Friday, December 17, 2010

Merry Christmas

Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a great time over the summer holidays. See you back in the library in the New Year when we will have lots of new books including:

More Geronimo Stilton, Freak Street, Zac Power & Astrosaurs books.
More books by Jacqueline Wilson, Cathy Cassidy, Robert Muchamore and Anthony Horowitz.
More Asterix and Tintin books.
New non-fiction books about the Armed Forces, Maori legends, Rugby, Playing the Guitar and lots more...

P.S. Hope you find a good book or two in your Christmas Stocking!

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

End of Year 2010 - Update

Library stocktake is underway so keep those books coming in.
I am visiting classrooms every day to collect returns - but sometimes the classes are at swimming when I visit, so if you have a book to return please bring it in to the library and drop it into the returns box. Thanks :)

End of Year Student Overdues:
(Updated every day or so till 17/12/10)

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Eva Ibbotson

The second in a series of posts about popular children's authors and their books.

Eva Ibbotson was born Maria Charlotte Michelle Wiesner in Vienna, Austria in 1925. Growing up in Austria, Eva moved with her family to England after the Nazis took power during the 1940s. She earned a degree at the University of London and had intended to be a physiologist, but was put off by the amount of animal testing that she would have to do. Instead, she married and raised a family, returning to school to become a teacher in the 1960s. One of her first written works was a television play produced in 1965 and her first children's book The Great Ghost Rescue, was published in 1975. , Eva's books include tongue-in-cheek ghost stories, ‘old fashioned’ historical adventures and adult historical romances (recently reissued for young-adults). She died at her home in Newcastle, England on 20 October 2010, aged 85.

Eva Ibbotson books we have in our library:
Monster Mission; Journey to the River Sea;
Dial a Ghost; The Star of Kazan.
If you liked any of these books then Upper Hutt Library currently holds copies of other books written by Eva Ibbotson. For example:
The Beasts of Clawstone Castle; The Dragonfly Pool; The Secret of Platform 13.
And for teens: The Secret Countess; The Morning Gift & others.

Much of this information about Eva Ibbotson came from Eva Ibbotson Biography & Eva Ibbotson at Wikipedia. If you would like to know more about Eva or her books you can follow these links.



Monday, November 29, 2010

Getting Ready for End of Year 2010

The Christmas School Holidays are almost here, but before they arrive there are some important tasks to get done. In the library we are preparing for our annual end of year stocktake. All library books are due back before Friday, 3rd December. You can help out by returning all your library books to the library A.S.A.P. (as soon as possible) and before the end of this week please. Lets see if your class can be the first to return all their library books this term.
If you find any other school books such as journals, junior reading books and class books lying around at home please return these to school too.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

The Indian in the Cupboard

The second in a series of posts about children's classic books available for borrowing from our school library.

The Indian in the Cupboard was written in 1980 by Lynne Reid Banks, it is the first in a series of books about a boy whose toy Iroquois Indian comes to life. It was made into a movie in 1995.



Omri, a young boy, discovers that when an old cabinet is unlocked with an antique key it has the power to bring small plastic figurines to life. The first toy he puts into the cabinet is a 10cm tall Iroquois Indian figure. Omri is shocked when the toy comes out of the cabinet and tells him that his name is Little Bear, and that he is from the 18th century. But Omri’s troubles really start after he puts a plastic cowboy into the cupboard and then has to deal with “Boone” the cowboy trying to kill Little Bear. Boone wounds Little Bear and Omri must try to bring a plastic WWII medic to life to save him. You will have to read the book to find out what happens next but I can tell you that the book finishes with Omri giving his mother the key so that he won’t be tempted to bring more toys to life. (I guess this idea didn't work so well as The Indian in the Cupboard is the first in a series of five books....)

We have a copy of The Indian in the Cupboard in the Fiction section. The other books in the series, and the The Indian in the Cupboard DVD, are available for borrowing from Upper Hutt Library.

Information adapted from here and here.

