Our Year 7 and 8 Book Group were excited to take part in the 2025 Warwickshire Secondary Book Award. Run by the Warwickshire Schools Library Service (WSLS), this annual event is always a highlight for Kingsley students, and this year was no exception!
The Warwickshire Secondary Book Award brings together students from across the county to celebrate the joy of reading. Each year, the dedicated library team at WSLS carefully selects a shortlist of six books, offering a diverse mix of styles and subjects. The best part? The winner is decided entirely by the students, making it a fun and engaging event for all involved.
Our students thoroughly enjoyed reading the shortlisted books and voting for their favourites. This year’s titles were ‘Kofi and the Rap Battle Summer’ by Jeffrey Boakye, ‘I Am Wolf’ by Alastair Chisholm, ‘Bringing Back Kay-Kay’ by Dev Kothari, ‘The Wrong Shoes’ by Tom Percival, ‘Quiet Storm’ by Kimberley Whittam and ‘Bite Risk’ by S. J. Wills. The varied shortlist encouraged students to step outside their usual reading preferences and explore new genres and themes. After all, discovering a book you didn’t expect to enjoy is one of the many joys of being part of a book group!
On Wednesday 2 April, 24 schools from across Warwickshire gathered for the Final Award Ceremony at King’s High School. The event featured speeches from the authors, who shared insights into their work and answered questions from the eager audience. One of the authors, Dev Kothari, shared a particularly inspiring story about her journey with books. Growing up in a small village in India, she had limited access to books, with little variety available. Upon moving to the UK as an adult, she discovered public libraries, which she described as “paradise” – vast spaces filled with books, available to everyone and completely free! Her experience is a powerful reminder of what a gift our libraries are – one we often take for granted. It was an inspiring moment for everyone in the audience.
Following the ceremony, students had the chance to meet the authors, ask them questions, get their autographs and take photos. Reflecting on the experience, Ms Tudway, who runs the book group, said: “Our students were so enthusiastic about this year’s book selection. It was fantastic to see them discussing the themes and characters with surprising maturity and insight. The variety of genres allowed them to explore different styles of writing, and many discovered new favourites they wouldn’t have considered before. It was truly a rewarding experience for everyone involved, and meeting the authors was inspiring for all of us!”
Book Group member and Year 7 student Bea shared: “‘Bite Risk’ was an amazing read, full of twists and turns! It kept me on the edge of my seat!” Fellow Year 7 student Elsie reflected: “Taking part in the Warwickshire Secondary Book Award forced me to enjoy, and get back into, reading. ‘Kofi’ was my favourite book because it was exciting. I can’t wait to do it again next year!” Olivia (also in Year 7) described the Final Award Ceremony as “entertaining” and “fun”!
A big thank you to the Warwickshire Schools Library Service for organising such a fantastic event and to our enthusiastic students for making this year’s participation such a success. Also, congratulations to Zara in Year 7, who won the student art competition!