My Shelfari Bookshelf

Shelfari: Book reviews on your book blog

Thursday 7 October 2010

National Poetry Day

Today is National Poetry Day. This year the theme is 'Home' and many of you have been writing your own poems on this topic, or have found a poem you will be reading to your class. Assembly on Friday will be about poetry too - so look forward to it!

If you need some more inspiration, check out the displays in the library. Don't forget there are lots more poetry books on the shelves too, at section 821. We have hundreds of books, from traditional ballads like Hiawatha and The Highwayman, to books by Michael Rosen, Ted Hughes, Allan Ahlberg, Jackie Kay and loads of other poets.

Wednesday 29 September 2010

Welcome!

Welcome to our new year of reading and library activities.

We hope you all had a good summer and that you managed to read shelves of books each! Well, perhaps one or two. Many of you have been telling us about your favourite books from the summer during our library discussion time and it has been fascinating to hear what you have enjoyed reading this summer.

There are several things to look out for in the library over this year - including visits by some amazing authors! Keep an eye out for new books arriving on the shelves, information books to amaze you (and help with homework) and stories you will remember for years to come.

We are looking forward to a great year.

Thursday 27 May 2010

The very visible Beatrice and Sara afternoon...


When your sister's completely invisible, and your parents take her side in every argument, sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands. Frank has just moved house, again, and this time he wants to stay put. Elizabeth justs wants to do all the things normal teenage girls do, but it's a bit difficult when you are invisible and the people you like can't see you - and when Elizabeth gets miserable, everyone suffers.
This is a brand new story by Beatrice Colin and Sara Pinto, just out in the US and due to be published in the UK very soon. Beatrice and Sara came in to school to talk about the book to Primary Four. Sara read the first chapter to us, and Beatrice the second. It was really interesting to hear the differences between the American version and the UK version as they changed over. They answered lots of questions and explained that while it was great fun writing a book together, you did need a lot of coffee and chocolate to get to the end! There are plans for a second book if this one does well. Judging by the reaction from P4, it will.
For more about Frank and Elizabeth, have a look at http://www.myinvisiblesister.com/.
As Frank says, trouble is so much harder to handle when you can't see it coming....

Wednesday 26 May 2010

Frank Rodgers


Frank Rodgers and Primary Three had a wonderful morning on Tuesday 4th May.
Frank is one of P3's favourite authors, so they were very excited and delighted to have him come in and talk to us. We all sat and listened as he read us his very first picture book, and talked about how he had come to be a writer and illustrator of children's books. And he drew some lovely pictures of a very scary monster,and some dogs, and Wilf the witch's dog who is a great favourite of ours. Frank answered all of our questions, no-one wanted the session to end. We were still chatting as he signed books and the lunch bell rang.
Frank's most recent book is another story about the pirate penguins as they roam the seven seas in search of treasure - and fish!
If you would like to find out more about Frank's work, log on to http://www.frankrodgers.co.uk/

Tuesday 11 May 2010

Moira and Hamish


Well, we all had a fantastic time with Moira and all her pictures of Hamish the Bear who wanted to find his Special Child. We listened and laughed and sang a song about a bear too.


Everyone in Primary One and Primary Two had a brilliant time, for many the best bit was when we all threw our teddies in the air to celebrate.


Thank you Moira for a fabulous author visit.

Friday 23 April 2010

Moira Munro visit

Moira Munro is coming to visit Primary 1 and Primary 2 on Wednesday 28th April 2010. Everyone in P1 and P2 is very excited, and we are all looking forward to meeting her. Moira is going to talk about her books and her pictures. She might tell us some stories about Hamish the teddy bear, too.

Our teddies have been invited too, so the library is going to be full of people and bears on Wednesday.

www.moiramunro.com

Thursday 11 March 2010

Michael Rosen


Primary 5 classes joined thousands of children in schools across Scotland on World Book Day to watch Michael Rosen in a live web cast performance of poetry and chat.


Michael told stories and performed poems, seamlessly moving from one to another. The live web cast was quite different from just watching a TV programme - we were part of it all, waving at the screen and joining in with the poems and doing the actions just as if we were there too.


The web cast was done jointly by Scottish Book Trust and the BBC. There will be highlights available at www.bbc.co.uk/authorslive




Keith Charters Visit


WOW we all had a fantastic time listening to Keith Charters talking to Primary 6.

He told us all about his writing, and he read an extract from Lee and the Consul Mutants. We were given the choice of hearing a funny and exciting bit, or a funny and disgusting bit - and of course the funny and disgusting bit won!! And it was - extremely funny and yucky too.



