Mischief Makers, the Summer Reading Challenge 2018!

Looking for ideas to keep your children occupied over the holidays? The Reading Agency and libraries present Mischief Makers, the Summer Reading Challenge 2018!

The aim of the challenge is for children to read 6 library books of their choice over the summer and into mid-September. They can read any books they like: fact books, stories, joke books, picture books – audio and e-books count too! As long as they are borrowed from the library, they all count.

Mischief Makers celebrates the 80th anniversary of the much-loved comic, 'Beano'. Children will explore a map of Beanotown to find the mysterious buried treasure and become ultimate mischief makers! Dennis, Gnasher and friends will help them solve clues and collect free stickers and rewards, having lots of fun and adventures along the way! 

The Summer Reading Challenge is great fun for children, but it also helps to ensure their reading skills don’t dip over the school holidays. As one 10 year old boy from Blaenavon said last year: ’Before I wasn’t reading very much, but now I‘m reading a book in about a day! I LOVE THE READING CHALLENGE. I think everyone should take part.’

Children receive a medal, certificate and entry to a prize draw to win a HUAWEI MediaPad 8" Tablet if they complete the Challenge.

You can sign your children up for Mischief Makers and pick up their FREE map of Beanotown at their local library.

Dyfeiswyr Direidi, Sialens Ddarllen yr Haf 2018!

Chwilio am syniadau i ddiddanu eich plentyn dros y gwyliau? Mae’r Reading Agency a llyfrgelloedd yn cyflwyno Dyfeiswyr Direidi, Sialens Ddarllen yr Haf 2018!

Nod y sialens yw i blant ddarllen 6 llyfr llyfrgell o'u dewis dros yr haf, hyd at ganol mis Medi. Gallant ddarllen unrhyw lyfrau y maen nhw'n eu hoffi: llyfrau ffeithiau, storïau, llyfrau jôcs, llyfrau llun - ac mae llyfrau sain ac e-lyfrau yn cyfri hefyd! Cyn belled â'u bod yn eu benthyca o'r llyfrgell, maent i gyd yn cyfri.

Mae Dyfeiswyr Direidi yn dathlu pen-blwydd y clasur o gomic, sef y 'Beano' yn 80 oed. Bydd plant yn archwilio map of Beanotown i ddod o hyd i’r trysor cudd dirgel sydd wedi ei gladdu a dod yn ddyfeiswyr direidi o fri! Bydd Dennis, Gnasher a’u ffrindiau yn eu helpu i ddatrys cliwiau a chasglu sticeri a gwobrau am ddim, cael llawer o hwyl ac anturiaethau ar hyd y ffordd!

Mae Sialens Ddarllen yr Haf yn hwyl i blant, ond mae hefyd yn helpu i sicrhau nad yw eu sgiliau darllen yn llithro yn ystod y gwyliau ysgol. Fel y dywedodd un bachgen 10 oed o Flaenafon y llynedd: 'Doeddwn i ddim yn darllen llawer o'r blaen, ond nawr rwy'n darllen llyfr mewn diwrnod! RWY'N CARU'R SIALENS DDARLLEN. Rwy'n credu y dylai pawb gymryd rhan.'

Mae'r plant yn derbyn medal, tystysgrif a chyfle i ennill llechen HUAWEI MediaPad 8" os ydynt yn cwblhau'r Sialens.

Gallwch gofrestru eich plant ar gyfer Dyfeiswyr Direidi a chodi eu map o Beanotown yn eu llyfrgell leol.

Zoe Ball TV Book Club – Final Fab 4 books

6 books read and just 4 to go:

Laura Purcell – The Silent Companions (29 July)

Newly married, newly widowed Elsie is sent to see out her pregnancy at her late husband's crumbling country estate, The Bridge. With her new servants resentful and the local villagers actively hostile, Elsie only has her husband's awkward cousin for company. Or so she thinks. But inside her new home lies a locked room, and beyond that door lies a 200 year old diary and a deeply unsettling painted wooden figure that bears a striking resemblance to Elsie herself.

Tony Kent – Killer Intent (5 August)

When an attempted assassination sparks a chain reaction of explosive events across London, Britain's elite security forces seem powerless to stop the chaos threatening to overwhelm the government. As the dark and deadly conspiracy unfolds, three strangers find their fates entwined.

Sally Magnusson – The Sealwoman’s Gift (12 August)

In 1627 Barbary pirates raided the coast of Iceland and abducted some 400 of its people, including 250 from a tiny island off the mainland. Among the captives sold into slavery in Algiers were the island pastor, his wife and their three children. Although the raid itself is well documented, little is known about what happened to the women and children afterwards. It was a time when women everywhere were largely silent. In this reimagining, Sally Magnusson gives a voice to Asta, the pastor's wife.

