From Somalia With Love

Ms Sparkes has just read From Somalia With Love by Na'ima B. Robert.

This book is about a British Somali girl who lives in East London ( around Stratford somewhere). It doesn't have a lot of action, but if you like reading stories that seem true to life I think you'll really enjoy this one. Safia is a typical teenager who lives with her mum and two very different brothers. Her best friend, Hamida, is Bengali. She enjoys a close relationship with her mum, but that changes when her dad, whom she hardly remembers, arrives from Somali. In the confusion she feels she is drawn towards her fast-living cousin, Firdous and the world of boyfriends. As you can imagine she feels torn between the lifestyle she has been brought up with and the 'fun' that Firdous offers.

The book seems to capture, in a very easy-to-read style, the complexities of growing up a muslim girl in East London. It also tells you quite a lot about Somali culture that is really interesting. I liked the way the author used a lot of somali and arabic words that made it seem more authentic : don't worry if you don't understand them; there's a glossary that explains what they mean in the back.

If you are a girl/muslim/somali or two of those things( e.g somali boy/muslim girl) I'd really like to know if you think it seems true -to- life. If, like me, you're none of those things, I still think you'd enjoy reading it and I'd like to know if you found it informative and entertaining too.

Sarah Singleton

On Thursday 14th May the author Sarah Singleton visited St Paul's Way to talk to students about her new book, The Poison Garden. Sarah briefly described her four previous books, and then read from the The Poison Garden. She answered a variety of questions from students, including who her favourite authors how, where does she get her inspiration for her books and how long does it take her to write a book. Congratulations to all the students who took part. (There are more photographs on display in the library.)

Carnegie Award Shadowing Group

If any student in Year 8 or Year 9 would like to join the Carnegie Award Shadowing Group please see Ms Connell. Members of the Shadowing Group are reading the books which have been shortlisted for this year's Carnegie Book Award. Seven books have been shortlisted, but it is entirely up to you whether you read all, some or just one of them. We meet once a week during Friday lunchtime and I hope that we will be able to repeat last year's trip when we met with other schools to hear the judges' choice for the winners of the Carnegie and Greenaway awards.

Year 8 Football Reading Challenge

Congratulations to Talal, Tanvir, Basit, Abdi, Ruhul, Rahi and Maruf from 8S who have completed the Premier League Reading Stars Challenge. Their challenge was to read 100 books before the end of term, and they have succeeded in a record time. They will be receiving their prizes shortly. If you would like to take part in the next reading challenge after half term please speak to Ms Connell.

World Book Day

Thursday 5th March is World Book Day, and you will all be receiving your World Book Day book tokens this week. You may exchange them for one of the six special World Book Day books or put them towards the price of any book at participating book shops. Some of your favourite authors, including Andy Stanton (Mr Gum books), Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson books), Terry Deary (Horrible Histories),Mark Walden (H.I.V.E. books) and Cathy Hopkins (Mates, Dates books) have written books especially for World Book Day.

Where to exchange your World Book Day book token:
Victoria Park Books, 174 Victoria Park Road
Eastside Books, 166 Brick Lane
Newham Bookshop, 745 Barking Road
WH Smith, Stratford Shopping Centre

Holocaust Memorial Day

Tuesday 27th January is Holocaust Memorial Day, which is the international day of remembrance for the victims of the Holocaust and of other genocides. 27th January was chosen as the date for Holocaust Memorial Day because it is the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz. The theme for this year's HMD is Stand Up To Hatred, and we have a display of posters, information and books relating to the Holocaust and other genocides in the library. For further information go to the website www.hmd.org.uk.

What are you reading?

At the moment I am reading The Man Who Knew Too Much: Alan Turing and the Invention of the Computer by David Leavitt. Click on comment to tell me what you are reading.

Book reviews by 7P

Here are some more book reviews from our keen readers in 7P. Anybody who writes a review which is published on the blog will receive a merit.

The Witches (Roald Dahl) reviewed by Tahera

This story is about a little boy who has a grandmother who tells him how to keep away from witches. She tells him you could be sitting next to a witch and you'd never know it.
This story is very adventurous, and there are loads of illustrations by Quentin Blake in this book which describe the characters. My favourite character is the grandmother. It's a story where things don't go quite as well as planned by the characters.

How to Train Your Parents (Pete Johnson) reviewed by Mizan

I like this book which has lots of jokes in it. It has really inspired me to read more and more. When I read the forst paragraph I just wanted to know what happened next. I kept reading for one whole hour: it was so good I could picture it. It was like a film going in your head. So I like a lot of Pete Johnson books.
So what are you waiting for? You can enjoy the excitement by going to the library at St Paul's Way. Get reading!


Journey to the River Sea (Eva Ibbotson) reviewed by Alima

Journey to the River Sea is about a girl called Maia who is an orphan who wishes to have parents who care about her.

(added by Ms Damms: I think this will be a children's classic: it has well drawn, very engaging characters (and some really nasty ones), a fine, twisty plot and a satisfyingly happy ending for Maia - who is an immensely likable heroine. I'd have loved it when I was 11 or 12.)

Why Eating Bogeys is Good for You reviewed by Masud

This is a great book.It is really funny as well as enjoyable: you get stuck right into it and just want to read the whole thing. It contains lots of disgusting facts. Also, it answers lots of gross questions you always wondered about, such as 'Why is poo brown?', 'Why don't ladies have beards?', 'Is it possible to knock yourself out with your own fist?' and many more horrible but fascinating facts.