16 books to read before you're 16 – Press Release
At John Hanson, we believe that as the nights draw longer and the days get colder there's nothing better than cosying up with a good book! As such we are encouraging all of our pupils to take part in our Big Read. Across KS3 pupils have been reading classic 19th century novels, wicked murder mysteries and even creating their own adventures, whilst at KS4 we have challenged our Year 11 pupils to read 16 books before they're 16! For this, we have created a list of texts that are widely regarded as the best books of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
This challenge was launched on Wednesday when selected pupils were invited to join us to discuss the books on our celebrated list. The list is made up of books identified on the BBC’s, The Times and The Guardian’s 100 books to read, and includes a host of Pulitzer Prize winning novels and all time bestsellers. As part of the evening pupils were given the chance to acquaint themselves with each of the books on the list, and at the end of the evening pupils were able to select their first book on the list to take home and start reading.
In the lead up to this year Act of Remembrance, a selection of the books explore aspects of the First and Second World Wars from a variety of interpretations including ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’, Erich Remarque’s tale from the German trenches during the First World War and the acclaimed graphic novel ‘Maus’ which tells the story of a Holocaust survivor.
Other books on the list look at dystopian futures, life in America during the twentieth century for a range of marginalised groups, as well as a selection of texts concerning the difficulties of being a teenager in different cultures. It is hoped that by encouraging our pupils to engage with a range of more mature and highly acclaimed literature our pupils will develop a love of reading for enjoyment.
Many thanks to all of our sponsors, supporters and parents that helped support this new reading initiative by generously donating copies of the books on our list so that our pupils can take these books home to read, enjoy and then share with their peers throughout the year.
Alice In Wonderland:
This year we had the pleasure in viewing the year 7,8 and 9 production of "ALICE IN WONDERLAND!"
Though the event is now over, it is not to be forgotten as one of the most inspiring events in John Hanson's Performing arts history!
