What You Need To Know About AI: A Beginner’s Guide To What The Future Holds by Brian David Johnson
Artificial Intelligence is a bit of a big topic at the minute. A couple of years ago it was just a villain in science fiction, but now it seems like evil sentient robots are here and ready to take over the working world… and do your homework for you. For a lot of people it’s a scary topic because it’s something we see and hear about in the news and online but don’t understand what AI is. Is it really going to take over the world? Or is it actually going to help us achieve some really cool things? Well, artificial intelligence expert Brian David Johnson is on hand to help with his book, aimed at younger minds, What You Need To Know About AI. It’s a beginner’s guide to artificial intelligence, starting off with a very youth-friendly explanation of what it is (fortunately it is not a collection of sentient toasters looking to take over the world) and then dipping into what it can be used for and where it may help us in the future.
Reader-Friendly
As its title says, the guide helps you learn everything you need to know about AI, from how it helps us discover the epic stuff up in space or under the sea, to whether it will help you build your very own dinosaur, and why. It’s presented in short and easy bites of information, with some great little illustrations to go alongside. It’s not a big, long, boring essay full of words you won’t understand, but written in such a way that the understanding will come easily. You’ll probably understand things so well after reading it that you’ll be able to explain everything to somebody who’s never even touched a computer!
Over the course of the book, you’ll learn where AI came from, and how it’s already being used in the world of sport, space, medicine, animals and more. You will discover the amazing possibilities of AI, that might shape the future. Along the way, you’ll learn super cool facts, bust some myths, and gain a balanced and informed view on one of the the biggest topics of our time. Mixed in with it all is a message about how you can use AI positively and help engineer a better future. So if you or anyone you know is a little bit scared of what AI is, you can use this book to put those fears to rest!
Get Ahead Of The Trend
This book has been a great help to plenty of teachers across the world in understanding AI and is a great starting point for young, curious minds looking to the future and how the world might look when they’re older. It will be of great interest to those who might be thinking they want to work in computing or some other field of Science and technology when they’re older. AI will certainly play a an ever-increasing role within those sectors.
And no, artificial intelligence didn’t write this to try and fool you all. Prove it, you say? Chicken nuggets, Spider-Man. A robot wouldn’t write something daft like that now, would it?
If you are interested in studying a Science subject, English or English Literature, Oxford Home Schooling offers the chance to do so at a variety of levels, listed below. You can also Contact Us for further details by clicking on this link.
Now we’re properly into spring, there is only one thing for it: I need to write about Japanese cherry blossom. It isn’t just that cherry blossom is a Japanese thing – after all, we see it all over the UK, its pretty pink and white petals covering gardens and parks. But, in Japan, the season is known as Sakura. From March through to May, people gather in different places to marvel at the beauty of what cherry trees can offer. In fact, people travel far and wide in Japan (and beyond) to follow the cherry blossom season. It is so stunningly beautiful it is easy to see why.
Locals and visitors who are fortunate enough to experience Hanami (the ability of enjoying the fleeting beauty of blossom) will travel to different places to see with their own eyes the way nature changes. The season does not last long – after a week or so, a lot of the blossom falls to the ground and the trees are less colourful. Interestingly, cherry blossom symbolises human life, transience and nobility. People love it so much that they often hold parties to celebrate the offerings that nature provides.
Inspiration For Haiku
You may not know that the haiku, a very short Japanese poem, traditionally consisting of a total of 17 syllables, with 5 in the first line, 7 in the second and 5 in the third, is usually focused on nature. This form of poetry is particularly well-known for focusing on the seasons. It is fascinating to think that haiku has been a popular form of poetry since the 9th century! Bear in mind, though, that many translations from Japanese into English do not seem to follow the 5-7-5 rule due to the languages having quite different sounds. If you would like to to read some great examples of the traditional Japanese haiku, Basho Matsuo is a particularly famous writer of them. One example of his work is given below, capturing the essence of the cherry blossom season perfectly:
A lovely spring night
suddenly vanished while we
viewed cherry blossoms
(Source: https://theculturetrip.com/asia/japan/articles/haiku-poetry-about-japans-cherry-blossoms)
So, if you are looking for something to write as the evenings get brighter and longer, maybe have a go at haiku. And if you are interested in the wonderful cherry blossom season in Japan, perhaps you could write about that.
