The Boys are Back in Town - Boys and Reading

After our two recent posts about Girls' Reading here and here, it's time to have a look at the boys.

There has been a lot of focus lately on boys and reading, for good reason. As Brian Kenney, Editor-in-Chief of School Library Journal put it in the September 2007 issue,
"there are many studies and decades of reading scores that document that the biggest gender gap for learning achievement is in literacy. And the problem [has] been demonstrated across the globe, with differences between the genders typically increasing with age."

The authors of the recent UK School Library Association Boys into Books list (see our blog entry here for details) note that:
"research from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development has found that girls are much more likely than boys to read for enjoyment: 78% of girls, against only 65 % of boys. The same research also suggested that reading enjoyment is more important for children's educational success than their family's socioeconomic status" (Times Online, May 15 2007).

So clearly, its important to help more boys become recreational readers who read for enjoyment. Here a few ideas for some ways into doing this.

The Boys into Books list includes several pages of ideas about getting boys reading, as well as "around 170 titles guaranteed to get boys reading". This list be downloaded free.

The September 2007 School Library Journal editorial talks about the importance of seeing male role models reading. Wayne Mills, Auckland College of Education Lecturer, also endorses this. At school, have male teachers, the male principal, and male role models or community members regularly reading to students throughout the school, and being seen enjoying books and reading themselves.

Kenny also discusses recent research on the "secret reading life of boys", showing that boys ARE reading - "nonfiction, game manuals, comic books, and catalogs". Have a look at this hobbies survey on the Get Johnny Reading blog, which you could use as a basis for buying non-fiction books on topics that boys (and also girls) really want to find out about.

Australian Fran Knight, in an October 2007 Literature Base article called "Boys and books! They can't get enough of them" says that boys are asking for more adventure, mystery, science fiction, thriller and crime stories, historical fiction and graphic novels. She also mentions the Horrible Histories series, and sports series such as Boyz Rule and Extreme Adventures.

Many boys are very interested in ICT, and this can be used to build an interest in reading. See this post to find out about English Online's "Book Backchat" a great New Zealand online reading discussion group.

Readers, keep tuned to Create Readers over the next week for a list of books that boys are buying from bookshops, with their own pocket money!

Reminder! Reminder! Reminder!

The Storylines Online Charity Auction closes tonight at 11.30pm.

Take the time to glance at what's on offer. All proceeds go to the Storylines Trust

Followed tomorrow by the Live Auction at Old Government House - Cnr Princes St and Waterloo Quadrant, Auckland City

Torpedo! Kiwis at Sea in World War II. Edited by Matthew Wright.

Military recollections from World War Two have had a major revival as those involved get older and wish to record their stories for their grandchildren. The Matthew Wrights of this world are doing stirling work in interviewing, collection and publishing the wartime experiences of New Zealand's vets. Within a very few years these stories will be unable to be told as the key figures will, in all probability, no longer be around.

Young people need to realise that the 84 year old in the comfortable corner chair on Christmas afternoon wasn't born old. They have their own life experience and own story to tell. Wright has collected a very varied range of veterans and so too are their experiences and stories. From the River Plate action against Admiral Graf Spee, through the Arctic convoys, the great Kiwi and Moa sinking of the Japanese submarine I1 to the experiences of carrier-based pilots, this book brings together a wide variety of conflict experiences. Teenagers must read of such experiences to understand that war isn't all glory and medals. "Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori" ISN"T the truth of the matter. Robert Harvey's recollection of being torpedoed in Leander is indicative of the tone of all interviewed:

"...by the time we got back to Auckland later on, quite a few [more bodies] had washed out of the ship.....There were body parts in the boiler room which caused a bit of a shimozzle when we got back to Auckland....[At Tulagi] there was a stench of fuel oil .... It was an unpleasant stench......I think the smell of bodies had mingled with this oil smell and....it was quiet unpleasant."

