In our penultimate post of the year, Daniel Pavlu interviews Mr Martin about his brilliant dystopian novel, The Quiet ('engrossing and wholly original': Ernest Cline, author of Ready Player One).  

Carnegie Award

In today's post, Mrs Wilkinson reports back on this year's Carnegie Prize 'shadowers' and reveals which book is their selection for the 2026 prize.  

A group of 4th formers has been meeting all term to read and judge books from the shortlist for the Carnegie Medal for Writing 2026. 

Last week, groups from all over the country submitted their vote for the book they think should win the highly acclaimed prize of best book. Out of a shortlist of eight, our winning vote went to Twenty-Four Seconds from Now by Jason Reynolds. 

Books of the Week

Today's books of the week have been suggested by 4EN.A and 4EN.H.

The Man Who Was Thursday by G K Chesterton (O.P.)

Recommended by Nicolas Desaedeleer

The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton features Gabriel Syme, a poet conscripted to a secret anti-anarchist council, who seems to infiltrate a peculiar anarchist group. The underlying conflict revolves around revealing the identity and motives of the council’s members, especially the elusive figure of Sunday. The book gives much to think about: right and wrong, faithfulness, scepticism, and whether a blatant evil can be self-deluding. Most impressive is its dream-like narrative and structure: a political thriller that gradually grows into an allegorical work of facts and propositions, its absurd reversals and symbolism making one question whether the invincible is indeed invincible, and heroism reconstructed by paradoxically humorous illustrations and unending suspense.