Staff Homework!

This all began when Mr. Baker challenged Ms Webb the librarian to

read Little Brother by Cory Doctorow, then Ms Arthur said

read… So Ms Webb issued all staff with a

challenge, a writing task and here is the result…

not everyone has quite finished yet, so watch this space.

I read StonerBy John WilliamsThis moving book had a profound effect on me.( It is not about taking drugs, by the way!).The book’s narrative follows the ordinary life of an English professor(William Stoner) teaching at a Mid-Western University, during the first half of the twentieth century. A man of quiet determination, he navigates the problems life throws at him with grace and dignity. This includes ,the painful breakdown of a doomed marriage and the resultant estrangement of his only daughter, his passion for his subject ,despite his personal battles with some of his departmental colleagues at the university and the final realisation that his life has been unremarkable.This is a beautifully written book. I will miss William Stoner.

My name is Mr Jacksonand I teach English

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I read A Wild Sheep ChaseBy Haruki Murakami

It was brilliant…. It is brilliant.

Everything I want and need from a novel.

A desire to visit the location helps –in thiscase Japan, particularly Tokyo in all its ordered craziness.

A mystery involving a hunt for a sheepwith attractive characters and a sheep-man ……c’mon what more do you want? It’s like Sherlock Holmes but not him! And it is set in a very socially disciplined world.

There’s a kind of sequel called ’Dance, Dance, Dance’ –which is brilliant!

My name is Mr Salmonand I teach Mathematics and some Politics

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I read Life after LifeBy Kate Atkinson

This is an unusual read and very thought provoking! Imagine living your life over and over again; experiencing being born and dying in different ways a multitude of times while correcting the mistakes you made and with the possibility of choosing a different path along the way. That’s the essence of this book- if you feel you’ve read a passage before then you probably have as it retells events but with different outcomes. If you want to read a novel which constantly reminds you that you are reading a story while at the same time seems unbelievably real then this is one for you!

My name is Ms Konecand I teach children.

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I read The Hosts Of RebeccaBy Alexander Cordell

It was one of the first novels I ever readas a teenager long long ago.

It is about West Wales and the struggleof the people against the masters andtheir unfair taxes and tolls.

It felt very much a part of my history; a story that many of my school friends wereliving at the time –they were from coalmining families who were out of work andreally struggling.

The black gold that was coal was very much a part of the landscape of my growing up.

My name is Mr Salmonand I teach Mathematics and some Politics.

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I read Selected Poems

By E.E. Cummings

Woody Allen’s film Hannah and Her Sisters contains a number of great cultural references. The ones that stand out for me are the stunningly beautiful piece of music by Bach – his F minor harpsichord concerto and a poem by E.E. Cummings. As a result of this film I bought a copy of the selected works of E.E Cummings. I return to this selection of poems occasionally and enjoy its simplicity and directness.

The main character is a well read, sophisticated intellectual. Despite all of his achievements and appreciation of culture and great literature he cannot make sense of his own feelings of love. The recital of the poem in the film is skilfully placed to highlight the overwhelming power of feelings and the limits of reason in making sense of our lives.

your slightest look easily will unclose methough i have closed myself as fingers,

you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens(touching skilfully,mysteriously)her first rose

My name is Mr. Kubilius and I teach Music

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I read A Star Called HenryBy Roddy Doyle

It is brilliant; a fictional account around the time of the Easter Rising in Dublin 1916. It makes me live the story –the agony, the dirt, the noise of a nationbeing born.

Doyle writes in a way that makes me sound Irish in ‘me head’ –an accent, alanguage that makes English beautiful –a country that is green in its poverty and filth.

It is such a fascinating record of a time when the world was going crazy withwar and one man’s journey/struggle to cope, to survive and make something ofhimself….a star.

My name is Mr Salmonand I teach Mathematics and some Politics.

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I read A Monster CallsBy Patrick Ness

I have never actually cried at the end of a novel before; felt sadness, loss, satisfaction and disappointment yes, but never cried, until this novel. It was recommended to me by a year 8 student who told me it was an emotive novel and that it was ‘difficult ’in places.

This is the story of Conor, who has a reoccurring nightmare about his mother, who is suffering from cancer. One day, however, he has a nightmare that seems too real. It is! A real monster visits Conor to tell him three stories or ‘truths.’ Conor in turn has to tell the monster his ‘truth.’ This is a beautiful novel, it will tear your heart apart at the end, when we finally share with Conor what his ‘truth’ is. The illustrations by Jim Kay only add to the harrowing and mystery of this novel.

