November book

The Staff Book Group book for November was Enderby by Sebastian Faulks. Two members managed to complete the book, but everyone else either ran out of time or found the main character so unsympathetic that they gave up.

Top 100 Tools for Learning 2009

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Top 100 Tools for Learning 2009

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Anita Shreeve

We have just acquired a new set of Anita Shreeve novels for senior fiction. Should be popular.

Senior Reading Group

At the last meeting, we talked about "Fight Club" by Chuck Palahniuk. It was Sharon's favourite book and she tried to persuade us all to read it. We also talked about Terry Ptatchett's Witches Abroad, which is a great introduction to Discworld.

October Book

The staff book group read Netherland by Joseph O'Neill during October. Most people failed to complete the book. It is a bit different from our usual choices. It is set in New York and concerns a Dutch investment analyst whose marriage is failing and who gets involved in playing cricket, very much a minority sport in the US. Those who completed the book were not very enthusiastic about it.

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• Share Book Recommendations With Your Friends, Join Book Clubs, Answer Trivia

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SimplyBox - Think Inside the Box

• SimplyBox - Think Inside the Box

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Carnegie Medal

The shortlists for this year's Carnegie Medal and Kate Greenaway medal are out and we have received our copies of the books. The Art Department are going to review the picture books and a mixed group of enthusiasts are going to try to work their way through the Carnegie Medal titles. To see our Shadowing Group pages go to Doon's Shadowing pages.
The shortlisted titles are:
FRANK COTTRELL BOYCE - COSMIC
KEVIN BROOKS - BLACK RABBIT SUMMER
EOINCOLFER - AIRMAN
SIOBHAN DOWD - BOG CHILD
KEITH GRAY - OSTRICH BOYS
PATRICK NESS - THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO
KATE THOMPSON - CREATURE OF THE NIGHT

They all look like terrific reads, so here's hoping that everyone enjoys them.

Easter read

The staff book group read Speaking of love by Angela Young over the Easter holidays. The group was not very enthusiastic about the book. It is the story of mental illness and loss of a parent and the effect they have on a family. Some people quite enjoyed it, but some found that they were not engaged enough by it to finish it and one person hated it.

S1 Readers' Cup quiz

After a tense competition in which the lead changed with each round, 1A the S1 Readers' Cup on after a tiebreak with 1C. 1E were a close third. Well done the 1A team of Fiona, Varri Robbie and Raegan.

S2 Readers' Cup

The S2 round of the Readers' Cup quiz was held on Tuesday afternoon. Doon again just pipped Raecar to win for the second year in a row. The teams answered questions on Thrillers, "Pink" Ghosts/Horror and Lucky dip. Well Done Doon.

Cathy Cassidy

Local author Cathy Cassidy popped in to school the other day to be interviewed by some S1 pupils for our BBC School News Report.

Staff Book Group

We read When will there be good news? by Kate Atkinson in March. It is a mystery set in in the Edinburgh area with an interesting set of characters, some familiar to readers of her other books and some new ones. It was entertaining and gripping at the same time. Everyone enjoyed it and some people were spurred on to read some of her other books including Behind the scenes at the museum.
April's book is Speaking of Love by Angela Young.

Cathy MacPhail

We took 15 S3 pupils to hear the author Catherine MacPhail speak at Kilmarnock Academy. Despite arriving late, she chatted away for nearly an hour and answered questions from an enthusiastic audience. She spoke mainly about the Nemesis series and her new books.

Cathy Forde visit

The author Cathy Forde came to Doon yesterday as part of the Spring Read Festival. Some of our S1 and S2 were joined by pupils from Auchinleck, Cumnock and St Joseph's Academies.

Cathy Forde talked for about 40 minutes and then answered questions from the audience.

She spoke about several of her books, how she got ideas for stories, how she managed to turn them into books, how she redrafts her works up to 100 times until she is happy with it.

She was very entertaining and enjoyable.

Staff Book Group

This month's staff book is
When will there be good news? by Kate Atkinson

Spring Read Logo Competition

The winning design for the Logo Competition was by Hazel Limond.

The runners up were Selina White and Lauren Young.

Spring Read

For this year's Spring Read Festival we are having two author visits.
Catherine Forde is coming here to talk to some S1 and S2 pupils on 24th February in the afternoon about Fat Boy Swim.

We are taking a group of S3 pupils to hear Catherine MacPhail talk about her work at Kilmarnock Academy on 18th March.