Keith held the audience in the palm of his hand as

he explained how he planned his stories, and where he got some of his ideas. He also talked

about how long it takes to write a book and have it published. As he said, it takes a long time even when you run the publishing company too. It's amazing that Keith finds time to write his own books between publishing other people's books, looking after his authors, and doing lots of school visits and book talks


P6 have been asking when he will be back in school - maybe next year or the year after.

You can find some more information at www.keithacharters.co.uk






Monday 22 February 2010

Book Week 2010

Welcome back! We hope everyone had a great half-term, and that you all did lots of reading during your time off from school.

Book Week 2010 happens next week, starting on Monday when the Book Fair is delivered, and running through till Friday afternoon. Look out for Keith Charters on Tuesday afternoon if you are in P6, Michael Rosen on a live webcast for P5, Book Week Assembly by P6O, and some fun reading challenges for all of us.

There are more author visits lined up for next term, so watch this space!!

Friday 12 February 2010

Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2010

The Waterstones Children's Book Prize for 2010 has been won by Katie Davies for her first novel The Great Hamster Massacre. This prize is awarded for new writing for children, most of the authors on the shortlist have published only one or perhaps two books so you may not have come across them before.

The Great Hamster Massacre is a story about family and friendships, and the pitfalls of pet ownership. When Mum gives in to the pleading for a pet, two girl hamsters take up residence in the house. Only, they are not two girl hamsters, and soon there are little baby hamsters too. That's when things start to go horribly wrong, and the children are determined to track down the culprit with the help of their neighbour, a retired detective. This is a very funny story, with some sad sections too, but our readers have enjoyed it so far.

Some of the other shortlisted titles are available in the library Seven Sorcerers, and The Crowfield Curse. More information on the award and the full shortlist may be found at www.waterstones.com

Wednesday 10 February 2010

Keith Charters

Keith Charters is coming to visit Primary Six on Tuesday 2nd March 2010. Keith is the author of the Lee stories - Lee and the Consul Mutants, Lee Goes for Gold and Lee's Holiday Showdown.

In the first book, Lee is an accident prone boy whose burst appendix lands him in hopspital. While in hospital he finds out about a daring plan by the consul mutants, the men in white coats, to take over the world. Somehow, Lee has to stop them with only the power of his own intelligence (not much!) and his friends. Needless to say, things do not go according to plan for Lee.

There is a new book due out later this year where Lee heads out into space, with all the seen and unforeseen disasters that will be caused!

Tuesday 9 February 2010

Cressida Cowell

And now for something completely different ...


Cressida Cowell is well known for her stories about Hiccup and Toothless, Emily Brown is a heroine of a quite different nature. Emily and her rabbit Stanley have lots of wonderful adventures exploring jungles, deserts and the depths of the ocean. Queen Gloriana would love to have adventures with Stanley too, and tries to persuade Emily to swap him. The Queen offers more and more, and Emily is not prepared to swap. Until the day when she wakes up to find Stanley isn't there - and Emily gets angry!




Yes, I know the film is coming out soon - more on Hiccup later. Meanwhile, enjoy.

Thursday 4 February 2010

Joshua Mowll - The Guild Trilogy

Set in the 1920s, the Guild Trilogy is an Indiana Jones style action adventure story. Rebecca and Douglas Mackenzie are moved from one relative to another after their parents disappear into the trackless wastes of the Sinkiang Desert in western China. Eventually they are taken on by their uncle, who undertakes to educate them at sea on board his ship the Expedient. The MacKenzies come up against pirates, mercenaries, hostage-takers and all the forces of nature - from a tropical storm at sea to a sandstorm in the desert.


Most dangerous of all are the members of a secret society, the Honourable Guild of Specialists. Becca and Doug's parents were members of the Guild when they disappeared. Since then, something seems to have gone awry, and there is no-one to turn to, or trust.....









Monday 1 February 2010

Read Eleven in Primary Seven

The Book Week challenge for Primary Seven is now underway. You have to read one book from each of eleven different genres between now and Friday 30th April 2010.

There are eleven genres to choose from, plus you can count a book of your own choice if you really, really do not like one of the other choices.

There are lots of mini displays around the library to help you with ideas for each genre, and lots of help and advice available from your teacher and library staff.

So let's go for it - it works out at just under a book per week - we can do this!

Wednesday 13 January 2010

Happy New Year!

A Happy New Year to you all and let's make 2010 the best year yet for reading.

Many of you have already made a good start by reading lots of different things over the school holidays, everything from Twilight and Beast Quest, to annuals like the Beano, to the instructions on your new computer game.

There is a display of Scottish writing in the library at the moment. We are looking at books written about Scotland, in Scots and in English, by writers who are Scottish or are living and working in Scotland. Some of the titles might surprise you, others will be well known. Have a look and borrow anything that you would like to read.

Remember the Scots Verse competition will be happening soon - why not get a head start?