And the key, clear and obvious common element to them all? Understatement! The matter-of-fact, laconic manner of underplaying the whole experience is most remarkable.

Such material as Wright has collected here is invaluable not only as an historic record but also as a means of enlightening teenage readers to the concept of our "real" history. And the experiences of "old fogies" who put themselves on the line.

Matthew Wright has developed a considerable body of works on New Zealand's involvement in a variety of conflicts. In the same style as Torpedo! he has also edited Escape! Kiwi POWs on the Run in World War 11 (2006).

Escape stories were all the rage in the immediate post-war period with classics such as Colditz, The Wooden Horse and The Great Escape being among the most noticeable. In an area that is characterised by "Boys Own" writing it is refreshing to hear both personalised accounts AND the experiences specific to New Zealanders.

An excellent, personal read enlivening a "dry" subject. Recommended for year 10-13.

Published by Random House

Reviewed by David

The Transformation of Minna Hargreaves by Fleur Beale

Minna is a modern 14 year old schoolgirl with a group of friends that keep in contact with her 24/7 and say "Whatever" to everything. At the start of the story she is agonising on whether to have sex with her smarmy boyfriend while her older brother has become a "stoner". Mother and father have their own careers and family life is non existent. When mother discovers what Minna is up to and brother Noah's drug habit is beginning to change his life, things have got to change. Father gets the opportunity for the whole family to spend a year on an isolated island in the middle of Cook Strait as part of a "reality TV" series for NZ television.

In spite of severe resistence from Minna and Noah, their parents go ahead with the plan. Once on the island the change of lifestyle is a shock to the whole family but secret family revelations turn the story into high drama. I was bored at the start of this book but I soon got into it and felt that it finished well once the secrets were out. A great read for teenagers.

Published by Random House New Zealand

Reviewed by Bob

Girls Reading for a Change (Part 2) - Girly Books for Teens

At a recent Library Week event, Jo Morris, Head of English at Karemu High School shared with a keen group of librarians and parents some popular books for teens at her school. Among them were these "girly books" which are flying off the shelves. If you have teen girls in your life, including reluctant readers, or girls looking for something new to read, why not share some of these great reads with them? These books range in suitability from intermediate-aged children to older teens, so have a look at them first.

Great Girly Books
Ann Brashares - Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants
Jane Green - Jemima J
Eva Ibbotrson - Journey to the River Sea
Elizabeth Cody Kimmel - Lily B
Sue Limb - Girl 15 - Charming but Insane
Maureen McCarthy - Rose by Any other Name
Hilary McKay - Saffy's Angel
Melina Marchetta - On the Jellicoe Road
Jaclyn Moriarty - Feeling Sorry for Celia
Louise Rennison - Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging
Jacqueline Wilson - Girls in Love

Also very popular with some teen girls are:

Biographies, eg
Waris Dirie - Desert Flower
Dave Pelzer - A Child called It
Jean P Sasson - Princess
Adeline Yen Mah - Chinese Cinderella

and Fantasy, eg
Georgia Byng - Molly Moon Series
Tamora Pierce - Song of the Lioness Quartet

For our previous blog entry on this topic, go here to find out about Readergirlz, an online book community celebrating gutsy girls in life & literature.

Under the Mountain - the movie

Breaking news- it has been confirmed that Maurice Gee's classic novel for children "Under the Mountain" is to be made into a movie - filming to start next year in Auckland.

Click here to read the full story in the New Zealand Herald

The end of the year must be nigh - The Best (and Worst) of 2007

Presented by Christchurch City Libraries and The Canterbury Reading Association,

The Best (and Worst) Children's Books of 2007

are discussed at what always turns out to be an informative and fun evening - a highlight of the Cantabrian Librarian's year!

Wednesday November 28, at South Christchurch Library, 66 Colombo Street, from 7 – 9 pm

Helen O’Carroll (Christchurch City Libraries; 2007 LIANZA Children’s Book Awards judge)
Jilaine Johnson (College of Education, University of Canterbury) and special guest, author/illustrator Gavin Bishop, will look at a selection of the year’s picture books.

