Whole School Reading Challenge

This is a very busy term for us all in the library. Book Week will be held during the first week in March, when we will be welcoming authors to our school, taking part in reading challenges, and celebrating World Book Day.

One of the reading challenges this year is for all of us - the whole school. We are going to try to read the height of the school by the end of this term!

All the books we read will be measured and the totals added up and we shall see how high we can read. As books are returned to the library, we will measure them and add the total on. If you are reading electronically using an e-reader or tablet, let us know as you finish each book and we will add on the appropriate number of millimetres to the total.

Let's go for it - how high can we read???

Happy New Year - for reading!

Welcome back everyone. I hope you have all had a good break and managed to do lots of reading as well.

Have you made any New Year's Resolutions? If you did, or if you haven't made any yet, how about adding reading to your list of things to do. One of my resolutions is to read as much as I did last year, but to try and read some more books by new authors. I am also going to try and clear out my to-be-read pile, and return all the books I have borrowed to the libraries and friends they came from.

This is a very busy term for us here at Kingarth Street library. Book Week will be taking place in March, and we have some brilliant authors coming in to visit us then. Each year group has it's own reading challenge to complete, slightly different for for all of us but with the aim of encouraging everyone to read as widely as possible. We also have the whole school reading challenge which will be starting soon.

Look out for lots more information on all of these exciting events in the library and around the school.

Happy Reading in 2013!

Stanley's Christmas Adventure

Fans of Flat Stanley will enjoy meeting the Lambchop family again in this seasonal adventure. Two days before Christmas, Father Christmas has had enough - children don't care any more, they no longer believe. So he has decided not to go out delivering presents this year. Sarah Christmas is sure that a visit from the boy who wrote Santa's favourite letter would cheer him up. After a midnight visit from Sarah, the whole Lambchop family takes off for Snow City in Santa's borrowed sleigh. All is not well, the Elves are worried and Santa is still being crabby and determined not to go out this year.  It's up to Stanley to save the day - again!

Jeff Brown has written another heartwarming story about Stanley and his family. The message is timeless - to think of others before ourselves, especially at this time of year.


Published by Egmont Books.

My Brother's Christmas Bottom - unwrapped!

A Christmas story about Nicholas and his amazing family - featuring Cheese and Tomato, the famous twins born in the back of a pizza delivery van.

All is not well in Nicholas' house in the run up to Christmas this year.  Dad has just lost his job and things are looking grim - no cake, no presents, in fact a distinct lack of Christmas cheer. The family come up with some amazing money-spinning ideas, which are more or less successful, but nothing really takes the place of Dad's wages. It's time for Cheese and Tomato to come to the rescue again.

The twins are too old to star in a nappy commercial this time round, but how about advertising a new range of children's clothes? Needless to say, things do not go according to plan...

Yet another really funny story by Jeremy Strong, if you haven't read My Brother's Famous Bottom, try reading that one too.

Published by Puffin Books

First Snow

First Snow by Kim Lewis is a lovely gentle story about the morning Daddy was ill, so Mummy and Sara and Teddy had to feed the sheep instead. As they walk up the hill with the dogs towards the sheepfold, the first early winter snow begins to fall. Sara and Teddy are going to have to be quick with the sheep or the snow may get too deep to walk home.

The illustrations are wonderful, giving the reader a real sense of how things look on a high farm at the beginning of winter. The pictures are full of the sort of details which bring the characters and setting to life - particularly the picture of the collie sheepdog close to the end of the story. The greys and pale blue shades on the snow-covered landscape at the end are perfect to give anyone a little shiver and reach for gloves and a woolly hat!

Published by Walker Books

Fairy Tales - from Snow White to Shampoozel!

 

Primary Five have been reading and writing their own fairy tales this month. To begin with, everyone had to read lots of fairy tales to see what a traditional tale was like. Absolute silence descended on the library as everyone chose a picture book or short fiction version of a story and started reading.






