Teacher ReadsMr Henderson (Librarian)

Last book read: ‘Stonemouth’ by Iain Banks “A recent novel from the late, great Scottish author. A recurring theme in Bank’s novels: a young man returning to his home or family to face up to the wreckage of his past. Entertaining, strong plot and engaging characters. Banks at his best.”

Favourite book as a teenager: ‘Slaughterhouse Five’ by Kurt Vonnegut

“A satirical novel based on the author’s World War II experiences and mixed with elements of time-travel and alien abduction. This short novel has more going on than most 700+ page books and successfully blurs the line between fact and fiction.”

Teacher ReadsMs Tanner (Art, Des. & Tech.)

Last book read: ‘I’ve got your number’ by Sophie Kinsella “A great easy read about an engaged girl who loses her ring, her phone and herself.”

Favourite book as a teenager: ‘When Hitler stole Pink Rabbit’ by Judith Kerr “An exciting way to learn a little about World War II; it is funny and full of adventure, different from the normal doom and gloom.”

Teacher ReadsMr MacGregor (Depute Head)

Last book read: ‘Calling the shots’ by Michael Vaughan

“This is a review of the 2005 Cricket Ashes series told by the England captain of the time. I really enjoyed the book as it captured how phenomenal a series 2005 was.”

Favourite book as a teenager: ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’ by Thomas Hardy “I enjoyed reading this book as a teenager- it had a good plot. The start of each chapter was a bit dry as it described in great detail the location of the story but once you got past that it was a compelling read.”

Teacher ReadsMr Paul (Depute Head)

Last book read: ‘Stasiland’ by Anna Funder “The story of the East German police- you couldn’t make it up.”

Favourite book as a teenager: ‘Catch 22’ by Joseph Heller “Thought provoking - funny - stupid - incredibly sad. This book has it all and was really well written. The stupidity and greed of war.”

Teacher ReadsMr Hughes-Hallett (Art, Des. & Tech.)

Last book read: ‘Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire’ by Jim Cymbala

“A Non-Fiction book about the Brooklyn tabernacle church in New York City. An exciting book about God working in people’s lives.”

Favourite book as a teenager: ‘Survive the savage sea’ by Dougal Robertson “A Non-Fiction book about a family who are ship-wrecked in the Pacific Ocean. An amazing survival story.”

Teacher ReadsMr Morrison (English)

Last book read: ‘Christie Malry’s own double entry’

by B.S. Johnson “A disgruntled accountant looks to take revenge, first on the firm that he works for and then on the human race itself. A funny and dark little tale with a satisfying twist at the end.”

Favourite book as a teenager: ‘The Hitch-hiker’s guide to the galaxy’

by Douglas Adams “On a small blue planet orbiting an unregarded yellow sun, Douglas Adams imagined extraordinary people and even more extraordinary things, some of which were also people.”

Teacher ReadsMs Watson (English)

Last book read: ‘The Casual Vacancy’ by J.K. Rowling “This is a clear attempt by Rowling to establish herself as more than a ‘lucky’ children’s writer. And she is. Real and fascinating characters that struggle with modern issues in a dysfunctional environment.”

Favourite book as a teenager: Anything by Robin Jarvis “Jarvis introduced me to Teen Fantasy and Horror, sometimes in realistic modern settings and sometimes with a historical backdrop. I loved the characters, the imagery and always the clever interwoven plots. A much underrated writer for young teenagers.”

                                             

Teacher ReadsMrs Leishman (Geography)

Last book read: ‘Jack Reacher’ series by Lee Child “Hooked on the series, loving the formula.”

Favourite book as a teenager: ‘Little Women’ by Louise May Alcott (and anything by Judy Blume)“Little Woman’ is a great book about family life in the 19 th Century. Judy Blume really understood being a teenager.”