Light refreshments and raffle (so be sure to bring your cash!), plus a display of some of the 2008 Hans Christian Andersen Illustrator Award nominations.

Put it in your budget/ diary - March 2008 Children’s Librarian’s Conference

Christchurch City Libraries is hosting the Children's Librarians' Conference in March 2008.

The programme will be of interest to schools and early childhood educators as well as children's librarians in public libraries

Although the website is still a work in progress many of the speakers are already listed. Have a peek.

One Red Dog

Last Friday, Create Readers happened on one humongously popular Library Week promotion in the Deep South, a meet and greet Clifford at Dunedin Public Library. Just what we needed - a pawshake and hug from Clifford would have been the, um, cat’s whiskers, but the line! It curled around the corner and seemingly snaked across the Octagon. Very popular as I hope library week was wherever it was taken up across the country. Here’s to next year, and appropriately enough 2008 has been designated a National Year of Reading in Britain. We’ll keep you posted on this and associated ideas and activities.

Dead Dan's Dee by Phyllis Johnston

"My mother Said I never Should play with Gypsies in the wood"... If you know this skipping rhyme then you will know something of this book. If you don't, then you ought read it to find out.

The title is a nice bit of alliteration and it deals with New Zealand society just after World War 1. Dee's father has been killed in the war under mysterious circumstances and Dee's mother and aunt are suffering from consumption, and have been isolated from the community in which they live. Dee has been brought up as a literate free-thinker living an idyllic life by the sea. When the health of her mother and aunt hits crisis point she is shunted into an orphanage, then rescued by a mate of her father and made to work on a farm in the centre of the North Island.

The drama of the book is maintained through the mystery of her father’s death and the fate of her mother and aunt. While the book portrays a heartless and cold New Zealand, Dee herself is a warm and likeable character. Very well written by one of New Zealand's best writers. It would most appeal to Intermediate and Secondary school children.

Published by Longacre Press

Reviewed by Bob

Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars-The Fall of the Amazing Zalindas

A very well crafted book, the authors have demonstrated a lot of technique in delivering this book. The preface introduces us to the Baker Street Irregulars, a group of homeless boys who were an integral part of Sherlock Holmes' organisation, yet there is usually very little mention about them. The story pays tribute to the boys, giving them their due place in the scheme of things.

The pace is set in the first chapter with the death of the tightrope walking Zalindas and this is followed by Sherlock Holmes' visit to Buckingham Palace and the theft of the Stuart Chronicles. The boys are summoned to 221 B Baker Street and from then on they begin their investigation. Their assignment is to go to the circus and find out as much as they can about the Zalindas and who might want them dead.

At the circus they meet a variety of characters who really spice up the novel and the case closes with the villains being apprehended. Ozzie, ex scrivener and newest member of the gang is the central character and he plays an important part in solving the crime.

An enjoyable adventure and a quick read, the book includes some insight into 19th century Great Britain. I especially liked "Facts and Practicals for the Aspiring Detective" at the end of the book. This includes all sorts of tidbits of information that children who enjoy detective novels will find interesting. Watch out for the teller of the tale who reveals his name through the book, one letter per chapter.

Great book for years five to eight!!!

Published by Walker Books

Reviewed by Janice Rodrigues

Visit the Sherlock Holmes Museum

Life of Anne Frank / The Anne Frank House

written by Menno Metselaar and Ruud van der Rol. Published by Macmillan, 2004

This is the most engaging book about Anne Frank that I have ever read. It is also a satisfying little book to hold. It is small and sturdy, and the subtle colours and good quality paper do justice to the photographs which are one of the highlights of the book. There are many previously unpublished photos of Anne, her family and friends; and many facsimile pages from the diary itself. The narrative of Anne’s life is interspersed with quotes from the diary and is an absorbing read, even if you are already familiar with her story. I think this book does Anne’s story proud, and I think Anne would have liked it too.

