Poetry Competition

Spine Label Poetry Competition

Easy As!

Simply use the supplied cards to arrange a poem, these are titles of books. 

Use a maximum of 10 cards. 

Then we will photograph it with your name.

All entries will be judged by Mrs O’Neil.

Three categories: Year 7&8, Year 9&10, Years 11-13

One prize for each category. 

Choice of petrol voucher, or movie voucher or Centre City voucher

to the value of $20

Entries close Wednesday 25th September

Use the whiteboard to construct your poem, don't forget to give it a title.

The competition is well under way and we have many great entries.

Silver by Chris Wooding

This story is full of action, danger, narrow escapes and courageous acts. It is a winner for being able to keep you wondering what will happen next.

Storyline: When a boy is bitten by a strange silver beetle, he becomes the first victim of a mysterious infection. But this is no ordinary virus. It turns flesh into metal, and people into machines. (Back cover)

For a review and more about the story go to Silver 

The following link offers a bit of information about the author as well Silver by Chris Wooding

The Last Tuatara by Des Hunt

A new mystery is unfolding...
“Shawn Morris crash-landed into my life on a lovely spring day in early October, exactly one week before my thirteenth birthday.”
And Shawn’s arrival soon has Jason and his twin sister embroiled in a mystery that is set to rock the whole world.
What is it that Shawn Morris is after … and what does it have to do with ‘The Last Tuatara’? (Back cover)

Hunted by Gabrielle Lord

Cal is undercover on Shadow Island, investigating the secrets hidden beneath the surface of this tropical paradise. Evading search parties, planning rescue missions and sneaking through a maze of hidden tunnels is now an average day for Cal.
Trapped in the office of the suspicious director, how can Cal evade capture and continue his double act with his twin brother Ryan? As danger multiplies at least he knows he can count on SI-6 - or can he? (Source: Back cover)

This is Book 2 of the Black Ops Trilogy.

The Bunker Diary by Kevin Brooks

Described on the back cover by Sunday Times as 'A compulsive, atmospheric thriller'.

For a review go to The Bunker Diary

QR Codes

Inside the books on display are QR Codes that provide more information about the story.

By scanning the code with a QR reader on your cellphone, it will take you to a website that gives you the summary, setting, reviews about the book and information about the author.

Go to your app store to find a QR Reader if you do not already have one.

 

Father's Day

This Sunday, being Father's Day, we get to show our dads how much we love and appreciate them (not reserved just for Father's Day). In this link Best Dad's in Literature there are five fathers who have been listed. My favourite is Atticus Finch, he has strong values and instills honesty, a sense of fairness and justice into his children.

Who is your favourite father in a book you have read?

Course Planning for 2014

The library hosted representatives from universities around the country who provided Year 13 students advice about planning their courses for next year.

Agriculture students get the low down

Year 12 agricultural students benefited from a visit from a representative from Telford, a division of Lincoln University. Feedback from the boys was positive. They discovered there was more to it than they realised. The range of courses and programmes available provided them with a range of opportunities for their future careers. As a bonus for attending they all received a dog whistle and a pen.

New books on the Shelfari shelf

The Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemminway has a theme of facing death with courage. For more on this book go to Snows of Kilimanjaro

The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers is written by a veteran of the war in Iraq and is the story of tow soldiers trying to stay alive.
For a review go to The Yellow Birds
The following clip is an interview with the author Kevin Powers who gives some insight into why he wrote the story and the style he used.

                                          (Source: You Tube - Kevin Powers )


Pure by Julianna Baggott one to read if you like The Hunger Games.

                                          (Source You Tube: Pure )


We the Animals by Justin Torres 
A range of reviews can be found here We the Animals

IPads now in the library

Thanks to a TSB grant, i-pads have been made available to students this term and have proved very popular. The benefits of being portable and smaller than laptops makes them easy for students to use anywhere within the library. Chess, mahjong, checkers, chess, word search are apps that have also been provided to keep minds engaged.

The Freedom Merchants by Sherryl Jordan

It is 1615. Pirate ships from the Barbary Coast of Northern Africa prowl the coasts of England and Ireland, raiding villages for slaves. When Liam's brother is one of those captured, Liam travels with a small band of monks and bags full of gold to find them, hoping to redeem them from the pirate masters.

Liam's long, dangerous journey takes him to the heart of the pirate world, into the turmoil of religious persecution, and the horrors of slavery. (Back cover)

For a review go to The Freedom Merchants

The story of a young man's determination and courage.