Abir Mukherjee – A Necessary Evil (19 August)

India, 1920. Captain Wyndham and Sergeant Banerjee of the Calcutta Police Force investigate the dramatic assassination of a Maharajah's son. The fabulously wealthy kingdom of Sambalpore is home to tigers, elephants, diamond mines and the beautiful Palace of the Sun, but when the heir to the throne is assassinated in the presence of Wyndham and Banerjee, they discover a kingdom riven with suppressed conflict.

The shows will be aired on ITV at 8.30am.

Clwb Llyfrau Zoe Ball – 4 Llyfr Gwych Olaf

6 o lyfrau wedi’u darllen, dim ond 4 i fynd:

Laura Purcell – The Silent Companions (29 Gorffennaf)

Mae Elsie, sydd newydd briodi a bellach yn wraig weddw yn cael ei hanfon i orffen ei chyfnod beichiogrwydd yn Y Bridge, ystad gwledig, adfeiliedig ei chyn-ŵr. Gyda'i gweision newydd yn chwerw a'r pentrefwyr lleol yn gwbl elyniaethus, cefnder lletchwith eI gŵr yn unig sydd yn gwmni i Elsie. Neu felly mae hi'n meddwl. Ond y tu mewn i'w chartref newydd mae yna ystafell wedi'i chloi, ac y tu hwnt i'r drws hwnnw, mae dyddiadur 200 mlwydd oed a ffigwr pren cythryblus wedi ei baentio, sy'n hynod o debyg i Elsie ei hun.

Tony Kent – Killer Intent (5 Awst)

Pan fydd ymgais i lofruddio yn sbarduno ymateb adwaith gadwynol o ddigwyddiadau ffrwydrol ar draws Llundain, mae grymoedd diogelwch elitaidd Prydain yn ymddangos yn ddi-rym i atal yr anhrefn sy'n bygwth trechu'r llywodraeth. Wrth i'r cynllwyniaeth dywyll a llethol ddatblygu, mae tri dieithryn yn canfod bod eu tynged yn ymblethu.

Sally Magnusson – The Sealwoman’s Gift (12 Awst)

Ym 1627 ymosododd môr-ladron Barbari ar arfordir Gwlad yr Iâ a chipio rhyw 400 o'i phobl, gan gynnwys 250 ohonynt o ynys fach oddi ar y tir mawr. Ymhlith y caethion a werthwyd i gaethwasiaeth yn Algiers, roedd y gweinidog yr ynys, ei wraig a'u tri phlentyn. Er bod y cyrch ei hun wedi'i gofnodi'n dda, ychydig iawn y gwyddwn am yr hyn a ddigwyddodd i'r menywod a'r plant ar ôl hynny. Roedd hi'n adeg pan oedd merched ym mhobman yn dawel iawn. Yn yr  ailddychmygiad hwn, mae Sally Magnusson yn rhoi llais i Asta, gwraig y gweinidog.

Abir Mukherjee – A Necessary Evil (19 Awst)

Mae Capten Wyndham a Sergeant Banerjee o Heddlu Calcutta yn ymchwilio i farwolaeth ddramatig mab Maharajah. Mae teyrnas gyfoethog Sambalpore yn gartref i deigrod, eliffantod, mwyngloddiau diemwnt a'r godidog Palas yr Haul, ond pan fydd etifedd yr orsedd yn cael ei lofruddio ym mhresenoldeb Wyndham a Banerjee, maent yn darganfod teyrnas o wrthdaro cudd.

Bydd y sioeau yn cael eu darlledu ar ITV am 8.30am.

The Golden Man Booker Prize

The Booker Prize Foundation is celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the prize with a special award, The Golden Man Booker Prize. This one off prize will be awarded to the best work of fiction from 50 years of Man Booker Prize winners. The Golden Five shortlist, one from each decade, was selected by five judges and announced at the Hay Festival. The short list was then put to a public vote to choose the winner.

The Golden Five that have stood the test of time:

V S Naipaul, In a Free State (1971)

Set in an imaginary African state against a backdrop of civil conflict, the theme of this novel is displacement and the heartache of living in someone else's land.

Penelope Lively, Moon Tiger (1987)

Claudia Hampton, a beautiful, famous writer, lies dying in hospital. But, as the nurses tend to her with quiet condescension, she is plotting her greatest work: a history of the world and in the process, my own. This novel weaves an exquisite mesh of memories, flashbacks and shifting voices, in a haunting story of loss and desire.

Michael Ondaatje, The English Patient (1992)

The final curtain is closing on the Second World War, and Hana, a nurse, stays behind in an abandoned Italian villa to tend to her only remaining patient. Rescued by Bedouins from a burning plane, he is English, anonymous, damaged beyond recognition and haunted by his memories of passion and betrayal. The only clue Hana has to his past is the one thing he clung on to through the fire, a copy of The Histories by Herodotus, covered with hand-written notes describing a painful and ultimately tragic love affair.

Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall (2009)

England, the 1520s. Henry VIII is on the throne, but has no heir. Cardinal Wolsey is his chief advisor, charged with securing the divorce the pope refuses to grant. Into this atmosphere of distrust and need comes Thomas Cromwell, first as Wolsey's clerk, and later his successor.

George Sanders, Lincoln in the Bardo (2017)

The American Civil War rages while President Lincoln's beloved eleven-year-old son lies gravely ill. In a matter of days, Willie dies and is laid to rest in a Georgetown cemetery. Newspapers report that a grief-stricken Lincoln returns to the crypt several times alone to hold his boy's body. Meanwhile Willie Lincoln finds himself trapped in a transitional realm - called, in Tibetan tradition, the bardo. As ghosts mingle, squabble, gripe and commiserate, stony tendrils creep towards the boy, and a monumental struggle erupts over young Willie's soul.

And the Winner is

Gwobr Aur y Man Booker

Mae Sefydliad Gwobr Booker yn dathlu ei ben-blwydd yn 50 gyda gwobr arbennig, Gwobr Aur y Man Booker. Caiff y wobr unwaith-ac-am-byth hon ei rhoi  i’r darn gorau o ffuglen o’r 50 o flynyddoedd o enillwyr Gwobr Man Booker. Cafodd y rhestr fer o bump, un o bob degawd, ei dewis gan bump o feirniaid a’i chyhoeddi yng Ngŵyl Gelli Gandryll. Cyflwynwyd y rhestr fer wedyn i’r cyhoedd i bleidleisio dros y buddugol.

Y Pump Aur sydd wedi sefyll prawf amser:

V S Naipaul, In a Free State (1971)

Wedi ei leoli mewn gwladwriaeth ddychmygus Affricanaidd gyda chefndir o anghydfod sifil, thema’r nofel hon yw dadleoliad a’r ing o fyw yng ngwlad rhywun arall.

Penelope Lively, Moon Tiger (1987)

Mae Claudia Hampton, awdur enwog, prydferth, yn gorwedd yn yr ysbyty, yn marw. Ond, wrth i’r nyrsys ei thendio mewn dull nawddoglyd tawel, mae hi'n cynllunio ei gwaith gorau erioed: hanes y byd ac, yn y broses, ei hanes ei hun. Mae’r nofel yn gwau ynghyd atgofion, edrych yn ôl a lleisiau newidiol mewn stori swynol o golled a dyhead.

Michael Ondaatje, The English Patient (1992)

Mae’r llenni olaf yn dod i lawr ar yr Ail Ryfel Byd ac mae Hanna, nyrs, yn aros ar ôl mewn fila Eidalaidd i dendio ei hunig glaf. Wedi ei achub gan y Bedouin o awyren sydd ar dân, mae’n Sais, yn ddienw, wedi ei glwyfo’n enbyd ac yn dioddef hunllefau ei atgofion o angerdd a brad. Yr unig gliw sydd gan Hana i’w orffennol yw’r unig beth y mae wedi cadw gafael arno trwy’r tân, copi o’r Hanesion gan Herodotus, sy’n llawn o nodiadau wedi eu hysgrifennu â llaw yn disgrifio carwriaeth boenus ac, yn y pen draw, drasig.

Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall (2009)

Lloegr yn y 1520au. Mae Harri’r VIII ar yr orsedd ond nid oes ganddo etifedd. Y Cardinal Wolsey yw ei brif gynghorydd, gyda’r cyfrifoldeb o sicrhau ysgariad y mae’r pab yn gwrthod caniatâd iddo. I ganol hyn oll, cyfnod o ddiffyg ymddiriedaeth ac angen, daw Thomas Cromwell, yn gyntaf fel clerc i Wolsey ac wedyn fel ei olynydd.

George Sanders, Lincoln in the Bardo (2017)

Mae Rhyfel Cartref America ar ei hanterth tra bo mab un ar ddeg oed yr Arlywydd Lincoln yn gorwedd yn ddifrifol wael. O fewn dyddiau, mae Willie yn marw ac yn cael ei roi i orffwys ym mynwent Georgetown. Mae’r papurau newyddion yn adrodd bod Lincoln, yn ei alar, yn dychwelyd i’r gladdgell nifer o weithiau i gydio yng nghorff ei fab. Yn y cyfamser, mae Willie Lincoln yn canfod ei hun mewn parth pontio a elwir, yn y traddodiad Tibetaidd, y bardo. Wrth i ysbrydion gymysgu, ffraeo, cwyno a chydymdeimlo, mae tendrilau caregog yn ymgripio tuag at y bachgen, ac mae brwydr anferth yn dechrau dros enaid Willie ifanc.