After that, we all had a look at more picture books and non-traditional versions of the stories. Even more silence in the library as more fairy tales were read - punctuated by smothered giggles, and outright laughter! We all had a great time, and are looking forward to reading the finished stories.
If you would like to read more twisted tales as well as the original versions have a good look in the picture book section and the first readers section in the library, there are lots to choose from. Why not try the Seriously Silly Stories by Laurence and Catherine Anholt?

If you would like to read something rather more challenging, try books like the Tom Trueheart books by Ian Beck,the Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley, or titles by Robin McKinley and Shannon Hale.

Published by Red Fox and Orchard Books

Scottish Children's Book Awards - There's More!

While everyone in Primary 1, 2 and 3 are reading the shortlist for the Bookbug Award, some of the Primary 7 pupils are starting to read their way through another shortlist. This list is for the books aimed at children between 7 and 12.

Soldier's Game by James Killgore starts out as a football story, Ross is fed up always being on the losing team. in an attempt to cheer him up, his Gran gives him a box full of old press cutting, boots and a Hearts Football jersey. Ross is now on a mission to find out more about the man who wore these boots, and what happened to him and his team mates when the Heart of Midlothian lads enlisted for the Great War. A fascinating read for boys and girls, with a strong historical background as well as the football.

Cathy MacPhail has come up with a spooky new book Out of the Depths. Tyler Lawless can see dead people - not something your average teenager can do.  Starting at a new school is hard enough, but when you start seeing ghosts life gets even harder. After all, Tyler had to leave her old school because of her stories, her overactive imagination. Even though it is bound to cause more trouble, she decides she has to solve the mystery so that the ghosts may rest in peace.

 Norm is your average thirteen year old boy, with a family who just don't understand him. Nothing that Norm does ever goes right, and it's not his fault that things get broken, or people get angry, or just that life gets in the way. He never means to cause any trouble - it just happens. Jonathan Meres' World of Norm: May Contain Nuts will appeal to many children with the same sense of humour and the feeling that sometimes it's the world that is wrong, not you.

 

Further information about this year's Scottish Children's Book Awards can be found on the website of the Scottish Book Trust at http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/scottishchildrensbookawards



Scottish Children's Book Awards

 

We are taking part in the Scottish Children's Book Awards again this year. These awards are voted for by the children who read the books - no grown-ups allowed!. There are three short-listed books in each category. All our Primary 1, Primary 2 and Primary 3 children will be taking part over the next few months, reading the Bookbug books.

Jack and the Flumflum Tree is the latest book by Children's Laureate Julia Donaldson. Jack's Granny has the moozles, so Jack and his friends sail off to the land of Blowyernose to find the fruit of the flumflum tree which is the only cure. The illustrations by David Roberts complement the rhyming text.

The Day Louis Got Eaten is written in a very different style by author and illustrator John Fardell.  Louis and his sister Sarah are out for a bike ride in the woods when unfortunately, Louis gets eaten by a gulper. It's up to the resourceful Sarah to rescue him. The cartoon style pictures help move the story along, with lots of hidden detail to look out for.

In Solomon Crocodile by Catherine Rayner, Solomon is having a hard time understanding why no-one wants to play his noisy games, until a friend comes along who enjoys the same things. The illustrations are lovely and the story reads aloud well.



For more information on the Scottish Children's Book Awards, visit the Scottish Book Trust website at http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/learning/teachers/scottish-childrens-book-awards

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

I have been wanting to read this book ever since I first saw it reviewed when it was first published in the USA. Mostly because I thought the title was intriguing.

At first it seems like another American Middle school story, with the usual setting and character set. However the narrator Tommy is not only giving the reader his own view of events, but allowing other children to read it and add comments, drawings and their own views on the action.  All of this is done in a range of different typefaces to help the reader work out who is speaking.

Tommy's friend Dwight is an oddball character who finds it difficult to conform to the expectations of middle school life. Dwight makes an finger puppet, an origami Yoda, who talks and offers advice to the children in the class about how to handle problems and difficult situations. The amazing thing is, the advice actually works! No-one knows for sure if Origami Yoda is real, or whether it's just Dwight making it all up - even his Yoda impression is awful, so how can the advice be so powerful? Tommy sets out to prove once and for all if Origami Yoda is real - or not.

