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Page turners and passionate debates: Our Carnegie shadowing journey!

What an incredible year it has been for our school’s library community. Over the past few months, a dedicated group of pupils have been taking part in the Carnegie Shadowing Scheme, the energy, debates, and sheer love for reading have been absolutely fantastic.

Carnegie Shadowing is a national programme where young people across the country read, discuss and review the books shortlisted for the prestigious Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing. Our pupils as "shadow" judges. They meet regularly, read the newly published shortlisted books, share their honest opinions, and vote on their favorites before the official winners are announced. It’s a wonderful way to discover brand-new authors, explore different genres and connect with other people with shared interests.

Don't just take our word for it, here is what some of our brilliant Year 8 shadowers had to say about their experience this year:

"I found Carnegie to be such an amazing experience and I enjoyed being shown lots of different genres. I especially enjoyed talking to people from lots of different years and getting to know them. I really enjoyed all the authors' challenges and all of the experience." - Elise

"Carnegie is the highlight of my year. I love reading and getting to read and discuss an incredible set of new books with others who share my interests. We have long discussions about book storylines, genres, writing format, and writing style, among other things.

Since Carnegie has so many different styles of writers, I get to try so many new books and improve my understanding of literary context. My favorite book from this year was 'On the Wall'. It was a really sweet book and I have never read a book with such a format and so many perspective changes.

I really recommend Carnegie for everyone as you can meet so many passionate and slightly chaotic new friends. It is a lovely experience and you should all try it!" - Xuanvy

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15th July

Celebrating 50 years of excellence

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