🎉 The 2026 #ReadForEmpathy collection is here! Celebrating 10 years with 65 diverse, brilliant books for ages 3–16+, curated to reflect our world and spark meaningful conversations during the National Year of Reading. 📖 Download our free guides (link in bio) 🗓️ Join our FREE webinar: 12 Feb, 4pm

It’s February, which means we have our first theme for the #NationalYearOfReading! This month we’re inviting you to #GoAllIn on… comics! Check out the Excelsior Award shortlist our Author Spotlight (@ryannorth.ca), Books of the Month, and loads more brilliant comics and manga in the library now!

Season's Greetings 🎄

Wishing everyone in our community a happy #Hanukkah! May your holiday be one of peace, love, and light in dark times.

As part of #STEM Fortnight at KLS, we have a brand new collection of pop-up books! These have been purchased to support students from Y7 through to A Level who are studying paper engineering and pop-up design as part of their Technology lessons. Also, because they’re fun!

After much kind support from our finance department, IT team, and the wonderful Mr Hashman, we are now able to accept card payments in the Library Shop!

Pride Champions meetings will resume after half term!

Happy #Diwali to all who celebrate! 🪔

Today is Wear Red Day! As well as wearing red today, we have a selection of relevant anti-racism books on display in the library, both for lower school and Sixth Form. #WRD25

Library Leader applications are now open! Pick up an application form from the library this week if you're interested in joining our brilliant team of student assistants.

Thank you all for visiting us tonight at Open Evening! We had over 1500 people through the door, and answered over 500 questions! In parting, Olivia, one of our Library Leaders wanted to share this message with our visitors:

Our #BooksOfTheMonth for October are Black History for Every Day of the Year by David Olusoga and family, Dance of Resistance by Catherine Johnson, Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, and DK’s Digital Photography Complete Course.

Take part in our Big Holiday Read! Grab a colouring sheet from the library desk, and as you conquer reading challenges over the summer break, you can colour them in. Return your sheets in September to share what you’ve enjoyed most (and get recognition points!) c/o Literacy Shed 😊

The brilliant KLS U-15 Girls Football team have made it to the national final! We will be livestreaming the game - come to the library from 1pm at lunch time tomorrow to watch and cheer!

It’s #DisabilityPrideMonth! We have a small but growing collection of books sharing the experiences of disabled people, especially young people, and are always looking for more. To see our full collection, just search for ‘disability’ on our library catalogue, or speak to Ms Hill

Mrs Butt, Ms Hill, and our Carnegie Shadowing Group are reading Glasgow Boys by Margaret McDonald @faberchildrens.bsky.social - one of this year's brilliant shortlisted titles for the @carnegiemedals.bsky.social‬ Next up: what will Mayfield School #ReadWithPride tomorrow?  @ReadWithPrideUK 🏳️‍🌈

This week we enjoyed another lovely visit to St Lauras care home! Thank you as always to Eme, Angela and the rest of the team there for making us feel so welcome.

Our #BooksOfTheMonth for June are Kiki's Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono, Glasgow Boys by @margaretmcdonald.bsky.social‬, Little Bang by @kellymccaughrain.bsky.social, and the collected poems of Nikki Giovanni. All are available to borrow from the library now!

Last call for entries for the Library category at this year's #STEM Fair! Design a themed display for the library, and you could be the first person to win our brand new trophy!

We are thrilled to share that Catherine Johnson, a fantastic author of historical fiction, will be visiting us later this month. This will be our first author visit since 2019, so we are very excited!

If you’re from a Romany Gypsy, Traveller, or Roma background, we want you to know that you’re always welcome in the library. This #GRTHM25, we’re sharing some of our books that celebrate the colourful histories of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.

Do you have a visual impairment? Do you want more access to books and reading? As part of #HiVis2025, we're celebrating the resources we have available to help! Speak to (or email) Ms Hill if you'd like to know more about our services, including @rnib ebooks, audio and large print.

Happy #Pride Month! One of our Pride Champions has made two fabulous displays to showcase our LGBTQ+ collections in the library - one for KS3/4 and one for Sixth Form🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🥳

For #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek, library volunteer Ella has made a lovely display to show some of our books about mental health, wellbeing, and share resources from The Mental Health Foundation

To commemorate #VEDay80, several KLS Library Leaders and members of History Club were invited to participate in an exchange of letters with a World War Two veteran, Joyce Goulbourn. Their letters were recorded and broadcast on BBC Three Counties Radio - a great experience for all involved!

