Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays

This picture is from HERE

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

End of Year 2015 - Update

(Updated every day or so until 18 December 2015)

Your overdue books are coming back to the library a few per day. Congratulations to Rooms 11 & 12 who were the first classes with all student library books returned.   Well done.

The library stocktake is now almost finished. We again have a number of books that are missing - they are not in the library and they are not on issue. We'd love to have these books back again, so if you find any hiding behind shelves or under the furniture, at school or at home, please hurry them along back to the library before the holidays.

End of Year Reminder 2015

This picture is from HERE

Getting Ready for End of Year 2015

Image from Clipart Panda

The Christmas School Holidays are not far away now, 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 - server permitting!
All library books are due back before this Friday, 4th December. You can help out by returning all your library books to the library "As Soon As Possible" and before the end of this week please.
I wonder which class will be first to return all their library books this year?

If you have any other school books

such as journals, junior reading books

and class books lying around at home

 now is a good time to return these
 to school too.

Harry Potter Prequel Movie - First Pictures Released

The first pictures from the Harry Potter prequel movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them were released earlier this month...

Image from HERE

You can find more still shots from the movie HERE too.

On the New Books Display this Week

Picture Book:

• "Monster Chef" by Nick BLAND
• "Charlotte's Piggy Bank" by David McKEE

Fiction Book:

• "Flora and Ulysses" by Kate DiCAMILLO
• "Princess Posey and the Perfect Present" by Stephanie GREENE (Princess Posey series)
• "Wheelnuts! : Spooky Smack Down" by KNIFE & PACKER (Wheelnuts! series)
• "Wheelnuts! : Desert Dust Up" by KNIFE & PACKER (Wheelnuts! series)

Senior Fiction:

• "Geek Girl : Geek Drama" by Holly SMALE (Geek Girl series)

Non- Fiction:

• "Ghoulish Get-Ups : How to Create Your Own Freaky Costumes" by Fifi COLSTON 
• "My Moshi Monsters Joke Book"

Strange But True ....

Image from HERE

Why are there goats up this tree?

I think this photo would make a great story starter, lets see......how good is your imagination?

• Maybe the sand is too hot to stand on
• Perhaps they're hiding from someone or something
• Maybe they're magic goats
• Maybe they're magic birds that just look like goats!

What do you think? 

You can find out why they're really up the tree HERE.

On the New Books Display this Week

Picture Book:

• "Yucky Worms" by Vivian FRENCH; illustrated by Jessica AHLBERG
• "The Very Noisy Bear" by Nick BLAND

Fiction Book:

• "Judy Moody, Mood Martian" by Megan McDONALD; illustrated by Peter H REYNOLDS (Judy Moody series)
• "Tom Gates : Yes! No (Maybe...)" by Liz PICHON (Tom Gates series)
• "The Shooting Star" by HERGE (Adventures of Tintin series)

Senior Fiction:

• "Big Game" by Dan SMITH

Non- Fiction:

• "Bone Collection : Skulls" by Rob COLSON  (Bone Collection series)
• "Painful Poison" by Nick ARNOLD; illustarted by Tony De SAULLS  (Horrible Science series)
• "Terrible Time" by Nick ARNOLD; illustarted by Tony De SAULLS  (Horrible Science series)

MetKids : The Metropolitan Museum of Art for Kids

"#MetKids is a digital feature made for, with, and by kids! Discover fun facts about works of art, hop in our time machine, watch behind-the-scenes videos, and get ideas for your own creative projects."

Image from HERE

You can .... Explore the Map

Image from HERE

or .... Ride in the Time Machine

Image from HERE

or .... Watch videos

Image from HERE

The above information was found on The Metropolitan Museum webpages HERE and HERE - You can find out more information on both of these webpages too.