Middle Earth - The Hobbit

This video showcases New Zealand in all its splendour. We are so fortunate to live in a country with so much beauty. Peter Jackson shares the locations where filming of the Hobbit took place.

How does your version of Middle Earth when you read the book compare to Peter Jackson's?

Disaster in Taranaki?

Recently this class of Year 7's were in to research about 6 natural disasters that could occur in Taranaki. The boys made good use of books and other resources about earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, and flooding. We were impressed with their studious efforts.

 

                                                    

                   

BP Challenge

The BP Challenge: A hands-on competition where students work as a team using simple materials to solve problems.

                                                       (Above photo of winning team)

To select the team who would go forward to represent FDMC, a number of challenges were undertaken. One such challenge was conducted in the library.

Teams were asked to create a structure that would enable an egg to be dropped from over 4 m and remain intact. There was a great deal of excitement and enthusiasm as ideas were considered and the designs were executed.

The eggs hovered, anticipation builds, countdown to release.... Unfortunately some eggs were hurt in
this exercise. However, one lucky egg was held secure in an innovative and effective design.

We really enjoyed watching the boys collaborate and create. Thanks for sharing it with us, a great way to end the day.

Jim Kayes visits the library

It was an unexpected and welcome occasion to have Mr Moller bring Jim Kayes, TV3 news presenter, into the library to capture some footage for the item that featured on 18 June sports news. I hope everyone had the opportunity to see it and if you haven't then you can go to The New Plymouth school producing future All Blacks See if you can spot the few moments filmed in the library.
Looking forward to the game on Saturday!

Scorched Earth by Robert Muchamore

Summer, 1944.  The tide of war has turned against the Nazis, but desperation has made them more brutal than ever. Henderson's Boys' final mission will be their most dangerous. With food and weapons in short supply, survival is the biggest challenge of all. (Back cover)


The seventh and final installment in the spy series spun off from the CHERUB books available at the library.

Sinking by David Hill

A grim secret. A life in danger. When a crazy old man leaps out of the bushes at Conrad on his way to swimming training, he gets the fright of his life. And when he discovers the man's granddaughter is that weird horse-riding girl from school, he decides to steer clear of them. But fate has other ideas ...and he is drawn into a grim secret. What's the old man's connection to a death from long ago? (Back cover)

Another great read from a notable New Zealand writer.

Easy Money by Jens Lapidus

A dark and brutal account of the Stockholm underworld. This book has had mixed reviews but you can be the judge for yourself. It has been made into a movie.

DJ rising by Love Maia

Marley Johnnywas Diego-Dyland is a high school junior who breathes in music like oxygen. In the real world, Marley juggles caring for his heroin-addicted mother, upholding his scholarship at a school full of privileged snobs, busing tables to make ends meet, and pining for the beautiful Lea Hall. But in the private world behind his turntables, Marley is free: pulling sounds, adding beats, blending samples, and dreaming of becoming a professioanl DJ. (Back cover)

For reviews of this book go to : DJ rising or Review

Good choice for level one wide reading.

Gladiator - Son of Spartacus by Simon Scarrow

The third book in the epic series.

FREE from slavery, Marcus is determined to find and save his kidnapped mother.

Meanwhile, his master Julius Caesar wants Marcus to help destroy the bands of rebel slaves and their leader Brixus, who plans to unite a slave army and resurrect the cause of Spartacus.

But Marcus and Brixus are old allies who share a life-threatening secret. Marcus is torn between his friend and master. Can he convince Brixus now is not the time for a deadly revolt - and ask Caesar to negotiate a slave surrender before more carnage and bloodshed? (Back cover)

For a review of this book go to: Son of Spartacus

The Lethal Target by Jim Eldridge

Jake is used to threats on his life. Ever since he found out about the secret Order of Malichea, he has been hounded by dangerous forces. But this time everything is at stake. The Russians are hunting down a book that holds the key to a deadly formula. A formula that makes any living thing burn- from the inside... (Source: Back cover)

"Smoke poured out of the man's mouth and nostrils... and then there was a blinding white flash, and his body was enveloped in flames" This excerpt is just some of the action that is in this story. Get into the library to issue this one.

Index New Zealand (INNZ) Competition

Jump into INNZ

The first three clues are up on the library foyer wall! Test your research skills, the librarians will give you help if you need it.

Win weekly prizes of iTunes vouchers! 

Index New Zealand is celebrating its 25 years with a treasure hunt for New Zealand secondary students.

Every week for four weeks – starting 13 May – they will give you three clues that point you to three different records in the INNZ database.

Here are the first three to get you started:

It's on! Week one

Find these records to enter the draw:

What types of birds nestle underneath a pie cart in Westland?

