Football World Cup Competition

The soccer competition has been one of the library's most successful competitions.  It was drawn today in front of the whole school by Mr Chamberlain. The successful winner was Rahul, a year 7 student who lists soccer as one of his pursuits.

Tomorrow's the big day

Yes for all our football fans the waiting will be over as the World Cup gets under way. The team shirts and flags adorn the library, the score chart is up and our competition will begin. Exciting times ahead.

Make sure you get your entry in. Simply answer questions about the World Cup (Clue: answers to be found in the library) and put them in our posting box by the entry doors. The prize is a World Cup Brazil football.

We want to hear from you

 Photo courtesy of Flickr/Creative Commons/Micky

Hi to all who receive posts from us. We are interested in knowing how many people are following us and what you like or could be improved about this service. Your feedback is really valuable to us. It would be appreciated if you could also include in your comment an indication of whether you are a student, old boy of the college, a parent of a student, Taranaki resident, etc.

Thanks for your participation.

Football World Cup kicks off soon

Our avid football fans are looking forward to the World Cup, and we are adding some more interest by running a competition. Watch this space. The soccer books have been in hot demand also. Before the month is up we hope to have some new books arrive which will feature the current event in Brazil.

The Rig by Joe Ducie

Book Review:

Will Drake has already escaped from three prisons when he is sent to a high-security prison in the Arctic Ocean called "The Rig.  Though no one has escaped from the prison Will starts to make plans within days of his incarceration.  All is not what it seems on the rig as it is being used as a under-cover mining operation.  They are mining a mysterious Chrystal-X, which gives super-powers to people exposed to it.

The story has lots of action, great characters and the setting is dramatic leaving you with the sense of brutality and desolation.  A throughly good read and if you liked the Cherub series you should love this book.  

Check out the cover on our Shelfari bookshelf down on the right-hand side.

For more on this book go to:Bookzone4boys

PowerCo Challenge

The library was full of enthusiastic teams of young lads who were set a challenge to construct the tallest tower for an emergency flashing light. It was 25 minutes of furious activity with a noise level to match.

                                         Winning team of Finlay, Finn, Kian, Logan and Blake

                                    Team that placed second: Alfie, Toby, Michael, Tahanga and Corey

Noughts and Crosses - book review by Joshua

This is a review from one of our Year 10 students who reads widely and was willing to offer his thoughts about this book. He has done a great job. Well done Josh.

Noughts and Crosses, by Malorie Blackman is a fiction novel of two teenagers who are trapped in a world of two sides where they can’t be friends. The story is set in a current day setting of worldwide racism between black and white people. Resulting with white noughts and black crosses. Callum is a 15-year-old nought who is poor and is tired of the unfair rights towards noughts. Persephone (Sephy) is a cross and is the daughter of one of the most powerful people in the country but is against the unfair rights towards noughts.

Noughts and Crosses is and inspiring book for teenagers that expresses life values and concepts. It spreads a powerful message against racism, discrimination and violence. The author portrays these themes in a way that makes the reader think about the reality of harm they cause.

Fantastic new series and curriculum resources

New books for research topics. The have been chosen for the subject areas Science, Health, Social Studies and History. However, they are all interesting and also useful for general interest.

Your Body For Life series. While not in-depth they have comprehensive coverage about each topic, they have quizzes, timelines, suggested websites, and a glossary of words and terms for better understanding.

The Inside series has terrific pictorial information to aid learning, particularly the cross-sections images. The Explore Your World series has a high percentage of images and basic information, aimed at younger age learners.

Days of Decision series covers some important people and events in history. These are useful for background reading, or for intermediate students who might need them for research. Throughout the books there are highlighted key speeches and decisions, as well as topics for discussion and debate.

Welcome Back

Hope you all enjoyed your holidays. Learning doesn't need to stop just because we aren't attending school. I visited the Picton Maritime Museum which houses the Edwin Fox. This sailing ship was built in India in 1853 and was used as a troop carrier, an immigrant ship, a convict transporter, storage for frozen sheep before exported, and coal.

It is exciting to be able to walk aboard a piece of history and imagine what it must have been like for the crew and passengers.

The first photo is an example of a cabin that wealthier passengers could afford, whereas the one below is the cheaper quarters under deck. Three people or more (within a family) were expected to top and tail in this small space, not an overly comfortable rest.

                                            Above is the type of seating for dining. 

I was very impressed with the way the information was presented, it was concise (not loaded down with too much text to read) and visually interesting (pictures, artifacts and walking through the ship). Well worth a visit if you are in Picton, and really brings history to life.

 For more information go to Edwin Fox 

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to staff and students. Wishing you all a safe and enjoyable holiday break. Look forward to seeing you next term.

New Series - Three Kingdoms

As you enter the library, check out the latest display featuring a new set of graphic novels in the Three Kingdoms series.

To provide an idea of the storyline here is what is written on the back cover of the first book:

At the end of the second century, the lands of ancient China are thrown into turmoil when the Han Dynasty collapses, and when a tyrant overthrows the weak emperor, a group of regional lords forms an army to restore the nation. But bravery and valor are soon stifled by ambition and cunning, and the coalition dissolves before the battle is even won. Now, a new group of heroes must emerge if China is to survive.

For a review go to Three Kingdoms

New series - Turbocharged

On the right-hand side are the new books that have stories about street-legal racers. Each book includes real tech specs and tuning details for the car in each novel. Reading level is aimed at the Intermediate students, but I am sure these will appeal to older students also.

