Quick picks for summer

National Library School Services in Auckland recently ran a successful introductory seminar for the 2007/2008 "Reading @ the Beach" summer reading programme for teachers. School services staff were asked to write"mini" reviews of some of their favourite books and these were put on display (with the books) for the participating teachers to peruse.

Judging by the number of "gaps" on the shelves after the teachers had left, we figured that the reviews were pretty effective selling tools! Over the next few weeks, I'll post some of these reviews under the title "Quick picks for summer" - so keep a lookout if you need suggestions for something to read over the holidays.

Black Swan Green by David Mitchell

13 year old Jason Taylor, an inveterate stutterer and wannabe poet, believes he lives in the dullest village in England. Set against a background of the Falklands War and with his family's eventual disintegration, things hot up for young Jason when he starts to be bullied at school. David Mitchell captures the essence of the early 1980s and Jason's transition from childhood to adolescence is captured perfectly in this wry coming of age tale.

Highly recommended for junior secondary and up.

Smile by Geraldine McCaughrean

Humorous short chapters relate a plane survivor's meeting with a desert tribe (could be somewhere in Africa). His use of a Polaroid camera helps this bonding and also his ultimate rescue. Useful for reluctant readers from years 4-7 and a good book to read aloud.

Born to Run/ Best Mate by Michael Morpugo

Great book for dog lovers! Follow Best Mate's (as he is christened) journey of joy and heartbreak as he moves from owner to owner.

Suitable for primary and intermediate students.

Paddy the Wanderer.

The true story of the dog who captured the heart of a city.

By Dianne Haworth. Published by Harper Collins, 2007

You will need the tissues when you read this true story. The sad events leading to our doggie hero down by the Wellington wharves is tempered by the numerous acts of kindness shown to Paddy by those that he met … so much so that workers on the wharves and Wellington taxi drivers started paying for his dog licence (and this was in the Great Depression of the 1930s).

As the years went by, Paddy went places and did things that some people never get to, like sailing on merchant ships to various countries, even taking to the air in a plane. This is a great animal/adventure story for children year4-7. In fact, it’s a great read for adults as well.

Reviewed by Robin

Life-size Dragons

written by John Grant; illustrated by Fred Gambino
London : Chrysalis Children’s, 2006

My favourite page in this large format picture book is the double fold-out spread of the jaws of Draco Rex. A small information box tucked in one corner cheerfully explains about methane production and flame projection, but it is hard to drag your eyes away from the realistic looking row of menacing, needle sharp incisors - each one larger than my hand - and the roiling inferno behind them. Tops marks to Fred Gambino for his riveting illustrations, and also to writer John Grant for his clever, tongue-in-cheek exposition of dragon “facts” and folklore. Most young readers are fascinated by anything to do with these mysterious creatures of myth and legend, so this book is a guaranteed hit. Thank goodness though that we can close the covers and put it safely back on the shelf until we are ready for another scary eyeful of dragons up close!

Reviewed by Pamela

The technology of packaging

Packaging by Lynn Huggins-Cooper Published by A & C Black, London. 2007

I have been looking to buy a book about the technology of packaging for the last 18 months, so I was delighted when I came across this one. I think it was a really great find, and really useful for around years 4 to 6.

The layout of the book is eye catching and inviting. The pages have different coloured borders, or different coloured backgrounds. There are colourful pictures on every page that illustrate the text well. An interesting feature are the Try it out! sections that suggest activities about designing and making, and investigating different packaging types. As well as giving examples of many different types of packaging, the book covers the definition of packaging, the history, purposes, recycling, and has a glossary and index.

One very minor point in an otherwise excellent resource, the list of books and websites were disappointing. They are about recycling or technology generally rather than packaging, and the book publication dates were not particularly recent. I had trouble opening or locating information on four of the six websites listed.

It is one in the D & T Workshop series of four books . The other titles are Sandwiches, Stable Structures, and Moving Monsters. A very useful series.

Reviewed by Heather

Teresa Moran, soldier by Ken Catran. Pub. Lothian Books.