On the New Books Display this Week

Picture Book:

• "This Book Just Ate My Dog!" by Richard BYRNE
• "All I Said Was" by Michael MORPURGO; illustrated by Ross COLLINS

Fiction Book:

• "EJ Spy School : Lights Out!" by Susannah McFARLANE (EJ Spy School series)
• "You Can Bet On That" by Jim BENTON (Dear Dumb Diary Year Two series)
• "Meanwhile" by Jason SHIGA

Senior Fiction:

• "The Invaders" by John FLANAGAN  (Brotherband series)

Non- Fiction:

• "Doctor" by Amanda ASKEW; illustarted by Andrew CROWSON  (People Who Help Us series)
• "Chef" by Amanda ASKEW; illustarted by Andrew CROWSON  (People Who Help Us series)
• "Vet" by Amanda ASKEW; illustarted by Andrew CROWSON  (People Who Help Us series)

P.J. Sheppard Visit

Yesterday author PJ Sheppard visited St Brendan's and read his picture book Davey's Hairy Fear to our year 3 and 4 students. He then talked about the process he goes through when he writes and where he gets his ideas from. He also explained that although a picture book is quite short there are many steps to go through from the first ideas and plans, through adjustments and improvements to the final book, it takes months and months. Some people illustrate their own picture books but PJ said although he's good at writing, he's not so good at drawing so he asked someone else to illustrate his book. Afterwards there was time for a few questions before PJ needed to head away to his next appointment. Thanks for your visit yesterday PJ, it was a great way to start the week! 

PJ Sheppard was born in New Zealand but now lives near Melbourne, Australia. Davey's Hairy Fear is the first of three books about Davey, that PJ has written, the other two books will be available in 2016. You can find out more about PJ's books on his website HERE.

Look out for a copy of Davey's Hairy Fear in our library soon.

On the New Books Display this Week

Picture Book:

• "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!" by Mo WILLEMS
• "Don't Let the Pigeon Stay up Late!" by Mo WILLEMS
• "Sophie and Rose" by Kathryn LASKY; illustrated by Wendy Anderson HALPERIN

Fiction Book:

• "Eva The Enchanted Ball Fairy" by Daisy MEADOWS (Rainbow Magic series)
• "Friday Barnes : Big Trouble" by R.A. SRATT (Friday Barnes series)
• "House of Robots" by James PATTERSON & Chris GRABENSTEIN

Senior Fiction:

• "I am Not Esther" by Fleur BEALE

Non- Fiction:

• "The Ulitimate Kid's Joke Book : Hours of Side Splitting Fun" edited by Fiona TULLOCH
• "Underworld : Secret World Beneath Your Feet" by Jane PRICE; illustrated by James Gulliver HANCOCK

New Zealand Book Week 2015

Ooops I almost forgot... It's NZ Book Week a week where we celebrate NZ books and NZ authors. Have you read or bought a book by a NZ author this week? If not, it's OK, there's still time :)

On the New Books Display this Week

Picture Book:

• "Froodle" by Antionette PORTIS

Mature Picture Book:

• "Asterix and the Picts" by Jean-Yves FERRI; illustrated by Didier CONRAD (Based on characters created by Goscinny & Uderzo)

Fiction Book:

• "False Note" by Susannah McFARLANE (EJ12 series)
• "Freak Street : Meet the Mummysons" by KNIFE & PACKER (Freak Street series)
• "Hey Jack! : The New Friend" by Sally RIPPIN (Hey Jack! series)
• "Penguin Pandemonium : The Rescue" by Jeanne WILLIS (Awesome Animals series)

Senior Fiction:

• "The Whispering Skull" by Jonathan STROUD (Lockwood &Co. series)

Non- Fiction:

• "Steppin' with Benji Marshall" by David RILEY
• "They Fought For Us : Cassino" by Ruth NAUMANN (They Fought for us series)

New to the Magazine Shelves

Have a look at the new addition to the magazine selection in the library.

Double Helix is a science magazine published by CSIRO for a youth audience. It takes over from the Scientriffic and Helix magazines which are no longer published. 

Double Helix contains fascinating and fun science material designed to foster an interest in science, maths, technology and engineering. You might also want to have a look at the Double Helix webpage - see Magazine Links on the side panel of this blog.