If you are interested in studying English Language or English Literature, Oxford Home Schooling offers you the chance to do so at a variety of levels, listed below. You can also Contact Us here.
Show Don’t Tell is a technique used in pretty much every form of creative writing. It is a skill that once mastered will take your writing to the next level. It’s a way of allowing your readers to experience your writing through actions, thoughts, feelings and the five senses, as opposed to just rambling off a lengthy and unengaging factual explanation. People read fiction to get away from the real world and to experience something different. This is commonly known as escapism, when you want to get away from the humdrum of school and work and have a much more entertaining time in Middle Earth or on some futuristic space station. Good writers show these details through actions, thoughts and feelings in order to make their stories more engaging. Read on to find out just how they (and you) can do that.
Of course, Show don’t Tell is not a tool that needs to be used all the time, there are plenty of occasions to simply tell, such as long passages of time. It’s hard to show that without clogging up the word count and slowing down the pace of your story. So how do you show instead of tell? Here are three key aspects of storytelling and how best to demonstrate them: emotions, dialogue and setting.
Showing Emotions
When someone is mad at you they don’t usually say, “Oh, I’m really angry at you now,” because that would be telling. So how do you know that they’re mad? You see the signs—not in what they say but how they say it and the change in their body language. Their eyes might narrow, their lips may thin or their jaw clench. Their voice may take on a different, colder, or harsher tone, they may raise their voice. Their hands may close into fists, their posture might suddenly stiffen. These are all signs that somebody’s angry—all different ways that you can show it. People don’t go around announcing their emotions to people in real life, we learn to notice these signs, so if in your narrative you write that Susan was really sad, the reader isn’t engaged because there’s nothing to make their brain work. However, if you say that Susan’s bottom lip started to tremble, or that she had to blink away tears, your reader can infer from that information that she’s sad. It doesn’t sound like much but these are the little things that keep your audience engaged.
Dialogue
Yes, it can seem a little bit counter-intuitive to mention dialogue here, and you might be wondering how to show when a character is literally telling somebody something when they’re speaking.
Dialogue is one of the most effective ways to show something in a story, as it not only drives the plot forward but is a great tool for revealing character. The words we choose to say and how we say them speak volumes about us, so it is vitally important you think about the words that your characters will use.
One of the best examples of this is from the 1964 film Goldfinger. Secret agent James Bond is at the mercy of the villain, Goldfinger, when there is this wonderful exchange which on the surface looks like a terrible example of telling rather than showing:
Bond: Do you expect me to talk?
Goldfinger: No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!
Context is everything here. Bond is strapped to a table with a laser set to kill him and the villain seems to be simply stating what the audience is expecting to happen. But if you think about what the two of them are saying, it reveals what kind of people they are. Bond looks like he has no way out, and his words show that even faced with death he will not betray his country, will remain defiant, and appears to be every bit of the hero he’s been so far in the film. Goldfinger on the other hand, solidifies his presence as the villain as his choice of words shows his callous dispassion and nonchalance at the fact he is about to disintegrate another human being. Of course, your writing doesn’t need to be quite as dynamic and dramatic as this, but it just shows how much your audience can pick up from a couple of lines of dialogue, so don’t be afraid to use it!
You may wonder how can you make your characters stand out from each other. Think about the ways they talk. Think about the slang, contractions and vocabulary they might use and how they can give clues as to your character’s background and intelligence. For example, a school student will use certain slang words like ‘rizz’, which you wouldn’t likely hear from someone much older. Considerations like this are how you show (and don’t tell!) that your characters are unique and memorable.