Teresa is the fourth generation of the Moran family, all of whom have all been natural and brave soldiers who have thrived in battle, but struggled to adapt to civilian life. Will this cycle be broken with Teresa? It maybe, but I was not sure after reading this book.
Teresa is a Lieutenant in the New Zealand army who experiences battle in East Timor and in Iraq. Neither of these war scenarios is as clearcut, as black and white, as the theatres of war experieced by her forefathers, and Ken Catran skillfully reminds the reader of this.
The first half of this book is in a language of war that is totally different to previous wars, with the emphasis on collateral damage. For this reason it took me a while to get into it, but once Teresa is caught up in the action, the whole tone of the story changes.
Ken Catran's research is first class again and he wraps the story of the Moran family up well. A must read for those who have followed the story, and a modern war story, in a difficult theatre of war, for those who are reading Ken's books for the first time.
Essentially Secondary school appeal but if you like war stories go for it.

Heaven's net is wide : the first tale of the Otori. by Lian Hearn. Pub. Riverhead Books.

A brilliant story being the Prequel to the Tales of the Otori which began with Across the Nightingale Floor. It is the story of Lord Otori Shigeru the Otori leader who adopted Takeo, the hero of the later trilogy, as his son. Shigeru has great qualities as a leader, not only in battle but in his judgement and treatment of people. While a great fighter in battle, especially at the hugely significant Battle of Yaegahara, he is hugely unlucky in love and in his immediate family. He overcomes this with diplomacy and patience and with his ability to attract loyalty from his followers by the examples he sets in life. Once again Lian Hearn shows what a superb storyteller she is with language that flows and sucks you right into the story. Her creation of medieval Japan in the grip of the various warlords, and her descriptions of the passing seasons and physicality of the landscape is stunning. For those who have read the other tales this is essential reading, and for those who want to start the series, this will do brilliantly. At over 600 pages it is ideal for the holiday period and it links up brilliantly with the start of the Nightingale floor. Your mad if you don't read this one. For year 8 to adult in appeal.

Celebrate a Kiwi Icon (Sport and Famous New Zealanders)

Hillary & Norgay: To the top of Mount Everest
By Helen Whipple: St Catharines, Ont.: Crabtree Pub, c2007.

Enjoy this beautifully presented book, which examines one of the 20th Century’s greatest achievements. When Sir Edmund Hillary and Norgay Tenzing reached the summit of Everest they became international celebrities. Discover what drove these men, how their younger years shaped them, and how being the first to reach the summit of the world’s tallest mountain created a legacy, turning Sir Ed into a New Zealand icon.
This book is an invaluable resource on Everest and Hillary with a combination of black and white archival photos and colour photography, fact boxes, statistics with information regarding the men who climbed Everest, the mountain, country, and people of Nepal. It is suitable for Year 6 to 8 students.

*Other new titles on Hillary include:

Hillary and Norgay’s Mount Everest Adventure
By Jim Kerr: Chicago: Heinemann Library, c2008
Suitable for Primary – Intermediate students

Edmund Hillary: first to the top: Elish, Dan. Publisher: New York: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, c2007.Suitable for Intermediate – Junior Secondary

reviewed by Tracy

Uncle Montague’s Tales of Terror / Chris Priestley

Edgar , a lonely only child loved to visit his uncle Montague to listen to his strange and spooky stories. But how does uncle Montague know these tales? Are they not a product of his imagination after all? Perhaps this is the most frightening story of all!

The author has produced an atmospheric book that is a series of stories within a story which would appeal to the most ardent fan of scary tales.


Published by Bloomsbury

Reviewed by Louise Rose

What is "reading" in the 21st Century?

As another year draws to a close, here are some things to think about...

What does it mean to be literate in the 21st century?

What "counts" as reading?

If boys refuse to read fiction, but enjoy comics, the Guiness Book of Records, manuals and computer game cheat sheets, are they readers?

