Rick Riordan

Another in a series of posts about popular children's authors and their books

Rick Riordan was born on the 5th of June 1964, in San Antonio, Texas.

Image via RickRiordan.com HERE

Today is his birthday

 Happy Birthday Rick!

Rick started writing as a young adult but didn't take it seriously until after he had graduated from college and was teaching in San  Francisco. His first publishing successes were mysteries for adult readers. When asked by his student's why he didn't write children's books he found he didn't have a good answer for them, and so began his journey into writing books for a younger audience. Rick now writes full time but admits he enjoyed teaching and may sometime return to the classroom.

Rick is the author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, The Kane Chronicles and the Heroes of Olympus series, and also the creator of the 39 Clues series which includes books written by a number of authors including Rick himself.

The first two books in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, The Lightning Thief and Sea of Monsters, have been adapted for movies.

Currently we have 12 books written by Rick Riordan in our Fiction or Senior Fiction areas.

Upper Hutt Library currently holds copies of about 22 children's books by Rick Riordan, as well as audio versions of some books and copies of the movie adaptions.

The above information about Rick Riordan was adapted from HERE, and HERE. You can find out more about Rick, his books and other fun stuff on his website HERE too.   

More Awesome Book Sculptures

I found these great sculptures at BibliOdyssey blogspot HERE.

I'm not really sure they actually are sculptures made from books, but the images were apparently created as promotional images by Kaspen for the Anagram Bookshop in Prague.

On the New Books Display this Week

Picture Book:

• "Grandma McGarvey's Christmas" by Jenny HESSELL; illustrated by Trevor PYE
• "How to Train a Train" by Jason Carter EATON; illustrated by John ROCCO

Fiction Book:

• "A Bad Spell for the Worst Witch" by Jill MURPHY (Worst Witch series)
• "Darke" by Angie SAGE (Septimus Heap series)
• "Zac's Rocket Launch" by H.I. LARRY (Zac Power - Test Drive  series)
• "Zac's Skate Break" by H.I. LARRY (Zac Power - Test Drive  series)

Senior Fiction:

• "Scarlett" by Cathy CASSIDY

Non-fiction:

• "Tangaroa's Gift - Te Koha a Tangaroa" by Mere WHAANGA-SCHOLLUM
• "Disney Joke Book" by David CARR & Ben RIPLEY

Lego Harry Potter & Voldemort

I found this image at Kerikeri Covertocover blog HERE

On the New Books Display this Week

Picture Book:

• "Some Dads" by Nick BLAND
• "Steam Train, Dream Train" by Sherri Duskey RINKER; illustrated by Tom LICHTENHOLD

Fiction Book:

• "Strike of the Shark" by Bear GRYLLS (Mission Survival series)
• "Judy Moody Predicts the Future" by Megan McDONALD (Judy Moody series)
• "Freak Street : Zombiesons' Time Machine" by KNIFE & PACKER (Freak Street series)

Senior Fiction:

• "Tomorrow, When the War Began" by John MARSDEN (The Tomorrow series)

Non-fiction:

• "Saint Grandma : The Story of Suzanne Aubert" by Joy COWLEY
• "Mad isn't Bad : A Child's Book About Anger" by Michealene MUNDY; illustrated by R.W.ALLEY (Elf Help Books series)

Upper Hutt Library Quiz 2014

Today a team of St Brendan's Year 8 students competed at the Upper Hutt Library NZ Post Children's & Young Adults Book Awards Quiz.  This year we entered one St Brendan's team : Jed; Jacob, Alex and Nathaniel

They competed against teams of Year 8, 9 &10 students from other local intermediate and secondary schools hoping to finish in the top three and win book vouchers for school. As in previous years questions covered a range of topics - this year including a book and film "Who said that?", international sports team uniforms, 4 Pics 1 Word and identifying "famous" Upper Hutt places. Our team worked well together and managed to hold off teams from Heretaunga College and Fergusson Intermediate to claim 3rd place behind the two teams from Upper Hutt College.   Well done team!  

Team Work

The Score board

Teachers and librarians attending with the school teams also took part in the quiz as the "Teachers" team. Unfortunately this year the "Teachers"  finished behind the team of librarians from Upper Hutt Library.

Now for the hard part ... choosing what books to spend the $50 book vouchers on for the school library.

On the New Books Display this Week

Picture Book:

• "Second Best!" by Jane ENGLAND; illustrated by Terry MILNE
• "Boats" by Catherine FOREMAN (Machines and Me series)

Fiction Book:

• "Zac's Power On" by H I LARRY (Zac Power : Test Drive series)
• "Zac's Water World" by H I LARRY (Zac Power : Test Drive series)
• "The Discovery of America" by Geronimo STILTON (Geronimo Stilton Graphic Novel series)
• "The Worst Thing About My Sister" by Jacqueline WILSON

Senior Fiction:

• "Skulduggery Pleasant : Last Stand of Dead Men" by Derek LANDY (Skulduggery Pleasant series)
• "Ishmael and the Return of the Dugongs" by Michael Gerard BAUER

Non-fiction:

• "Maori in Aotearoa New Zealand : Understanding the culture, protocols and customs" by Buddy MIHAERE

NZ Post Children's Book Awards 2014 - Children's Choice

Now you've had time to have a look at and read the NZ Post Children's & Young Adults Book Awards finalists for 2014 it's time to vote for your favourite book. You could win $500 book tokens for yourself and $500 book tokens for school just by voting!