Description and Setting
Instead of writing lengthy passages of description to ‘set the scene’, effective storytellers weave this description into the action of their stories. Not only are you showing the world but you’re also driving the story forward and not boring your readers with paragraphs about trees. For example…
Snow crunched underfoot.
What can you infer from this? That it’s snowing and therefore likely winter, as well as the fact that the characters are walking toward something. Little details like this go a long way and allow your readers to paint the rest of the picture. You don’t need to spell it out, just leave clues for the reader to piece the picture together.
All these things may sound simple, but as is often the way, it’s easier said than done. With practice, though, you’ll only become more adept. And the best way to supplement practice is to also read plenty, to see how other writers do it. Now go put some ‘rizz’ into that writing! See, sounds weird, doesn’t it?
If you are interested in studying English, Oxford Home Schooling offer the chance to do so at a number of levels, listed below. Click on one you may be interested in to find out more. You can also Contact Us via the link here.
The Enduring Appeal Of Hans Christian Andersen
You may well have heard of Hans Christian Andersen, the famous Danish writer who was born on 2nd April 1805. He was a prolific writer, one that we know – in particular – for writing many fairy tales. So why, over two hundred years after his birth, is he so well-remembered?
A Prolific Career
Hans Christian Andersen wrote 156 fairy tales (and more besides) – examples you will probably have heard of include ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’, ‘The Ugly Duckling’ and ‘The Little Mermaid’. Even today, in 2024, we know these stories. They are firmly ingrained in many people’s upbringings, whether through being read to as a child or through films we might have watched which are based on the stories. For many of us, our childhoods consisted of being read stories and we remember them well into adulthood.
An Influential Master
Interestingly, many more modern children’s stories may be based on, or influenced by, Hans Christian Andersen. The Wind in the Willows is one such example, the story of four riverbank friends beautifully told by Kenneth Grahame. Also, Winnie-the-Pooh, as well as stories by Beatrix Potter and Lewis Carroll, are said to have been inspired by Andersen’s work. What a lot of these have in common is talking animals – and bringing inanimate objects to life. Even very recent films like Toy Story, could be said to have been influenced by the Danish writer’s vivid imagination.
The writer’s legacy lives on, from the statue of the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen to another in New York’s Central Park – but this is of Andersen with the Ugly Duckling! Amazingly, in Shanghai, China, there is a $13 million theme park dedicated to his fairy tales. Andersen’s tales have been translated into more than 150 languages – so if this doesn’t make him a successful writer, I don’t know what does!
So, on 2nd April 2024, just after the Easter weekend, if you are sat munching your way through Easter eggs, you might want to dip into Hans Christian Andersen’s fantastical worlds. You never know where this might take you!
If you are interested in studying English Language or English Literature, Oxford Home Schooling offers you the chance to do so at a variety of levels, listed below. You can also Contact Us here.
Your reading list probably asks you for newest editions of novels and textbooks. If you own some older editions of these texts already, you might think; ‘why do I need to rebuy something I already own?’ It can be an annoying question, particularly for your parent or legal guardian. After all, it’s their money! Due to cost-of-living pressures, many parents are now spending less on books for their kids. If you have an older sibling, it’s even possible your parents were planning on passing their books down to you. Unfortunately, it’s a plan that’s unlikely to succeed. So, why do you need to purchase the newest editions of books that you may already own? Well, we’ve tried to provide a few different answers to that question for you below.
Presentation for Curriculum Requirements
Over the years, the curriculums have changed. Studying is a lot more learner-friendly than it used to be. Let’s use English literature as an example. Textbooks for the subject would often present quite rigorous, factual questions, very much looking for answers that were distinctly ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. However, things began to change in the mid-1990s.
