JOIN THE MIRROR BOOK CLUB

There’s never been a better time to get lost in a good book… so we’d love you to join the friendly Mirror Book Club community on Facebook. Members share their thoughts on the current book of the month and they post recommendations of other books they’ve enjoyed. This month, we felt we needed an escapist read. Mirror Book Club members voted to pick our latest choice and the winner was The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary (Quercus, £7.99). We’d love you to join us in giving The Flatshare a read and share your thoughts in the Mirror Book Club at facebook.com/ groups/mirrorbookclub

The biggest “I told you so” since “you don’t know what you’re missing” will hit home to millions of children when they finally realise that school years are indeed the best years of their life.

But for one 18-year-old student, the pain of missing an inspirational teacher has been turned into a remarkable tribute.

When County Tyrone head boy Jamie Harkin lost his English tutor Graham Peters to cancer two years ago, the heartbroken teenager created a charity calendar packed with inspirational quotes in memory of his mentor who loved to share wise words.

■ All the proceeds from Jamie’s £10 calendars go to Care for Cancer, which can be ordered from drumraghcollege.co.uk/ parents/news/item/1484-366-pockets-of-positivitycalendar-how-to-order

Slugs and woodlice have taken up permanent residence in my damp, slimy backyard, but lots of greenfingered preppers are already using their spare time productively to clip, clear and cultivate their outside spaces. Others have painted white lines on the Astro turf for two-a-side football matches, or are turning their outside sheds into panic rooms for when the booze finally runs out. Whatever your patio plans, we’re running a competition to find the best backyard. Send your photos to me at features@mirror.co.uk and we’ll print them here to give us all a dose of garden envy.