Reviewed by Pamela

The Recorder: how it changed the world, saved the universe and topped the charts

By Natalie Jane Prior. Published by Hodder Children's Books, 2000

Full of inspiration for the aspiring recorder player or anyone with an interest in music for what was once the most popular instrument in the world - this book covers the history, construction, famous composers and players, and also gives tips to improve your playing.
It's well presented with interesting facts and illustrations combined together to make the book a joy to read about this fascinating instrument.

Reviewed by Fiona

Mind – bending Villains!!

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart (published by Little Brown and Company 2007)

and Will Buster and the Gelmet Helmet (and its sequel Will Buster and the Carrier’s Flash) by Odo Hirsch (Penguin Group 2004 and 2006)

All have villains who are trying to become the most powerful people in the world by using children’s minds to influence the rest of the people. Both groups of children go through some incredibly dangerous and thrilling adventures to try to thwart the scientists’ plans. They are chosen because they are incredibly talented … and this helps them to unravel the mysteries around the evil scientists and their plans. Both stories have unexpected twists and turns to keep you guessing, even though you know who the “baddies” are, their downfall seems to be impossible to achieve.

Carson Ellis has provided some interesting black and white illustrations in The Mysterious Benedict Society.

Recommended for Intermediate and Secondary students, and maybe mature Year 5 and 6 readers.

Reviewed by Lynn

Castle Under Siege by Andrew Solway

Boys will love this book: castles, machines, non-fiction! What more could a boy want?

It is one of a series of non-fiction titles covering science topics such as energy, forces, sound and light. Castle Under Siege deals with simple machines – levers, wedges, inclined planes and the rest - but it could be used in topics covering medieval times and would be great for a class study about castles. The pictures are bright and colourful, the diagrams are clear and interesting and go well with the text. The book is a manageable size and just feels lovely with a smooth attractive cover.

There will be some who like it just as a plain high-interest read, especially those reluctant readers. It will suit ages 8 and up.

Published by Raintree

Girls' Reading for a Change - Readergirlz Online Book Community

With all the great new titles coming out for boys, and excellent work on getting boys reading, let's not forget the girls.

Readergirlz is a new online book community celebrating gutsy girls in life & literature. Each month there are recommended reads, and a featured book. You can chat live to the book's author on the Readergirlz Myspace Group Forum. Readergirlz suggests that you get together with a group of friends for a monthly book celebration. The Book Celebration Guide (keep scrolling down the page to get to this) each month suggests appropriate eats, decorations, and movies to go with the featured book. There's even a While-You-Read Music Playlist to download. In our time zone, the author chats are usually in school time, so this could be a great activity for a school library or English class to get behind. To see previous months' book picks, go here.

In addition to being Library Week in New Zealand, this week is Teen Reads week in the States, and to celebrate, Readergirlz and YALSA have teemed up this month to host 31 "flavorite" authors for teen girls.

You can download the 31 flavorites poster here. This could be great to use in your library with a display of some of the authors and titles featured. Or, you could use it to help with your buying of great books for girls.

Teens can chat live to the "flavorite" authors, by joining then connecting to the Readergirlz group forum at 1.00 pm NZ time every day this month (including weekends). You need to be a member of MySpace to do this, so this may not be possible at all schools. Join up with the forum the day before you want to join in a chat, as the Readergirlz moderator needs to accept you as a member first. Then, at the Readergirlz group forum site, scroll right down past the Welcome and Member faces to the forum. Find the October chat thread and double-click it. At 1:00 pm NZ time, the chat starts. You can post questions and the writer will answer them. To see the answers, return to the forum and refresh.

As NZ time is ahead of American time, each day's author chats are at 1.00 pm the following day. To chat with Stephenie Meyer, who has written the very HOT Twilight Series (Yr 11 up), log in on Thursday 1 November. Stephenie's chat session will be a little later, at 5.00 pm NZ time (this is midnight Halloween in New York!)