Some of the textbooks for English literature test pupils quite differently today. Now, schoolkids and home learners alike are tested on more interpretative questions, ones where your reading of the text is more important. You’re allowed to argue your points, and so long as they’re well-structured, well-written, and well-reasoned points, they’re generally marked favourably. It might seem tempting to get an older textbook for a more affordable price, but you’ll also be subjecting yourself to a different mode of learning when it comes to English literature. One that’s incompatible with modern curriculums! That difference likely extends to several other subjects as well.
The Condition of the Book
You might agree that, generally, many people don’t treat their books very well. Instead of arranging them neatly on a shelf at home, some of these books might live in bags or under furniture for months at a time, folded and creased. Others might doodle in their books, spill drinks on the pages, or even playfully use them as weapons against friends. They can also be rudely vandalised for a laugh. So, publishers quite understandably think that passing these texts down and around isn’t always a good idea. Older editions are bound to carry a few ‘battle scars’.
So, if your reading lists ask you for a new edition of a text, it possibly means the person curating it may be trying to evade some of these common issues. It’s not a guarantee – new editions of a text are typically released every 3-4 years with most publishers. Still, the newest edition of a text is harder to buy or borrow second-hand. It all means your learning is less likely to be interrupted, and you can enjoy the reading precisely as intended.
Author Changes
Many authors publish their books and insist the first copy is the final copy. They can get quite touchy about it, believing their integrity and reputation as a writer is on the line.
Others take a more relaxed approach when it comes to making changes. It’s still quite rare they do so, but it does happen! For example, Stephen King rewrote the ending of his 1978 novel, ‘The Stand’, revising the ending once in 1990, and then again for the 2020 TV miniseries adaptation. You’re unlikely to read a Stephen King text for study before university, but the larger point here is that even high-calibre authors do make changes, sometimes. The changes aren’t typically small, either. They can be so large that they fundamentally alter the message and mood of a text. So, in buying the newest edition, you can be sure that you’re grappling with the most relevant copy of a fiction.
Textbooks Can be Wrong
It’s easy to think of study as memorising bulletproof facts. Empirical information is presented to you with great authority, and your learning is rightly taken quite seriously. However, it’s not just authors that might like to change things around. It’s also true that so-called ‘factual’ textbooks can be wrong. After all, even long held scientific understandings about the age of the universe can later be questioned or even outright disproved. The knowledge of the human race is pretty ‘far off’ sometimes, and that’s okay.
This doesn’t mean everything you’re reading is redundant. However, it does mean that buying the latest edition of a text means that you’re more likely to engage with information that is accurate, up-to-date, and has been revised and amended as many times as possible. It also teaches you a valuable a lesson, too; that the learning journey never ends. Professional scientists and scholars are always experimenting and updating their knowledge, presenting incorrect answers to eventually find the correct ones. Equipped with that understanding, you may approach your own learning more comfortably and confidently. It’s okay to be wrong sometimes!
Bonus Material
Newest editions of a text often come with bonus material to make a purchase more enticing for consumers. Some of these add-ons can benefit you during your home learning. You’ll likely know what an appendix is. It’s a section of nonessential writing at the end of an academic text. It’s bonus material, featuring anything from quick notes to scanned letters and maps. Sometimes these are updated for newer editions of books and provide unique insights into the text you’re reading. However, appendices in older editions are not always reprinted for newest editions. It may vary on a text-by-text basis!
Newer editions of a text may also feature better quality, brand-new, and more frequent illustrations, graphs, and other visual spectacles too. It may seem like a small thing, but these additions can break up an overwhelming wall of text and make it more engaging to engage with as a result.
So, there you have it. In reading the points above, we hope you’ve come to understand that newest editions of books bring you, as the reader, ‘closer’ to the text. You can more easily understand and relate to what’s written and the people who wrote it, which should benefit you greatly on your learning journey!
