Lucas Maxwell, Library Manager at Glenthorne High School in Sutton, is full of ingenious ideas for engaging students with the school library – which hosts everything from a thriving manga club, to lunchtime open mic sessions for students.
And this school year, Lucas has big plans for his Year 7 and 8 students with Bookbuzz Secondary, BookTrust’s programme for secondary schools that lets students choose and keep a book they’ll love from a collection of 16 expertly selected new titles.
“Bookbuzz Secondary is perfect for a library induction session,” he says. “This year, we plan to turn the library into an escape room, using the Bookbuzz Secondary books.
“Students will work together to complete timed challenges to find each Bookbuzz Secondary book around the library – and each book will have a riddle tucked inside it.
“At the end, they’ll get to choose which book they want to take home and keep. It means students are learning how to use the library (how the books are organised, how to use the reservation service) and also learning about each of the Bookbuzz Secondary books.”
Books that feel relevant and inspire empathy
Lucas has also been part of the Bookbuzz Secondary selection panel, which is made up of teachers and school librarians. Each year, the panel decides which new titles will be part of the 16 Bookbuzz Secondary books for students to choose from.
“Growing up, I didn’t read voices that felt like mine, as an autistic person,” he says. “Now, we have neurodiverse authors like Elle McNicoll, and this huge sea of different voices and backgrounds.
“Being on the Bookbuzz Secondary selection panel, we have the chance to choose books that bring different voices to students. We want them to see themselves and other perspectives. Bookbuzz Secondary introduces students to important literature that can help build empathy.”
The wellbeing benefits of book ownership
For Lucas, Bookbuzz Secondary highlights the importance of book ownership, and the benefits of reading for pleasure that are often overlooked.
“For some of our students, book ownership is 100% new to them,” says Lucas. “Being able to take a book home and keep it can really support their wellbeing.
“Evidence shows reading for pleasure can lower your heart rate, reduce depression and anxiety, and help improve sleep.
“I’m constantly talking to students about the impact of reading 20 minutes a day instead of scrolling, and the positive impact it can have on their brains.”
How Bookbuzz Secondary inspired a school author visit
Lucas takes time to connect with as many Bookbuzz Secondary authors as he can – and has arranged for a school author visit from Nathanael Lessore, author of Steady For This, which was part of Bookbuzz Secondary and has become one of the library’s most borrowed books.
“When Nathanael visits, some Year 9 students will interview him for our student podcast,” says Lucas. “To add to the buzz, I also visited Year 7 and 8 assemblies and read out the scene from Steady For This where Sean gets embarrassed by his mom (it’s cringe and super hilarious). The following break time, students came straight to the library to get their hands on the book.”
Lucas adds: “The book also touches on hard topics like bullying, mental health, online bullying.
“In library lessons, when we’re talking through the plot, I’ll say to students: ‘You may experience some of this in your life, but these books can help you process what you’re feeling.’ The idea is that they’ll think: ‘Oh, I’m not alone.’
“I truly believe reading for pleasure on a daily basis can change the way students think. Especially with some of the Bookbuzz Secondary books that deal with topics that are weighing on their minds. That’s why it’s so important they have access to a diversity of books that touch on these topics.”