On the New Books Display this Week

Picture Book:

• "On the Night You Were Born" by Nancy TILLMAN
• "The Slightly Annoying Elephant" by David WALLIAMS; illustrated by Tony ROSS

Fiction Book:

• "The 65-Storey Treehouse" by Andy GRIFFITHS (Treehouse... series)
• "Paws and Whiskers" by Jacqueline WILSON
• "Storm Mutant" by Mac PARK (Boy vs Beast series)
• "Water Mutant" by Mac PARK (Boy vs Beast series)

Senior Fiction:

• "White Fang" by Jack LONDON (Scholastic Classics series)

Non- Fiction:

• "Cool Cars and Trucks" by Sean KENNEY
• "Mirror Mirror : A Book of Reversable Verse" by Marilyn SINGER; illustrated by Josee MASSE

On the New Books Display this Week

Picture Book:

• "Let It Be My Dream" by Peter HAROLD; illustrated by Ashley MURRAY
• "Animals Home Alone" by Loes RIPHAGEN

Fiction Book:

• "Night of the Creepy Carnival" by George IVANOFF (You Choose... series)
• "Alien Invaders from Beyond the Stars" by George IVANOFF (You Choose... series)
• "The Crab with the Golden Claws" by HERGE (The Adventures of Tintin series)
• "EJ Spy School : Speedy Spy" by Susannah McFARLANE         (EJ Spy School series)

Senior Fiction:

• "Ruby Redfort : Feel the Fear" by Lauren CHILD (Ruby Redfort series)

Non- Fiction:

• "Boy : Tales of Childhood" by Roald DAHL
• "The Story of Buildings" by Patrick DILLON; illustrated by Stephen BIESTY

Coming Soon ... Even More Books to Film

Goosebumps If you like the Goosebumps books this could be just the movie for you. Due in cinemas in a couple of months on the 3rd of December, just before the end of term 4.

AND for the older readers ... and possibly much older viewers ...

Maze Runner : The Scorch Trials Based on the second book in the Maze Runner series and in cinemas now. Rated M for mature audiences.

The Hunger Games : Mocking Jay - Part 2  The final instalment in The Hunger Games is due to cinemas in New Zealand on the 19th of November.

Meet Andy Griffiths!

If you're after something to do this week and you're a fan of Andy Griffiths books you could head in to Wellington or Lower Hutt and meet him on:

• Thurs, 1st October, 11.30am-1pm at Whitcoulls Lambton Quay
• Fri, 2nd October, 2.30pm-4pm at Whitcoulls Queensgate

You can also find date and time details for Auckland & Christchurch appearances by Andy Griffiths  on Whitcoulls Facebook page HERE too.

Thesaurus Dinosaur Cartoon

Sorry kids, a Thesaurus isn't actually a kind of dinosaur, it's a book a bit like a dictionary, that lists synonyms for words. For example some synonyms for the word "gasp" are: inhale, pant, puff, respire.

Image via Pinterest HERE

On the New Books Display this Week

Picture Book:

• "Oi Frog!" by Kes GRAY ; illustrated by Jim FIELD
• "Tyranno-sort-of Rex" by Christopher LLEWELLYN; illustrated by Scott TULLOCH

Fiction Book:

• "Pearlie in Central Park" by Wendy HARMER; illustrated by Gypsy TAYLOR (Pearlie series)
• "Pearlie and the Cherry Blossom Fairy" by Wendy HARMER; illustrated by Gypsy TAYLOR (Pearlie series)
• "88 Lime Street : The Way In" by Denise KIRBY (88 Lime Street series)
• "Big-Nate : Great Mind Think Alike" by Lincoln PEIRCE (Big Nate series)

Senior Fiction:

• "Spooks : A New Darkness" by Joseph DELANEY (The Starblade Chronicles series)

Non- Fiction:

• "Gruesome and Gross Facts" 
• "Gluten-Free" by Lola WORKMAN (Mum's Kitchen series)

Business as usual next week

"Image courtesy of book-clipart.com"

With the class movie nights taking place last night and again tonight the library will be "open for business as usual" again next week. 

Make sure you come along then to check out our latest books and to stock up on your holiday reading material.

Don't forget about the Diary of a Wimpy Kid Old School "Read-a-thon Challenge".

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Old School "Read-a-thon Challenge"

How would you like to meet the author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, Jeff Kinney, in Sydney, Australia? 

That's exactly what you could win by taking part in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid Old School "Read-a-thon Challenge". If you think you could read all nine Diary of a Wimpy Kid books and take a quiz about each book as you finish it - before the 16th of October then this could be just the competition for you. To find out more and to sign up (make sure you have your parents permission first) go to Diary of a Wimpy Kid Old School "Read-a-thon Challenge".

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Old School, the 10th book in the series, will be released around the world on 3 November 2015.