Oxford Home Schooling offer the chance to study a range of subjects at a number of levels. You can see which are available by scrolling to the top of our Home page here. You can also speak to an adviser to get more details. To find out how to Contact Us, click here.
The Breakfast Club Adventures by Marcus Rashford
You’ve probably heard of Marcus Rashford. Either for his heroics on the football pitch, inspiring millions of young people to get into the Beautiful Game, or for his tireless work for charities and those who are in need.
Rashford is a man of many talents, especially with a ball at his feet, but surprisingly, with the help of co-author Alex Falase-Koya, he’s pretty good with a pen as well. Not at his feet, in his hand of course! Written with children’s author Falase-Koya, it’s packed with tons of illustrations by Marta Kissi, making it the perfect book for children who may be a little bit reluctant to read. After the huge success of his You Are a Champion series, written to help show children how to dream big, believe in themselves and find their voices, Marcus has had a go at writing stories with his hit series The Breakfast Club Adventures.
What’s It All About?
As the story begins, there’s something fishy going on at Marcus’s school, and whether he likes it or not, the young lad is going to get to the bottom of it! When twelve-year-old Marcus kicks his favourite football over the school fence, he knows he’s never getting it back. Nothing that goes over that wall ever comes back. But when Marcus gets a mysterious note inviting him to join the Breakfast Club Investigators, he is soon pulled into an exciting adventure with his new mates Stacey, Lise and Asim to find out what is lurking on the other side of the fence – and get his football back!
Inspired by Marcus’s own experiences growing up, The Breakfast Club Adventures: The Beast Beyond the Fence will have you diving into an exciting and mysterious adventure full of fun-filled friendships and fantastical creatures as the Breakfast Club investigate weird goings on.
The Story Behind The Story
But why would Marcus Rashford choose, of all things, to write about a school breakfast club? Well, growing up in poverty, school was a big help to him, and a big source of inspiration for this story. Here’s what he had to say: ‘Breakfast Club guaranteed I had the best possible start to my day and welcomed me with open arms. It wasn’t just about food. It was about forming friendships, about togetherness, about escape. It was where some of my greatest memories were made. I want to capture that feeling in my book.’
But what about the story itself? Well, it’s nothing short of a brilliantly fun tale that manages to teach its readers a thing or two along the way. You’ll fall in love with Marcus and the rest of the quirky kids of the Breakfast Club, and you’ll be along for a ride full of twists and turns. Think Scooby-Doo, but with fewer dogs and more breakfast. And footballs.
The Breakfast Club Adventures depicts the kind of problems many young children face, and the story manages to talk about friendship, community and confidence—all without getting bogged down in boring bits. Marcus Rashford might as well try his hand at teaching! If there is one problem with the book, it’s that it’s too short! The story is only 150 pages long, and they fly by so fast that it’s a shame to reach the ending. But not to worry, there are three more in the series ready to read! And more on the way!
And yes, it’s still a great book even if you don’t support Manchester United!
If you would like to study English or English Literature, Oxford Home Schooling offer you the chance to do so at a variety of levels, listed below. You can also Contact Us via this link.
How It Will Help You
How often do you think about the words you use in life? Not very often, probably. But subconsciously, your lexis (the words you choose to use) will change on the kind of discourse (the people and topic) you are having. This will affect the semantics (the meaning of the words you use) and these are words you likely haven’t heard of. Feel free to look them up and add them to your internal thesaurus, they might come in handy one day.
In simple terms, in every conversation you have, you will subconsciously change the words you will use to fit the people you’re talking to and the things you’re talking about. You’ll speak very differently to your friends than you do to a teacher. The same goes for writing. Why is this important? Well, depending on how good your vocabulary is, you could well be limiting yourself to who you talk to and the kinds of conversations you have. There are well-documented links about how people with higher vocabularies tend to do better academically, socially and in their careers.
Your vocabulary is your word bank and it is well worth investing in.
