Merry Christmas!

The last week of school has arrived... already!  From the Library, I wish you a happy and fun Christmas, and hope you have a great time in the holidays.  I look forward to seeing you next year, when you can tell me all about the favourite book you read over the summer break. 

Merry Christmas everyone!

End of year in the Library

This week we have been concentrating on returning books so that we can start stocktaking on Monday.  Thank you for bringing your books in....and those of you who still have them at home, please, please try and remember to put them in your bags!!

For those classes that may have missed our book videos this week, and those of you who would just like to see them again, here they are... enjoy!

The Fantastic Flying Books of Morris Lessmore

The Girl who Hated Books

Time to return your books...

Once a year, we do a stock-take in the library, to confirm the numbers and condition of our books.  We need everyone to return their books by this Friday 30 November...and the first class to get all their books back (including their teacher!) gets a prize.  Pukeko and Ruru rooms have often been first and second - I wonder who will win this year?

image courtesy of Elizabeth Dulemba 

Eclipse!

This week, we were lucky enough to see a partial solar eclipse.  It was great to have some solar viewers, and the image of the sun mostly covered by the moon was amazing.  Here is a video with more information on eclipses, and how they happen.

Shelve the books!

This week, we have an library-themed game for you.

Help Lydia the Librarian get books to the kids before they get mad and leave - have you got a good memory?

Guy Fawkes Day

Monday is Guy Fawkes Day, and if we are lucky, the weather will be nice enough to allow some fireworks to be let off this weekend!  Do you know the story behind the day?  Or do you think you do?  Here's the Horrible Histories team explaining the events for you...

'Secret Agent Splat' by Rob Scotton

Lots of book trailers are aimed at senior readers, but here is one for the juniors.  Splat the Cat is one of my favourite picture book characters - and I know that many of you love him, too.  Here he is, as Secret Agent Splat - on our New Book stand this week!

...and look out for the Secret Agent Splat app, on our school iPads, for activities about the book!

Library Survey 2012

This is the time of the year when we look at what you have all been reading, note the comments in the 'Suggestions for Purchase' notebook, and decide on our buying plan for next year.  We would really like to hear from all of you so that we can take your opinions into account, and research the best things to buy!

If you complete the survey below, we will use your opinions and comments to make sure your school library really reflects our students and our community! We would appreciate responses this week, please.

Thank you!!

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Learn a New Skill in the holidays

Have you ever wanted to learn to type?  With more than one finger at a time?  It's a great skill to have, and makes working on the computer much quicker...and it's lots of fun, too!

Click on the picture below, and have a go.  Your friends (and your teacher) will be really impressed!

DANCE MAT TYPING

This site can also be accessed anytime through the ultranet: just click on 'Our Library', then 'Helpful Homework and Research Links', and find the friendly Bee (our giraffe's typing friend!)  What else can you find there?

Thanks, BBC, for such a great resource...

Read a Classic

Next month, it is the 60th anniversary of the publication of an incredibly famous children's book: 'Charlotte's Web' by E.B. White.  It is still a great read today, and you can watch a movie version as well.

Here is the book trailer to celebrate its birthday... come and get one of our library copies and enjoy this wonderful book!

The Last Guardian

The final book in the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer is on our new book stand this week.  Those of you who have been following the series will enjoy the book trailer below!

Those of you who like action and adventure with fantasy mixed in, and who haven't yet discovered Artemis -  come and check out the series in the library!  Suitable for Year 5 and 6 readers.

IPad versatility

It is so exciting to get iPads into our school!  Lots of apps are being tested behind the scenes to make sure that we load the ones with the best content.  There are lots of great educational things that we can do with them, and lots of them are really creative.  This is a great clip showing how iPads (and iPods) can be used to actually make music, not just play it....

Thank you all....

....for being so involved in Library Week!  It was lots of fun to plan, and great to see everyone enjoying the events.  Here are some photos from the week.....

Mr Frater reading 'Room on the Broom'

Kate De Goldi visiting

 Book Character Day

Library Olympics - congratulations to the Top Three: Kiwi, Ruru, and Tuatara.  Well done!!

Library Week - Day 5

Oh no!  It's the last day of Library Week!   I hope you all enjoyed Dress-Up Day, and that you are looking forward to Library Olympics today.
This last post is called 'The Joy of Books', and it is very clever.

