Jolabokaflod (pronounced yo-la-bok-a-flot), translated to English as "Christmas Book Flood", is an Icelandic tradition of gifting books for Christmas. This tradition involves giving and receiving new books, but its essence lies in the joy of reading them together on Christmas Eve.
ShiplakeBokaflod was first launched in December 2019 and we have celebrated our own book floods each year through Drop Everything And Read (DEAR) events, Books Swaps, the Big Book Bus and of course encouraging families to gift books and read together on Christmas Eve themselves.
This year we would love all of our pupils and parents, particularly those in Years 7, 8 and 9 to join in again! We have put together a recommended reading list of two kinds...
The Bell Bookshop Recommended Reads
First is the recommended reads from The Bell Bookshop in Henley. Each term the Bell Bookshop provides us with a reading list, and they have agreed to publish our best pupil reviews of their recommendations in their shop window. This is also a way for pupils to earn valuable enrichment points for their termly awards. Click on the link below to read December's recommended reads.
The Bell Bookshop Top Five Recommendations
Shiplake Staff Recommended Reads
For more advanced, or older readers, if none of The Bell’s books take your fancy, then we are pleased to provide the Shiplake staff 'best reads', compiled of some of our teachers' favourite all time books, and their best reads of this year (as illustrated in the video below!).
Reader/parental discretion is advised however, some of our teachers like an easy read, some a classic, some an intellectual tome, and others a FRIGHT! Reading one of these books will give pupils an insight into their teachers' interests and they will host a drop in where you can share your views on the book; another great way to enrich the curriculum and foster a love of reading.
Shiplake Staff Recommended Reads
Book Donations
We would also like to invite you to flood us with books! We are always looking to develop our library, and to reuse and recycle! So, if you have any books of a reasonable condition you are thinking of parting ways with (particularly the classics, reference books, and those aimed at readers between 11-18 years of age), then please send your child back with them in the new year.
So, please join us in creating a Jolabokaflod in the Shiplake Community this Christmas!