Having a wider and more diverse set of words at your disposal will make you more confident, and there are links between the number of words people know and how successful they are academically and in their careers. It’ll boost your writing and communication skills, as well as your critical thinking. Think of it as boosting your intelligence and charisma stats. So if you want to sound more intelligent and articulate your thoughts better, give these strategies below a try. They don’t take much, but even incorporating just a couple into your daily routine will end up paying off for you in the long run.
Reading (Obviously)
Reading is the best way to get exposure to a wider range of words and phrases. Sampling a variety of genres, fiction and non-fiction, you’ll pick up plenty of new words to use. If you’re a reluctant reader, just focus on a story you’d enjoy at first, like the book your favourite TV show as based on, or the biography of a celebrity or personality you’re a fan of. Start off with as little as a page a day before you go to sleep. The habit will come. Time isn’t an excuse, you can even read while you’re on the loo.
Writing
You might think this an odd one, because how can you expand your vocab by writing? True, you’re not actively taking on board new words and phrases but the act of writing reinforces your reading. You’ll start to see the words you’ve read and taken on subconsciously appear in your writing as you’re actively engaging with them. You’ll be able to apply these words in different contexts, which will further cement them in your brain as you understand their meaning. But what kind of writing? Any! Keep a journal, take notes on whatever it is you’re studying and re-write them in your own words. Not only will that help your studies but you’ll also be building that vocabulary of yours at the same time!
Word Games
Worldle, Wordscapes, Word Collect, Words With Friends. The clue is in the names and these are just four of the hundreds of games available for FREE on the Android and Apple store. The first three are all variations on a simple game of figuring out a series of words from a jumble of letters. You can work on your vocabulary and your critical thinking skills at the same time, figure out the easy ones you know first and then make educated guesses at the ones you don’t. They’re easy to play and great for filling five minutes here or there when you might be scrolling on TikTok instead.
Words With Friends, however, is a different beast altogether. And it is one to bring out the competitive side in anyone. Download it and challenge your friends to a game that is suspiciously similar to Scrabble without actually infringing on copyright somehow. It’s a nice easy game to play at your leisure and another way to challenge your friends and get them in on the act of bettering their vocabulary too. Who said learning can’t be fun?
A Word A Day
Merriam-Webster have one. Dictionary.com has its own and so does Wordsmith. These are all websites you can bookmark which have a new word every single day. Simply open it up, take the couple of seconds to read it and that’s a brand new word to add to your vocabulary. Not only that but there are apps for it too. Just jump onto your phone of choice’s app store and search for WordPal or Vocabulary (Yes, they are free as well!) and get them downloaded. If you wanted to take things a bit further, take a leaf out of the writing strategy and write the new word down a few times, maybe try it out in a few sentences with different contexts to really get it stuck in your mind. Again, a couple of minutes of investment here a day will have massive benefits in a couple of years’ time.
Simply Talking Will Improve Vocabulary Too
Talking is a great way to help add to and consolidate your vocabulary. Talking to people gives you the opportunity to properly express yourself with the right words. You’ll get immediate feedback too; if you use the wrong word in that situation, somebody will put you right and you’ll know for next time. Take the chance to talk to different people and in different circles. It will allow you to learn new slang words and colloquialisms (informal words used by particular cultures or groups) and experience different cultures too. Seek out people more intelligent than you as well. If you’re the one with the lesser knowledge in the room, you’re likely to learn a fair few new words and a lot more on top of that as well.
TL;DR
In short, increasing your vocabulary is only going to help you with your studies, your social life and your career. By adopting these five strategies into your daily routine, you can become more eloquent, express yourself in better and more intelligent ways and open doors to you that may not have been available before. All that with just the power of words.
If you are interested in studying English or English Literature, Oxford Home Schooling offer the chance to so at a variety of levels. Each available course is listed below. Click on any of those you are interested in to find out more. You can also Contact us by following this link.