Monday, November 22, 2010

On the New Books Display this week

Browsing Book:
  • "Can You See What I See? - The Night Before Christmas" by Walter WICK
Picture Book:Fiction:
  • "The Little White Horse" by Elizabeth GOUDGE (Filmed as "The Secret of Moonacre")
  • "Diary of a Wimpy Kid - The Ugly Truth" by Jeff KINNEY (Diary of a Wimpy Kid series)
  • "The Case of the Mummy Mystery" by James Preller (A Jigsaw Jones Mystery)
Senior Fiction:
  • "Knife" by R.J. ANDERSON
Non-Fiction:
  • "Maori Tales of Long Ago" by A.W. REED

Monday, November 15, 2010

On the New Books Display this week

Picture Book:
  • "The Night Before Christmas" by Clement C. MOORE
  • "Kapai's Thermal Adventure and other stories" by UNCLE ANZAC
Fiction:
  • "Freak Street - Wizardsons' Time Machine" by KNIFE & PACKER (Freak Street series)
  • "The Key to Rondo"by Emily RODDA (Rondo series)
  • "Buddy"by Ellen MILES (Puppy Place series)
Senior Fiction:Non-Fiction:
  • "World Cup Soccer Stars" Edited by Joe FUNK
  • "Ripley's Believe it or Not" 2010 Special Edition

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Eoin Colfer

This is the first in a series of posts about popular children's authors and their books.

Eoin Colfer (pronounced Owen) was born and raised in Ireland. After leaving school he gained a degree from Dublin University and qualified as a primary school teacher. He currently lives in Ireland with his wife and two children.
His first book, Benny and Omar, was published in 1998 and was based on his experiences in Tunisia where he and his wife spent time working in the 1990's. Eoin is best known for his Artemis Fowl series of books about a 12-year-old criminal mastermind from North Dublin. Artemis lives in a world where the traditional Irish folktale meets the world of modern technology - hardcase leprechauns, elves with attitude and fairies with machine guns! In 2001 when the first Artemis Fowl book was published he was able to resign from teaching and concentrate fully on writing. Eoin has also written a series of books about Will and Marty for younger readers (The Legend of ...)

Books by Eoin Colfer:
Artemis Fowl
Artemis Fowl : The Arctic Incident
Artemis Fowl : The Eternity Code
Artemis Fowl : The Opal Deception
Artemis Fowl and the The Lost Colony
Artemis Fowl and the Time Paradox
Artemis Fowl and the Atlantis Complex
The Artemis Fowl Files
Airman
Half Moon Investigations

The Supernaturalist

The Wishlist

Benny and Omar
Benny and Babe
The Legend of Captain Crow's Teeth

The Legend of Spud Murphy
The Legend of the Worst Boy in the World

We have copies of most of Eoin's books in the library.

Most of the information above has come from Eoin Colfer's official website. To find out more about him and his books visit his official website here.

Monday, November 8, 2010

On the New Books Display this week

Picture Book:

Fiction:

Senior Fiction:

  • "Oracle" by Jackie FRENCH (browse inside "Oracle" here)

Non Fiction:

  • "Bones - Skeleton's and how they work" by Steve JENKINS
  • "Killer Africa" published by Five Mile Press

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Black Beauty

This is the first in a series of posts about children's classic books available for borrowing from our school library.

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell is the compelling tale of a spirited young Thoroughbred that captured the hearts of readers throughout Victorian England when it was first published in 1877. Black Beauty grows up in the fields and horse meadows of Victorian England but when the young black colt is sold, he has no idea of the hardships he is about to face. Read his story in his own words as he tells of his life in nineteenth-century England, his treatment under many different masters, both good and bad, and as he faces and overcomes danger, mistreatment and cruelty in a world that cares little for the happiness of animals.

We have two copies of Black Beauty in the library, one in Fiction and one in Senior Fiction.