You can vote for your own favourite book or you could encourage your teacher to take a classroom vote -after you've read the books of course.

Pick up a pamphlet and voting card from the library, vote online HERE or you can download and print out a voting form HERE too. 

Voting closes at 5pm Monday, 26th May 2014.

Some past Children's Choice winners have been:

2013 Children's Choice Winner
"Melu" by Kyle Mewburn,
Ali Teo  & John O'Reilly

2011 Children's Choice Winner

"Baa Baa Smart Sheep" by

Mark & Rowan Somerset

On the New Books Display this Week

Picture Book:

• "Toucan Can!" by Juliette MacIVER ; illustrated by Sarah DAVIS
• "Watch Out, Snail!" by Gay HAY; illustrated by Margaret TOLLAND

Fiction Book:

• "Tom Gates : Best Book Day Ever! (so far)" by Liz PICHON (Tom Gates series)
• "Judy Moody Saves the World" by Megan McDONALD (Judy Moody series)

Senior Fiction:

• "Dunger" by Joy COWLEY
• "Speed Freak" by Fleur BEALE

Non-fiction:

• "The Beginners Guide to Hunting + Fishing in New Zealand" by Paul ADAMSON

Junior Browsing:

• "The Boring Book" by Vasanti UNKA

NZ Post Children's Book Awards 2014 - Non-fiction

The finalists in the NZ Post Book Awards for Children & Young Adults were announced last month.

The Non-fiction finalists are:

"An Extraordinary Land" by
Peter Hayden & Rod Morris

"Anzac Day : The New Zealand
Story" by Philippa Werry

"Flight of the Honey Bee" by
Raymond Huber & Brian Lovelock

"Wearable Wonders"
by Fifi Colston

"The Beginners Guide to Hunting
and Fishing" by Paul Adamson

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 you could visit Upper Hutt Library.

If you'd like to know the Young Adult Fiction finalists then click HERE.

Images via Booksellers NZ

On the New Books Display this Week

Picture Book:

• "One Little Fantail" by Anne HUNTER; illustrated by Dave GUNSON
• "Lizzie's List" by Nadine WALTER; translated by Lisa PRITCHARD; illustrated by Quentin GREBAN

Fiction Book:

• "Zac Jets on" by H.I. LARRY (Zac Power : Spy Camp series)
• "Zac Heats Up" by H.I. LARRY (Zac Power : Spy Camp series)
• "The 39-Storey Treehouse" by Andy GRIFFITHS
• "The Worst Witch Strikes Again" by Jill MURPHY (Worst Witch series)

Senior Fiction:

• "Lighthouse Family : Coastal New Zealand 1941-42" by Pillippa WERRY (My New Zealand Story series)

Non-fiction:

• "Nelson Mandela : No Easy Walk to Freedom" by Barry BENENBERG

Junior Browsing:

• "My Big Train Book" by Roger PRIDDY

NZ Post Children's Book Awards 2014 - Junior Fiction

The finalists in the NZ Post Book Awards for Children & Young Adults have been announced.

The Junior Fiction finalists are:

"A Winter's Day in 1939"
by Melinda Szymanik

"Felix and the Red Rats"
by James Norcliffe

"The Princess and the Foal"
by Stacy Gregg

"Project Huia" by Des Hunt

"Dunger" by Joy Cowley

Click on the links under the book cover images to find out more about the books and the authors. Come along to the library and see which books we have - yes you can borrow them, or you could visit Upper Hutt Library if we don't have the one you want to borrow or our copy is already on loan.

Check out the blog next term for the Non-fiction finalists.

If you can't wait that long then click here to find out all the finalists now.

Images via Booksellers NZ

Coming Next Term ...

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

Some NZ Post Children's & Young Adults Book Award finalists - to add to the titles we already have

The latest in the Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy

A book about a 39-Storey Treehouse, one about the Strike of the Shark and also one about Saint Grandma : The Story of Suzanne Aubert. 

And still more from Zac Power (Spy Camp & Test Drive), Judy Moody and also the Worst Witch series

Image from ClipArtQueen HERE

Good Luck for the Easter Raffle draw on Tuesday - remember not to eat too many Easter eggs all at once!

Hope you enjoy your family get-together's over Easter weekend and on ANZAC Day, and also any other things you might get to do over the holidays and I'll see you back at school again next term.

P.S. Don't forget to return your overdue books before the end of the week!