This February, my recommendations are another useful piece of non-fiction for teenagers, looking at the importance of wellbeing, both physically and mentally; and also a great bit of fiction that handles magic better than Harry Potter.
Positively Teenage by Nicola Morgan
Positively Teenage gives you tools to approach your teenage years with optimism and understanding and to develop real wellbeing for life. Written by Nicola Morgan; author, public speaker and commonly known as The Teenage Brain Woman, this book is a reflection of what she knows best; everything from the struggles of being a teenager, teenage brain changes, stress and wellbeing. She’s very much an expert in how teenagers think, work and worry. So you’re in very good hands here. The media loves to talk about how bad things are for teenagers, but this book will go a long way to flip the script on that.
You’ll find simple strategies to develop a positive attitude, growth mindset, self-understanding, determination and resilience and you’ll see how those strengths will help you cope with any challenges, enjoy life and achieve your potential.
Full of practical, proven strategies for physical and mental health, Positively Teenage will show you lots of ways to flourish physically and mentally – from doing things you enjoy to learning new skills; looking after your diet, exercise and attitude to being healthy online; getting great sleep to understanding your personality—allowing you to take control of many areas of your life. With these new strengths and skills, you can survive any storms and thrive on the challenges of your exciting life.
It’s full of quick ideas for actions you can take to build positivity and well-being. Use them as tools to help you better understand yourself and others and really build a sense of mental resilience in a time of your life that any adult will tell you isn’t the easiest.
Positively Teenage is written in such a way by Morgan that it isn’t preachy. She doesn’t come across as a parent nagging at you to eat your vegetables, but more of a helpful and judgement-free guide to understanding your body and mind. And it’s all based on science too—without being boring!
The Nowhere Emporium by Ross Mackenzie
After all that serious talk of mental health and teenage brains, how about a lovely little bit of escapism? You’ll get plenty of that with this great magical adventure by Ross Mackenzie. What’s better yet is that it’s recommended by teachers across the country and also has a couple of sequels!
When the mysterious Nowhere Emporium arrives in Glasgow, orphan Daniel Holmes stumbles upon it quite by accident. Before long the ‘shop from nowhere’ and its owner, Mr. Silver, draw Daniel into a breath-taking world of magic and enchantment. Recruited as Mr. Silver’s apprentice, Daniel learns the secrets of the emporium’s vast labyrinth of passageways and rooms – containing wonders beyond anything Daniel has ever imagined.
What’s so great about The Nowhere Emporium is not just the relatable Daniel, but the magic itself. So often magic can be too technical, or be little more than magic wands, flashes of light and silly phrases. But here, it’s more clever, and yet not bogged down with tiny details. And the best part is how the story itself revolves around it—and how it should be used. It’s got more twists than a Turkey Twizzler and it’s such an easy read you’ll be flying through it.
If you are interested in studying English or English Literature, Oxford Home Schooling offers you the chance to do so at a variety of levels, listed below. You can find further details for doing so by clicking on the relevant one. You can also Contact Us by following this link.
Here we are again, in the month of love – February.
For many, the 14th of this month is synonymous with Valentine’s Day. It’s hard to avoid it, to be honest, with the shiny red displays in supermarkets, with glossy hearts and cuddling teddy bears – as soon as Christmas is out of the way, the shelves are full of all things love-related. But wait. Is the most important thing about February Valentine’s Day? No, actually, it isn’t. This year, we even have an extra day, with 2024 being a leap year. However, this blog isn’t about the 29th – it’s about International Book-Giving Day, which is also celebrated on 14th February.
International B00k-Giving Day
I love giving books as gifts just as much as I love receiving them. I love sharing a favourite read with a friend, or adding to someone’s coffee table collection of beautiful hard-backs. There are so many books out there – literally, something for everyone – that gifting them is a wonderful thing to do. And if you are averse to everything that Valentine’s Day promises, it could be a perfect alternative to celebrate midway through it. Of course, you could even combine your love for someone with a gift of a book – probably much better than a red rose or a satin heart. Didn’t Carol Ann Duffy make similar claims in her poem ‘Valentine’?