New books on Shelfari bookshelf

The Railway Man by Eric Lomax is the book based on at the cinema at present. It is a story of innocence betrayed, and of survival and courage in the face of horror. During the Second World War, Eric Lomax was one of the thousands of Prisoners of War forced to work on the notorious Burma- Siam line known as the Railway of Death. (Back cover)

This is a trailer from the movie:

And above is an interview with Colin Firth, the actor who plays the character of Eric Lomax.

Thirteen by Tom Hoyle

Born at midnight in London on the stroke of the new millennium, Adam is the target of a cult that believes boys born at this time must die before their thirteenth year. Twelve have been killed so far. (Inside cover)

For a review go to: Thirteen

New books available now

Canterbury Quake by Desna Wallace

Desna Wallace is a school librarian in Christchurch, this is her debut novel and no doubt born out of personal  experience.

Anyone would think Maddy's world had crumbled when she didn't get a cell phone for her eleventh birthday. But Maddy soon has far more important things to worry about. In the dark of night, with a terrifying rumble and a deafening roar, the world turns upside down! Suddenly, words like 'liquefaction', 'aftershocks' and 'state of emergency' bubble to the surface of her vocabulary. As Maddy navigates the bumps and crashes of life after the big quakes, she discovers how strong family ties can be, and finds friendship in the most unlikely of places. (Back cover)

For a review go to: Canterbury Quake

Knightley & Son by Rohan Gavin

Solving crime is a family business...

Darkus Knightley is a perfectly ordinary 13 year old, apart from the name, his brainpower, his fondness for tweed, and the top secret files hidden upstairs. But when a stranger from the Department of the Unexplained arrives with news of his father, ordinary is over for good...

Alan Knightley was London's top private detective until he went into a coma four years ago. Now he's woken up to discover his son has inherited the family talent - and their services are urgently needed.

Is a bestselling book making people do terrible things? Could it be linked to a shadowy organisation known as the Combination? It's clear to Darkus that two mega-brained investigators of the weird are definitely better than one. And it doesn't get weirder than this. (Back cover)

For a review go to: Knightley & Son

About the author: Rohan Gavin is an author and screenwriter based in London. He is a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes and his enduring love of detective fiction, cars and conspiracy theories inspired him to write this book, the first in a series.

Tigers on the Beach by Doug MacLeod

In case you can't read the back cover here it is:

Have you heard the one about the guy who lost a grandfather, but found a girlfriend? It’s funny. It’s also kind of sad. And some of the bits that are sad are also kind of funny (but only if you laugh at that sort of thing).

Adam thinks Samantha could be the one for him. But first he has to sort out his parents’ crumbling marriage, stop getting into embarrassing situations involving public nudity, find out what’s making his gran so angry, stop his little brother doing something really, really dangerous and work out what’s so funny about two tigers on a beach. It can’t be that hard, can it?

The Modigliani Scandal by Ken Follett

Overview:

Modigliani. Unarguably one of the greatest artists who ever lived. Modigliani's women. Those elongated, haunting figures, as eternally provocative as the Mona Lisa. And Modigliani's missing masterpiece. A priceless lost treasure - or a chillingly dangerous game?

Up and coming artist Peter Usher has still to exhibit anywhere, still to make even the most modest mark on the London art scene. But as rumour turns to reality, Usher finds himself caught up in a race to uncover the shadowy figures behind a breathtaking scam. Will art genius ever be rewarded? Will the brush prove more deadly than the gun . . . ? (Back cover)

For a review go to The Modigliani Scandal

Popular Series

We are trying something new and have placed a few of our more popular series in one area to make it easy to locate. The number of series will grow if this proves to be a welcome idea.

Bear Grylls and Chris Ryan

Bear Grylls and Chris Ryan are two popular authors. Check out their websites that feature information about the author and his books, games, videos, and wallpaper downloads.

Bear Grylls

Chris Ryan

So much cool stuff to check out. Go for it!

World Book Day

Thursday 6th March is World Book Day, a celebration of reading, books, authors and illustrators.

"Reading for pleasure is one of the most important things one can do" - Neil Gaiman

                                           Photo courtesy: Flickr User cmcgough. (CC) 

Reading makes a huge contribution to educational achievement. In a recent study it emerged that children who read books regularly at 10 and more than once a week at 16 gained higher results in all three tests (maths, vocabulary and spelling) at the end of secondary education.

Reading was found to be more important for children’s cognitive development at secondary school than the influence of their parents. (Source: Reading for pleasure )

Who is your favourite book character?

What book made you laugh?

What book scared you?

What book changed the way you think?

Name some books that changed your life.

Welcome back

Welcome back, the holidays are but a fond memory as we settle back into the rhythm of a new school year. I hope everyone has had an enjoyable break. There has been a steady stream of classes in to issue books for their wide reading units as well as recreational reading.

For the Year 12's, we have created a display of a range of Level 2  books (just on the right as you enter the library). However, if these do not appeal then Level 2 books can be identified on the shelves as having a red dot on the spine label.

Our second display features books from out of the Stacks Room. These are books that have been taken out of the general collection, available to use but not for issue. Please take a look at them.

The impressive book in the centre is Men in White: The history of New Zealand Cricket 1894-1985. It has the records of every cricket match New Zealand has ever played from 1894 to 1985, including photos of the teams, background information of the game, the players runs and the final scoreboard for each game. It is a fascinating look into how the game of cricket in New Zealand has evolved over time.