A’r Buddugol yw

CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medal Winners 2018

The CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals are the UK's oldest and most prestigious children's book awards. Often described by authors and illustrators as 'the one they want to win' - they are the gold standard in children's literature.

If you want your kids to broaden their reading, why not encourage them to try some of the titles shortlisted for these awards. All the books are available for loan or to reserve from Torfaen Libraries.

The CILIP Carnegie Medal is awarded by children's librarians for an outstanding book written in English for children and young people.

Winner 

Geraldine McCaughrean – Where the World Ends

In the summer of 1723, 8 boys and 3 men were marooned on a rocky stack in the middle of the sea at the edge of the Outer Hebrides. This book tells the story of how they survived nine months of deadly storms, madness and starvation with only a few ropes and baskets, and their own fortitude and endurance to save them. (Suggested age 9+)

Shortlisted Titles:

Liss Evans – Wed Wabbit (9+)
Lauren Wolf – Beyond the Bright Sea (9+)
Will Hill – After the Fire (13+)
Anthony McGowan – Rook (13+)
Patrick Ness – Release (13+)
Marcus Sedgwick – Saint Death (13+)

Angie Thomas – The Hate You Give (13+)


The CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal is awarded by children's librarians for an outstanding book in terms of illustration for children and young people.

Winner 

Town is by the Sea Illustrated by Sydney Smith 

(Author- Joanne Schwartz)

While a young boy enjoys a summer's day, his thoughts constantly return to his father, who is digging for coal deep under the sea. This beautifully understated and haunting story brings a piece of mining history to life. (Suggested age 5+)

Shortlisted Titles:

Britta Teckentrump – Under the Same Sky (Pre-school)

Nicola Davies (Illustrator, Laura Carlin) – King of the Sky (5+)

Nicola Davies (illustrator, Petr Horacek) – A First Book of Animals (5+)

Levi Pinfold – The Song From Somewhere Else (9+)

Debi Gliori – Night Shift (13+)

Pam Smy – Thornhill (13+)

Enillwyr Medal CILIP Carnegie a Kate Greenaway  2018
Medalau CILIP Carnegie a Kate Greenaway yw’r gwobrau hynaf a mwyaf mawreddog yn y DU ar gyfer llyfrau i blant. Fe’u disgrifir yn aml gan awduron ac arlunwyr fel 'yr un y maen nhw am ei hennill' – dyma’r uchafbwynt mewn llenyddiaeth i blant.

Os ydych chi am i’ch plant ehangu eu darllen, pam na wnewch chi eu hannog i roi tro ar un o’r teitlau yma ar y rhestr fer ar gyfer y gwobrau yma. Mae’r llyfrau i gyd ar gael i’w benthyg neu i roi ar gadw gan Lyfrgelloedd Torfaen.

Rhoddir Medal CILIP Carnegie gan lyfrgellwyr plant am lyfr neilltuol yn Saesneg i blant a phobl ifanc.

Enillydd - Geraldine McCaughrean – Where the World Ends

Yn haf 1723, cafodd 8 bachgen a 3 dyn eu hynysu ar greigiau yng nghanol y môr yn yr Ynysoedd Heledd Allanol. Mae’r llyfr hwn yn adrodd yr hanes am sut wnaethon nhw oroesi naw mis o stormydd garw, gorffwylltra a newyn gydag ond ychydig o raffau a basgedi, a chyda dim ond eu nerth a’u dycnwch i’w cadw’n fyw. (Awgrymir oed 9+)

Teitlau ar y Rhestr Fer:

Liss Evans – Wed Wabbit (9+)
Lauren Wolf – Beyond the Bright Sea (9+)
Will Hill – After the Fire (13+)
Anthony McGowan – Rook (13+)
Patrick Ness – Release (13+)
Marcus Sedgwick – Saint Death (13+)

Angie Thomas – The Hate You Give (13+)

Rhoddir Medal CILIP Kate Greenaway gan lyfrgellwyr plant am lyfr neilltuol o ran dyluniadau i blant a phobl ifanc.

Enillydd - Town is by the Sea – dyluniadau gan Sydney Smith (Awdur- Joanne Schwartz)

Tra bod bachgen ifanc yn mwynhau diwrnod o haf, mae ei feddyliau’n dychwelyd o hyd at ei dad, sy’n cloddio am lo yn ddwfn o dan y môr. Mae’r stori gynnil a swynol yma’n dod â darn o hanes glofaol yn fyw (Awgrymir oed 5+)

Teitlau ar y Rhestr Fer:

Britta Teckentrump – Under the Same Sky (Cyn ysgol)

Nicola Davies (Dylunydd, Laura Carlin) – King of the Sky (5+)

Nicola Davies (Dylunydd, Petr Horacek) – A First Book of Animals (5+)

Levi Pinfold – The Song From Somewhere Else (9+)

Debi Gliori – Night Shift (13+)

Pam Smy – Thornhill (13+)