The Kid Should See This

The Kid Should See This is a great website with heaps of really interesting videos about Science, Technology, Space, Animals, Nature, Transport, Food, Music, Art, Conservation, Animation, Robots and LOTS more.

Here are a couple of videos I really liked at The Kid Should See This but there are so many I couldn't look at them all and there could be lots that are even better.

Cooking in Space with ESA Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti

Scientific and Artistic Glassblowing with Kiva Ford

Take a look at The Kid Should See This for yourself to find more great videos.

The Library & Movie Editing

Image via tips.epsb.ca

The library is currently being used by classrooms for movie editing. Because of this it is likely to be closed for class library visits and during lunchtimes for the next few weeks. If you'd like to borrow a book(s) during this time leave a note on my desk, or ask your teacher to give it to me, and I'll do my best to get it to you.

Book Fair 2015 - Update 2

St Brendan's Book Fair is over again for another year. A BIG Thank You to everyone who came along and supported our major library "fundraiser".  Sales this year earned us 25 free new books for our library collection. A BIG Thank you also to the families who purchased a "Red Dot" book for donation to the library - keep a look out for them in the library in the next few weeks, they'll all have special Book Fair 2015 Donation book plates inside!

For those waiting on book orders from the Scholastic Book Fair warehouse, these should be on their way home with you after school by the end of the week.

Book Fair 2015 - Update 1

Because so many were away from school last week, due to illness, we have decided to open the Book Fair for one last afternoon. So.....if you were unable to make it along to Book Fair last week there's still time, come along after school TODAY.

Book Fair 2015

St Brendan's Book Fair will be open before and/or after school next week.
It will also be open late during the School Disco.

       Opening Hours:
        Mon 17th August     2.40pm-3.20pm
        Tues 18th August    2.40pm-3.20pm
        Wed 19th August    2.40pm-3.20pm
        Thur 20th August    8.40am-9.15am
                              and    2.40pm-3.20pm
        Fri 21st August       8.30am-8.50am
                                        and    2.40pm-3.20pm
                              and    5.00pm-8.20pm(approx.)
           Mon 24th August     8.40am-9.15am

        Hope to see you there.

Look out for the Book Fair brochure coming home soon. It showcases just a few of the hundreds of books on display and available for purchase in the library - next week only. 

Remember all purchases from the Book Fair help to earn free books for our school library.

New Zealand Book Awards for Children & Young Adults 2015 - Children's Choice Winners

16000 New Zealand children and young adults have had their say by voting for their favourite book or books in the Children's Choice Awards.

The Children's Choice Winners are: 

Picture Book

"The ANZAC Puppy" by 
Peter Millet & Trish Bowles 

Junior Fiction

"The Island of Lost Horses"
 by Stacy Gregg

Non-fiction

The Letterbox Cat & other
poems" by  Paula Green

Young Adult    "Night Vision" by Ella West

You can find the New Zealand Book Awards for Children & Young Adults 2015 - Judges Choice Finalsts list HERE and the winners chosen by the judges HERE.

Coming Soon .... Book Fair 2015

Where: In the Library

When: Opens Week 5, Term 3

St Brendan's Book Fair 2015 will be open before and after school on weekdays between the afternoon of Monday, 17th August and the morning of Monday, 24th August. Check back here soon for more information about Book Fair opening hours. All purchases from the Book Fair help to earn free books for our school library.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

On the New Books Display this Week

Picture Book:

• "Shh! We Have A Plan" by Chris HAUGHTON

Mature Picture Book:

• "Noah's Ark and Other Bible Stories" retold by Marcia WILLIAMS

Fiction Book:

• "Air Mutant" by Mac PARK (Boy vs Beast series)
• "Rock Mutant" by Mac PARK (Boy vs Beast series)
• "Penguin Pandemonium" by Jeanne WILLIS (Awesome Animals series)
• "Phoebe and her Unicorn" by Dana SIMPSON (A Heavenly Nostrils Book series)

Senior Fiction:

• "Ruby Redfort : Catch Your Death" by Lauren CHILD (Ruby Redfort series)

Non- Fiction:

• "Healthy Fast-Food" (Mum's Kitchen series)
• "If You Lived Here : Houses of the World" by Giles LAROCHE

On the New Books Display this Week

Picture Book:

