It's the first day of December and we are launching two special advent calendars.
The Rev has launched his annual online Shiplake Advent Calendar with photos from the Parish Chapel and snowy scenes from the College. For every day leading up to Christmas, open the window to reveal a photo and special message.
We also have a fabulous book advent calendar with daily reading recommendations from Head of English Ms Jess Hearn for every school day of the remainder of this term.
Ms Hearn said: "Now that the colder weather has set in, there is nothing better than snuggling into a sofa and immersing yourself in a wonderful story. Even better if you have a roaring fire and a hot chocolate on the side.
"To guide you towards some wonderful books that you may never have come across before, I have put together a winter/Christmas themed book advent, including one book recommendation for every school day in December.
"The books featured in this advent calendar would make an excellent gift for any young reader. Why not start the tradition of Jolabokaflod with your family this year? This Icelandic custom, which translates to ‘Christmas book flood’, is the exchanging of books on Christmas Eve. Once you have your new book, you are free to spend the entire evening reading and eating chocolate - bliss!"
1 December - October, October
A classic in the making for anyone who ever longed to be WILD. October and her dad live in the woods. They know the trees and the rocks and the lake and stars like best friends. They live in the woods and they are wild. And that's the way it is.
Until the year October turns eleven. That's the year October rescues a baby owl. It's the year Dad falls out of the biggest tree in their woods. The year the woman who calls herself October's mother comes back. The year everything changes.
Author: Katya Balen
2 December - Shiver
Grace is fascinated by the wolves in the woods behind her house; one yellow-eyed wolf in particular. Every winter, she watches him, but every summer, he disappears. Sam leads two lives. In winter, he stays in the frozen woods, with the protection of the pack. In summer, he has a few precious months to be human... until the cold makes him shift back again. When Grace and Sam finally meet, they realize they can't bear to be apart. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human - or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.
Grace is fascinated by the wolves in the woods behind her house; one yellow-eyed wolf in particular. Every winter, she watches him, but every summer, he disappears. Sam leads two lives. In winter, he stays in the frozen woods, with the protection of the pack. In summer, he has a few precious months to be human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again. When Grace and Sam finally meet, they realize they can't bear to be apart. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human - or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
3 December - The Wolf Wilder
Feodora and her mother live in the snowbound woods of Russia, in a house full of food and fireplaces. Ten minutes away, in a ruined chapel, lives a pack of wolves. Feodora's mother is a wolf wilder, and Feo is a wolf wilder in training. A wolf wilder is the opposite of an animal tamer: it is a person who teaches tamed animals to fend for themselves, and to fight and to run, and to be wary of humans. When the murderous hostility of the Russian Army threatens her very existence, Feo is left with no option but to go on the run. What follows is a story of revolution and adventure, about standing up for the things you love and fighting back. And, of course, wolves.
Author: Katherine Rundell
6 December - Revolver
1910. A cabin north of the Arctic Circle. Fifteen-year-old Sig Andersson is alone. Alone, except for the corpse of his father, who died earlier that day after falling through a weak spot on the ice-covered lake. His sister, Anna, and step-mother, Nadya, have gone to the local town for help. Then comes a knock at the door. It's a man, the flash of a revolver's butt at his hip, and a mean glare in his eyes. Sig has never seen him before but Wolff claims to have unfinished business with his father. As Sig gradually learns the awful truth about Wolff's connection to his father, his thoughts are drawn to a certain box hidden on a shelf in the storeroom, in which lies his father's prized possession - a revolver. As the stakes rise and Wolff begins to close in, Sig's choice is pulled into sharp focus. Should he use the gun?
Author: Marcus Sedgwick
7 December - Race to the Frozen North
Matthew Henson was simply an ordinary man. That was, until Commander Robert E. Peary entered his life, and offered him a chance at true adventure. Henson would become navigator, craftsman, translator, and right-hand man on a treacherous journey to the North Pole. Defying the odds and the many prejudices that faced him to become a true pioneer. This is his incredible and often untold story.
Author: Catherine Johnson
8 December - Murder in Midwinter
Sitting on the top deck of a bus days before Christmas, Maya sees a couple arguing violently in the middle of a crowded Regent Street. They see her watching, she looks away, and the woman disappears. Maya goes to the police, who shrug and send her away. Then a body turns up... Now convinced she is a vital witness to a crime, the police send Maya into hiding in rural Wales. She resolves to get to the bottom of the mystery. Then the snow comes and no one can get out. But what if someone can still get in?
Author: Fleur Hitchcock
9 December - My Swordhand is Singing
Woodcutters Peter and his father Tomas arrive in the lonely village of Chust. Peter doesn't understand why his father carries a long wooden box around with him, or why he has dug a deep ditch around their hut. But he is increasingly aware of malevolence about the place. Menacing shadows, villagers missing and people murdered only to reappear. With the help of Sofia, a travelling gypsy, Peter sets out to conquer the evil threat to the village and uncover the secrets of his father's past. Set in the seventeenth century amid the bleakness of winter in Eastern Europe, and inspired by vampire folklore, this is a superbly crafted, dark and menacing tale. A sense of hardship, bitter cold and fear penetrates the text, resulting in a chilling page-turner.
Author: Marcus Sedgwick
10 December - Winterkill
Emmeline lives in a walled settlement where they must all obey the three virtues: Bravery, Honesty and Discovery. Anyone who goes against the community is considered a Wayward and is banished outside the walls to face the freezing winter and the terrifying malmaci who inhabit the woods. When Emmeline discovers she is to be married to the community leader, a man she distrusts and fears, she feels more trapped than ever. She has to decide between living in claustrophobic security or trusting her dreams and the whispers in the woods that are calling her outside into the unknown. Boorman's debut novel is an exciting and atmospheric adventure story. Emmeline is a great protagonist, brave, independent and curious, yet she also battles with her self-worth, fearing her family's stained history and her disability make her less worthy than those around her. This is the first in a series and is sure to gather many fans. A great read.
Author: Kate Boorman
13 December - The Girl Who Speaks Bear
Found abandoned in a bear cave as a baby, Yanka has always wondered about where she is from. She tries to ignore the strange whispers and looks from the villagers, wishing she was as strong on the inside as she is on the outside. But, when she has to flee her house, looking for answers about who she really is, a journey far beyond one that she ever imagined begins: from icy rivers to smouldering mountains meeting an ever-growing herd of extraordinary friends along the way.
Author: Sophie Anderson
14 December - The Afterlife of Holly Chase
On Christmas Eve five years ago, seventeen-year-old Holly Chase was visited by three Ghosts who showed her how selfish and spoiled she'd become. They tried to convince her to mend her ways. She didn't. And then she died. Now she's stuck working for the top-secret company Project Scrooge - as their latest Ghost of Christmas Past. So far, Holly's afterlife has been miserable. But this year's Scrooge is different. This year's Scrooge might change everything...
Author: Cynthia Hand
15 December - The Dark is Rising
It is Midwinter's Eve, the night before Will's eleventh birthday. But there is an atmosphere of fear in the familiar countryside around him. Will is about to make a shocking discovery - that he is the last person to be born with the power of the Old Ones, and as a guardian of the Light he must begin a dangerous journey to vanquish the terrifyingly evil magic of the Dark. This is probably one of the greatest fantasy sequences ever written. Darkly magical and intense Cooper weaves her storytelling wonder over fully realised characters and worlds, drawing in the reader and leading them on a journey that will leave them clambering for the rest of the series.
Author: Susan Cooper
