Amanda Gorman, who wrote and performed her poem “The Hill We Climb” for Joe Biden’s inauguration, is the latest author affected by a wave of book bannings in U.S. schools and libraries. She took to social media to denounce her book being banned after one single complaint from a parent. The poem was one of … Continue reading “Book Bans in U.S. Schools”
There has been a lot in the news about Roald Dahl’s publishers putting out new versions of his novels for children, changing some of the language, like “fat” and “ugly” that sensitivity readers felt were inappropriate for today’s readers. After negative reactions the publishers said they would continue to publish the original texts of books … Continue reading “Roald Dahl Rewritten?”
World Book Day is on 4 March this year. In the UK, schoolchildren receive a £1 book token they can spend on a selection of books chosen for the day. The authors have recorded ten-minute readings great for classroom use. Here’s a selection. The readings are part of a project to share stories by recording … Continue reading “Ten-Minute Stories for World Book Day”
May 2020 marks the return of the most popular young adult dystopian series. Suzanne Collins brings us back to Panem with a new book. “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” is a prequel which takes place 64 years before the events the first trilogy. 10 years since Suzanne Collins published the first book in the … Continue reading “Book Notes: Return to the Hunger Games!”
After 8 seasons, Game of Thrones is finally coming to an end…. until a series of prequels hit our screens. It’s been a long time coming. The last episode of season seven aired in August 2017. But the final season has apparently been a vast amount of work. It only includes six episodes, but each … Continue reading “Winter is Here”
Game of Thrones may be set in the imaginary Seven Kingdoms, but it was filmed in real locations around the world. Many locations, and all the studio work, were done in Northern Ireland and the country is attracting crowds of tourists anxious to walk in the footsteps of their heroes. As well as studio tours … Continue reading “Screen Tourism: “Game of Thrones” Fans Flock to Northern Ireland”
Green Book — winner of the 2019 Best Picture Oscar —is a road movie about friendship and race relations in the 1960s American South. The film takes its title from a guide book published for almost thirty years from 1936: The Negro Motorist Green Book. These online resources will help you explore the real Green … Continue reading “Green Book: Online Resources”
2 March is World Book Day, so grab a book, or bring some book-based fun into your classroom. World Book Day is a United Nations initiative but it’s especially big in the UK, where it is an occasion to encourage children in particular to read. Schools sign up for schemes where pupils are given £1 … Continue reading “Time to Read: World Book Day”
The bestselling teen books about the ill-fated Baudelaire children, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, have been given a second, equally doom-filled life in a new TV series. There are 13 books in the series, and in a fitting tribute, the TV series launched on Netflix on Friday the 13th, a bad omen in … Continue reading “A TV Series of Unfortunate Events”
Roald Dahl was such a popular children’s writer that every year, 13 September (his birthday) is World Roald Dahl Day. This year is the hundredth anniversary of his birth, and there are celebrations galore. Dahl, who died in 1990, is best remembered as the author of irreverent classics like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, … Continue reading “Roald Dahl Day Special”