Library
Our school library is a vibrant and welcoming space that is open daily for students. It contains a wide range of fiction and non-fiction texts, graphic and manga novels, magazines, newspapers and study guides. The stock is constantly under review to ensure that it remains up-to-date and relevant to student needs.
Students can borrow up to three books for a period of two weeks which can be extended on request. The library catalogue is accessed through Reading Cloud, and students can search the database and place reservation requests remotely. Miss Shannon and a team of student librarians are always available at break and lunchtimes to discuss and recommend books and authors, and to assist students to find information to help with their studies. A homework club is held after school.
A variety of events and activities take place throughout the year to promote reading, including themed displays, author visits, competitions and quizzes. There are two book clubs following the Salford Children’s Book Award and the Carnegie Medal Awards. A reading loyalty card scheme is also in operation.
Reading Recommendations
All of the books listed below can be borrowed from the school library.
Year 7
1) Little Women by Louisa M. Alcott
2) The House With Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson
3) The Light In Everything by Katya Balen
4) When I See Blue by Lily Bailey
5) Framed by Frank Cottrell Boyce
6) Orion Lost by Alastair Chisholm
7) Cardboard Cowboy by Brian Conaghan
8) How To Be More Hedgehog by Anne-Marie Conway
9) The Dark Is Rising (and sequels) by Susan Cooper
10) Wolf by Gillian Cross
11) The Girl Who Stole An Elephant by Nirzana Farook
12) The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
13) The Weirdstone Of Brisingamen by Alan Garner
14) Desert Danger: North Africa World War II by Tim Jackson
15) The Accidental Time Traveller by Janis MacKay
16) War Horse by Michael Morpurgo
17) The Other Side Of The Truth by Beverley Naidoo
18) Wonder by R.J. Palacio
19) Holes by Louis Sachar
20) Can You See Me? by Libby Scott
Year 8
1) Soldier Dog by Sam Angus
2) National Velvet by Enid Bagnold
3) Fish Feet by Veronica Bennett
4) Pig Heart Boy by Malorie Blackman
5) Where The River Runs Gold by Sita Brahmachari
6) The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd
7) Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
8) Coram Boy by Jamila Gavin
9) Sky Hawk by Gill Lewis
10) The Ghost Of Thomas Kempe by Penelope Lively
11) Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
12) Becoming Jo by Sophie McKenzie
13) An Island Of Our Own by Sally Nicholls
14) The Girl Savage by Katherine Rundell
15) War Horse by Michael Morpurgo
16) Ravencave by Marcus Sedgwick
17) The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier
18) Lightning Mary by Anthea Simmons
19) Dandelion Clocks by Rebecca Westcott
20) The Boy Who Sailed the Ocean in an Armchair by Lara Williamson
Year 9
1) National Velvet by Enid Bagnold
2) The Haunting by Alex Bell
3) Are You There God? by Judy Blume
4) The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke
5) Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
6) A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
7) The Tulip Touch by Anne Fine
8) The Red Gloves And Other Stories by Catherine Fisher
9) The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon
10) Once by Morris Gleitzman
11) A Kestrel For A Knave by Barry Hines
12) Beowulf’s Ghost by R.J. Madon
13) Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo
14) Northern Lights (and sequels) by Philip Pullman
15) The Star Outside My Window by Onjali Raufi
16) Missing: The True Story of my Family in World War II by Michael Rose
17) Murder Most Unladylike (and sequels) by Robin Stevens
18) The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkein
19) Star By Star by Sheena Wilkinson
20) Windrush Child by Benjamin Zephaniah
Year 10 & 11
1) Emma by Jane Austen
2) We Played With Fire by Catherine Barter
3) We Are All Constellations by Amy Beashel
4) The Fire Keeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
5) When Shadows Fall by Sita Brahmachari
6) Cuts Both Ways by Candice Braithwaite
7) Medusa by Jessie Burton
8) Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
9) Guard Your Heart by Sue Divin
10) My Family And Other Animals by Gerald Durrell
11) Birdsong by Sebastian Faulkes
12) Never Forget You by Jamila Gavin
13) Lord Of The Flies by William Golding
14) The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
15) The Cousins by Karen McManus
16) Things A Bright Girl Can Do by Sally Nicholls
17) We Are All Made of Molecules by Susin Nielson
18) All Quiet On The Western Front by Erich Marie Remarque
19) Forever Ends On Friday by Justin A. Reynolds
20) The Fountains Of Silence Ruta Sepetys
21) The Silver Chain by Jion Sheibani
22) Broken Soup by Jenny Valentine
23) Numbers by Rachel Ward
24) The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
25) The Agency For Scandal by Laura Wood
Student Book Reviews 2024
Each fortnight you can read a book review by one of our Students.
The Red Gloves and Other Stories by Catherine Fisher (reviewed by Zion Year 7)
This book is a collection of stories that are inspired by British myths and legends. It is a good read for people who like mild horror and suspense. My favourite character in the book is Sarah, from the title story. She is interesting and very much cares about her loved ones. The characters in each of the stories feel very real, because they are ordinary, everyday people. My favourite story is “The Red Gloves” because it is weird and holds you in suspense, but “The Changing Room” is also a story that grips you.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it for young people aged 7+.
Star Rating *****