Go here for some more great ideas for Girls' Reads on Create Readers.

Site from Bev

Storylines Fundraising Auction

Would you like to own a signed book by Vince Ford, William Taylor or David Hill? Or how about some fabulous original picture book artwork by Helen Taylor or Philip Webb? Then visit the Storylines Online Auction for a chance to bid on these and a selection of other desirable children's literature related items - the online auction closes on Tuesday 30 October at 11:30 p.m. A live auction will be held at Old Government House in Auckland on the 31st of October, where another 24 unbelievable items will be available. Fancy a Gavin Bishop watercolour or an original sketch by Margaret Mahy, anyone?

My Life of Crime by Fleur Beale

Anthony wants a swimming pool. To achieve this he thinks it would be a good idea to hold a paua poacher to ransom, take away half his loot and then sell the booty. But first Anthony Lassiter knows he must grow up. He has to stop moaning and whining and sniveling. He has to get rid of the image of being a Mummy's boy. Hence Anthony makes some life changing decisions. Anthony Lassiter becomes Ant Lassiter. Ant cuts his hair , helps save a pamphlet delivery boy from being beaten up, and outwits three bullies. Ant then embarks on his adventure.
Full of wit, humour and action, this book deals with boys, bullying, relationships and adventure. A great book to include at the primary or intermediate level.

Published by Mallinson Rendel

Reviewed by Janice Rodrigues

L is for Love your Library

Library Week is here and celebrating what awesome places libraries are! Fast food, slow food, libraries offer the best takeaways for the mind. Ever. Where else can you find all the fact, fiction and film you can eat!

This year’s theme, “Pass it on, Kia hiwa ra!” promotes libraries as interactive communities where all kinds of information are passed from one person to another.
The launch of Library Week at the National Library last night proved this with some very excited and attentive kids who sat utterly absorbed as author Melanie Drewery give a lively reading of her picture book, The Grumble Rumble Mumbler, - see photo above.

For details, tips and ideas on celebrating library week visit the Library Week site and also Create Readers posts below – which are headed, naturally, Ideas for Library Week. Oh, and pass it on, kia hiwa ra!

You'll Laugh and You'll Cry! - Two Great Reads for Middle Primary

Lasenby, Jack. Billy and Old Smoko. Longacre, 2007.
A rollicking tale in Lasenby’s tall tale tradition – and a sure-fire winner as a class read-aloud for the middle primary school.

Whether or not the kids are familiar with Harry Wakatipu, here’s a talking horse with attitude. Old Smoko helps Billy find his missing real mother, ridding not only Billy’s home of an evil stepmother, but the homes of all the other kids in the area, whose real mothers have been replaced by clones of the same evil stepmother. Old Smoko has some stern warnings about what can happen to children (or impertinent wild pigs) who give cheek. He also makes the best roast pork and applesauce sandwiches, and takes 27 children to school on his back.

All the action takes place out the back of Waharoa, somewhere not far from the Kaimais, where people farming the steep hill country grow their downhill leg longer than the other… Be prepared to laugh out loud with your listeners as you share this one.


Harris, Jill. Missing Toby. Longacre, 2007.

Be prepared to finish this at one sitting. Jill Harris has written a heartwarming story that totally captured me from the start.

Harriet misses her brother Toby, who died of meningitis at the age of 12. As she struggles with her loneliness and grief, it’s her friendship with two and then three neighbourhood dogs and their owners that help her through some tough crises. But this is no heavy story. Told with an understated touch, and with some humour, Jill Harris manages to create believable animal characters who talk to each other as well. This anthropomorphism is far from cloying – and adds a different dimension to the narrative.

There’s a mix of danger, adventure, a mystery to solve, and a tragic accident – and Harriet growing through it all. Keep the tissue box handy – some readers may need it! Warmly recommended for middle to upper primary school readers.