Thank you everybody for making Library Week 2012 great fun.  The enthusiasm you all have for the library makes it a wonderful place to be!

Library Week - Day 4

Did you all enjoy hearing Kate De Goldi yesterday?  She loved the school, and talked about how polite and well-behaved you all were!  
The next Library Week post is about Robert Sabuda.  He creates the most amazing pop-up books.  He has made some classic stories into pop-ups, and they are incredible!  Here is a look at what he has done with Alice in Wonderland. Which teachers' costumes look most like their characters in the book?

Library Week - Day 3

Has anybody ever heard their parents (or grandparents) talk about 'The Two Ronnies'?  They were comedians who had a very popular programme quite a few years ago.... but this clip proves that good comedy is timeless.  I think our student librarians would quite like to use this filing system sometimes!

Library Week - Day 2

In today's Library Week post, I thought it would be good to get educational.  This is a nice little video on how books are produced, specifically hardback books.

Welcome to Library Week 2012!

This week is all about you and your Library!  Enjoy the special events and activities we have lined up for you, and don't forget to tell Mrs Nicol which ones you like best - and why.  Don't forget to check the blog every day for special Library Week blogposts!

To start off the week, let's share one of my favourite book characters of all time...Mo Willems' Pigeon.  Enjoy!

Derek Landy visits Upper Hutt

This week, Derek Landy, author of the Skulduggery Pleasant series, was hosted by HIBS and St Brendans schools, to give an author talk to fans of his books.  The four students who had issued the most Skulduggery books went along, and had a great time listening to Derek.  He was very funny, and he enjoyed interacting with the crowd!  The most exciting news was that there may well be an announcement about a movie deal, very very soon!  Here is a photo of Leroy, Ben, Riley, and Josef with Derek.

We now have the latest in this series (for Year 6 only) in the library, and if you click on the cover, there is a link to the website.

New Books this week...

This week, we have books for everyone on the New Books stand!

For puzzle enthusiasts, we have 'Where's Asterix?'

... the characters we know and love, to search and find.

For Picture Book readers, look for 'Marmaduke Duck and Bernadette Bear'

 - another great NZ picture book.

Readers who loved 'Hatchet' will enjoy 'Edge of Nowhere'

 a tale of survival in Alaskan waters.

...and for series-readers, we have these great titles...

Come and find something new to enjoy this week!

The Case of the Deadly Desperados

Caroline Lawrence, author of the Roman Mysteries series, has written the first book in a new series set in the American West.  'Pinky' Pinkerton witnesses a terrible event.  Now he needs to escape.... but can he avoid the men on the Wanted Posters who are out to get him?
The two videos below are the book trailer, followed by a short clip of the author telling us what she liked most about writing this book, suitable for Year 5 and 6 readers who love mysterious occurrences!

Thank you, Margaret Mahy

It was sad to hear overnight that Margaret Mahy has died.  She is one of the most accomplished, and most loved, authors New Zealand has ever had. We have many of her books....including this one: 'The Three Legged Cat'.

Some of her other books in our library, include Kaitangata Twitch, A Very Wicked Headmistress, The Blood-and-Thunder Adventure on Hurricane Peak, The Lion in the Meadow, The Moon and Farmer McPhee...books for all ages. 

Thank you, Margaret Mahy, for giving us so many wonderful stories!!




Here is a fantastic 6-minute documentary and interview made by NZ On Screen, great for seniors especially.

New this week...

On the New Book stand this week, we have number 10 in one of our most popular series...'The Floods' by Colin Thompson. Find out what happened next to your favourite, not-even-close-to-normal, family next door!

If you click on the book cover, you will go to 'The Floods' official website, with games, activities, and author information.

(Don't forget to check out the info on the Dragons series there, which are also new to the library!!)

Writing great blog comments

Comments and opinions on blogposts are one of the best ways to show which posts you have liked, and why.  
Here are some ways that you can make sure your comments are really effective, and add something to our library blog!
1.  Think about what you are going to write before you send it.  What do you really want to say about the post you are commenting on?
2.  Try to give reasons for your opinions.   (I really liked the story because....)
3.  Does your comment make sense?  Have you checked the spelling?
4.   Have you added your name (first name only) so we know who wrote the comment?


