated in the Older Age category for the Cheshire Schools’ Book Award 2023, is an enchanting tale that reimagines the power of Greek … Continue reading Cheshire Schools’ Book Award 2023: Her Dark Wings by Melinda Salisbury
Cheshire Schools’ Book Award 2023: Gay Club! by Simon James Green
Will you be voting for Barney Gay Club! as your winner in the older age category of the Cheshire Schools' Book Award 2023? In our latest post spotlighting books on the CSBA23 shortlist, Rosie delves into the murky world of fake dating, political bribery, and dead (?) guinea pigs with Simon James Green's election-winning comedy. … Continue reading Cheshire Schools’ Book Award 2023: Gay Club! by Simon James Green
Cheshire Schools’ Book Award 2023: Resist by Tom Palmer
Continuing our look at the Cheshire Schools' Book Award 2023 shortlist, Rosie goes back in time with Tom Palmer's Resist. Printed in dyslexia-friendly text for children aged around 10 and over, this Cheshire Schools Book Award 2023 nominee for the Younger Age Category is a fantastically moving and informative historical adventure based on the real … Continue reading Cheshire Schools’ Book Award 2023: Resist by Tom Palmer
Cheshire Schools’ Book Award 2023: Dread Wood by Jennifer Killick
As part of our Cheshire Schools' Book Award 2023 celebrations, Rosie reviews shortlisted book Dread Wood by Jennifer Killick. Better watch out for those spiders… Jennifer Killick’s Dread Wood, nominated in the Younger Age category for the Cheshire Schools’ Book Award 2023, is a terrifying middle-grade novel about a group of high school students unexpectedly … Continue reading Cheshire Schools’ Book Award 2023: Dread Wood by Jennifer Killick
Reading for the weekend: 3rd March 2023
As we're now safely in March, we're springing into our new feature, sharing bite-size reviews of some of the books that have been keeping us entertained in the Cheshire ELS headquarters. This week we're being baaaad with Jory John and Pete Oswald's The Bad Seed, climbing trees with Natasha Farrant's The Rescue of Ravenwood, summoning … Continue reading Reading for the weekend: 3rd March 2023
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