My name is Miss Simmonsand I teach English

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I read Pigeon English

By Stephen Kelman

It was… one of the funniest books I have ever read! The story is told by the main character Harrison Okupu (Harri). The book covers some very serious topics; gang violence and murder are just two of them! But through the innocent eyes of Harri, it doesn’t seem so real and dangerous- he plays a detective trying to work out who is behind a murder on his estate. He gets in to all sorts of trouble with his older sister and her friends as well as other residents on the Dell Farm estate and is constantly ducking and diving to stay out of trouble. The book also deals with the harsh truth of gang violence and really hits hard. A book I wont forget and a character that still makes me smile

My name is Miss Sparkesand I teach BTEC, Maths & RE

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I read The Quiet American

By Graham Greene

It was about a British journalist and an American soldier in the special forces who are both sent to Vietnam and fall in love with the same girl.

It helped me to imagine what life might have been like for Westerners who were sent to Vietnam during the war and the sort of things they might worry about apart from the war.

My name is Ms Davey and I teach History.

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I read One Child

By Torey Hayden

It was emotional!!! The book is a true story, the challenges that face the teacher and the child are huge. It is sad to read about the reasons behind the difficulties faced by the child. It was inspiring to read about the successes they made together.

I don’t read a lot but this series of books by Torey from her educational psychology career are really interesting. They are hard to read for the emotional context as there are many true/adapted true stories.

My name is Mr Daveyand I teach P.E.

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I read The Ballad of Peckham Rye

By Muriel Spark

It was really fun to read. The book tells the story of a Scottish man who arrives in Peckham and causes problems for some of the people living there.

It was really interesting to find out what Peckham was like in the 1950s and thinking about how it has changed since then and how it has stayed the same too.

My name is Ms Davey and I teach History.

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I read This Thing of Darkness

By Harry Thompson

It was about Charles Darwin and his nowfamous voyage around the world on a ship named the Beagle where he gatheredcrucial evidence and observations that ledto his theory of natural selection. A historical fiction, it focused on the touchingrelationship between Darwin and the ship’scaptain Robert Fitzroy and their increasinglyopposing viewpoints on God and Creationamong other things.Darwin went on to publish his theories andbecame famous, Fitzroy pioneered the MetReport and descended into madness….A brilliant, gripping and thought-provokingnovel – the pages just turned themselves!

My name is Winston Loand I teach Science.

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I read The Day of the Triffids

By John Wyndham

It was probably my favourite book that I read this summer. It is a science-fiction book which is not a genre I usually read. I liked it because it was set in London and the South East of England.

It made me think about how people behave in a crisis, the sort of world we live in now and the sort of world I would like to live in.

My name is Ms Davey and I teach History.

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I read Storm Front (Book 1 of The DresdenFiles)By Jim Butcher

Harry is the only real wizard in the yellow pages.HARRY DRESDEN — WIZARDLost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations.Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates.No Love Potions, Endless Purses, Parties or Other Entertainment

The first in a series of fast paced booksfull of action, comedy, strong characters and magic as this private eye battlesVampires, faeries, demons and evilwizards.

Please don’t blame me if your grades startto suffer if you read all 14 books.

My name is Mr Evansand I teach Science.

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I read The SubmissionBy Amy Waldman

Written by a New York Times journalist, the Submission of the title is a sealed bidto design the memorial to be built on thesite of the World Trade Centre post 9/11.The winner turns out to be an American Muslim, Mohammad Khan.

The families of those who died in the attack do not want the memorial built by him, and public opinion is mixed. And what is his motivation for designing this?

An intelligent and thought-provoking look at some of the debates which arose inAmerica after 9/11.

My name is Mr Pinfoldand I teach English and Film Studies.

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I read The Museum of Innocence

By Orhan Pamuk

It was the longest book I read this summer! Sometimes I found it really easy to read and sometimes I felt like it was just too long!

It was set in Istanbul, the capital of Turkey, and tells the story of a man who becomes obsessed with a woman.

It was really interesting to learn about Turkish culture and there really is a Museum of Innocence in Istanbul now – I hope I get to visit it one day!

My name is Ms Davey and I teach History.

