We are celebrating LGBTQIA+ History Month in the library with a huge selection of books to choose from.
Last term, Year 7 and Year 8 students participated in the TSBA book club, thanks to the generosity of the PA. They read eight books on the theme of 'You Are Here', a selection of books set in far-away countries or different historical periods. The book they voted as their favourite was A Flash of Fireflies by Aisha Bushby, a book about a young girl relocating from Kuwait to England. Their second favourite was Dogs of the Deadlands by Anthony McGowan, a book which focused on the dogs who were abandoned after the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. All the books that we read are available on a display in the library, so please pop up and borrow a book.
Mrs Carey, Librarian
I really enjoyed attending Book Club after school because reading is definitely my favourite hobby, and we did lots of fun activities based on books we read at the Book Club and even got to make our own imaginary movie trailers! I liked when we made a podcast the best, as we got to discuss in detail the book we chose (Dogs of the Deadlands, in my case). Making trailers was also quite fun too, as was acting out the storyboard. I also got to know new people from Year 7, because I was placed in a group where I only knew one person.
There are definite perks to joining the Book Club, like indulging in your hobby and meeting new people, but other than that, we had biscuits at every meeting! I especially enjoyed the last meeting, because we played a Kahoot quiz and ate three kinds of cake -Victoria sponge, carrot and chocolate as well as chocolate biscuits!
I would definitely recommend going to the Book Club; it was a fun and an easy way to settle in and make new friends!
Safaa Abdul-Aziz, Year 7
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Today, a few schools from Bexley came together at Townley Grammar School to discuss the Yoto Carnegie book club books. Each school performed a presentation about one of the books. The book that BGS chose was Crossing the Line by Tia Fisher, an amazing and engaging book written in verse about a boy named Erik who makes a lot of bad decisions and ends up being tangled up in organised crime. Our presentation consisted of our Year 10s reading out poems from key points in the book, while the talented Year 8s and 7s did a short performance to complement the poems. The other schools also gave incredible presentations about the other Carnegie books. Afterwards, all the schools voted for our favourite book. The winner was Crossing the Line! Personally, I thought it was an amazing trip. It was so nice to meet people from different schools and talk about books we enjoyed. It was a very pleasant afternoon and I enjoyed it very much!
Sofie Rygielska, Year 10
It was our last book group this week, and the students took part in a quiz on all the books we have read this term, which was closely won by Sofie in Year 10. We all voted for our favourite book, which was Crossing the Line by Tia Fisher. The National Winner was announced the same day, and was The Boy Lost in the Maze by Joseph Coelho, the current Children's Laureate. Both books are written in verse, Crossing the Line tells the story about a boy being groomed to get drugs across county lines and The Boy Lost in the Maze entwines the story of Theseus and the Minotaur with a modern story of the journey a boy must go on to find his father.
The students approached all 8 books with enthusiasm and creativity, making podcasts, writing poetry and drawing emoji reviews. It was a pleasure running the group with them, and I was very proud of their performance at Townley Grammar.
Mrs Carey, Librarian
On Thursday 25th April 2024, we went to the TSBA ceremony at Latymer Upper School. To get there, we got the train to Victoria and then the tube to the school. When we got there, there was a lovely ceremony where all the student winners were announced for the creative responses and the book review competitions. Then the author winners of TSBA and the Trinity+ were awarded (Rebel Skies by Ann Sei Lin for TSBA and Lies like Wildfires by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez for Trinity+). After that, there were 'elemental' themed snacks, and we could get our books signed by the authors that were there and take pictures with them too. After that, we got the tube and train back to school. Of course, this wouldn’t have been possible without the amazing Mrs Carey. So thank you for everything you do for us, Mrs Carey.
Liv, Year 8
The book trip was great fun! - just like last year! We got books signed and had some nice snacks too. We found out who won the TSBA awards (Rebel Skies) which I would recommend reading as it’s very good.
Overall, it was an excellent trip with the best librarian, Mrs Carey. I hope to do it again next year!