Monday, November 1, 2010

On the New Books Display this week

Picture Book:Fiction:
  • "Freak Street - Humansons' Time Machine" by KNIFE & PACKER (Freak Street series)
  • "In the Dark"by Suzannah McFARLANE (EJ12 series)
Senior Fiction:
  • "Vampire Dusk : Outbreak" by Sebastian ROOK (Vampire Dusk series)
  • "Conspiracy 365 - August" by Gabrielle LORD (Conspiracy 365 series)
Non-Fiction:
  • "The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary" by Jeff KINNEY
  • "Extreme Sports - Bike!" by Monique PETERSON & Zachary ZIMMERMAN (National Geographic Extreme Sports series)

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Some Scary Book Trailers

The book equivalent of movie trailers, take a look at some spooky book trailers for these books:

"Ghosthunters and the Incredibly Revolting Ghost" by Cornelia FUNKE watch the book trailer here
"Goosebumps Horrorland" series by R.L. STINE see the book trailer here

Or you can look at some scary book trailers for books from our Senior Fiction:

"Monster Blood Tattoo - Lamplighter" (Bk.2) by D.M. CORNISH - watch the book trailer here
"The Spooks Apprentice" (Wardstone Chronicles) by Joseph DELANEY - see the book trailer here
"The Graveyard Book" by Neil GAIMAN - watch the book trailer here

If you are aged 10+ and really brave you might like to watch and listen to Neil GAIMAN reading Chapter 1 from "The Graveyard Book" here (WARNING: This REALLY is quite scary)

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

On the New Books Display this week

Picture Book:Fiction:Senior Fiction:
  • "13 Treasures" by Michelle HARRISON
  • "Kings of Clonmel" by John FLANAGAN (Rangers Apprentice series)
Reference:

Thursday, October 21, 2010

New Library Display

Have you read any scary, spooky or creepy stories recently?

Check out the spooky display now on show in the library just in time for Halloween. All of the featured books (those displayed in the library and here) are in the library, many are from series and we also have other titles in most of the series.

Monday, October 18, 2010

On the New Books Display this week

Picture Book:Fiction:Senior Fiction:Non-Fiction:

Monday, October 11, 2010

On the New Books Display this week

Picture Book:

Fiction:
Senior Fiction:
Reference:

Welcome Back

Hope you all had fun over the holidays and also managed to find time to sit down and read a good book or two. If the weather today (first day back at school) is anything to go by there is still an opportunity to curl up somewhere warm with a good book and catch up on some reading before summer arrives. We have plenty of new books arriving on the shelves this term so remember to check out the New Books Display shelves and blog entries every week.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Book Fair 2010 Update & End of Term

St Brendan's Book Fair is over for another year, and what great support we had again this time. A BIG Thank you to everyone who came along and supported our major library "fundraiser". The value of sales this year was up on last year and we earned 31 free new books for the library. A BIG Thank you also to the families who purchased "Red Dot" books for donation to the library - keep a look out for them in the library next term, they will have special Book Fair Donation book plates inside!

It's almost the holidays so don't forget to return your library books before the end of the week. Hope you have a great holiday & see you next term.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1

This picture is from HERE

Harry Potter and his Hogwarts friends will be on everyone's mind again soon as the latest movie adaption, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1, will be in cinemas from November 18.
If you would like a sneak peak you can watch the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 movie trailer here:

Click here to watch the Movie Trailer

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 is due for release in July 2011.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Coming Soon...

St Brendan's Book Fair will be open after school and during the School Concert this Friday, 10th Sept from 4.30pm.
The Book Fair will also be open for viewing and sales each day Mon 13th-Thurs 16th Sept before school 8.40am-9.15am and after school 2.40pm-3.15pm.
All purchases from the Book Fair help to earn free books for our school library.
Hope to see you there.

Monday, August 30, 2010

On the New Books Display this week

Picture Book:
Fiction:
Senior Fiction:
Non-Fiction:
  • "In Space" by Ian GRAHAM (Machines at Work series)

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid"

Coming soon to a cinema near you:
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" - The Movie.
Just in time for the next school holidays, so if you really, really want to see it - be very, very good and a grown up at your house just might take you along!