Tom Angleberger has created a believable middle school with it's own set of pupils and teachers, including a truly scary Principal Rabbski. If you enjoyed the Diary of a Wimpy Kid, gives this one a try too. The second and third books in the series are available too Darth Paper Strikes Back and The Secret of the Fortune Wookie. I can't wait to see what happens next in book 4 (if there is one?  Please?)  Each book has instructions on folding your own Yoda, Darth Paper, and other characters. Definitely also worth a look is the website www.origamiyoda.com.


Read it you must.

The Reading Year 2012 - Part 3

A little later in the month than usual, this is the time when I look back over the reading I have been doing over the previous three months.

Maze Running and other Magical Missions is the last in Lari Don's Fabled Beasts quartet and was published earlier this summer.  In this book, all the chickens come home to roost, for everyone. Yann the centaur has been wounded, and is dying, unless Helen and her friends can fulfil a threefold quest. Truth is the ultimate key to saving Yann, and the world of the Fabled Beasts, no matter how much that truth may hurt. If you have been following Helen's adventures, this is a great ending to the series, if you haven't, why not? Time to get going!

It's taken me a while to get round to M. G. Harris, and the first in her series of thrillers Invisible City. As our intrepid hero tries to find out what really happened to his archaeologist father who is believed to have been killed in a plane crash in central America, an ancient Mayan prophecy is unleashed foretelling the end of the world. A secret civilisation hidden underground may hold the key to the mystery, and perhaps stave off the inevitable doom...

Jack Slater, Monster Investigator by John Dougherty is great fun to read. Yes, there really are monsters under the bed, and a good teddy bear will usually see them off. The current crop of monsters are proving a little more difficult to shift. Time for Jack Slater and his team of monster hunters to get on the case - things are getting serious!

Another series comes to and end with Witch Baby and Me on Stage by Debi Gliori. It's the school show, everyone has been rehearsing like mad despite the awful weather. The whole school is devastated when the roof of the school hall falls down due to all the rain and the playground is flooded. A fairy godmother is needed to ensure the show goes on - step forward Witch Baby and friends to save the day.

For some reason, it's been a summer of detective novels and historical whodunnits. Edward Marston's Railway Detective series set in Victorian England; David Ashton's Inspector Levy Mysteries, set in Victorian Edinburgh; and I think my favourite of the bunch the Gil Cunningham novels by Pat McIntosh set in Glasgow in the 1490s and the reign of James IV. Brilliant stuff.

National Poetry Day 2012

Today is National Poetry Day 2012. To celebrate, we have been reading some poems in the library this week. This year's theme is STARS - and we all know at least one star poem.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star was first published in 1806 by Jane Taylor, so we have been reading the whole poem - and singing part of it too. Other favourites have been the traditional rhyme Starlight, starbright, and the poem Your Star by James Carter. A topical poem, given the recent lights in the sky over Glasgow is The Shooting Stars by James Carter.

The National Poetry Day website is here www.nationalpoetryday.co.uk/

Happy 75th Birthday!

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.

These are  J R R Tolkien's opening lines of his groundbreaking story The Hobbit. Bilbo Baggins' comfortable life is changed forever by the visit of the wandering wizard Gandalf. Gandalf's visit is soon followed by the equally unexpected visit of 13 dwarves looking for a fourteenth member to join their group. After many adventures with trolls, elves and orcs, they reach their destination - and somehow must defeat the fearsome dragon Smaug.

The Hobbit is 75 years old this month. First published in September 1937, The Hobbit and the subsequent Lord of the Rings trilogy could claim to be some of the most influential works of fiction published during the 20th Century. These books have inspired generations of writers in the field of heroic fantasy, and thousands of readers have loved the stories and passed that love on to their children and grandchildren.




I first read The Hobbit aged 11, and it has been a story which has stayed with me all my life, in fact I feel another re-read is in order to celebrate this 75th anniversary - possibly my well-loved hardback copy of the 50th Anniversary edition! And possibly even with a hobbit-style second breakfast at the weekend, just to keep me going.

Happy 75th Birthday Bilbo!

