Banned Books in the USA

There has been a wave of book banning in America recently, especially books

relating to race and LGBTQ+ subjects. A banned book is any that has been censored, banned or where its removal or restriction has been called for from libraries, schools, bookshops, or public circulation. A book might be challenged by individuals, private pressure groups or governments who disagree with its content or message and therefore wish to censor or silence the author’s voice. 

A Tennessee school board has just banned Pulitzer prize-winning novel Maus: A Survivor’s Tale by Art Spiegelman from its classrooms. Maus is a hand drawn graphic novel which tells the story of how the author’s parents survived the Holocaust despite both being sent to the Auschwitz death camp. The Tennessee school board members said they felt the inclusion of swear words in the graphic novel were inappropriate. The decision was made just weeks before Holocaust Memorial Day, which takes place each year to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust. Maus: A Survivor’s Tale is available to borrow from the Upper Library and is highly recommend for our older students. 

Contributor: Ms Peters

Thank you to Ms Rodgerson from our History Department for bringing this story from the Guardian Newspaper to our attention.  To read the article click here.

Holocaust Memorial Day 2022

Holocaust Memorial Day takes place on 27th January each year to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust in World War II, as well as the millions of other people killed by the Nazis and in other genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.  Organised by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust (HMD), is a time to reflect, empathise and learn from the past to ensure that we have a future without genocide.  This year's theme is 'One Day'.

To mark Holocaust Memorial Day you are invited to 'light a candle in the darkness' and put it in your window at 8pm tonight to remember those who died and stand against hatred and prejudice today.

At EPHS there will be special assemblies and tutor times, guest speakers, film club showing a choice of The Book Thief or JoJo Rabbit organised by our wonderful History department.  In addition, there are 'One Day' history lessons and a Library Research Lesson for Year 9 in collaboration with Ms Rodgerson from the History Department.

The EPHS Libraries have a fantastic selection of books, fiction, non-fiction and graphic novels, in the Library that deal with the subject of the Holocaust. They include Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, Maus by Art Spiegleman and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.  The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank and Michael Rosen's The Missing are particularly poignant as they are written from a very personal perspective.  A list of book recommendations from the HMD Trust, some of which we hold in our collection, is available to view here.

Author Tom Palmer, has teamed up again this year with the National Literacy Trust to provide a series of great resources for children around his book After The War.  To explore these, click here.

Turn Up for the Books - New BBC Sounds Podcast

Love books, reading and libraries and looking for your next great read? Why not take a listen to the the new BBC Sounds Podcast Turn Up for the Books?  Each week the series presenters chat to a special guest about their love of books and the influence that reading and libraries have played in their lives and also reflects upon a category from the list of 100 Novels that Shaped our World, compiled by a panel of authors, including Juno Dawson and Kit De Waal  and journalists for the BBC.  

The first episode features musician Skin from iconic 90s band Skunk Anansie and examines the rule breaker novels - 10 novels that shocked, broke the mould or brought a new perspective.

You can find many of the novels from the 100 Novels that Shaped our World List in the EPHS Libraries.

Chris Bradford Young Samurai Creative Writing Competition - Winners Announced!

We are delighted to announce the winners of our Chris Bradford Year 7 Creative
Writing Competition!

They will each receive a signed copy of The Way of the Warrior, the first book in Chris's Young Samurai series. 

The winners are:
Char’quis, Robert, George A, Max F, Odin, Kyrell, Joshua B, Trey, Joe L, Lotty, Imogen M, Suhkveer, Rojek, Lucas B, Tenaya.

Thank you to everyone that entered - you will all receive achievement points!

New Year Reading Resolutions!

Happy 2022!  We hope you had a good break and enjoyed some brilliant books.  For those of you who need some encouragement, we have some suggested reading resolutions on display in the Library to get you reading more in 2022.

Whether it's reading a biography, joining a book club, reading a book that has been made into a film or a book recommended by your best friend. 

Our Reading Bingo Challenge is the perfect way to read books outside your comfort reading zone and win prizes at the same time! To take part, simply pick up a form from Mrs Nolan or Miss Peters.  For more information please click here.