• "Doggie Ditties from A to Z" by Jo VAN DAM; illustrated by Myles LAWFORD
• "Six Dinner Sid" by Inga MOORE

Fiction Book:

• "Mayhem at Magic School" by George IVANOFF (You Choose... series)
• "The Treasure of Dead Man's Cove" by George IVANOFF (You Choose... series)
• "Revenge of the Lizard Club" by Thea STILTON (Thea Stilton - Graphic Novel series)
• "Ratburger" by David WALLIAMS

Senior Fiction:

• "The Curse of the King" by Peter LERANGIS (Seven Wonders series)

Non- Fiction:

• "Dirty Beasts" by Roald DAHL
• "Inside Aircraft" by Steve PARKER

New Zealand Book Awards for Children & Young Adults 2015 - Children's Choice - Have You Voted Yet?

Image via Booksellers NZ

If you haven't voted yet there's still time.... VOTE NOW!

Voting closes at 12 Noon on Friday, 31st July 2015.

On the New Books Display this Week

Picture Book:

• "Argus" by Michelle KNUDSON; illustrated by Andrea WESSON
• "The ANZAC Puppy" by Peter MILLETT; illustrated by Trish BOWLES

Fiction Book:

• "EJ Spy School : Hide and Peek" by Suzannah McFARLANE (EJ Spy School series)
• "The Volcano of Fire" by Geronimo STILTON (Kingdom of Fantasy series)
• "Big Nate : The Boy With the Biggest Head in the World" by Lincoln PEIRCE (Big Nate series)

Senior Fiction:

• "1914 : Riding Into War" by Susan BROCKER (Kiwis at War series)
• "Geek Girl" by Holly SMALE (Geek Girl series)

Non- Fiction:

• "A New Zealand Nature Journal" by Sandra MORRIS
• "The Letterbox Cat and Other Poems" by Paula GREEN; illustrated by Myles LAWFORD

What House Would You Be In At Hogwarts?

Have you ever wondered what house you'd be in if you went to Hogwarts?

Image from HERE.

You can find out by taking the Sorting Hat Quiz HERE. 

According to the quiz I'd be in Hufflepuff. What house would you be in? 

Let me know in the comments below...and don't worry, if you end up in Slytherin you can always take the quiz again!

Bibliochair

Image from HERE

The ideal chair for book lovers, and with the kind of wet and chilly weather we've been having recently it looks like a comfy place to curl up with a blanket and a good book. If you'd like a bookshelf chair of your own you can find out how to make one HERE.

On the New Books Display this Week

Picture Book:

• "The Elephant Who Was Scared" by Rachel ELLIOT & John BENDALL-BRUNELLO 
• "Rosie's Radical Ride" by Kyle MEWBURN; illustrated by Mike HOWIE & Flux Animation

Fiction Book:

• "The Island of Horses" by Stacy GREGG
• "Star Wars : Jedi Academy - Return of the Padawan" by Jeffrey BROWN (Star Wars : Jedi Academy series)
• "Treasure Hunt" by Sally RIPPIN (Billie B Mystery series)

Senior Fiction:

• "I Am Rebecca" by Fleur BEALE

Non- Fiction:

• "Jammin' with Steven Adams" by David RILEY
• "Off Loading with Sonny Bill Williams" by David RILEY

Reference:

• "Collins First School Dictionary" compiled by Jock GRAHAM & Marie LISTER

New Zealand Book Awards for Children & Young Adults 2015 - Children's Choice - Non-fiction

The Children's Choice Non-fiction finalists are:

"A New Zealand Nature Journal"
by Sandra Morris

The Letterbox Cat & other
poems" by  Paula Green

"Maori Art for Kids" 
by Julie Noanoa & Norm Heke

"New Zealand Sports Hall of
Fame : 25 Kiwi Champions "
by Maria Gill & Marco Ivancic

"Waitangi Day : The New Zealand
Story by Philippa Werry

Click on the links under the book cover images to find out more about the books and the authors and illustrators, come along to the library and have a look at the books we have or visit Upper Hutt Library.

The Children's Choice Young Adult Fiction finalists are generally aimed at college age readers however some of them may be suitable for Intermediate age students. You can see the list of YA Fiction finalists HERE.

Vote for your favourite(s) HERE. Voting closes at noon on 31st July 2015.

Images via Booksellers NZ