On Wednesday evening the first of our Parent Library events took place. Parents and carers of Year 7 students gathered in the College library to talk about books and the power and critical importance of reading. Over fifty people perused the popular novels purchased by the College for the occasion, along with the huge number of pre-loved books supplied by the Mount Carmel community. Over two hundred books found new homes on this one evening. As I walked around the library, I could hear warm and vibrant conversations between parents, grandparents, aunts, and English teachers. And from the discussions that took place in the staffroom the following day, the energy of the encounters and the richness of the relationships forged, made the event quite memorable.

This Parent Library initiative is part of the Mount Carmel Home-School Literacy Partnership program – a program which invites and supports parent engagement in the education of their children in order to improve the learning and wellbeing outcomes for all of our young people. This rich collaboration between home and school is already seeing positive and beneficial outcomes for students, parents, and teachers. We intend holding more of these Parent Library events and opening them up to parents of students from Years 7 – 12.

Below is the list of novels purchased for parent borrowing. If any parent would like to borrow these texts, they can do so by contacting our librarian, Mr Greg Lozelle. These books can be on loan for the duration of the term.

Chinese Cinderella – Adeline Yen Mah

I am Malala – Christina Lamb and Malala Yousafzai

The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – C.S. Lewis

A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas – John Boyne

Animal Farm – George Orwell

Once – Morris Gleitzman

The Silver Sword – Ian Serraillier

Hatchet – Gary Paulsen

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – J.K. Rowling

The Diary of a Young Girl – Anne Frank

Tomorrow When the War Began – John Marsden

To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee