Books, banksias and bunyips

Isobelle Carmody

heathereboundy — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 05:37:34 +0000

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.

CBC BOOK OF THE YEAR 2011

heathereboundy — Mon, 02 May 2011 02:57:32 +0000

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 Book Reviews

heathereboundy — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 00:23:19 +0000

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

Do you need a photograph for an assignment?

heathereboundy — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:35:52 +0000

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.

Congratulations Shaun!

heathereboundy — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 03:40:00 +0000

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.

Student Book Reviews

heathereboundy — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 04:34:49 +0000

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

New from Scott Westerfeld

heathereboundy — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 00:37:35 +0000

Steampunk is still proving very popular. With the success of Behemoth, follsoing on form Westerfeld’s Leviathin, his readers are eagerly awaiting the third book in the series, Goliath, which we can expect later this year – it will be a long wait for some.

To find out more about Goliath check out Scott Westerfeld’s excellent blog. There you can read about his final drafts far the new book and quite a lot about the editing process.

Congratulations Shaun Tan

heathereboundy — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 04:05:08 +0000

Popular author and illustrator Shaun Tan is to be congratulated on his nomination for an Academy Award in the category of animated short film.

He has been working on an adaptation of his picture story book The Lost Thing.

The 15-minute film is one of five to receive nominations for the short animation category which will be announced at The 83rd Academy Awards on February 27.

Tan was born in Fremantle in 1974, and freelanced for some years from a studio in Mount Lawley.

He bagged several international art and writing awards before relocating to Melbourne in 2007.

Woodleigh School wishes Shaun Tan good luck for the awards.

Find out more at the website http://www.thelostthing.com/

Or watch the trailer on youtube http://www.wikio.co.uk/video/lost-thing-trailer-5040803

Hypothetical Book Covers

heathereboundy — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 01:05:42 +0000

American artist and designer, Charlie Orr, has hit on the idea of designing book covers for hypothetical books of well-known artists. His latest author is Neil Gaiman, and the title of his non-book is, fittingly, If you read this book the world will end. To see the design for a moving digital cover (ie a cover which moves), and to listen to the possible first chapter of this ‘book’ go to the Hypothetical Library.

Book Trailers

heathereboundy — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 01:01:41 +0000

We have been experimenting with making our own Book Trailers. This is a great way of telling other readers about books that we have enjoyed.

Here are some sample Book Trailers by Woodleigh students.

Amelia D and the peacock lamp by Odo Hirsch. Trailer by Isobel Cian Amelia_Dee

Grace by Morris Glietzman. Trailer by Caeleigh Smales Grace

India dark by Kirsty Murray. Book Trailer by Tea and Rayna India Dark Trailer

Young Zorro – the iron brand by Jan Adkins. Book Trailer by Ryan Lindsay and Dan Broughill zorro good.