Ruth Maloney and I ran another #LSLLTS Twitter Spaces chat last night. This one was about book awards where we were joined by Jake Hope, Chair of the Carnegie and Greenaway book awards working party and Amy McKay, school librarian and national co-ordinator for the Carnegie and Greenaway awards. The highlights from this session for me were:-
Book awards provide the opportunity for students to read out of their comfort zone. Introducing them to different genres and ideas.
Book awards create the opportunity for discussion around books. The best discussion are not about the books they love... 😂
National Book awards provide so many resources that you can just pick up and use. Saves time organising things yourself.
Local book awards allow children more participation but take a lot of work to run.
Teenage books are angsty for a reason... life now has changed and books are in competition with the online gaming world, TV and many other outside influences.
There is so much choice in fiction these days there is something for everyone. Life is too short to read a book you are not enjoying! Move on and read something else instead.
Picture books/illustrations are for everyone... Great discussions with teenagers can be had around the illustrations in books.
Books and school librarians are a brilliant combination and when they come together within an award setting they are at their best.
Some of the conversation focused on The Bunker Diaries by Kevin Brooks... you will have to listen to the conversation to find out about the brilliant idea that Amy shared. Connecting is certainly one skill many school librarians have.
Listen to the whole conversation here.
Or if you would like to listen to it as a podcast check it out here https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-tdi3h-1246e6f
We would love to hear which book awards you follow and how you use them. Please comment below and share your ideas.
Our next Twitter Spaces chat is on the 20th June when we will be joined by Emma Wallace who will share her journey integrating FOSIL into a year 8 inquiry project. Keep an eye on my Twitter feed for the link @elizabethutch