The Music of Zombies

 

The latest in the Five Kingdoms series, The Music of Zombies by Vivian French was published in August this year. In this story, a deadly train  of events are set in motion by the self-centred and not terribly bright Prince Albion of Cockenzie Road. He plans the most magnificent day of celebrations for his kingdom's national day - processions, speeches and competitions including a talent show which Prince Albion predicts he himself will win.  After all, his grateful subjects will have had a Cockenzie Road Day to remember so are bound to vote for him in gratitude.

 

Zombie musician Fiddleduster Squint has other ideas, he thinks the talent show prize is his by rights and a fiendish plot is hatched. Refused entry to the kingdom by the magical barrier which keeps out evil creatures, Fiddleduster Squint and his shadow enlist the unwitting help of some sleepy giants to break the barrier and leave everyone in the Five Kingdoms helpless against the power of the Zombie's music.

 

As usual it is up to Gracie Gillypot, Prince Marcus, Gubble the Troll and Marlon the bat to save the Kingdoms and everyone living there. Helped out by Alf, Marlon's nephew and Marcus' twin brother Ariosto, our heroes manage to defeat the zombies. Then it is a race to reach the giants and persuade them not to cause disastrous earthquakes which will destroy all of the Five Kingdoms.

 

Ross Collins has done his usual superlative job illustrating this story - the Zombies are truly evil, the Giants a bit confused-looking about the world they have been woken into, and Gubble must be one of the cutest trolls in fiction.

Roald Dahl Day

It's September 13th, time to celebrate the birthday of Roald Dahl, one of the most popular children's authors ever!

You could mark the day by reading your favourite Roald Dahl book, or bake an enormous chocolate cake, or pop some whizzpopperingly colourful party streamers. Have a look at the website for more amazing and fun ideas at www.roalddahl.com, and choose the option for Roald Dahl Day 2012.

Puffin publishers are hosting a live webcast by Quentin Blake, who illustrated all the stories, in conversation with Michael Rosen at 2pm on Monday the 24th September 2012. On the Puffin website there is a short trailer to watch, with Michael giving more information about the webcast. You can find the webcast here www.puffinvirtuallylive.co.uk/author/roalddahlday.

Michael Rosen has just written a new biography of Roald Dahl called Fantastic Mr Dahl, which was published in June 2012 - coming to a library near you soon.

Welcome Back to a New Year of Reading

Hello!

Welcome back to a new school year and a new year of utterly brilliant reading. It has been lovely to see you all coming into the library over the past week and talking about all the books you have read over the summer holidays, and giving me lots of suggestions for books to buy for the library.

There are some exciting things happening in the library this year - new books, author visits and a brand new reading challenge for Book Week in March 2013. You will be hearing a lot more about that later on!

Remember to bring back any books you still have at home from last year, we will be delighted to have them back.

The Reading Year 2012 - part two

I've been having another look through my reading diary for this year. This is not a list of newly published books, nor are all of these available in the school library (obviously!), just what I would highlight from the last three months of my own reading. So, we are halfway through the year and these are my favourites from the last three months.


Batpants is a laugh out loud adventure story from Jeremy Strong.  With a father who trains animals for film and TV shows and a mother who is a stuntwoman, life is never dull for these three children.  Just this once, they get to go onto the set for their mother's latest film.  Things are not going well, after a couple of near accidents, it looks like someone is trying to kill Mum!

A Villain's Night Out by Margaret Mahy starts with the notion that since the teachers have spent the library bookfund on coffee (!) it is up to the children to write some new books for the school library. Enter Squidgy Moot, a truly evil character looking for a story - and his little sister, and one of the best game designers in the business.  Very funny story about what happens when characters get away from their authors.

The Voyage of the Arctic Tern by Hugh Montgomery is an unusual novel in verse which I would never have picked up had it not been for the Primary Seven Reading Challenge, and the recommendation by a pupil. Told from several points of view, in three different metrical forms it is an extremely accomplished piece of work. It has everything - pirates, ghosts, mystery, murder, adventure, a tale of revenge and restitution taking place over centuries. Wonderfully atmospheric, spooky tale of the sea. I read the beginning aloud to P6 and they loved it too.

