Recommended Books 2017/2018
As part of the school’s plan to promote literacy and to encourage our students to read more we would like to recommend the following books.
These titles have been compiled from suggestions given to us by students and cover a full range of interests.
We hope you find this list helpful if you are considering purchasing some books as part of a Christmas present or if you are looking for something new read.
Don’t forget that the library have a brilliant app called “BorrowBox”.
It is free to download on devices and offers instant access to their ebook and audio book facilities.
Highly Recommended
Gerard Whelan“The Guns of Easter”
Morgan Llywelyn “The Young Rebels”
J. R.R Tolkien“The Hobbit”
Stephen King “IT”
John Boyne“The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas”
Louis Sachar“Holes”
Douglas Adams“The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”
S. E. Hinton“The Outsiders”
Fancy a Series?
Eoin Colfer Artemis Fowl Series
Jeff KinneyDiary of a Wimpy Kid Series
J.K. RowlingHarry Potter Series
Gerard Siggins Rugby Spirit Series
Christopher EdgeHeroes Series
Darren ShanZom-B Series
J. R. R. Tolkien The Lord of the Rings
Anthony Horowitz Alex Rider Series
Michael Grant Gone Series
Chris O’Dowd & Chris V. MurphyMoone Boy Series
Dave RuddenKnights of the Borrowed Dark Series
Suzanne CollinsThe Hunger Games Series
Derek LandySkulduggery Pleasant Series
Terry PratchettDiscworld Series
Veronica Roth Divergent Series
Sports
Henry Shefflin “The Autobiography”
Brian O’Driscoll“The Test”
Paul O’Connell“The Battle”
Jackie Tyrrell with Christy O’Connor“The Warrior’s Code”
John Scally “The GAA Immortals (100 Gaelic Games Legends)”
Michael Parkinson“Muhammad Ali: A Memoir”
Luca Caioli“Messi Neymar Ronaldo”
Guillem Balague “Cristiano Ronaldo”
Colm Cooper“Gooch”
Jack Slack“Notorious: The Life and Fights of Conor McGregor”
FIFA World Football Museum“The Official History of the FIFA World Cup”
A Special Mention
David Walliams
“The Boy in the Dress”“Mr. Stink”“Billionaire Boy”
“Gangsta Granny”“Ratburger”“Demon Dentist”
“Grandpa’s Great Escape”“Awful Auntie”“The Midnight Gang”
“Bad Dad”
“The World’s Worst Children” and “The World’s Worst Children 2” ( Short Stories)
Michael Morpurgo
“War Horse” “Farm Boy” “Why the Whales Came”
“Shadow”“Born to Run” “Kensuke’s Kingdom”
“Cool!”“The Butterfly Lion” “The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips”
“Private Peaceful” “Dear Olly”“Alone on a Wide Wide Sea”
“Toro! Toro!” “Kaspar: King of Cats” “The Wreck of the Zanzibar”
“Listen to the Moon”“The Mozart Question”“King Of the Cloud Forests”
“The Dancing Bear”“Out of the Ashes”“Escape from Shangri – La”
“Twist of Gold” “My Friend Walter”“Arthur High King of Britain”
“Waiting for Anya” “A Medal for Leroy”“An Eagle in the Snow”
“Billy the Kid”
Book Suggestions
Looking for some books to buy or read over the holidays?
Here is a selection of titles and authors that are especially popular among the students.
“War Horse” and “Private Peaceful” Michael Morpurgo
This author is a firm favourite among the students. These are two very popular titles from him but he definitely has something to suit all tastes.
“Holes” – Louis Sachar
- Set in Australia, this book explores unusual punishments and friendship.
“The Battle” – Paul O’Connell
- The revealing autobiography of the rugby great.
“Wilderness” – Roddy Doyle
– Family action and adventure also manages to include Finland and wolves.
“The Hobbit” – J. R. R. Tolkien
- The precursor to “The Lord of the Ring” trilogy, a must read for everyone.
“The Outsiders” – S. E. Hinton
- Family ties and gang bust ups – who will win out in the end the Socs or the greasers.
“I –ssassins” – Christopher Edge
- A 14 year old cyber spy, part of the HEROES series, comes highly recommended.