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I read A Game of Thrones

By George R.R. Martin

It was excellent!

The book is described as an epic fantasy. I like how each chapter is told from a different character’s point of view and how that leads to many plot twists andintrigues. I like how as a reader that you know different pieces of informationthat all start to piece together at the end.Plus the battles and dragons make it an exciting read!

My name is Miss Lewisand I teach Science.

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I read Animal Farm

By George Orwell

It was a great short novel withstraightforward language, memorablecharacters and an incredible ending.

It’s about a gang of animals who takeover a farm and run it themselves.Their motto is ‘four legs (animals) good,two legs (humans) bad’. But are all theanimals really good?

I recommend it to anyone of any age. Itis an ageless, timeless book that you’llreturn to again and again, discoveringnew things every time. My name is Lewis Dawber

and I teach people.

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I read India

By Patrick French

It was a non-fiction book all about how India has changed since they became an independent country in 1947.

I read it because I am going to go to India for Christmas and I wanted to know what it might be like.

I have read another book by Patrick French about the Indian independence movement and I really like the way he writes. He talks about big themes but also tells really interesting stories about individual people that are funny or sad or just very unusual! My name is Ms Davey and I teach History.

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I read Pig IronBy Benjamin Myers

It was gritty, honest and brutal yet poetic and beautiful.

It tells the tale of John-John Wisdom, recently released from a young-offenders institute, a young man with a dream; a dream to escape from the shadow of his violent father Mac – infamous bare-knuckle fighter.

Told in multiple narrative voice and with a shocking and tragic conclusion, Pig Iron has me gripped.

My name is Miss Evansand I teach English.

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I read ShelterBy Harlan Coben

Mickey Bolitar is having a troubled time:his dad has just died; his mum is in rehaband he is forced to go and live with hisuncle. The one bright spot ismeeting his girlfriend, Ashley. Life isstarting to get better for Mickey until oneday, Ashley vanishes. Soon Mickey getscaught up in a mystery. What hashappened to Ashley? Is his father reallydead? Why is the paramedic who took hisfather's body away in a picture from the1940s on his crazy neighbour'smantelpiece?

My name is Miss Blundenand I teach History.

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I read Candide

By Voltaire

It was something I read as a philosophy student and then I heard a writer onthe radio, say that he read it every ten years, as it has different meaning for eachstage of your life.I was shocked to find how violent, sexist and racist it was and that I must have either blocked that out of my mind or it hasfundamentally developed my humanitarianoutlook.It’s a pacy adventure story of an innocent/naïve young man, his choices to be or not to be, affected directly by those people he meets along the way. I love a good classic.

My name is Ms Porthouseand I teach Explorers.

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I am still reading Atlas Shrugged

By Ayn Rand

This is the last book I started this summer and so far I really like it. It is very long so I don’t think I’ll finish it until half term!

It is a really fascinating story about all the men of talent disappearing for apparently no reason and how things stop working without them. My favourite thing about the book is that the lead character is a really strong female who is very clever and successful. I don’t know how it finishes yet but I can’t wait to find out!

My name is Ms Davey and I teach History.

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I read Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

By Rick Riordan

It was a really good read, I preferred it to the film, it was amazing to see the difference between the book and the film,the book had me using my imaginationmore.

A very good read.

My name is Miss Daviesand I teach Design and Technology.

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I read The Invisible Man

By H.G.Wells.

It was a real page turner.The story was first published in 1897 and so is set at the end of the Victorian Era, but the story is thrilling and as it is a science fiction story the plot seems very modern for its time.A stranger arrives at an inn on a snowywinter’s day. He keeps his hat and gloveson and his scarf wrapped over his face.No one can see what he looks like. No onecould guess that he had found a way of turning himself invisible. What would youdo if you could be invisible? This manturns to crime. He steals and hurts otherpeople for his own gain, but he is alone.How can he be stopped?

My name is Ms. Kentonand I teach Languages.

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I read Persepolis

By Marjane Sartrapi

It was a really powerful account of a young girl growing up in war torn Iran.

It was an unusual choice for me becauseit is a graphic novel and I’ve never thought that I would enjoy stopping, tomake sense of the pictures, as well as thewords. However having read this book, I’ma graphic novel convert. The pictures add somuch in terms of the places, people andexperiences in the book, that I foundmyself scanning them for every little detail.

My name is Roisin McEvoyand I teach English.

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