Welcome Back!

For those of you new to the school, today's post is an introduction to the book blog - telling you a bit more about what it does, and how you can get involved.

We started the SPS Book Blog back in 2015, as a way of creating a space in the school where people could discuss writers, reading and all things book-related.  The blog publishes reviews, features, and articles, as well as creative writing - including the 8th form creative writing magazine, Areo (click on the magazine name to read the most recent issue).

If you're someone who's interested in writing, or is thinking about journalism, the blog is a place where you can start publishing material and building up a portfolio.

The blog also features occasional polls - for instance, our week of Harry Potter polls, celebrating the boy wizard's 20th anniversary, and our World Book Day head-to-heads (click on the links if you'd like to read more).   We run occasional interviews - you can read our recent interview with the librarians here - and posts with teachers' recommendations (for instance, last term's leavers' post). 

We also have a section with reading lists (accessed via the tab helpfully labelled 'reading lists').  Some of the reading lists are books recommended by individual departments (for instance, Chemistry and Drama), while the English Dept's reading list page suggests books by category or theme (for example, books about ancient Greece and Rome, or books about America).  Some of the books listed have brief descriptions: feel free to send us your own for any we haven't got around to doing yet, as well as any recommendations we can add to the lists, or even categories you think we should cover.  And if the SPS reading lists aren't enough, then the links tab connects you to  a wider range of web-sites,with many more suggestions.

You can access the blog on your phone or on computer, and we send round a link to each post as it's published via the morning notices.  We try to post twice a week - usually on Tuesdays, with a 'book of the week' review, and Friday, with a post on anything at all.  Posts can be any length, and cover any genre - fiction or non-fiction, authors or characters - and anyone can contribute - pupils, staff, parents. If you'd like to get involved, or have got an idea for something we could be doing on the blog, please contact any member of the English department: we look forward to hearing from you, and have a great term!