                                             

Teacher ReadsMr Marandola (History)

Last book read: ‘Extreme rambling’ by Mark Thomas “Walking Israel’s separation barrier. For fun. Mark Thomas walks the whole length of the wall giving an excellent insight into life across and around the wall on the Israel/ Palestine border. A good background on the topic as well as a readable humorous journal.”

Favourite book as a teenager: ‘Treasure Island’ by R.L. Stevenson “Pirates, buried treasure, sea voyages to faraway exotic places and a boy hero: the ingredients for a classic children’s novel.”

                                             

Teacher ReadsMrs Taylor (Guidance)

Last book read: ‘The Orlando File’ by Ian Irvine “A Crime thriller with an interesting and scary theory. Bit drawn out and long, predictable ending.”

Favourite book as a teenager: ‘The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, aged 13 ¾’

by Sue Townsend “Very humorous, liked the diary style, true to teen life.”

                                             

Teacher ReadsMs Jones (Geography)

Last book read: ‘A Long Walk to Freedom’ by Nelson Mandela“Very long- still reading it!”

Favourite book as a teenager: ‘Harry Potter’ Series by J.K. Rowling “Totally addictive! I camped outside Blackwells for the 5th book to be released at midnight!”

                                             

Teacher ReadsMr Wilson (P.E.)

Last book read: ‘Waiting for Robert Capa’ by Susana Fortes and ‘My Friend Dahmer’ by Derf Backderf “Capa- not so into the love story, but found the portrayal of the Spanish Civil War interesting and learning about these two world-renowned photographers. My Friend Dahmer, a graphic novel, great quick read, memoir of a friend’s High school memories of the serial killer.”

Favourite book as a teenager: ‘Of mice and men’ by John Steinbeck “Tragic and brilliant tale of friendship and prejudices- set in the US during the 1930s depression. One everyone should read at least once.”

                                             

Teacher ReadsMrs Duncan (Depute Head)

Last book read: ‘The Kashmir Shawl’ by Rosie Thomas “Loved the historical information and especially about the hardships faced by the people in the Pashmina industry. Made me want to visit Kashmir. A really good story.”

Favourite book as a teenager: ‘Tanamera’ by Noel Barber “A great story about the fall of Singapore- loved all the detail about Raffles Hotel- again, made me want to visit Singapore. Read it again in my Twenties.”

                                             

Teacher ReadsMs McPherson (Drama & Music)

Last book read: ‘Under the dome’ by Stephen King “Excellent book with good characters and a gripping storyline. Really enjoyed it.”

Favourite book as a teenager: ‘Go ask Alice’ by Beatrice Sparks“The diary of a teenage girl who starts taking drugs. I thought it was very well written and scared me off drugs for life! A very sad, moving and thought-provoking story.”

                                             

Teacher ReadsMrs Lam (Learning Support)

Last book read: ‘Standing in another man’s grave’ by Ian Rankin“An easy read! Good to be back with Rebus, Clarke and co. Same good subplots, e.g. Rebus in the sights of the complaints department and local gangsters.”

Favourite book as a teenager: ‘Scots Quair’ by Lewis Grassic Gibbon “Great descriptions of the countryside, some characters are a bit scary for young readers.”

                                             

Teacher ReadsMs Stormonth (Languages)

Last book read: ‘Herzenstimmen’ (in German) by Jan-Philipp Sendker.“Follow-up to ‘The Art of hearing heartbeats’. Lyrical, unusual, touching story set in Burma. Stays in the mind long after you have finished it. A ‘word-of-mouth’ climber up the charts!”

Favourite book as a teenager: ‘Pride and Prejudice’ by Jane Austen “I still re-read it regularly and always find something new to appreciate.”

                                             

Teacher ReadsMs Gardener (Drama & Music)

Last book read: ‘An Actor prepares’ by Constantin Stanislavski “The first part of Stanislavski’s ‘Guide to Acting’ known as ‘The System’. An essential read for aspiring actors.”

