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It’s that time of year again when you are wracking your brain to make sure all your Christmas presents are bought. The book lovers in the village are absolutely sure that you can’t go wrong with a carefully selected book after all Barrow is a village full of readers!

The Community Library sees over 300 books borrowed each week – that’s over 13,000 per year! Audio, large print, fiction, non-fiction, biographies, newspapers and magazines are all available to readers.

Literacy skills start early in the library with rhymes and songs at the Library Rhyme Time group sessions twice a month. A great place to begin a literacy journey. (1st and 3rd Fridays 10.30am – 11am)

This year’s Summer Reading Challenge for children aged 4-12, organised by the Reading Agency, was supported by 165 local children, 115 of whom completed the goal of reading six books! In total that’s approximately 1,000 books read by our local bookworms (based on all the starters) The literacy team at Hall Orchard School is full of enthusiasm and ideas to promote reading and parents and families regularly call at the library on their way home from school.

The Library’s Book Lovers Club, which meets monthly to “talk books”, discusses approximately 50 books per meeting and publishes its recommendations on the library website.

So, a book as a Christmas present seems like a fantastic idea. Here are some books recommended by the children and parents of the village and the teachers at Hall Orchard School.

Catherine Holmes

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BOOKS FOR THREE YEARS AND UNDER RECOMMENDED BY RHYME TIME PARENTS

The Whales on the Bus by  Katrina Charman and Nick Sharratt

Stick Man by Julia Donaldson

Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell 

Marvellous Margot by Lou Peacock and Ingela P Arrhenius

Hippo Has a Hat by Julia Donaldson and Nick Sharratt 

Chocolate Mouse for a Greedy Goose by Julia Donaldson and Nick Sharratt

Duck in the Truck by Jez Alborough

There’s a Bear in Your Book by Tom Fletcher

The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers 

Hairy Maclary and Zachary Quack by  Lynley Dodd

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SOME BOOKS FOR TEENAGERS

I am Malala: how one girl stood up for education and changed the world. Retold by Malala for her own generation

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas. Science fantasy.  Individual or box set

Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes

A series of unfortunate events by Lemony Snicket. Individual or box set

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

The Skinjacker Series by Neal Shusterman

Heart Stopper (graphic novels) by  Alice Oseman

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A TRIP DOWN THE MEMORY LANE  OF TREASURED BOOK GIFTS

Books given as Christmas presents often become treasured for life as the library’s Book Lovers discovered when they had a look on their own shelves. Do you have some treasured books from long ago Christmases? Here’s what the Book Lovers found:

Grimble and Grimble at Christmas by Clement Freud

Goodnight Mr Tom by Michelle Magorian

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

When we were very young by A A Milne

Mystery at Witchend by Malcolm Saville

Albert ‘Arnold and others by Marriott Edgar

Heidi by Johanna Spyri

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

The Hobbit by J R R Tolkien

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BOOKS RECOMMENDED BY CLASSROOM TEACHERS AT HALL ORCHARD

FOUNDATION

Mrs Ellis – The monkey puzzle by  Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffer

Miss Smith – Incredible you by Wayne Dyer

Mrs Kneafsey – The Gruffalo Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffer

YEAR 1

Miss Patel – The tooth fairy by Audrey Wood

Mrs Phillips – The book with no pictures by B.J.Novak

Miss Dalby – A squash and squeeze by  Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffer

YEAR 2

Mrs Aldis – Hotel Flamingo by Alex Milway

Mrs Granero – Harley Hitch by  Vashti Hardy and George Ermos

Mrs Fowler – Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl

Ms O'Neill – Ruby's Worry by Tom Percival

YEAR 3

Mrs Turton – The Creepers Series by  Edgar J Hyde

Mrs Baines – The Wild Robot by Peter Brown

Mr Burdett – Investigators series  (graphic novels) by John Patrick Green

YEAR 4

Miss Cooper – The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

Mr Kneafsey – Here Comes Hercules by Stella Tarakson

Mrs Miles – My dad's got an alligator by Jeremy Strong

YEAR 5/6

Mr Hatley – Where the world turns wild by Nicola Penfold

Mr Harris – The clockwork conspiracy by Sam Sedgman

Mrs Faulconbridge – Sky song by Abi Elphinstone

Mrs Bird – The boy at the back of the class by Onjali Q Rauf

Mrs Coneron – The land of roar series by Jenny McLachlan

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