Yesterday was The Academy’s annual ‘Big Read’ event, an initiative to encourage students to develop a love of reading. After selecting a free book from a range of 15 titles, donated by literacy charity Booktrust, pupils were summoned to the hall to take part in a game of author bingo, before branching off into small groups to explore their new books.
Staff from all curriculum areas volunteered to take part in The Big Read, demonstrating that it is not only English teachers who love books. Staff and pupils filled up every little nook and cranny of the school, settling down in unusual places to read and enjoy the pleasure of a new book.
The response to the event by pupils and staff was excellent, with many pupils asking for further reading sessions with staff at break and lunch.
The books students chose included:
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You Killed Me! By Keith Gray (Barrington Stoke Ltd)
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Gorilla Dawn by Gill Lewis (Oxford)
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13 Hours by Narinder Dhami (Tamarind, Random House)
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My Brother is a Superhero by David Solomons (Nosy Crow)
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Petunia Perry and the Curse of the Ugly Pigeon by Pamela Butchart and illustrated by Gemma Correll (Nosy Crow)
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The Many Worlds of Albie Bright by Christopher Edge (Nosy Crow)
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The Boy Who Sailed the Ocean in an Armchair by Lara Williamson (Usborne)
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River of Ink: Genesis by Helen Dennis (Hachette Children's Group)
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I am Malala by Malala Yousafzaia and Patricia McCormick (Hachette Children's Group)
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Arrowhead by Ruth Eastham (Scholastic)
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An Eagle in the Snow by Michael Morpurgo and illustrated by Michael Foreman (HarperCollins)
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The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge (Macmillan)