Lies We Tell Ourselves - 'A piercing look at the courage it takes to endure...forms of extreme hatred, violence, racism and sexism.'

This year, for the first time, CILIP (the leading body for libraries and information professionals) joined forces with Amnesty International UK to present the Amnesty CILIP Honour. This book prize is to be awarded to an author whose book 'illuminates, communicates, or celebrates our personal rights and freedoms.'

On Monday 20th June, the inaugural Amnesty CILIP Honour was awarded to Robin Talley for her young adult novel  Lies We Tell Ourselves.

Talley's novel is based on the real-life experiences of The Norfolk 17, a group of African-American teenagers who were the first black students to be integrated into previously all-white schools in Virginia in 1959.

The book portrays the kind of physical and emotional abuse these students endured as they bravely led the fight for an equal education in the face of violent and hate-filled campaigns from anti-integrationists.

Through the friendship of the two main characters, Sarah and Linda, Talley also shines a light on inter-racial relationships and LGBT issues.

Lies We Tell Ourselves is a compelling, thought-provoking and enlightening book. It will be of particular interest to our Year 10 history students who are currently studying this area of the American civil rights movement.

For more information on the history behind Lies We Tell Ourselves and The Norfolk 17, visit Robin Talley's blog:

http://www.robintalley.com/blog/page/2/

The archives of The Virginian-Pilot newspaper also give a fascinating insight into the students' civil rights struggles:

http://pilotonline.com/news/local/history/back-in-the-day/a-special-first-day-of-school---feb/article_62fc0be2-a041-5ef2-b51e-ade6d5433013.html

Sarah Crossan - Carnegie Medal winner, poetry lover and defender of libraries.

Congratulations to Sarah Crossan on winning this year's CILIP Carnegie Medal for her young adult novel One. The book is written as a 'verse novel'  with each chapter a separate poem. It tells the story of 16-year-old conjoined twins, Tippi and Grace, as they attempt to settle in to mainstream school. It shows the challenges the twins face trying to lead separate lives while protecting their special bond. This bond is put to the test in a way that will change their lives forever. One is a tender, moving book and was described by the Carnegie Medal judges as 'poignant and thought-provoking'.

One is Sarah's second verse novel. Her first, The Weight of Water, is available in the Library. Sarah is also the author of Apple and Rain, our recent whole-school read. We were lucky enough to meet Sarah when she visited the school in March and gave an inspiring talk to Year 7 and 8 students on the importance and joy of poetry. 

In her Carnegie acceptance speech, Sarah once again spoke in support of poetry. She also took the opportunity to defend libraries. You can read highlights of Sarah's speech by clicking on the following link:

http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/press.php?release=pres_2016_winner_announce.html

Beaumont Library hosts Carnegie Medal event

Last Monday the Library was filled with lively debate and discussion as we hosted a lunchtime event to celebrate this year's prestigious CILIP Carnegie Medal book award. Beaumont students and Book Club members were joined by students from Loreto College and STAGS who have also been 'shadowing' the shortlist since March.

The Library team had devised a number of board games based on the eight shortlisted books and these proved very successful in sparking discussions amongst the students. It was wonderful to see all these keen readers together, sharing their opinions and their fantastic knowledge of the Carnegie books.

The fifty students were each asked to vote for their favourite book from the shortlist and the clear winner from this poll was One by Sarah Crossan. The students were then treated to a delicious buffet lunch while we awaited the official announcement of the Carnegie Medal winner.

The students' poll proved spot-on as the Medal was presented to Sarah Crossan for her 'verse novel' One which tells the story of conjoined twins Tippi and Grace. The judges described One as 'deeply moving, beautifully observed, unusual but perfectly crafted - the sort of book that will stay with the reader long after the final page.'

Thank you to all the Beaumont, Loreto and STAGS students who threw themselves so whole-heartedly into the day and made our event such a success...we are already looking forward to next year's Carnegie!

Copies of One and the other seven shortlisted titles are available from the Library.

AR Points - this week's results are in!

 

 

Here are the updated AR points tables. Remember, all students who score 60% or more on a quiz earn AR points for their form. Keep up the good work!

The following students have earned silver or gold stars this week for achieving 100% on at least five quizzes (silver) or at least ten quizzes (gold):

Silver
Scarlett Parkes 7A
Lucy Robinson 7A
Rebecca Collins 7E
Thomas Groth 7E
Jasmine Heron 7E
Daragh Gallagher 7S

Gold
Flo Raeyen 7N
Tia Hall 7R

 

League tables - latest news!

Congratulations to all our readers and quizzers this week. The following students have achieved silver or gold stars:

Silver:
Lily Szigeti 7A
Thomas Cross 7E
Sophie Collins 7L
Josh Smith 7N
Jack O'Brien 7R
Natasha Johnston 8S

Gold:
Kate Evans 7E (our first double gold star winner this term!)
Harrison Herbert 8E

AR points - updated league tables

Here are the latest league tables, updated on the last day before half term. Fantastic reading and quizzing everyone!

Congratulations to the following students who have achieved a silver star for scoring 100% in at least five AR book quizzes over this term: 


Eleanor Huntley 7A
Rosie Fletcher 7E
Danielle Josephs 7E
Flo Raeyen 7N
Lucy Worsley 8N
Pia Patterson 8S

And a gold star for scoring 100% in at least ten quizzes:

Thomas Groth 7E

Meeting Nikki Sheehan - 'Tender, funny, wise and just a little bit magical.'

Here are the answers author Nikki Sheehan gave to some of the questions Beaumont students asked during her recent visit to the Library:

What inspired you to write Swan Boy?
The painful feeling of knowing you're different and the joy of realising it doesn't matter.

What were your favourite books as a child?
Poetry, Roald Dahl and books that made me laugh. Also creepy Edwardian stories and books in the magical realism genre such as Tom's Midnight Garden.

What would you do if you were caught up in a zombie invasion?
Climb, get higher and distract them with fresh meat!

Have you always wanted to be a writer?
I wanted to do other things first but have always enjoyed writing. All my jobs have involved writing.

What is you favourite CBeebies programme?
In the Night Garden.

What is the saddest book you've ever read?
One by Sarah Crossan . My next novel is about a boy locked in a kennel with a dog. It is sad, but not overly so.

Who was your idol when you were young?
Singers and songwriters rather than authors. Madonna!

Are any of your characters based on real people?
They contain elements of real people. I dissect people I know and put parts of them into the characters. Flea in Who Framed Klaris Cliff? is very like my youngest son, especially physically.

Thank you, Nikki!

Lunch in the library with Nikki Sheehan

On Thursday 26th May, author Nikki Sheehan visited us to discuss her new book Swan Boy. A group of around 30 students joined Nikki in the library and spent a very enjoyable lunch hour chatting to her about her books and her life as a writer. 

As well as discussing the inspiration behind Swan Boy and its characters, Nikki also answered lots of questions from the students on an eclectic and interesting array of topics. These included Nikki's opinion on Donald Trump, her favourite books as a child and what she would do in the event of a zombie invasion!

Everyone involved very much enjoyed meeting Nikki. Her warm and friendly approach put the students at their ease and encouraged very funny, lively and interesting discussions . Lunch time flew by, leaving just enough time for Nikki to sign copies of Swan Boy before the bell. 

A huge thank you to Nikki for giving up her time to visit us at Beaumont. Swan Boy and Nikki's debut novel Who Framed Klaris Cliff? are both available from the Library. 

'Swan Boy is an incredibly uplifting novel about learning to be yourself. I loved it.' Sarah Crossan.