School Library
‘Reading is the gateway for children that makes all other learning possible’.
Fostering a profound love of reading sits at the heart of everything that we do at Tower House! Placing reading at the centre of our teaching builds confident readers from a young age, empowering our boys to succeed academically, think critically, express themselves effectively and enjoy exploring the world around them.
The THS library is a calm, bright and enriching oasis, where boys can enjoy and gain inspiration from our extensive selection of both fiction and non-fiction. Our Librarian works closely with teachers and boys to best support their reading, by helping each boy in their book choices, encouraging reluctant readers through appropriate alternative material and ensuring available books are appealing and exciting to the boys and their interests.
The Bookmark Club
From Reception, everyone at Tower House is in The Bookmark Club! We make time every day to ensure the boys can read for pleasure and experience the simple joy of being lost in a book. Regular D.E.A.R (Drop Everything and Read) sessions occur throughout the school and we encourage opportunities for paired reading, time for Senior School boys to read with our younger boys from the Junior School.
Weekly reading classes are held in the library for all boys from Reception to Year 4 and each boy regularly reads to either our Head, Mr Lunnon or Deputy Head, Mr Peyton. Each week the boys also sit and listen to a new text alongside their friends.
We encourage the boys to write reviews on the latest books they have been reading and to share these with the rest of the school. A compilation of the latest recommendations can be found here:
We also organise popular events and activities throughout the year:
THS Author in Residence
Our 2023 – 2024 Author in Residence is Sam Sedgman, writer of bestselling children’s series ‘Adventures on Trains’, including ‘The Highland Falcon Thief’ and ‘Murder on the Safari Star’. Sam has delivered fun and inspiring writing workshops to our pupils in both the Junior and Senior school, helping the boys harness their creativity and learn how to get their amazing ideas effectively down on paper!
Annual Book Week
The Tower House Book Week is held annually in November. Organised by the English Dept and the Library, with a different theme each year, the boys are treated to a week of engaging and entertaining activities from author visits to writing competitions and poetry challenges. The fun culminates in a dressing-up day where the boys and staff relish coming to school as their favourite characters from the literary world.
Book of the Week
Each week, two boys volunteer to select a new Book of the Week and write a personal review. These are published in the weekly Newsletter and also displayed in both the Senior School and the Junior School. A special display is in the library where the chosen books can be found.
Reading Challenges
During the course of the school year a number of Reading Challenges take place across the school. In the Junior School, the Holiday Reading Challenges encourage the boys to complete as many wonderful books as possible, with awards in school assemblies. The Senior School have a range of competitions, during both holidays and term time.
Reading Lists
Click on each Year Group to see some exciting reading lists for your son to gather inspiration. Feel free to explore the lists in the year above and below depending on his ability and interests.
For any Library questions, please contact Mrs Faith Maxwell (maxwell@thsboys.org.uk).