Bookbuzz and Comic Awards

There was a real buzz in the Leeds East Academy library this term as every student in Year 7 selected their unique reading choice from Bookbuzz. Bookbuzz is a reading programme from Book Trust, which supports schools in encouraging reading for pleasure and promoting independent choice whilst developing a whole-school reading culture.

Students had the opportunity to choose their own book to keep from a list of seventeen titles, suitable for 11 to 13-year-olds, which were selected by a panel of literature and education experts.

“All the books are amazing!” said one Year 7 student after receiving his book. “I wanted to read all of them!”

All seventeen of the highly popular Bookbuzz titles are now available to borrow from the Leeds East Academy library. For more information about Bookbuzz, visit their website here.

In exciting news for all graphic novel enthusiasts, Mrs Dingwall, Academy Librarian, spoke of the forthcoming British Comic Awards' Young People's Comic Awards. Mrs Dingwall said: "Each year the British Comic Awards Committee read hundreds of comics from a long list of eligible titles, submitted by the reading public and creators / publishers. These range from single issues to daily webcomics, weekly anthologies to epic graphic novels. The titles are appraised by students and elected for a unique award which is presented at the ceremony at Leeds Civic Hall."

This year’s Young People's Comic Awards nominees are:

Lost Tales by Adam Murphy with Lisa Murphy
Mega Robo Bros by Neill Cameron with Lisa Murphy
Parsley Girl: Carrots by Matthew Swan
Tamsin and the Deep by Neill Cameron and Kate Brown
Zorse by Ramzee with Liz Greenfield

Leading up to the award ceremony, several authors and artists have visted Leeds East Academy with their published works. Edie Owczarek (EdieOP), creator of Maleficium, told students how she got her inspiration for her first comic, Dangerfun; After losing eleven teeth in an accident, her English teacher said she should make a comic about all her dangerous antics.

The Young People's Comic Awards takes place at Leeds Civic Hall on Friday 4th November. Students interested in joining representatives of Leeds East Academy should contact see Mrs Dingwall in the library as soon as possible. For more information about the British Comic Awards, visit their website here.