If you think about what you write, before you send it - you can be a blog comment star, and help make our blog the best it can be!  

Storycloud

Storycloud is a special new site set up for a limited time.  From now until September 3rd, there will be one new story to read or listen to each Monday - great for storytime either at school, or at home over the holidays!  Just click on the picture below, and enjoy!

The Truth about Verity Sparks

Here is a review of one of the books on the New Book stand this week - for confident senior readers.  Quirky, fun, and imaginative!

BOOK REVIEW: The Truth about Verity Sparks (Susan Green, Walker Books)

Written by: Bookseller+Publisher magazine

Posted: 20 September 2011 at 1:11 pm

The Truth about Verity Sparks is an engaging mystery for the 10-plus age group. Set in the late 1800s, it concerns Verity Sparks, a lowly hat maker in class-ridden London. Verity lives a meagre existence until she realises that she has a unique talent in finding lost objects. Before she knows it she has joined the Confidential Inquiry Agency (with its amusing acronym) and proves to be quite adept at solving mysteries. Her own past is murky, however, so she and her newfound friends set out to discover the truth. Susan Green has written a story with a strong female heroine that is sure to engage both girls and boys. At first, Verity is painted as somewhat ignorant and Green cleverly introduces ‘big’ words via other characters. Imaginations will run wild with the thrill of not knowing what is going to happen next, and The Truth about Verity Sparks certainly delivers. Let’s hope Susan Green has further adventures up her sleeve for Verity, as there is definitely scope for more.

Katie Horner is the former assistant editor of Bookseller+Publisher and was an avid ‘Nancy Drew’ fan in her day. This review first appeared in the July issue of Bookseller+Publisher magazine.

This book is a finalist in the Australian Children's Book of the Year competition for 2012.  Winners will be announced in August. 

Junior Storytime

It's the Juniors' turn for a blogpost this week...
and, since the weather has turned a bit colder, it might be nice to get cosy and listen to a good story.  
A classic fairytale, anyone?

Dinosaur Rescue by Kyle Mewburn

Have you seen the Dinosaur Rescue series on our Star Reads shelf?  We have the fist two out in the library so far... 'T-Wreck-ASaurus', and 'Stego-Snottysaurus'.  
They are written by Kyle Mewburn, who also wrote 'Kiss Kiss Yuck Yuck', 'Ant's Pants', 'The Grumble Bee' and 'Daisy's Maze'...and many more.

Here is a trailer for 'Stego-Snottysaurus' to give you an idea of what the series is like!

Book 3 in the series, 'Velocitchy-Raptor', is on the New Books stand this week, so look out for it!

Dinosaur Rescue is a series that would be perfect if you really like reading chapter books from the Star Readers shelf, and if you have a great (and slightly gross) sense of humour!

NZ Post Winners!

The NZ Post Children's Book Awards for 2012 have been announced!

Overall winner is 'Nice Day for a War' (also winning the Non-Fiction prize)



The winner in the Picture Book category is 'Rahui',



while the Children's Choice Award goes to 'The Cat's Pyjamas'.



The Junior Fiction Award was won by 'Super Finn'.

Congratulations to all the authors and illustrators!!!

Maurice Sendak - author and illustrator

Maurice Sendak, the author of Where the Wild Things Are (and many other wonderful books) has died this week.  To celebrate his work - and to remind you of how great his books are - here is a link to his most famous book, read by Gwendolyn Sandford.  Some of you will have seen the movie, too!

As a footnote for all the Andy Griffiths lovers out there...last June, I posted a blog link to an Andy video of him reading to his cat.  Can you figure out how to find a previous post and watch the video? (Hint: check the blog archive on the bottom right.....)

Andy Griffiths visit

We were lucky enough to be able to take Kea and Ruru Rooms to Maidstone Intermediate on Wednesday May 9th, to see Andy Griffiths speak.  Andy is the author of 'Just Crazy', 'Just Annoying', 'The Cat on the Mat is Flat', and most recently 'Just Doomed', coming into our library very shortly!

 Andy was a truly entertaining speaker, and gave us lots of good ideas for plotting a story...showing us with words, and also with props!  Here are some photos of the day, including Finn, Rory, and Morgan, who got books signed by Andy at the end of the afternoon.

