The Book Award is for pupils aged 10 to 13. The aim is to encourage children to read, to bring children together to enable debate and discussion about books and to encourage children to share the pleasure of reading.
Because the award bridges primary and secondary schools, it encourages pupils from different phases to share in reading events and work together. Schools who have taken part in the award have found it to be highly beneficial in encouraging children to broaden their reading range and develop their literacy – not just in reading but also in speaking and listening, as a core part of any book award is discussion and debate. It’s also far more fun than phonics and SATS.
I’m sorry, but the finale is now fully booked. If any schools drop out of the event then space will become free, so if you wish to be on this waiting list, please email me at : jacob.turner@towerhamlets.gov.uk
About the finale
The finale is a chance for book groups from the schools shadowing the award to get together and cast their votes for the best book (but there’s much more that this!)
This year there will be:
4 of the shortlisted authors present to meet pupils, sign books, and have a chat!
The famous presentation competition – 8 schools will each champion one of the shortlisted books through a performance or presentation of their choice!
The winners for this year’s bookmark competition will be announced and collect their prizes
The book award quiz
Books for sale
Voting for the best book!
The venue will be the main hall at Swanlea Secondary School.
Friday 27th November 12:30 to 3pm
For more information about the finale, please contact us on 020 7364 6428 or email jacob.turner@towerhamlets.gov.uk
A chilling ghost story – Poppy’s old china doll is telling her that she is made from the ground-up bones of a murdered girl, that her spirit is trapped inside and must be released…
Gayton, Sam - Lilliput
200 moons after leaving Lilliput, Gulliver has returned to take back proof of his amazing travels – proof in the form of Lilly. Three inches tall and now imprisoned in a bird cage in London, she dreams of escaping back home.
Gemin, G R - Cowgirl
If Gemma ever stops to think about it, she knows hiding a herd of cows on a housing estate is a bit mad, but how else can she help Cowgirl keep them from the abattoir?
Gilman, David - Monkey and Me
Beanie wears a beanie because his hair fell out during his treatment for leukaemia. Much as he wants to get better, he doesn’t think this should be at the expense of experiments on animals such as the monkey he finds at the deserted house.
Ho-Yen, Polly- Boy in the Tower
Ade loves living at the top of a tower block. But one day, other tower blocks start falling down around them and strange, menacing plants begin to appear. Now their tower isn’t safe anymore. Ade and his mum are trapped and there’s no way out…
Slater, Kim - Smart
Kieran has skills – not socialising or getting on with people skills, but drawing and detective skills – which ought to come in handy when a homeless man is murdered down by the canal…
Thank you to everyone who helped us to select the shortlist, especially the pupils from St Pauls Whitechapel Primary School.
Your FREE set of books
Every Tower Hamlets school subscribing to our lending service will receive a set of the shortlisted books in September for your book groups. Further sets can also be bought for £33 each, including book jackets.
Email jacob.turner@towerhamlets.gov.uk or contact the library to order additional sets.
Author Visits:
Kim Slater, Polly Ho-Yen, Giancarlo Gemin, and Sam Gayton are all available for author visits this term and will also be present at the finale! If you’re interested in booking one of these authors, please email jacob.turner@towerhamlets.gov.uk
To get you in the mood for the award, here’s a picture from the last finale of pupils from Blue Gate Fields Juniors putting on a very hairy performance of Wild Boy by Rob Lloyd Jones, which won the 2014 award for best book.
Please note that the PDC building is currently closed for access. The library will not be open during this time but staff can be reached via email or the web form.
We will update the website once the library re-opens which we expect to be from Monday 4th December.
The Books!