The Mourning Emporium by Michelle Lovric has been on my to-be-read pile for ages, and I have finally got round to it, having first re-read The Undrowned Child. Another atmospheric story based in Venice and at sea, finishing up in the River Thames. English mermaids are nothing like as feisty as their Venetian counterparts, tending towards fainting rather than action in a crisis. Once again it is up to Teodora and Renzo to fulfill the prophecy and save both Venice and London as Queen Victoria lies dying in Osborne House. Thrilling stuff, with a truly evil set of villains attempting to change the course of history.

Oliver Jeffers has been high on our list of favourite picture book authors for a while now. His latest, The Hueys in The New Jumper is a gem. A brilliant read-aloud for all ages, it has been enjoyed by nearly everyone from P1 to P7 this term - pupils and staff! All the Hueys look, think and act the same, until Rupert knits himself a new jumper. What will the other Hueys think?

I regularly turn to Jane Austen when I need a comfort read. This time it has been Mansfield Park to get me through to the end of term.


How has your reading year been so far? I have a large pile of books I have been saving for the summer holidays - bliss.

Summer Reading Challenge 2012

This year the Public Libraries Summer Reading Challenge is called Story Lab. If you register at your local library, you will be able to join the Reading Challenge. Read 6 books over the summer holidays, collect your own record card and add stickers as you read. You can read whatever books you like - some libraries may have special displays of titles to choose from. 

Your local public library will be running events to fit in with this years theme. There is more information on the website here http://summerreadingchallenge.org.uk/ The website also has book lists and ideas for crafty things to do on the Story Lab theme. Everyone who completes the challenge will recieve a certificate, and other goodies depending on the library authority.

For the competitive people among you, completed Summer Reading Challenge certificates could well be worth a Bonus Point in a school library near you! Have fun and enjoy your summer reading.

End of Year Book Returns - Update

Well done to everyone who managed to get their books back to the library on time. Thank you all very much - it will make things much easier at the beginning of next term.

We still have 123 books out on loan to pupils. If you find anything when clearing out over the summer, please remember to bring the books back in August.

Congratulations to P1D and P5M, the only classes who have a perfect returns record - well done!

Primary Seven Olympic Reading Challenge 2012 - The Final!

Congratulations to everyone who has finished the Primary Seven Olympic Reading Challenge! The challenge was to read 11 books from 11 different genres within a set time period. All the titles read had to be new to the readers - no re-reads were allowed. An amazing 54 Primary 7 pupils have completed the challenge this year - a brilliant result. Very well done to everyone, we are so proud of you!


I have been reading along with all the Primary Seven children, managing to complete the last bit of genre reading at the beginning of May. To give readers of our blog an idea of what the P7 pupils have been reading, here is my list of titles and genres as an example. This year, I decided not to read a sports fiction title.

Diamonds Are For Evil by Andrew Fusek Peters, Adventure Stories
The Deadly Fire by Cora Harrison, Historical Stories
Jane Austen: a life by Claire Tomalin, Biography
Skellig by David Almond, Classic Stories
The Hundred-Mile-An-Hour Dog by Jeremy Strong, Animal Stories
Switchers by Kate Thompson, Fantasy Stories
Secret of the Shadows by Cathy MacPhail, Horror Stories
Stuck by Oliver Jeffers, Picture Book
The Voyage of the Arctic Tern by Hugh Montgomery, Poetry
A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz, Myths and Legends
Far Rockaway by Charlie Fletcher, My own choice of genre

The certificates look like this one.

End of Year Book Returns

It's that time of year again!

We are trying to tidy up the library and track down all the books that have been borrowed over the course of the year. 

Please could everyone bring back their books to the school library as soon as possible.  Each teacher has a list of people who still have books out on loan.  Everyone with a book out has been given a printed slip to take home with the book title on it. Have a good look at home and bring back everything you find that belongs to school.  If you cannot find a book, please come to the library and tell us, and we will check here again to see if it has been returned.

When we started, there were 313 books out to pupils in P1 to P7.  On Friday 15th June, there were 236 books still out on loan.

Let's try and get everything back by the end of term!