Reviewed by Janet

The Sea-wreck stranger by Anna Mackenzie

A post apocalyptic novel set on an island on which a close knit but conservative community ruled by fear and superstition, has survived, living a harsh farming life.

Cousins Ness, Ty and Sophie work hard in a joyless home environment and are forbidden to go to the shoreline as many have died from poison and pollution that came from the sea. On a visit to the sea the threesome discover a stranger close to death and Ness takes responsibility of nursing him back to life without revealing her discovery to the adults on the island. Through her relationship with the stranger Ness sees a chance to escape her cheerless life and understands that there are other communities beyond the one she lives in.

The task of hiding the stranger brings drama to the story but I fear Anna Mackenzie has missed a chance to debate the attitudes of the closed community on the island with the interests of the whole of mankind that has survived the holocaust. Nonetheless this is an outstanding story and will be popular with the intermediate and secondary audience it is aimed at. This book will provoke much discussion.

Published by Longacre


Reviewed by Bob

Sure Fire by Jack Higgins

Higgins is an adult writer, prolific and undemanding. This is probably his first venture into the teenage market with the main characters being teen twins of opposite genders.

Anyone who has read more than one Higgins will instantly recognize his style, which doesn't change regardless of his audience. As usual the situation is grim, the characters unlikely and the action unrelenting. That said, Higgins, in teenage mode, has, as he usually does in his adult work, produced a readable piece. Jack Higgins has never claimed to be trying to change lives through his writing. (Good thing that!)

Best used with early-to-mid teenage readers, predominately for boys. As with all Higgins, engaging, undemanding and light but for the right audience tis the right book.

Published by HarperCollins Children’s Books

Reviewed by David

Piece of Cake

No message from the Queen but it was a right royal occasion at the recent New Zealand Reading Association (NZRA) conference held in New Plymouth when Learning Media Ltd celebrated one hundred years of the School Journal with cake, (banana, yum).

Equally delicious was curator and literary historian Gregory O’Brien’s speech - a behind the scenes look at the fabulous range of cooks and ingredients that have made the School Journal so successful and nourishing to generations of Kiwi readers. Copies of Greg’s book, A Nest of Singing Birds – 100 Years of the School Journal are available here. While the exhibition of the same name is currently showing at Puke Ariki.

And lets not forget the NZRA conference itself. A stellar and dynamic range of workshops and presenters covered off a wide range of literacy topics from the teaching of reading strategies to using picture books to create discussion and enquiry. A number of papers from presenters will shortly be available on the NZRA site. Well worth a read!

Ideas for Library Week - Part Two

Following on from Monday's ideas, and last week's book review, here are some more ways to celebrate Library Week next week. Thanks to the local network meeting who have tried all these out!

Write a story together
Get a great starter sentence from a celebrity. Write it at the top of a BIG piece of paper on the library wall. Now add to this, with everyone in the school adding one sentence. Offer prizes for - the longest sentence, the shortest sentence, the most suspenseful sentence etc


Have a Library Quiz
Using a popular book or series, write a series of questions that takes you right round the library. For example, "Harry Potter loves Quiddich. Where in the library are the sports books? Which sport would you put the Quiddich books next to?"

Hold a Readathon
Roster senior students to read aloud in the library. You could have a whole school afternoon readathon, or maybe a whole day. How many books could you read?
Or, have a lunchtime programme of "guest readers" reading aloud at lunchtime in the library during library week.

Banned Books
Have teachers reading aloud the books they weren't allowed to read when they were young. One secondary school had their guidance counceller reading from "Go ask Alice". A very useful discussion followed.

And Finally, a Photo Competition
One school has organised a competition to have a photo of yourself taken reading a book in an appropriate place. For example, they have a photo of a student reading "To the Ends of The Earth" in the snow at Mt Ruapehu's Crater Lake.