Favourite book as a teenager: ‘Born Free’ by Joy Adamson“The true story of Elsa the lioness cub. Due to the death of her mother, Elsa was brought up in captivity but her carers want her to be released back into the wild.”

                                             

Teacher ReadsMs Taylor (Geography)

Last book read: ‘Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Café’

by Fannie Flagg“A feel-good novel set in the deep south of America. Really enjoyable with an exciting storyline.”

Favourite book as a teenager: ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee “Exciting but sad novel about racism in 1930s America. Brilliant!”

                                             

Teacher ReadsMs Collins (Science)

Last book read: ‘One Shot’ by Lee Child “Fantastic plot with plenty of twists and turns, much better than the recent film version- ‘Jack Reacher’ starring Tom Cruise.”

Favourite book as a teenager: ‘Unaccompanied Sonata and other stories’

by Orson Scott Card “A range of short stories with thought-provoking Science-Fiction/ Fantasy themes. I actually studied two of these stories for my Higher English.”

                                             

Teacher ReadsMr Tyldesley (Maths)

Last book read: ‘East of Eden’ by John Steinbeck “A historical saga with a couple of unbelievable characters but quite engaging all the same.”

Favourite book as a teenager: ‘Day of the Jackal’ by Frederick Forsyth “A Good Caper.”

                                             

Teacher ReadsMrs McIntyre (Head Teacher)

Last newspaper read: ‘Saturday Guardian’“I do not often get time to read novels but I read three newspapers every day. The articles in the Guardian are beautifully written and cover a huge range of topics.”

Favourite book as a teenager: ‘Tonio Kröger’ by Thomas Mann“Read in German, Mann’s novella talked about a boy from a different culture growing up in Germany. His famous quote is: I stand between two worlds. I am at home in neither, and I suffer in consequence.”

                                             

Teacher ReadsMs Gavin (English)

Last book read: ‘The Long War’

by Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter“Interesting idea, a bit slow paced.”

Favourite book as a teenager: ‘Interview with the Vampire’ by Anne Rice“Much better than the film- a more adult vampire story.”

                                             

Teacher ReadsMrs Love (English)

Last book read: ‘The Lady Elizabeth’ by Alison Weir“A fictional portrait of the tumultuous early life of Queen Elizabeth I.”

Favourite book as a teenager: ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee“Racism in the Deep South of America.”

                                             

Teacher ReadsMr Stuart (Drama)

Last book read: ‘With Axe and Bible: The Scottish Pioneers of New Brunswick’

by Lucille H. Campey“Historical narrative of the Scottish pioneers who settled in New Brunswick.”

Favourite book as a teenager: ‘The Lord of the Rings’ by J.R.R. Tolkien“Later made into a film trilogy; the book has a lot more detail and mythology covered.”

                                             

Teacher ReadsMr Burns (Art, Des. & Tech.)

Last book read: ‘Game of Thrones’ by George R.R. Martin“Good if you like Fantasy adventures about dragons and wars.”

Favourite book as a teenager: ‘Miracle Strain’ by Michael Cordy“Sci-Fi murder mystery about the conflict between science and religion and how they go together.”

                                             

Teacher ReadsMr Robertson (Hist. & Mod. Studies)

Last book read: ‘The Perks of being a wallflower’

by Stephen Chbosky “Enjoyable coming-of-age tale in the tradition of ‘Catcher in the Rye’.”

Favourite book as a teenager: ‘The Door into Summer’ by Robert A. Heinlein“A quirky tale on Time Travel tropes.”

                                             

Teacher ReadsMrs Benzahia (EAL)

Last book read: ‘And the mountains echoed’ by Khaled Hosseini“Very Good.”

Favourite book as a teenager: ‘The Secret Garden’ by Frances Hodgson Burnett

                                             

Teacher ReadsMs Gray (Business Studies)

Last book read: ‘Warbreaker’ by Brandon Sanderson“Brilliant!”

Favourite book as a teenager: ‘Lord of the Rings’ by J.R.R. Tolkien