A new collection of books chosen by the students of Seahaven Academy is being added to the shelves of Newhaven and Seaford Libraries thanks to a generous donation from Much Ado Books, Alfriston as part of their Christmas fundraising campaign “Prospero’s Project”.

In February, our librarians worked with over 100 year 7 students from Seahaven Academy, Newhaven, looking at the type of books they thought other children their age would be interested in reading.

On 15th of March, Newhaven Library welcomed a small group of students to unveil the books they had selected. The collection ranges from graphic novels to classics such as Call of the Wild and The Book Thief to recent Costa Book Awards winner The Lie Tree.  The books chosen are on display in Seaford and Newhaven Libraries under the banner ‘Good reads from Seahaven Academy’.

Mr Linton, a teacher from Seahaven Academy who led on the project commented that it "had a tremendous  impact on the students here at the school. I know each student took great care and delight to choose a book not only they would enjoy reading themselves but also a book others could revel in reading too. This project has created a buzz about books not only here in school but also out in the community."

The project is part of a larger effort to build partnerships between local libraries and the communities we serve.  We are looking forward to working with more groups in our local communities in the future.

East Sussex Libraries are giving families with children under-five a free sticker storybook when they join the library in the hope that families will visit the libraries more frequently.

To help encourage families to visit libraries, BookTrust, a children’s reading charity, produced the sticker book Bear’s Reading Adventure. The book sees youngsters follow the blue bear on a reading adventure, which takes him to the park, supermarket and of course the library.  Children help track down 10 missing objects from Bear’s adventure and earn a sticker for each missing object every time they go to the library.

The scheme is open to youngsters aged up to five years old and is running in libraries in Hailsham, Hampden Park, Heathfield, Hollington, Langney, Newhaven, Peacehaven, and Rye.

If you haven't joined your local library yet, then hurry down to your nearest participating library. When children have collected all 10 stickers they can download a certificate from Bear's Adventure which also contains tips for families on how they can have fun reading together every day.

For more information about the children’s activities on offer in East Sussex libraries visit our website.

This month, Sally, our Principal Library Officer, tells us about the Charlie Parker crime fiction series she enjoys reading:

This is crime with a dark twist. Jerome Burnel was once a hero.  He intervened to prevent multiple killings and in doing so damned himself. His life was torn apart. In his final days, with the hunters circling, he tells his story to private detective Charlie Parker. Parker is not like other men. He died and was reborn. He is ready to wage war. Now he will descend upon a strange, isolated community called The Cut and face down a force of men who rule by terror, intimidation and murder.

Connolly's books are not so much edge of the seat as 'behind the sofa' reads. They are thrillingly descriptive, fast -paced and full of characters and plot undercurrents with the power to haunt and scare long after the book is shut.

If you are already a fan of this award winning author, or want to know more, we are delighted to announce that John Connolly is coming to Uckfield library on Thursday 21st April to give a talk. Starting at 7pm, you can buy your tickets from your local library, or on 0345 60 80 196.