Building a Culture of Reading

Are the winter holidays the best time of the year to curl up with a book?

As the temperature drops, I find myself increasingly looking forward to the chance to rug up indoors and escape into the pages of fiction. As the term draws to a close, many of our English classes have spent time in the library looking for some good reads for the holidays. Our Year 7s went “speed dating” to help them choose books, Ms McCarthy’s Year 8s have been trialling a new group reading challenge and our Year 11 Extension students are exploring a range of classic and contemporary fiction as they prepare to embark on their independent research project.

The SCEGGS library always encourages borrowing over the holidays and Ms Conliffe and her team are always ready with excellent recommendations. As your daughter should be aware, she also has access to the Sora App for audio books through the library – Click here to access the Sora App.

We are entering the season when many Literary Awards are being announced, offering an interesting picture of the issues capturing the contemporary imagination. Many of you would be aware of The Children’s Book Council of Australia, which awards picture books, Junior Fiction and Young Adult Fiction.

I have also provided links to The Australian Stella and Miles Franklin Awards and for The International Booker and Pullitzer Prizes. You will often begin to see many of these novels in your local bookshops once they have been nominated for awards.

Our SCEGGS Year 7 – 10 students have also offered some more recommendations below for the holidays – we love hearing about the books that they are really enjoying!

	Royals by Teegan Bennett Daylight ‘Royals’ by Teegan Bennett Daylight is a captivating book about what happens when 6 teenagers are without their phones and have no outside communication. After their phone’s glitch and time freezes, a group of teenagers are stuck in a shopping centre. They frantically search for adults, and instead find an empty mall and a tiny baby. Soon they discovered there is no way out and that unlimited McDonalds, and all-day shopping sprees is their new reality. Every day, the food refills, the lights turn on, and slowly the teens forget their past, settling into a life, where they are treated like royals. I liked this book because it was a modern take on life as a teenager in Sydney. It challenges how we would live our lives without our phones, and what would happen if there were no adults in the picture. If we were to have everything we ever wanted, would we still want our phones back? I would recommend this to anyone who loves young adult novels. Clementine Reuss, Year 7
	On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong This past term I found myself longing for a book that felt distinctive. A book unique in its style or themes, exploration of place and engrossing narrative. Reading Ocean Vuong’s “ On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” I vanished into the pages of Vuong’s short novel, following the tale of “Little Dogs’” upbringing. An upbringing that’s story wound itself through Vuong’s extended letter to his mother, addressing abuse in his youth, his absent father, Vuong’s cultural background and the subsequent discovery of his queer identity as a teenager working on a tobacco farm. Vuong’s pictorial prose beautifully illustrates the complexities of his upbringing, switching between a direct narrative with his mother and further world building Voung creates an engaging novel that I would recommend to any reader interested in coming of age stories with a focus on identity and culture. Martha Elgood Cann, Year 10
	The Naturals’ by Jennifer Lynn Barnes ‘The Naturals’ by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a thrilling mystery in a four-book series. The book follows Cassie, a teenager with a natural flair for reading people, who gets recruited by the FBI to investigate cold cases. But she isn’t the only teenager with a ‘natural’ ability, soon finding herself surrounded by other people just like her. A lie detector, emotion reader, human encyclopedia, and a fellow profiler must welcome Cassie (not very warmly) to their tight knit group. But, as their cold case starts to turn hot, there isn’t much that the FBI can do to stop five curious teenagers investigating sinister serial killers. This book instantly had me hooked, with its intriguing psychological insights into the minds of serial killers and fast paced plot. I really enjoyed how it explored heavy topics but in ways that weren’t intense or boring. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mysteries and thrillers and short books that are easy to get lost in. Adison Lewis, Year 8
	The Demon King’ by Cinda Williams Chima ‘The Demon King’ by Cinda Williams Chima is an exciting, gripping read, full of adventure, magic and more. It follows the story of a teenager finding out his true identity as a wizard, as well as the journey he and his friends go on to save the Grey Wolf Kingdom. Meanwhile Raisa the heir to the throne is fighting against the oppressive men that are trying to control her, so she can rule her kingdom with thoughtfulness, strength and stability. These two stories connect to create a masterfully crafted book that is impossible to put down. It involves contrasting but interconnected ideas of wizardry and nature and investigates key themes of feminism, and resilience. Elspeth Herbert, Year 9
	These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong In this bewitching retelling of Romeo and Juliette, 1926 Shanghai’s streets run red, fuelled by the blood of two rival gangs. But when contagion, madness, a monster starts to infect the city, Juliette Cai, proud heir to the Scarlet gang, must conceal her own feelings and work with the only person she’s ever truly loved, Roma of the White Flowers. Together, these two betrayed lovers must save their city, lest there be anything for them to fight over or to rule. This book is far from a light read with its undercurrents of racism and politics but is still deeply rewarding, particularly when Juliette and Roma’s relationship delves back into their easy rhythm of romance, witty banter and seductive violence. I would highly recommend ‘These Violent Delights’ to anyone who enjoys a loose Shakespeare adaptation or a cunning mystery to solve. Harper Jones, Year 8
	Lola in the Mirror by Trent Dalton Lola in the Mirror is the new novel by Trent Dalton, the bestselling author of Boy Swallows Universe. The novel follows a homeless young woman in Brisbane on a journey to learn her name, navigating the Brisbane underground drug world, self-discovery, falling in love and battling the monsters that lie inside us – dancing the “tyrannosaurus waltz”. This book is a beautiful mix of art and literature, with beautiful illustrations by Paul Heppell, as the protagonist navigates her hopes to become an artist that will be talked about in 2100, having her own exhibition at the Met against her reality. This book is a great, readable book for anyone in year 7-12 who wants to start reading harder, yet enjoyable and compelling texts, which I would recommend to anyone who enjoys touching yet plot-driven novels. Sky Barrington, Year 10