And don't forget to join NZs Biggest Storytime, with a reading of The Grumble Rumble Mumbler, by Melanie Drewery. This book will be read on Wednesday 17 October at libraries all over New Zealand. Library Staff, if you would like to access material to promote this event, including images from the Grumble Rumble Mumbler, email megan@lianza.org.nz for a password to the librarian's section of the Library Week site. You'll also find lots of other ideas for celebrating Library Week here.

Come on, Digby! by Caroline Jayne Church

Published by Simon & Schuster Children’s Books, 2007.

When Digby the sheepdog arrives at his new farm and discovers he has only six sheep to herd, he thinks it’s going to be easy-peasy, especially for a dog with his reputation.....except that these sheep have different ideas, and won’t be told where to go or what to do. Nor are they impressed by ferocious faces and growling!
Digby tries tractors, army tanks and even a huge helicopter – all to no avail. The sheep just laugh at him, and finally he is exhausted and in despair.
‘Come on Digby’ say the cows and pigs encouragingly, as they huddle round to make a helpful suggestion. And Digby learns the magic word ‘please’ is often the best way to get what you want.
Appealing illustrations, economical text, a light-handed message and a sting in the tail all make this a most useful book for the school library or a gift for a young friend.

Reviewed by Jan

Helping kids deal with conflicts

The Kid's Guide to Working Out Conflicts: how to keep cool, stay safe and get along
by Naomi Drew Published by Free Spirit Publications, 2004

Designed to be a practical toolkit, this book is full of ideas and strategies to help kids resolve conflict. Included are quotes from American middle school students and cartoony illustrations. Topics are covered in 8 steps and readers will learn how to be smart, build courage and get along with others. To appeal to years 7-9 students.

Reviewed by Fiona

Curl up with a good book

Curled up with a good book, while it only deals with American books, can be a useful place to look for book reviews. It has links for children’s books from board books to young adults reads.

There is a separate site for adult good reads too.
These sites are independently run by a group of American librarians.

Ideas for Library Week - Part 1

Welcome back to school everybody! As we know that you'll be thinking hard about how to celebrate Library Week next week, here are a few ideas for you, from a recent network meeting.

"Wild Books" Promotion
Choose some popular library books. Put them in different locations around the school (preferably safe from the weather). Put a note like this in the book: "Congratulations, you have found this wild book. Read it and bring it back to the library to claim your prize." Prizes are given after the student can show that they have actually read the book. Budget for some book loss, however, the medium-decile school which tried out this idea had lots of success, and surprisingly little book loss from this promotion.

Library Debate
Have a teachers v students debate, on the topic "A library is not a luxury, but one of the necessities of life." At the school which tried this idea, the teachers (negative team) were given the topic the morning of the debate. They had some hilarious discussion, and lots of fun.

Teachers' Childhood Favourites
Get going now, and you'll have this one all ready for next week. Ask teachers to bring in a baby photo of themselves, together with their favourite childhood book. This school found that most of the teachers had kept their treasured childhood books. Either display the actual book, or a colour photocopy of the cover with the baby photo, and get students to guess which teacher the photo depicts.

"Which Book is This?" Quiz
List 10 first lines in the left hand column, and 10 books in the right. Get students to match these up during library week. Winners and prizes announced on Friday.

Join NZs Biggest Storytime, with a reading of The Grumble Rumble Mumbler, by Melanie Drewery. This book will be read on Wednesday 17 October at libraries all over New Zealand. Library Staff, if you would like to access material to promote this event, including images from the Grumble Rumble Mumbler, email megan@lianza.org.nz for a password to the librarian's section of the Library Week site. You'll also find lots of other ideas for celebrating Library Week here.

Log in to Create Readers later this week for more exciting ideas to celebrate Library Week.

Antarctica by Tristan Boyer Binns

From the Exploring Continents series and published by Heinemann, 2007.