What Samoan literature did a group of cowboys feature in?

What kind of people do ground deformation monitoring?

Find all three records and send in your entry to be in the weekly draw. On Friday of each week, they will randomly select the winner of a $30 iTunes voucher!

Return each week from 13 May, or follow them on twitter, to get the clues. Then head over to innz.natlib.govt.nz and try and track down the records.
The "Detailed view" of the record will reveal you've found the right article. (Source: National Library)

New Zealand Post Children's Choice Awards

Vote now for your favourite book and win!

 

The following books are just a selection of the 2013 finalists for this year's book awards. You get to have a voice on which book you think deserves an award. Voting forms are available in the library on the table in front of the display. Or you can enter online at http://bit.ly/Z9zHUf

All valid entries go into a draw to win $1,000 of Booksellers tokens.($500 for you and $500 for your school) Don't delay, voting closes Friday 31 May 2013.

 





 

The Berlin Boxing Club by Robert Sharenow

Fourteen-year-old Karl Stern has never thought of himself as a Jew. But to the bullies at his school in Naziera Berlin, it doesn't matter that Karl has never set foot in a synagogue or that his family doesn't practice religion. Demoralized by relentless attacks on a heritage he doesn't accept as his own, Karl longs to prove his worth to everyone around him.

So when Max Schmeling, champion boxer and German national hero, makes a deal with Karl's father to give Karl boxing lessons, Karl sees it as the perfect chance to reinvent himself. A skilled cartoonist, Karl has never had an interest in boxing, but as Max becomes the mentor Karl never had, Karl soon finds both his boxing skills and his art flourishing.

But when Nazi violence against Jews escalates, Karl must take on a new role: protector of his family. Karl longs to ask his new mentor for help, but with Max's fame growing, he is forced to associate with Hitler and other Nazi elites, leaving Karl to wonder where his hero's sympathies truly lie. Can Karl balance his dream of boxing greatness with his obligation to keep his family out of harm's way? (Source: Back cover)

When our Jack went to war by Sandy McKay

It is a fictional account of a real life tragedy, based on the author's research into the death of her own great uncle, who died in 1917. The NZ Post Award-winning Sandy Mckay ably conveys how war affects everyone – it's a superb meditation on war and its devastating effect on soldiers and their families. (Source: Random House New Zealand)

The story follows the trials of Jack McAllister's family as they respond to the devastating events of the First World War.

New Books

We have started processing a number of new books for the library. For a peek at a few of them go to the Shelfari shelf on the right.

One More Time by Damien Leith
As Sean travels through Nepal, events run out of control. If he is to survive he must find courage to let his secret go. (Back cover) This book is written by the winner of 2006 Australian Idol.

Shot Clock Slam and Point Blank Paintball are two examples of a new graphic novel sports series. They have good story lines and are sure to be popular.

Warm Bodies has been made into a movie. For a review of the book go to Warm Bodies review

Winner of the NZ Book Month competition

One very happy student greeted me this morning to receive his prize (featured in photo below) It was my pleasure to be able to present it to him. Well done, congratulations!

Upside Down in the jungle - Helen Phillips

Mad and Roo's world turns upside down when their bird-freak dad goes to the jungle and doesn't come back. When they receive a Very Strange and Incredibly Creepy Letter, which Roo swears is in coe, they know that something has happened to him. 

Determined to find him, the girls set out into the Costa Rican jungle to investigate. With the help of a golden-eyed boy, a rare and valuable bird and some weird jungle flowers that grow between Roo's toes, they fight to rescue their father. (Source: Fishpond)

 Source (You Tube)

To Brave the Seas: A boy at war by David McRobbie

Here is the story of a teenager who ends up as a deck boy on navy ships, learning the ropes, fitting in with the crew and facing war-time action in World War II.

If you want to read the first few pages of this book go to Preview of book and scroll down over picture.

Adventure, action danger, comradeship and more.

Paper Towns by John Green

“A suspenseful mystery, a compelling central metaphor, and one of those road trips that every senior hopes he or she will have round out this exploration of the kind of relationship that can’t help but teach us a little bit about ourselves.”
-Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books, starred review

“There are echoes of Green’s award-winning Looking for Alaska (2005): a lovely, eccentric girl; a mystery that begs to be solved by clever, quirky teens; and telling quotations (from Leaves of Grass, this time) beautifully integrated into the plot. Yet, if anything, the thematic stakes are higher here, as Green ponders the interconnectedness of imagination and perception, of mirrors and windows, of illusion and reality. That he brings it off is testimony to the fact that he is not only clever and wonderfully witty but also deeply thoughtful and insightful. In addition, he’s a superb stylist, with a voice perfectly matched to his amusing, illuminating material.
–Michael Cart, Booklist, starred review

These reviews should entice you to get your hands on a copy!

