Wednesday 27 May 2020

The Books That Made Me - Mr Addis

We are asking members of staff to share ‘the books that made’ them, beginning with Mr Addis from the English Department.
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“Writing is one of the most enjoyable forms of release and escape. In a time where we are all experiencing a form of confinement, writing allows us to travel farther and experience so much more than our situation permits. My most recent novel is called The World Within. Set in a fantasy world, a young boy finds himself caught up in a mission to rescue a sailor who disappeared mysteriously in the deadly waters of the Central Sea. It deals with themes of friendship, growing up but most of all adventure and exploration. At a time like this, being able to enter a different world and go on an adventure feels like a real privilege. Both reading and writing can be an incredible way of processing all that’s going on in the world right now, if only to escape from it for a time.

The book I am currently reading…
Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder is half mystery novel, half philosophy text book. It takes the entire history of Western thought and condenses it into an accessible and engaging dialogue between 14-year old Sophie Amundsen and her mentor Albert Knox. I read it when I was a teenager but reading it again I find I am still learning from the complex and interesting ideas it divulges. You should also try The Solitaire Mystery by Gaarder which is much easier to read but still competes its atmosphere of mystery and fun.

My favourite book as a child…
I remember getting Mossflower the second book in Brian Jacques’ Redwall series for my birthday and running out of patience for my parents to read it with me. At that moment I became a true reader and I took the book and read it till I fell asleep on the pages and had to have it dislodged from under my cheek when my parents came to see why my light was still on at midnight.

The last book that made me cry…
Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea brought me pretty close. It’s frustrating presentation of futility and disappointment is incredibly moving in a very different way to more ‘emotional’ books. Hemingway’s language is sparse and emotionless which somehow makes the whole experience that much more tragic.

The last book that made me laugh...
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller presents the off-beat world of war. This is the book that has influenced me most making me realise it’s okay to think differently and to not think the way everyone else does (usually because it’s wrong!). The story goes from laugh out loud, hilarious to painfully sad in a heartbeat (around at about chapter 39) and it emphasises both the ridiculous and pointless nature of war.

My comfort read…
I always go back to the Discworld series which dragged me into the world of fantasy through the backdoor and introduced me to satire in the best way. The crowning triumph of the series, for me, is The Night Watch. Definitely worth checking out although might be worth starting nearer the beginning of Terry Pratchett’s incredible world.

The one book I think everyone should read is…
Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie (probably when you’re a bit older though). It draws on two different cultures, two different literary traditions. It encompasses humour, beauty, philosophy, creativity and challenges a range of different worldviews. Definitely one to aspire to. For teenagers, I think To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a crucial read both to understand a key time in world history but also as a coming-of-age story.”


Many of the books Mr Addis has mentioned are available to borrow from the EPHS Library.


The World Within by Mr Addis 

Tuesday 26 May 2020

Historical Association Writing Competition and Free Resources

Do you enjoy writing and love history?  If the answer is yes, then you may like to enter the Historical Association’s Write Your Own Historical Fiction Competition 2020!

Image from Pixabay.com
Your story can be set in any period or place in the past and must be a minimum of 400 words in length.  The closing date is 26th June 2020 and there is a £25 cash prize for the winner, plus the school receives a year’s free subscription to the HA. For more information on how to enter, including writing tips, click here.

During school closures, The HA are also offering free resources to secondary school students, which are available to access here.  You will need to create a login (which is free) to do so.  As part of this, you will be able to listen to free online talks and webinars, beginning with US Civil Rights.  To find out more click here.

Thursday 21 May 2020

Big Dreamers Writing Competition


National Book Tokens and Puffin Books have announced the launch of the Big Dreamers Writing Competition. judged by authors Robins StevensYassmin Abdel-MagiedEmma Barton-Smith and Carrie Hope Fletcher, with the chance to win £200 worth of book tokens in each of the three categories, and 18 runners up prizes!

Writers aged 6-18 are invited to write a story of up to 300 words using the theme BIG DREAMS and submit it here by midnight on the 28th of May 2020.


The winners will be announced on Sunday 14th June by the authors themselves at the Puffin Festival of Big Dreams on the Puffin Books' YouTube and Facebook channels, and the three winning stories will be published on the National Book Tokens website. 


Thank you to Ms Roberts at TRS for the heads up!

Mental Health Awareness Week

This year’s theme is kindness and is about being kind to yourself and others, especially during these uncertain times.  


Books are a great way to understand yourself and the world around you.  LoveReading4Kids has created a wonderful list of books about kindness and empathy and provided some useful links to organisations that support mental wellbeing. To view click here

Don’t forget the fantastic Empathy Book Collection 2020, which includes some amazingly powerful verse novels such as The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta, Toffee by Sarah Crossan and Jason Reynold’s Long Way Down

Mrs Arnold has created a great check list to get you started:
  • Be kind to yourself - Practice self-care.  Dedicate time to looking after yourself and doing something you enjoy.  Try to nurture your physical health, start a new hobby or talk to someone.  Avoid over working and bottling up your feelings.
  • Be Kind to others - One act of kindness can lead to many more.
  • Share acts of kindness - with a group of friends or online to inspire others to do the same.


Tuesday 19 May 2020

EPHS Harry Potter Club Craft Session and free access to British Library Harry Potter Exhibition online!