Book People Unite!

In America, a group called 'Reading is Fundamental' give books to children who don't have any - a bit like the Books in Homes programme in New Zealand.  Here is the new TV ad they have produced to publicise their ideas - in America, it is called a Public Service Announcement.  See who you can recognise!

Senior students especially will enjoy this next video, where the characters talk about their experiences in making the ad.  So clever!

Northwood by Brian Falkner

One of the best-reviewed New Zealand books lately has been Brian Falkner's 'Northwood'.
Cecilia Undergarment is a girl who loves animals.  When she finds a neglected dog, she wants to help...so how does she end up flying in a balloon over a dark and scary forest?  A forest where black lions prowl?  Is there any way to get home?
'Northwood is on the New Book stand this week, and will be enjoyed by senior readers who like mystery, adventure, and imagination. 
Watch the trailer and read the book!

Need to get into a new series?

We have been bringing in some cool new series to enjoy!  Some are from authors you know and love, while others are completely new!
Come and have a look at them on the New Book stand in the library...


The Chronicles of Avantia follow on from Beastquest books, and are full-on action and adventure! See the book trailer by clicking on the picture.

Wilma Tenderfoot is a brave and clever girl detective, who does some amazing things to solve crimes!

The Magnificent 12 is all about the search for 12 ordinary children - who are actually heroes who are needed to save the world....click on the picture to link to a book trailer about the series.

 

Mercy Watson is a pig who loves buttered toast, and will do anything to get it......

Pandora is just a typical girl, with one exception...her Father is the Greek Titan Prometheus.  She has done something she really, really shouldn't have...can she and her friends fix it? Click on the picture for the book trailer....

The Dragons is a series written by Colin Thompson, the same author as The Floods.  Was King Arthur as brave, and bold, as we thought???

Happy Easter

How many of you have read and loved the Little Critter stories by Mercer Mayer?

Here is a video of Mercer reading his story 'It's Easter Little Critter', so find a spare 7 minutes, and sit down and listen....

Happy Easter everyone!!  See you next term!

The One and only Ivan

There have been so many great reviews of this book, that I just had to buy it, if only to read it and see if they were true...and they were!
Ivan is a gorilla who lives on the top floor of a shopping mall, with an elephant and a dog for company.  He thinks there is no more to his life, and spends his time drawing and painting.  But one day, a baby elephant arrives - and his life is completely changed.... this is an amazing book for senior readers.


Here is the book trailer for you to watch.  Ivan is on our New Book stand this week!!

NZ Post Book Awards 2012!

This year's finalists are out - and in the library.  Come and see the displayed books and choose your favourites!

Here is where you can vote online for the Children's Choice category:

The winners will be announced on May 16th!

How to draw...

Drawing books are one of our library's most popular types of nonfiction books.


Click on the title below to link to the Guardian Newspaper's children's books site.  They include some great 'how to draw' tips by children's book illustrators, such as the one below...

How to draw wolves

If you like this, you might also like to learn how to draw some foxes, dragons,  bunnies, or monsters!

Favourite Series

The Library has been buying new books in the popular series you know and love!

Come in this week and check out the New Book stand for the next installments of:

'The Floods'

'Mr Gum'

'Percy Jackson'

'Roman Mysteries'

'Nanny Piggins'

'Titchy Witch'

'Zac Power'

...and 'How to Tame a Dragon'

Just let Mrs Nicol know if you would like to reserve any of these.  Happy reading!

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

This is an amazing short film, made with references to The Wizard of Oz - about a man who gets blown to a strange land, where books become his only companions.  It is beautifully made, and has been nominated for an Oscar this year.


It is 15 minutes long, so you may not be able to watch it in the classroom (although it would be stunning on an activboard!!), so I have posted the link in case you would like to watch it at home instead.  Enjoy!!

Related articles

• The most beautiful video about Books ever. (elephantjournal.com)

New Year, New Issues...

The Library will be open for classes -  and also on Tuesday and Thursday lunchtimes (from 1.00 to 1.30) from this week.  It will be great to have you all in the library again, it has been VERY quiet without you!!  Please return your Summer Reading books as soon as possible, and then you can come and choose some great new books to read...

The first display of the year is up now.  Come in and see your class creature on the wall!!