“The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas” – John Boyne
- An original perspective of life in concentration camps – heart breaking and page turning.
“The Book Thief” – Markus Zusak
- Another World War II page turner, a journey of self-discovery, family and books.
“Artemis Fowl” – Eoin Colfer
- A stellar series of book, all about a teenage criminal mastermind.
“Wonder” – R. J. Palacio
- A very sweet story about fitting in and tolerance.
“Cirque du Freak” – Darren Shan (O’Shaughnessy)
- The first in the great series, this book sucks you right into the thrilling world it creates.
“The Boy in the Dress” – David Walliams
- Another author that comes with high praise, his books are fun, heart-warming and very hard to put down.
“Cristiano Ronaldo” – Guillem Balague
- Biography of Cristiano Ronaldo; from humble beginnings to where he is now.
“The Young Rebels” – Morgan Llywelyn
- Based in Ireland in the lead up to the Easter Rising, a great tale of students wanting to help the fight.
“Gone” – Michael Grant
- A fantastic series based in a town where every human aged 15 and older vanishes.
“The Hunger Games” – Suzanne Collins
- This trilogy following Katniss Everdeen and her fight for survival.
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them “, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” – J. K. Rowling
- Further tales from the Harry Potter universe. Fans of Harry Potter are bound to enjoy these.
“Diary of a Wimpy Kid” – Jeff Kinney
- This series is definitely a favourite among the students. Anyone who hasn’t delved into these books yet has a real treat in store.
“I am Zlatan: My Story On and Off the Field” – Davis Lagercrantz and Zlatan Ibrahimovic
- Memoir of one of the world’s most gifted and controversial soccer players.
“Percy Jackson” – Rick Riordan
- A series of fictional books inspired by ancient mythology.
First Year Spelling Bee
On Wednesday afternoon – March 11th – the GP Room filled up with spectators and participants for the Grand Final of the 1st Year Spelling Bee 2015.
Each first year group had put forward their strongest representatives. On the day 13 brave men stood up to face the trickiest of words. Mr. Hegarty showed no mercy as round after round he fired spellings their way.
After a gruelling and tense 10 rounds last man standing was Cormac Sinnott. Huge congratulations to him, a very worthy winner of the Kindle Fire.
The 13 brilliant contestants were; Shane O’Leary, Paul Leonard, Jakub Pakula, Jacub Sawic, Sam McQuaid, Adam Feery, Adam Mahon, Manus Harte, Eoin Corish, Richard Browne, Cormac Sinnott, Cameron Yau and Dakota Rossi.
Well done to all.
Prize Winners
1st – Cormac Sinnott
2nd – Paul Leonard
3rd – Shane O’Leary
4th – Richard Browne
5th – Manus Harte
DEAR-DROP EVERYTHING AND READ SCHEDULE
Day/Date/Time
Monday 5th January @9.30pm
Tuesday 13th January @ 11.40pm
Wednesday 21st January @10.50am
Thursday 29th January @ 2.10pm
Monday 2nd February @3.40pm
Tuesday 10th February @ 12.25pm
Wednesday 25th February @10.10am
Thursday 5th March @ 2.55pm
Friday 13th March @ 10.50am
Wednesday 18th March @ 11.40am
Thursday 26th March @3.40pm
Monday 13th April @ 12.25pm
Tuesday 21st April @ 2.55pm
Wednesday 29th April @ 10.50am
Friday 8th May @ 2.10pm
Monday 11th May @ 9.30am
Tuesday 19th May @ 12.25pm
25th May- Exam Week- No Drop and Read
Here is a list of recommended books and popular novels.
School Improvement Plan P.1-4 Final Full Version
Drop & Read
This year we are asking all students to bring a suitable novel of their choice in to school, everyday. Your son can read, discuss, even swap his favourite books as we seek to remind ourselves of the joy of reading. Every week we will set aside reading time for the entire school community ( yes , even the teachers!) to read what they want for a change. Maybe you could suggest a novel to your son that you have read, (who knows he might return the compliment! ). Reading is an invaluable, enjoyable gift that we can all share together and it’s never too late to start.