Or for more you can listen to the author talk to you about his book.

The Debt series- Phillip Gwynne

Catch the Zolt is Book One of a high-octane thriller series. Fifteen-year-old Dom is cast out of his comfortable life in the Gold Coast's Halcyon Grove when he inherits an ancient debt. Now, he has six Herculean tasks to perform...or lose a pound of flesh.

Turn of the Lights is Book Two - In this instalment Dom has to turn the power off during Earth Hour - for the entire Gold Coast. Dom is learning quickly. He has the Clam Top and a few tricks of his own. But it's a race against time, and this time he's racing for his life.

Not sure if these are books you would like???? Then check out the following link and read some reviews from kids who have read them. Book review

NZ Book Month Competition

Who isn't up for winning an Easter Chocolate bunny! Plus the opportunity to win a book voucher, book light and a drink bottle. You can find this poster in the library foyer. With just a bit of easy online researching you can enter this by filling out a form that you can get from the issues desk. Or online at Competition  and scrolling down to find 'Competitions' link on the left-hand side. Good luck!

Hint: Got to NZ Post Shop

NZ Book Month

March isn't just for madness, it is the annual NZ Book Month where we showcase the great talent and diversity of New Zealand authors and illustrators. Our current display provides easy access to some of these books. You are welcome to issue any of these or enquire about other terrific New Zealand titles.

A winter's day in 1939 by Melinda Szymanik

The photo of the boy on the front cover is the author's father. In the front of her book she writes that her father was twelve when the Soviet Red Army invaded eastern Poland where he lived, in 1939. His family was transported from Poland to a labour camp in Russia in 1940. Their experiences during the first few years of World War Two form the basis of the novel.

New books on the shelf

If you look on the shelf in the left-hand sidebar, you will be able to check out three new books that have ben added. These are:
Operation Code Breaker
Survival Squad- Out of bounds
Z-apocalypse

The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda

Gene is different from everyone else around him.  He can’t run with lightning speed, sunlight doesn’t hurt him and he doesn’t have an unquenchable lust for blood.  Gene is a human, and he knows the rules.  Keep the truth a secret.  It’s the only way to stay alive in a world of night—a world where humans are considered a delicacy and hunted for their blood.

(Source: Amazon.com)

The Book Smugglers gives a comprehensive review or for something shorter got to Bob's Book Blog

If you enjoy this book we also have the second book called The Prey.

Danger, action and survival.

Revenge by Gabrielle Lord

After 365 days on the run, Cal Ormond is finally back with his family and friends, and life seems good. But one night, Cal receives a mysterious message - 30 days. Is it a real warning, or a hoax? Has his terrifying past returned to haunt him? (Back cover)

For more information about the series and the author, and some reviews go to 365 Conspiracy

For another review go to AussieReviews

These books are action and danger, a great combo.

Kill Order by James Dashner

Sun flares have unlashed devastation on the Earth. Mark and Trina were there when it happened, and against the odds they survived. but now a violent and highly contagious disease is spreading like wildfire. Worse still, it's mutating and people are going crazy. (Back cover)

This is a prequel to the Maze Runner series. This series is also in the library.

Read first few pages of chapter one for a preview. For a review on this book go to The Kill Order review

Roald Dahl bonanza!

We have purchased a box set of much-loved favourites of Roald Dahl. The Official Roald Dahl website is terrific.  You can become a member of the Roald Dahl Club and enjoy the interactive games and other features. Give it a go. Or come to the library to get a copy of one of his books that you haven't read or would like to re-read.

Valerie - the autobiography

Valerie Adams keeps no secrets as she tells her inspirational story of how a Tongan kid from Mangere, throwing the shot in bare feet, transformed herself into a double Olympic champion. (Inside cover)


Sir Peter Leitch (aka The Mad Butcher) review of this book


Extract from the book

Welcome back

Hi all. I hope you have all enjoyed the holiday break. It's hard to leave behind the carefree days and settle back into the rhythm of shool life. In the year ahead we look forward to sharing what's happening in the library, letting you know when new books are available, providing book reviews, highlighting some useful web tools, and throwing in the odd competition.

To kick off the year, let me know what your favourite book is that you would like to see become a movie. Entry forms are at the issues desk. Prize is a $5 tuck shop voucher.

Love to hear from you.