Off the Shelf
 Off the Shelf is our annual reading event for Key Stage 4 and 5 students. The aim of the event, which has been running since 2004, is to help this time-pressured group to move from teen to adult reading. The books on the short list are selected for how stimulating, rewarding and challenging they are. Off the Shelf is an enjoyable experience rather than extra work.
In 2011 the students read four novels; Brick Lane by Monica Ali, The room of lost things by Stella Duffy, Londonstani by Gautam Malkani and The road home by Rose Tremain. The theme that bound the books together was “City Living” as all of the books were set in London.
On 17 February 2011 students from all the participating schools came to the Schools Library Service for a morning of shared discussion about the books. Before the discussions began, we were lucky enough to have the author Stella Duffy join us and she gave a fascinating talk. She spoke about her life as an author and also about how she finds inspiration and ideas for her novels.
After Stella’s talk, the groups made their way to breakout rooms for their book discussions. The group leaders were, as always, incredibly impressed with the articulate, intelligent and sometimes passionate responses that the students had formed to the books. They seemed happy to challenge each other’s views, despite the fact that they had only just met, but were able to do so in an amicable and respectful way that made the discussions really fascinating.
If you would like to join us in 2012 for this inspiring and rewarding day (which is also good fun) please contact Beth Woodhead at the Schools Library Service for more information.
|