Grace, Year 8
In the autumn term, my two book groups read 14 books as part of the Trinity Schools Book Awards, voted on their favourites and eagerly awaited the awards ceremony where we found out which authors would take the trophies.
I was lucky enough to take nine students from Years 7-10 to Latymer Upper School to watch the ceremony, see their competition submissions displayed and meet the authors. We spent a lot of time with Teri Terry, author of Dark Blue Rising, quizzing her on how she comes up with ideas for her books, and discovering that sometimes she dreams them!
Thank you to the generous PTA who paid for the books and our participation in the awards ceremony. The students loved it and have already asked to take part again next year!
Mrs Carey, School Librarian
Click on the link here to view the TSBA Ceremony Photo Gallery
As part of the World Book Day activities, a group of Year 7 students took part in a book quiz against six other schools in Bexley. They were impressive in their knowledge of a wide variety of children's books, and came a very close second place against Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar. I'm very proud of them and how well they represented BGS.
Mrs Carey, School Librarian
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Congratulations to our competition winners! Their beautiful artwork will be framed and displayed in the library, and they have each won a £10 book voucher for their wonderful creations.
Rowan Banks
Assassination Classroom
Daniel Whitaker &
Saviru Anuhas Mudiyansalage
Harry Potter and the
Deathly Hallows
Isobel Grime
The Hunger Games
Arthur Barnard
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Freya Feldborg
One of Us Is Lying
Ryan Aziza
Harry Potter and the
Chamber of Secrets
Jessica Davis
Good Omens
Sid Pant
Itachi's Story
Emily Chan
Les Misérables
Aysu Batmaz
Mrs Pepperpot Stories
Anna Barnard
Letters from the Lighthouse
Please click on the link here for more information.
My student Library Assistants have been on flag duty this week, and have made the library a proud and colourful place to be. Please come up to see the large collection of books for LGBTQ+ History Month, many of which were bought using money from our generous PTA.
Mrs Carey, School Librarian
I recommend the graphic book series Heartstopper by Alice Oseman! It’s a lovely book surrounding the lives of Nick and Charlie and their challenges that needed to be overcome to be accepted by their family and school as well as lots of light-hearted comedic scenes! It’s such a heart-warming series and Oseman is such a great writer and illustrator. My favourite character is Oliver, Charlie’s little brother! This book is a must for anyone interested in reading LGBTQ+ books!
Jessica, Year 8
I really enjoyed the book 'Heartstopper' as it talks about the hardships and mental health issues that formulate due to homophobia. It shows that there isn't a shortcut to mental health recovery. I also liked the bond between Nick and Charlie.
Isabelle, Year 8
Heartstopper, Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda, Alex in Wonderland, Beautiful Music for Ugly Children, The Art of Being Normal and Buy Meets Boy are all amazing.
Alex, Year 9
MillerSet in Ancient Greece, The Song of Achilles is a book following the hidden romance of Achilles, a half-god destined for greatness, and Patroclus, a banished prince.
As the friendship grows into something more, they're faced with a series of complex challenges and opposers to their relationship. A retelling of the
well-known story, Achilles and Patroclus are called to war and the test of their bonds are pushed to the limits. I love this book as it's not only a beautiful relationship, from friends to lovers, but also because of the different perspective provided. I would recommend this book to not just ancient history/ history lovers, but to everyone - from age Year 9+.
Scarlett, Year 11
I read the book My Policeman a couple of months ago. It is about three characters called Tom, Patrick and Marion, in which Tom and Marion are supposedly in a relationship with each other as Tom begins to fall in love with a museum curator he met called Patrick. As they play it off as a close friendship, their secret relationship grows behind Marion's back, as being gay was illegal at the time. I love this book because it's interesting to see the lengths people will go to, to be with the person they love and the risks they would take to conceal it at a time when they can't express their love. I recommend this book to Year nine and above.
Mya, Year 11
This term students are borrowing books from the Library more than ever, and we are often running low on copies of the most popular series. If you have any books that you have finished with and would like to donate to the Library then I can assure you that they would be very gratefully received!
The most popular series are:
Mrs Carey, School Librarian