Library Leaders, we love you! Today we said congratulations to students who have earned their Bronze and Silver badges, and a fond farewell and good luck to our leavers in Year 11 and Year 13! 💖

Happy #NationalHedgerowWeek! 🍃

Students enjoyed another visit to St Laura's care home this week, using their empathy skills to spend an afternoon sharing stories and chatting with residents in the library room.

Happy #Holi! Risha, one of our Year 7 Library Leaders, helped with putting together this display to celebrate the Hindu festival of colours, love, and Spring.

Revealing the shortlist for the 2025 Carnegie Medal for Illustration! 🏅 These fabulous books transmit stories in ways that words alone cannot. 🎨✨ Congratulations to the brilliant shortlisted illustrators! #Carnegies2025 🎉 Explore the full list here: 🔗 carnegies.co.uk/illustration...

📣 Announcing the shortlist for the 2025 Carnegie Medal for Writing! With a focus on marginalised perspectives, these books highlight diversity and empathy ✨✍️ Congratulations to the exceptional authors shortlisted for the #Carnegies2025! 🏅 Delve into the books here: 🔗 carnegies.co.uk/writing-shor...

For #BritishScienceWeek, we’ll be asking a different science-based question every day! All based on this year’s theme of change and adaptation 🧫🧪🧬🦠

Our Books of the Month for March! Key Stage 3: Weirdo by Tony Weaver Jr & @jesncin Key Stage 4: Stand Up, Ferran Burke by Steven Camden Sixth Form Non-Fiction: The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean Sixth Form Fiction: Butter by Asako Yuzuki

Happy #WorldBookDay! 📚 Here's our lineup for today at KLS:

We are looking forward to seeing everyone at the KLS Community Iftar! Thursday 13th March, 5pm to 7pm. Tickets are available from Mrs Butt, first come first served, at £5 per head (£2.50 for under-5s)

We are delighted to share the longlist for the 2025 Carnegie Medal for Writing! 🏅🖋️ Highlighting empathy and diversity, these 19 works range from gripping dystopian adventures to stories about navigating grief and self-esteem. ✍️💫 #Carnegies2025 carnegies.co.uk/2025-longlis...

Announcing the longlist for the Carnegie Medal for Illustration 2025!🏅🎨 Featuring vibrant colours and innovative mediums, these 16 works delightfully portray themes like caring for nature and the power of reading. 📚🌟 #Carnegies2025 carnegies.co.uk/2025-longlis...

It is finally time! We are excited to reveal the longlists for the 2025 Carnegie Medals for Writing and Illustration. 🎉 Congratulations to the wonderful authors and illustrators longlisted for the #Carnegies2025! 🖌️📖✨ View the full list here: carnegies.co.uk/2025-longlis...

The spectacular shortlist for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2025 is here! 🥳 Chosen by booksellers across the country, there's magic on every page, whatever their age. Discover the amazing shortlisted authors and illustrators here: bit.ly/3w9ZuZb #WCBP25

Our Books of the Month for February are available now! Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhhà Lại, Channel Fear by Lisa Richardson, A Fire Story by Brian Fies, and Orbital by Samantha Harvey.

Happy Lunar New Year! 🧧🎊🎇

'Announced on Holocaust Memorial Day, the Wiener Holocaust Library’s new online platform includes more than 150,000 items collected over nine decades. Users can view letters, pamphlets and photographs that record the rise of fascism in Britain and Europe.' Link: www.whlcollections.org/index/

We’re pleased to share the 2024 @alcs-uk.bsky.social Educational Writers’ Award shortlist. The winners will be announced at a ceremony at Goldsmiths’ Centre in London on 20 February, with the winning author and designer/illustrator sharing a £2,000 prize.

Craft Club starts in the library tomorrow at lunch time! Some materials will be supplied, but students are welcome to bring their own ongoing projects. Our aim is to create a friendly, sociable group where everybody can do something they enjoy - knitting, drawing, sewing, origami, collage, etc. 🙂

#Books of the Month for January!

It was wonderful to renew our links with St Laura’s care home this week, taking students on a visit there to read and chat with residents, then welcoming the residents to school for the KLS Christmas concert! Students, staff and residents all had a lovely day 🧑‍🎄

Congratulations to everyone who took part in last night’s amazing Christmas concert! You nailed it 💖

In the bottom drawer of the new Sensory Station, you will also find a stash of sanitary items. If you’ve been caught out by your period or just need some extra supplies, help yourself from here 😘

With a huge thank you to everyone who made donations or suggestions, and to the Friends of Kings Langley School, our #Sensory Station is now entirely up and running! We now have a huge selection of items designed to help students with self-regulation in the library. Enjoy! 💛💚💙 #GreatSchoolLibraries

My cartoon for this week’s Guardian Books.