Posted on: 23/02/2024Year 9 British Library Trip: Malorie Blackman This week a group of Year 9 students visited the British Library to see Malorie Blackman in conversation with illustrator Dapo Adeola. She answered questions submitted from schools around the country, on topics such as her inspirations, advice for writers, and weighty subjects such as institutional racism. The audience gained fascinating insight into the writing process, authors’ earnings, and how to deal with rejection when approaching publishers: Malorie received 82 rejection letters before her first book was accepted for publication! Every school attending received a beautiful edition of “Noughts and Crosses” specially produced by the Folio Society.
Posted on: 8/12/2023Book of the Month - December For December’s Book of the Month we are going back to 1813, and what I call ‘the OG rom com’, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (1775-1817). Mr and Mrs Bennet belong to a social group known as ‘the genteel poor’, they have social standing but not a great deal of wealth, and no son to inherit what they do have, instead they have 5 daughters. It is imperative that they marry off their daughters to ensure their financial security and set about immersing their offspring in social gatherings to introduce them to eligible bachelors. 2 of these men are Mr Darcy and Mr Wickham. In this social satire featuring a big cast of characters, Austen weaves her way through upper class English society, featuring among it an unattractive suitor who will keep the Bennet estate within the family (Mr Collins), a melodramatic mother (Mrs Bennet), 2 cynical and intelligent sisters (Jane, and our heroine Elizabeth), a flighty teenager (Lydia Bennet), and a group of mean girls (Mr Darcy’s sisters). These characters could just as easily exist in a modern romantic comedy. This book may be more than 200 years old but it still offers a giggle, and a look into a time when writers were evasive about the provenance of an individual’s wealth (most likely slavery, see Said’s Orientalism), and women were essentially commodities.
Posted on: 10/11/2023Book of the Month - November THEMES/SUBJECTS: Murder; Royalty; Romance; Jealousy; Family CW: physical assault, only for Year 9 and above November’s book of the month is Royal Blood by Aimee Carter. This book really took off before the summer holidays and is still incredibly popular. “Kicked out of her American boarding school, Evan is sent to live with her estranged father, the King of England. Her existence as his illegitimate daughter is top secret - until someone leaks it to the press. Suddenly she's the focus of a thousand lurid headlines, plus the hatred of her stepmother the Queen and half-sister Princess Maisie. Then the royal scandal intensifies... After Evan is seen disappearing with a journalist's son at a party, he is found dead and she becomes the primary suspect in a murder investigation. Did "the Killer Princess" really do it? It seems that only the Queen's gorgeous nephew Kit will help Evan clear her name. But can she really trust anyone at the palace? The story is gripping, with lots of twists and turns along the way. Reserve a copy now in the library.
Posted on: 6/10/2023Lessons at 10Lessons at 10’ programme, which opens up No10 to school children and students for educational visits every Friday. These events have ranged from music lessons, tennis, and business to name a few. This initiative has been started by the Prime Minister ’s wife, Mrs Akshata Murty. On Friday 29th September EGA was invented to attend 'Lessons at 10'. The week’s theme will be centred around London Fashion Week. Panel guests were Mrs Murty PM' wife alongside fashion designer ME + EM brand owner Clare Hornby and Top fashion journalist Emily Cronin, we discussed the fashion industry, business and sustainability . EGA was also given a tour of the Downing Street state rooms and gardens.
Posted on: 8/09/2023Book of the Month - September GENRE: Science Fiction, Adventure, Short fiction Back in May this year, Green Rising by Lauren James was EGA Library’s book of the month.For our return to school, this month’s chosen title is also by Lauren James and is called The Starlight Watchmaker. The book is published by Barrington Stoke, a really important and respected publisher based in Edinburgh. Barrington Stoke publishes short books, usually no more than 130 pages, aimed at reluctant or dyslexic readers. They are physically designed to be easy to read, with large, widely spaced out type and coloured pages The stories are just as exciting as longer novels and written by established, popular authors including Malorie Blackman, Melvin Burgess, Eve Ainsworth and Marcus Sedgwick. Hugo is an old android, abandoned by his owner on a strange planet. He sets up a business fixing watches. When a student from a local private school brings him a watch to fix, Hugo discovers that quantum energy is being stolen from watches, and with the help of fellow robots, humans and aliens, he begins the search for the suspected terrorist (they believe that only a terrorist would need that much quantum energy to make a bomb) trying to destroy the planet where they live, work and study.Alongside Hugo, student Dorian and his friends attempt to find the thief Through their investigation they meet and interrogate a diverse array of characters expertly and fantastically imagined by Lauren James. If you are a reader who prefers a shorter novel, or a less confident reader, try this book or any other in the Barrington Stoke range, kept in the library in the ‘Easy Reading’ section.
Posted on: 9/06/2023Book of the Month - June GENRES: Pride Month, fairy tale, romance To celebrate the simultaneous release of the live-action Little Mermaid film, and Pride month, June’s chosen book is Nen and the Lonely Fisherman by Ian Eagleton, illustrated by James Mayhew. Nen and the Lonely Fisherman is a picturebook telling the love story of merman Nen, and fisherman Ernest, brought together by a yearning for companionship. Nen’s father Pelagios is frustrated with Nen’s interest in the world above sea level and tries to talk him out of mixing with humans. However, Nen and Ernest form a strong bond from their conversations by Ernest’s boat at nighttime. A quick read suitable for Foundation readers and lovers of illustration
Posted on: 25/05/2023Behaviour and Conduct Week Competition WinnersThe winners of the Behaviour and conduct week competition are as follows: First Place Humayra Year 9 Second Place Shumayiah Year 9 Third Place Karma Year 7 Well done to these students who entered work on 'What is the EGA way of approaching behaviour?'
Posted on: 19/05/2023Lord's Cricket Visit On Friday 19th May, a mixture of year 7,8 and 9 students attended an engagement day at Lord’s Cricket Ground. They were able to watch Middlesex Cricket team fielding, they had tours of the grounds and also were able to practise batting and fielding on some of the academy grounds. It was a fantastic day out and so pleased to see the students conducting themselves exceptionally well. Thank you, Ms Carter
Posted on: 5/05/2023Book of the Month - May GENRES: Eco-literature, teenage drama, adventure Earth Day came and went at the end of April but we can still think about the environment. Green Rising by Lauren James is an interesting blend of science fiction and eco-literature. Years after a manmade disaster that was largely covered up, some teenagers start developing unusual powers of regeneration and are able to replenish the dwindling trees and plants in the world. These mysterious powers are soon discovered by an unscrupulous oil magnate, who tries to exploit the young people and use their powers to profit from renewable energy, aided by his own teenage daughter who holds an unusually senior position in the company. The characters in this novel are interesting and diverse, some based upon people we know in the real world, there is a teenage girl who appears to be modelled on Greta Thunberg, and a recognisable copy of Elon Musk! This is a gripping read for KS3 readers, offering a challenge for those wishing to raise their reading age, and making us think about the environment and climate change.
Posted on: 23/02/2024
Posted on: 23/02/2024
Posted on: 23/02/2024