Some of you may have also heard that the 5th book in the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series (with a purple cover) is also coming soon, but not till November, so you will have to be patient a bit longer yet.

Monday, August 23, 2010

On the New Books Display this week


Picture Book:
"The Mayor's Flash New Clothes" by Chris GURNEYJunior Browsing Book:
  • "1001 Bugs to Spot" by Emma HELBROUGH
Fiction: Senior Fiction:

Monday, August 9, 2010

On the New Books Display this week

Picture Book:
Fiction Book:
Senior Fiction:
Non-Fiction:

Monday, August 2, 2010

On the New Books Display this week

Picture Book:
Fiction:
Senior Fiction:

Non Fiction:

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

On the New Books Display this week

Picture Book:
  • "A Giraffe in the Bath" by Mem FOX & Olivia RAWSON
  • "Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore" A.A.MILNE & Walt DISNEY
Fiction:
Senior Fiction:
Non Fiction:

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Vote for Whitcoulls Kids' Top 50 Books

Do you have a favourite book or books?
Would you like your favourites to be in the Kids' Top 50?

Then visit Kids' Top 50 or look out for information in the school library (coming soon).

Everyone who votes goes into the draw for 10 chances to WIN the top 10 books for themselves, AND the 5 schools with the most votes will each WIN a $500 Whitcoulls gift card. * Voting Closes midnight 1st August 2010.

P.S. Please remember to check if it is O.K. with your parents before you vote online.

Monday, July 19, 2010

The Chronicles of Narnia : 'The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'

The Movie Trailer for The Chronicles of Narnia 'The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" was released last month. The movie is scheduled for release in the U.S.A. and Australia about the 10th of December this year so you could add this to your 'What to do over the Christmas Holidays' list.

Click here to watch the Movie Trailer

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Congratulations!

To Room 2 & Room 11 for having all student overdue books returned. You have both earned a Smiley Face for the end of term overdue books notice displayed in the staffroom!

Coming soon....

There are no books on the New Books Display this week, but here are some to keep a look out for next term:

More Geronimo Stilton and Freak Street titles
The next installment in the Artemis Fowl series
Kidz Mag - an addition to our magazine section
A new Molly Moon adventure and...
More from the 39 Clues and Conspiracy 365 series

Hope you have fun over the holidays - see you back in the library next term.

P.S. Don't forget to return overdue books before the end of term.

Monday, June 21, 2010

On the New Books Display this week

Picture Books:
  • "Shirl and The A & P Show" by Janeen BRIAN
Fiction:
  • "Goldie" by Ellen MILES (Puppy Place series)
Senior Fiction:
  • "Havoc" by Chris WOODING (sequel to "Malice")
Non-Fiction:

Friday, June 18, 2010

The Puffin of Puffins

2010 is the 70th Birthday of Puffin Books.

Puffin chose seven Modern Classic children's books, one from each decade of the 70 years as part of their Birthday celebrations. These were hand-picked as the most entertaining and inspirational Puffin children’s books of all time.

The Family from One End Street by Eve Garnett (1940s)
Charlotte’s Web by E.B White (1950s)
Stig of the Dump by Clive King (1960s)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl (1970s)
Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian (1980s)
The Hundred-Mile-An-Hour Dog by Jeremy Strong (1990s)
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer (2000s)

Then Puffin asked readers to select their favourite book from the seven Modern Classics to find the Puffin of Puffins.

The results were announced this week, and the winner is

Artemis Fowl.

Find out more about these books at the Puffin of Puffins web page here.

P.S. We have many of the above Puffin Modern Classic
books in our school library!

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

On the New Books Display this week

Picture Book:
Mature Picture Book:
Fiction:
  • "Beswitched" by Kate SAUNDERS
Senior Fiction:
  • "Vampire Dusk : Paris" by Sebastian ROOK (Book 2, Vampire Dusk series, previously published as Vampire Plagues)
Non-Fiction:
  • "In the Air" by Ian GRAHAM (Machines at Work series)