Thousands of readers across Australia have voted for the most popular reads from each state. The finalists have just been announced:-
The Idea of Home – John Hughes
Jasper Jones – Craig Silver
Listening to Country – Ros Moriarty
Smoke and mirrors – Kel Morrison
Time’s long ruin – Stephen Orr
Wanting – Richard Flanagan
Well done, those men – Barry Heard
The white earth – Andrew McGahan
Much-loved children’s authors Alison Lester and Boori Monty Pryor are Australia’s first Children’s Laureates! Both are talented and award-winning storytellers who bring a wealth of experience and creativity to the position – Alison as a renowned author and illustrator, and Boori as a celebrated author, performer, dancer and poet.
As the Children’s Laureates for 2012 and 2013, Alison and Boori will act as national and international ambassadors for Australian children’s literature and will separately visit every state and territory inspiring young people to tell their own stories and be part of an active literary culture for enjoyment, wellbeing and success in life.
This prestigious national honour is the culmination of the work by the Australian Children’s Literature Alliance (ACLA) to promote the transformational power of reading, creativity and story in the lives of young Australians.
Check out the Laureate website to find out more.
For those of you who are interested in expressing your own ideas and thoughts and sharing your creativity in words, art, film or music the online magazine Spine Out, by the publishers of Good Reading magazine, could be for you. It is aimed specifically at young adult readership and you are able to upload your own writing and read the reviews and ideas of others. Check here
Welcome back to 2012 and a fantastic year of reading. This year people of all ages and backgrounds will be taking part in an amazing range of fun activities based around books and reading. At Woodleigh we will be having visiting authors, competitions and quizzes, mass readings and lots of other things – keep an eye on this space.
To find out more check out the National Year of Reading website. National Year of Reading 2012
Woodleigh School is lucky enough to be having a visit from Isobelle Carmody in Term 4. Isobelle Carmody is one of Australia’s best-loved authors of books for young adults and children. She started writing her famous Obernewtyn Chronicles when she was just fourteen, and the serieswill eventually span seven books and more thantwenty years. Her latest book, The Red Wind, has recently won the CBC Book of the Year for Younger Readers.
You can find out more about Isobelle Carmody on her website
There is also a great interview available on the Penguin newsletter, where Isobelle speaks about her life and her feelings about completing the Obernewtyn Chronicles.
The Children’s Book Council has released the shortlist for this year’s Book of the Year Awards. Read as many of these as you can before August and judge for yourself who you think the winners should be.
Books for Older Readers
Graffiti moon by Cath Crowley
The midnight zoo by Sonya Hartnett
About a girl by Joanne Horniman
The life of a teenage body-snatcher by Doug Lacleod
The piper’s son by Melina Marchetta
Six impossible things by Fiona Wood
Year 7 students are enjoying reading many new books for the Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge. Thanks to these students from Mr Tymms class for sending me their reviews. If you haven’t read these books yet – you should give them a try.
Year 7 Book Reviews
Mates Dates are a series of books based on four best friends.
Mate’s Dates and Pulling Power is a book about a girl called Lucy who is having a crisis on her hands. She has just found out about her new braces being put on. Her image is important to her and a newly found boy is the only way to show her that it’s not as bad as it seems. With the help of her friends she discover it’s what’s inside you that counts and on the way discovered her father’s long and buried secret.
It is a fantastic rom com and I would definitely recommend this book as some fun and light reading.
By Siobhan Brown
| BOOK REVIEW:
The Life of a Teenage Body-Snatcher by Doug Mcleod. The life of a body snatcher is a comedy set in London in 1808. The main character is Thomas Timewell, a 16 year old gentleman who, while digging up his grandfather to fulfill his dying wish, runs into a Body snatcher named plenitude. After that his whole life changes, and he becomes plenitude’s assistant. He has many adventures including being chased by a drunk man with a broken bottle, a gypsy with a carving knife and even the grim reaper. Shockingly, he must also spend a night with his laudanum addicted mother, her friends, and the worst writer in England. A great book by a very funny author, I highly recommend this book to fans of the comedy genre. by Leon Pryor |
Here is my review of Wildwood Dancing
Wild wood dancing by Juliet Marillier is a story for the romantic adventurer. It’s about a group of sisters whose father is a merchant trader. They live in a big castle on the edge of the wildwood (forest). The Wildwood is said to hold dark creatures. That is where they have their greatest adventure. With a cousin bent on revenge they try to protect their magic friends while saving their home.
I love it because it’s full of so much suspense that you can’t put it down.
I recommend it to anyone who likes adventure.
by Emilie Stocker
The short second life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer
The short second life of Bree Tanner was awesome if you like Twilight but if you don’t that’s okay it doesn’t have much to do with Bella, Edward and Jacob. The main characters are Bree, Diego and Riley. It is a story you will want to keep reading because Bree and Diego set out for adventures in the vampire world that might be life threatening.
By Gabrielle Kittle
Review of The Returners by Gemma Malley
This story is about a depressed teenage boy named Will Hodge who has so far had quite a compelling life. His mother is dead, he has no friends and he thinks he’s being followed by strange people who confess they know him but he cannot remember them… at first. As Will Uncovers the truth about his past he refuses to like what he sees.
While Will is struggling with unsettling memories, he learns that his past is a lot deeper than many other peoples and he will have to determine if he is strong enough to break the hold that history has on him.
This story is a dramatic, futuristic, mysterious and compelling read and will challenge your reading skills to their full potential. With its gripping story line this book will have an unbreakable hold on you, with its mysterious edge.
