On 19th June, the Library Team took a group of 23 Carnegie Shadowers to participate in a lively Balloon Debate with book groups from The Skinners’ School and Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys. Participants from all three schools were divided into teams and worked together to prepare and present a case for their book. There were also two competitions, judged on the day, for Best Book Review and Best Alternative Book Cover. Everyone got stuck into the debates, coming up with engaging, original and persuasive presentations, and the judges were impressed by the high standard of the competition entries.
Well done to all who took part and special congratulations to Charlotte and Amelia who were on the winning debate team (representing 'King of Nothing' by Nathanael Lessore), as well as to Isabella, Victoria and Sophia for their competition entries. We would also like to thank Mrs George for supporting the book group throughout and for her excellent work as a judge on the day.
Delisha, Year 8, explains more about the event:
'The Carnegie book event was in total a very social event. The point was to debate over one book that each team believed to have been the one which was to stay in a plummeting hot air balloon, while the other books would be thrown out due to pressure. Each team had a preferred book which they debated about and, depending on how good the arguments were, resulted in the judges announcing a winner.
Each team had three minutes to make a presentation on why their book should be the one which stays in the hot air balloon. With only one and a half hours in a very stuffy room, the teams had to be careful about what they said and how, because any disadvantages meant losing the judges' vote. Obviously the air was tense and some were afraid of going up there, so there was the option of only holding the book while teammates spoke about the book.
There were multiple prizes such as Best Debate on the book as well as two runners up. There were prizes for the best alternative book covers and book reviews as well. There were multiple book votes on which book was the favourite among the pupils who participated in the book debates and overall in the community. This year, the favourites were 'Play' and 'King of Nothing'. The best debate was for 'King of Nothing' and the book groups’ favourite was 'Play' followed by 'Glasgow Boys' and 'The Things We Leave Behind'.
From my perspective, I believe that this event was fun-filled and enjoyable. It also challenged our abilities to work in a team and the snacks were delicious.'
Hayley, Year 7, shares her perspective as a first-time Carnegie Shadower:
'Everybody in the Carnegie Book Club this year spent months preparing for the Carnegie Shadowing Balloon Debate at The Skinners’ School – an inter-school event to discuss which books should stay in a falling hot air balloon, and which books should be thrown off to slow the balloon down. There were additional competitions for Best Alternative Book Cover and Best Book Review.
At each meeting, we discussed the books, read, did quizzes, and ate a lot of biscuits! I found the meetings enjoyable and relaxed, with a friendly atmosphere that made me feel welcome as a Year 7 who was new to the club.
The eight books all had different stories, but they had a theme of struggling. Some of the themes included in the books were gang violence, addiction, death of a loved one and discrimination against being gay.
My favourite book was 'Glasgow Boys' by Margaret McDonald because it was an unforgettable and captivating story, with insightful points of view. My least favourite was 'Treacle Town' by Brian Conaghan, because the pace was incredibly slow and the language was unnecessarily rude.
When the day of the Balloon Debate finally came, we each picked a book to defend and worked with Skinners’ and TWGSB pupils who chose the same book. Each team prepared a speech on what was special about their book, and performed to everyone. Our hard work clearly paid off, with several TWGGS pupils winning prizes.
In conclusion, the Carnegie Book Club was amazing and I definitely recommend joining!'
On 1st July, the library held a lunchtime Summer Book Sale to raise funds and find new homes for some of our pre-loved stock. The library was buzzing with pupils and staff browsing, buying and chatting about books, which was lovely to see. Thanks to everyone who supported the sale and special thanks to Isla, Year 8, for the wonderful colourful decorations! Happy summer reading everyone.
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