And or Or
International Book-Giving Day came about because a group of passionate individuals wanted reading to be celebrated. Now, it is recognised around the globe and people participate in different ways. Yes, you can go to your local book shop and buy your favourite read to give to someone else – but it’s not just this. You could donate some books to a charity shop or your local library. You might choose to leave a book or two in secret spots around your town – perhaps posting about it on social media to generate more interest. We have many other book events which celebrate reading in various forms, but this particular day focuses on giving book(s) to someone else, be it an individual or an organisation. Sharing a book equates to sharing a love of reading.
So, when February 14th rolls around, don’t think it’s all about sickly-sweet cards and stuffed fabric hearts. Think about books, and what they can offer, and how they can change someone’s life. If you love reading, share this passion with someone else. Reading is, without a doubt, a brilliant way of taking someone on a different journey.
If you are interested in studying English or English Literature as a subject with Oxford Home Schooling, we offer a number of courses at a variety of levels. You can click on any of those listed below to find out more. You can also find our Contact Us page here.
Book Recommendations For The New Year
Following up from my New Year suggestions last week, here are two more recommendations to build on your knowledge without taxing the brain. January and February may be cold and dark, but with these, it definitely won’t be boring.
The Guinness Book Of World Records 2024
There are a number of things that make up the experience of being a kid. The Magic Key, SATs, selective hearing when it comes to grown-ups… but there’s probably one thing that stands out from all of them: The Guinness Book of World Records. And in 2024, it’s no different.
The Guinness Book Of World Records first came about in 1951. Sir Hugh Beaver, then managing director of the Guinness Brewery, was arguing about the fastest bird in Europe. When he couldn’t find an answer (bearing in mind there was no Google back then) he decided that he would take matters into his own hands. In 1955, the first edition of the Guinness Book of World Records was released and sold alongside the beer. 69 years later, sadly for adults it no longer comes with beer, but for children, it has become one of the best books to read every year. Tracking all sorts of records from the strange to the sublime and the outright silly, it’s a book that’s been on Christmas lists every year.
The 2024 edition is more packed than ever before as well, digging into the past 2,000 years of history for some of its greatest achievements, and weird ones too: have you ever wondered how far a knight can be catapulted? Well somebody did about a thousand years ago. This edition is also super accessible. Bite-sized chunks of text, surrounded by brilliant images and 3-D pullouts, make for an easy read. There’s even extra content online, scannable through QR codes in the book. You won’t find learning any easier or more fun. For less than a tenner as well!
Weird But True!
Did you know that Olympic Gold Medals are actually made of silver? Weird, but true.
The Weird But True! series by National Geographic Kids has become a phenomenon in the world of children’s literature, captivating younger readers with its unique blend of mind-bending facts, vibrant visuals, and playful approach to learning. The 2024 edition is no different.
Similar to the Guinness Book Of World Records, there are no reams and reams of text to try and read through, just plenty of images with interesting facts. It’s eye-catching, but it will keep your attention thanks to just how weird things get. Want to see robots play football? Or play a game where you guess which poo belongs to which animal? You can do that here. And when things do get weird enough to need an explanation, everything is laid out so well and so simply that you’ll feel like an expert on the subject. It covers pretty much everything too; history, science, technology, animals, people, and more. There is plenty packed into its 256 pages.
Weird But True! is a great alternative to Google when it comes to learning without screens. It’s a great resource for any young and inquisitive mind looking to learn about just how odd our little planet is, even reluctant readers can pick this up… and likely not put it down as well.
If you want to see the titles I have suggested previously, you can follow the link here, to find out.
You can study History or Science with Oxford Home Schooling at a variety of levels, listed below. Click on the subject you may be interested in or Contact us for further details.