I loved this book because it has an intense story line that will have you hooked when you read the first chapter. Why are people following him? Why is his mother dead? These are the questions you will be asking as you read this fascinating book. It is based in the near future 2016 which leaves this book with a futuristic style and mysterious scenario. I would definatly recommend this book to anyone who loves a book with crime mixed with fantasy. By Genevieve Siggins
Harry Potter and the order of the Phoenix by J.K Rowling
Harry Potter is back! with another fun filled year at ‘Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry’ but all is not good.
His boring summer is suddenly scary with a dementor attack on Harry and his brother Dudly with that the Ministry is angry at him but when he goes back to school the Ministry of magic has asined a new teacher who bends the rules and changes the way the school works but hary is woried about the return of Voldemort and his Minyons the death eaters so he comes up with a plan!!!
I really liked the book it was exciting and interesting and didn’t want to put it down some parts are just boring but then it gets better i liked it because it has twists and bend and its more exciting because voldemort is returning and only harry and a few other people believe him.
I recommend this to people who like fantasy and people who have read the other harry potter books they will like this i give it a 4 out of 5.
By Lachlan Waite
Review on Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
I love this story it has adventure,danger,beauty and creativity in it. It a mystery of beauty and something different to read and to follow on, too.
Now here is a sneak peek of what the story is about!
This story Twilight is fascinating and very convincing it is a story about a girl called Bella who comes to a Town called Forks. Her dad lives over there and she is staying with him for a while. As Bella comes to town so do the vampires, The Cullens family. They are mysterious and, well they are different.
These dangerous creatures are actually good. No one knows that there vampires, but Bella gains trust in Edward and friendship only to find out that he is different and not human.
If you want to find out how it ends then read this amazing story. By Ariane Thomas
MY REVIEW
One of my favourite books is Hatchet by Gary Paulsen.
It is a fantastic book because the author uses great, descriptive language.
The book is about a boy called Brian whose plane crash-lands in the Canadian wilderness. He is all alone with nothing but a hatchet. How will he survive?
By Kelsie Vickery
Review of The Luxe by Anna Godbersen
This story is an Adventurous, Romantic and Mysterious. I loved this story so much I wanted to read it again and again. Here’s a little look into it:
Be seen with the most sumptuous book of the season. Every girl must own one…….
Imagine, if you will, New York City, 1899……
Society’s elite: the glamour, the grandeur, the glittering parties, the most handsome beaux, the most beautiful debutantes….. The rich girl, the humble boy, the forbidden love, the stolen glances, the whispers, the scandal, the mystery, the revenge.
You are cordially invited to step into The Luxe where the secrets are dark and the sins are delicious… R.S.V.P.
I loved this book because it took me off into another world when I read the first couple of chapters. I felt like I was in 1899 wearing the big, bold, beautiful dresses and hanging out with the handsome bunch of men they had back then. It was written in such a lovely text and it was challenging but I could really get into the story. I think anyone that likes history and romance, mystery and scandal all put together, well this is your type of book. So please read it now. I guarantee you will fall in love with this book and the characters. By Alyssa-Mae Rendall
Have you ever worried that the photo you have found to enhance your research assignment might belong to someone who doesn’t want you to use it? Copyright on photos can be difficult to check. Using a Creative Commons site that allows public use of photos is the safe way to go.
This website - 12 Useful Image Search Tools will assit you to find your way around photo sites such as Flickr Commons, Wikipedia Commons, Pics4Learning, and Veezle. Play around with these sites to see what they can offer you.
A huge congratulations to Shaun Tan, author of The Lost Thing, for winning an Oscar for his short animated movie of this popular book. It was wonderful to see the Aussies being so ably represented.
I read How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff. I rated it 5/5.
When Daisy is sent to England to spend time with her Aunty, she meets her cousins….Piper, Osbert, Isaac and Edmond. A war breaks out and she and her cousins are separated. Osbert is sent to work for the army, Edmond and Isaac are sent to a farm and Daisy and Piper are sent to live with an army family, but when the enemy strikes and shoots the father, they decide to leave to find Isaac and Edmond – who she has fallen in love with.
Along the way they bond and become closer as cousins.
At the end of the book, Daisy is sent back to New York, but she eventually finds her way back to England. It is an exciting, adventurous book that I would happily read again. CHarlotte Wall Year 9.
The Vampire Diaries by L.J.Smith
This is a great book about Stefan Salvatore in 1864; it is set in the time of the civil war. This book is based on a T.V show which is based on a book. Stefan lives with his father, Giuseppe Salvatore. His father has arranged his marriage with a childhood friend, Rosalyn Cartwright whose father owns the bank. Stefan doesn’t want to marry her, he wants to make his father proud and agrees to marry her.
Everything changes when a 16 year old girl moves into the carriage house, she claimed her parents had died in a fire in Atlanta. Her name was Katherine.
In mystic falls there have been many attacks on animals lately. Most people think that it’s either some wild dogs or demons. Stefan’s father knows that the attacks are actually from vampires in the town, he sets up a council with some other men in the town, to find and kill all of the vampires. Stefan doesn’t believe his father but agrees to come to the meeting.
Stefan soon finds out that Katherine is a vampire, after his wife is killed at a barbeque to celebrate their engagement. Katherine uses mind control on him so that he won’t tell anyone about her secret and so he wouldn’t be scared of her. Stefan soon finds out that there are many vampires in town.
This was a great book I would recommend it to anyone but maybe only girls.
You can read a sample of it at http://browseinside.harperteen.com/index.aspx?isbn13=9780062003935&cm_mmc=ref-_-stefan-diary
Emily Damon Year 9
