Winner: Costa Book Award

Irish author Sebastian Barry has won this year's Costa Book of the Year award for The Secret Scripture, a moving account of a woman approaching her 100th birthday who has been wrongly incarcerated in a mental home for much of her life. Reserve your copy of the book in the library today. Read more about the awards at http://www.costabookawards.com/

Books for Schools

Remember to bring in your Times and Sunday Times tokens for the Books for Schools scheme. We already have over 100 but each book 'costs' over 20 tokens so we need lots more in order to boost the libraries at the Prep and Senior Schools.

Campaign for the Book

Children's author Alan Gibbons has started a campaign in protest against cuts to library book-funds and the closure of both public and school libraries. The campaign aims to create a national network to help coordinate the efforts of all who want to protect the status of the book and reading for pleasure. There will be a conference on 27th June 2009 in Birmingham featuring a Question Time session on the future of libraries and reading. More information is available on www.alangibbons.net.

Michelle Magorian has scooped the 2008 Costa Children's Book Award this month with 'Just Henry', another emotional tale like her other award winner, 'Goodnight Mister Tom'. It's set in 1949 and full of period detail but with an extra layer - stories of film stars from the movies of the day. Keep a box of tissues handy when you read this one.