The Harry Potter Club have been working on creating house point jars (hourglass), which they made during a craft session. They are then using them to keep track of the points they earn whilst competing challenges from the Wizarding World website


Each week, Ms Rodgerson will be running quizzes and fun activities in which club members can earn points. There will be a prize when we go back to school for the best Jar and the most house points earned!  If anyone would like to join the club, they can email Ms Rodgerson at crodgerson@eph.e21c.co.uk.

For those interested in the Potter world, Ms Rodgerson recommends listening to the celebrities new readings of the first book at the Wizarding World website and completing the chapter challenges to earn house points.  You may also be interested in visiting the British Library Harry Potter Exhibition online through Google Arts and Culture here.



Monday 18 May 2020

Countdown to Empathy Day with Family Activities Pack

Today begins the count down to Empathy Day on 9th June with a free family activities pack that is here.  

Created and run by Empathy Lab, Empathy Day is about encouraging children and young people to read empathy-boosting stories to gain a better understanding of people and how they think and feel.


The 2020 Empathy Book Collection for Secondary featuring 17 fantastic books for 12-16 year olds is available to view here. Copies of the books are available in the Library.

Friday 15 May 2020

Getting Crafty - Mrs Nolan’s Miniature Book

I thought I would have a go at making a miniature book following the instructions given by the British Library - here is the result! Words and illustrations by me. I hope this will inspire you to create your own miniature book - I would love to see them and post pictures on the Library blog.  You can email me at cnolan@eph.e21.co.uk. Mrs Nolan.











Thursday 14 May 2020

Get Crafty - Make a Miniature Book for the British Library!

The British Library are asking you to create your own miniature books and share them with its Twitter account @BL_Learning using the hashtag #DiscoveringChildrensBooks, or send them to learning@bl.uk.

The books can be about anything you like – a graphic novel, a cookery book, a bedtime story – and will form part of their online National Library of Miniature Books for the toy world.  Children’s authors and illustrators, including Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler and Jacqueline Wilson are involved in the project too and have created their own miniature books.

For ‘how to make’ instructions, and read about how author Charlotte Bronte began writing by creating miniature books for her toys, visit the British Library website by clicking here

Tuesday 12 May 2020

Paperback Writers - Stephen King

Fans of best-selling author, Stephen King, may like to listen to his edition of ‘Paperback Writers’ on Radio 6 music, which is available to listen to again for the next 28 days on BBC Sounds.  In the programme Stephen King plays some of his favourite music and talks about the stories behind them.

Many of King’s novels have been adapted for film, and IT was one of the most request books in the Library this year.  If you haven’t read any Stephen King before, you might like to start with Misery, about a writer who is ‘rescued’ from a car accident by a psychotic fan.

Win £5,000 for our school Library

Nominate Eden Park High School to win £5000 worth of books for the Library by filling in the form on this link  https://www.nationalbooktokens.com/schools and just in case that isn't enough, if EPHS wins you'll also get £100 of National Book Tokens to spend on yourself!

Don’t delay, nominate us today!

Monday 11 May 2020

Harry Potter at Home

Go to Wizarding World to hear Harry himself, Daniel Radcliffe, read Chapter One of the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by JK Rowling.

There will be more chapters read by famous people in the coming weeks, including Eddie Redmayne, David Beckham and Dakota Fanning.  Chapter Two, The Vanishing Glass, is read by Noam Dumezweni.  Check out the Harry Potter at Home hub to keep boredom at bay during lockdown.



Tuesday 5 May 2020

VE Day and limited Free Access to Ancestry website

This Friday is the 75th anniversary of VE Day or Victory in Europe Day, which marks the time towards the end of World War II when fighting against Nazi Germany in Europe came to an end. 

The Government have made it a bank holiday to allow people to celebrate.  Although planned street parties and other activities can no longer go ahead, English Heritage have put together a VE Day party pack, with 1940s recipes, song lyrics and hints on how to dance the Lindy Hop. Click here to view


There will be a minutes silence at 11am to remember those who died, an opportunity to clap for heroes on your doorstep at 3pm and a speech from the Queen at 9pm.  To find out more click here.


Also, Ancestry.co.uk,  the family history website, are offering free access to their site until 10th May.  
You will be able explore your family history using censuses, birth, marriages and death record and military records etc.  Why not give it a try?

Monday 4 May 2020

Teen Fiction News - Stephanie Meyer to publish long awaited new Twilight Novel!

Midnight Sun, the retelling of the Twilight story from vampire Edward’s perspective is set to be published on 4th August this year. 

Excitingly too, the prequel to the Hunger Games trilogy, The Ballard of Songbirds and Snakes, is out later this month.


Both are on the Library wish list!  If you haven’t yet read these series, both are highly recommended!


Friday 1 May 2020

Lockdown Reading Round-up

Just in case you missed this, The Guardian Online Books section has a great article on the best arts and entertainment for book lovers during lockdown.  Highlights include The Big Book Weekend, a free virtual literary festival taking place between the 8-10 May featuring Michael Morpurgo and Neil Gaiman, and At Home With Penguin, a weekly peek into the homes of some well known authors.

To view, click here.

Welcome back!

Welcome to 2024 ! Hope you had a good break and enjoyed some brilliant books.  For those of you who need some encouragement, there are some ...