This book is eye catching with its colour illustrations, the quick facts boxes, titled Did you know?, and its readability. It has a clear contents page, a well explained glossary defining the words that have been typed in bold in the main text and a further information page for recent books and useful websites to refer to. Add to this an excellent index and a double page chart that focuses on a continents comparison worldwide. It provides a general overview that will generate lots of discussion for those new to the topic of Antarctica.

The only qualm I have is that the Sub Antarctic area (Antarctic Peninsula) and the central area of Antarctica have no clear distinctions between the animals that live there and who can visit these areas; in my opinion you need to extend beyond this book to gain a broader and more correct picture.

Reviewed by Fiona

Also, remember that Matapihi now has a brand-new showcase on Antarctica on the Matapihi website
The rich images, movies, objects and texts in the showcase are
drawn from across the collections of the ten contributing Matapihi
partners.

A fabulous display and competition idea

Are you looking for a new display idea for your library or classroom? Our centre, at National Library Palmerston North, has become very colourful thanks to our Display Librarian Lynn, who not only developed this super "blue" themed display, but also a competition of "blue" related questions. You may download the competition questions (and answers) and tips for teachers here

A fabulous display and competition idea

Are you looking for a new display idea for your library or classroom? Our centre, at National Library Palmerston North, has become very colourful thanks to our Display Librarian Lynn, who not only developed this super "blue" themed display, but also a competition of "blue" related questions. You may download the competition questions (and answers) and tips for teachers here

The Grumble Rumble Mumbler by Melanie Drewery (Huia, 2007)

Many children are scared of the dark, and the strange noises they hear in the night. My daughter recently told me earnestly that it is great that we have done a big clean-up of her room, because now all the little monsters have gone, “but the big ones are still there.”

Melanie Drewery's new picture book The Grumble Rumble Mumbler, illustrated by Loudmouth Productions, is for all those children who lie awake in the scary dark. It features a little girl who can’t sleep, because of all the noises she hears. Her monsters aren't European or American ones, but traditional Aotearoa creatures: a lovingly drawn Maero, Taipoo, Taniwha, and Ngaarara. She keeps running to her patient, but increasingly tired mama, who shows her that the scary noises relate to everyday household things. Or do they?

Now, I know that flap-books can be the bane of school librarians' lives, but these flaps are solid and strongly built, and an important part of the book. They show the friendly-looking monsters of our girl's imagination, or perhaps the real creatures, hiding where an adult can’t find them.

With wonderful use of all the things that make a good picture book great, like repetition, onamatopaeia, and humour, The Grumble Rumble Mumbler acknowledges children’s fears, and deals with them in a gentle and reassuring way.

On Wednesday 17 October 2007, The Grumble Rumble Mumbler will be read at libraries all across New Zealand, as part of Library Week. Will your school library be joining in?

Two Picture Books With Boy Appeal

Fly, pigeon, fly! by John Henderson & Julia Donaldson; ill. Thomas Docherty. London: Little Tiger Press, 2006
This story of a boy's attachment to a baby bird he rescues from starvation (later even teaching it to fly!) is a delight. First-time author Henderson has joined forces with established writer Julia Donaldson in recording this incident from his own childhood in working class Glasgow. Don't be put off by the inexplicably dull monochromatic cover--Thomas Docherty's illustrations inside the book are quite beautiful.

Wind-wild dog by Barbara Joosse, ill. Kate Kiesler. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2006
'The night Ziva was born, the wind held its breath' . Ziva, a huskie pup has been born with one eye brown, the other blue, and no one wants her because this supposedly means she is half-wild, impossible to train as a sled dog. Ziva's prospects look bleaker than the weather in her remote Alaskan home, but luckily her path is crossed by a man who also has a wild streak....

Both books could be seen as illustrations of the rather cliched saying 'If you love something, set it free', but they deal with their contrasting subjects in a fresh, original way that is moving without being sentimental. Both are good read-alouds that should appeal to boys in the middle-senior primary school range.

Reviewed by Cecily