The Library

WELCOME TO OUR LIBRARY

We have a fantastic selection of books, from football to fantasy, including many critically acclaimed and prize-winning novels. The librarian, Ms McCarthy, is eager to match the right book for each pupil, and is a keen supporter of the right to read for pleasure.

Our newly refurbished library was opened by Newport born poet Connor Allen, former children’s Laureate of Wales. The library has been named the Connor Allen Library in his honour.

All pupils are members of the library and can borrow books for a period of 10 days. Year 7 pupils will also borrow a book to be read in their English lessons. Once they have read their book, they may take a short quiz using the Accelerated Reader programme.

LIBRARY NEWS

Year 7 and 8 Book Group

We meet in the library every Wednesday lunch break to take part in a variety of book-related activities. During the month of October, book group members will take part in a variety of activities, including writing their own poetry for National Poetry Day on October 3rd, and Halloween crafts.

Pupils have been given a form to apply for a Blue Peter Book Badge.

In 2024, St Joseph Book Group members were delighted to receive their Blue Peter Book Badges after sending in their fabulous book reviews and pictures.

October 7th - 11th 2024 is Dyslexia Awareness Week.

There is a large selection of interesting dyslexia-friendly novels in the library.

One of the librarian's favourites is 'The Climbers' by Keith Grey. In this story, two boys battle to climb the tallest tree in their village and in the process they break down the walls of animosity that their rivalry has created.

Other suggested reads are: 'Wrath' by Martin Sedgwick, 'Jodie' by Hilary McKay, 'Kerb Stain Boys' by Alex Wheatle and 'Seven Ghosts' by Chris Priestley

How to encourage reading...

Reading for 20 minutes a day has many benefits for children and young adults, including reducing stress, improving educational outcomes in Maths and English, and helping develop empathy.

It doesn’t matter if it is comics, novels, non-fiction, menus or instruction manuals … this is ALL reading. Reading from a screen, listening to an audiobook and being read to, all have huge benefits for children. If you read with your children, ask them if they understand what the words mean, teach them how to look up words in a dictionary and put new words into context by putting them into a sentence. All of these little things will help with understanding what is being read.

There are several places you can gain access to books, aside from visiting your own local library.

Local Library

LoveReading4Kids

Booktrust

If you are a member of your local library, BorrowBox is a free service offering e-books and AudioBooks which can be read or listened to on phones, tablets or other devices.
If you would like to read the first chapters of a book, sign up to the LoveReading4Kids website where many of the books have downloadable extracts.
If you like to read reviews, try the Booktrust website, where you can search for books by age, genre or theme.

Remember:

All pupils are members of the library and can borrow books for a period of 10 days. Please encourage your children to visit the library and borrow a book to read for pleasure.