What about online games, such as Runescape? This is very popular for NZ kids, from Primary School up. To navigate the game, you need to be good at map-reading and directional skills. Just getting through the initial tutorial takes a lot of reading. Then, any "conversation" between players is in the form of text. Quests within Runescape need a lot of reading. For example, in the Romeo and Juliet quest, you have to follow complicated instructions, and take wordy messages between the lovers and their supporters. If you don't have a reasonable reading level you can't play this popular game. Is being immersed in the world of Runescape the same as being immersed in a good book?

To be literate in the 21st century do you need to have your own blog?

At the very least, blogs can help students on their journey to literacy. Here's a quote, from the blurb of the book Classroom Blogging, by David Warlick:
"Weblogs are about reading and writing. Literacy is about reading and writing. Blogging equals literacy. How rarely does an aspect of how we live and work plug so perfectly into how we teach and learn?"

Even some year 1 classes are starting to use blogs to develop their literacy.
Voyagers - NZ Year 1 Blog
Mrs Cassidy's Classroom Blog (Grade 1 in Canada)

Does reading your friends' pages on Bebo count? Social networking sites like Bebo, Facebook and MySpace are currently some of the most visited internet sites by kiwis. How can young people's passion for these sites be harnessed to help build literacy?

One idea is to create your own online social network for your book group, using goodreads or ning. What are your friends reading? You can even add goodreads to your bebo! Another idea is to have students set up fictional profile pages for characters in a book they are studying. One class has done this with The Great Gatsby, on MySpace.

Here's an example of 21st century literacy in action, using digital storytelling. Work out what is special about where you live. Write a script. Think about how to represent this visually. Then, turn this into a wonderful digital story, that can be enjoyed right around the world.
Have a look at the Life Round Here stories from Te Awamutu Intermediate, and Taradale Intermediate Schools.

Don't forget the ideas from recent Create Readers posts on Technospud Projects, where your class can publish your participation in a literature project (next year it's Prince Caspian) on the web, and Allanah's Appleby Showcase, which includes (among other things) podcasts of oral book reviews from Motoroa school.

How are YOU going to harness these 21st century opportunities to help create readers in 2008?

Who would be your literary best friend?

There are some books that you read and you just wish that the main character was real, as you have developed such a strong connection with them. In fact, you know that you'd be best friends forever!

There are several characters like this for me. As I grew up, it was Jo Bettany from Elinor M. Brent-Dyer's Chalet School series, Alanna from Tamora Pierce's Song of the Lioness quartet, Carol Ryrie Brink's Caddie Woodlawn, and Ruth Sawyer's Lucinda Wyman. Most recently it has been Elizabeth Clarry from Jaclyn Moriarty's 'Feeling sorry for Celia' and, heartbreakingly, Tessa in Jenny Downham's 'Before I die'.

However, the one person who has stayed with me since I met her on my 10th birthday is a certain red-haired, free spirit named Anne Shirley. I always admired her independence and self-confidence, and wanted so much to share in her adventures and exploits. I envied her having her long red hair cut off after a disastrous attempt at dyeing it, as I had long, weighty plaits of red hair too. And now I am a mother, I understand Anne's behaviour and comments made after being told of her son Walter's death in the fields of France during World War I.

So who would you choose as your literary best friend? Has it changed over time, or have you continued to add characters as I have done? I look forward to reading about your literary best friends too.

Fiona Mackie

The astonishing life of Octavian Nothing, traitor to the nation

For those of us who loved MT Anderson’s Feed, set in a dystopic future where most of the population have implants in their heads, this book will come as quite a surprise although both have the theme of social control running through them. Octavian is set in the 18th century, not only within the context of the story but also in its presentation and language. The author has recreated the flavour of 18th century English to an extraordinary degree:

"In the years as I grew, my mother must have perceived the peculiarity of our situation; but though she may have noted, she did not discover its irregularities to me by word, look or gesture.

Or, by God – I reckon now, now that it is all gone – yea – mayhap she did discover it to me, in every gesture, in all looks, in the space between each work – and I, never knowing her elsewhere, did not know how to parse her warnings and subtility."

This is not a book for those wanting an easy read. The language is sophisticated and events challenging, as Octavian discovers the true reason for the peculiarity of his situation, living in a house of rationalist philosophers for whom experimentation is supreme and, sometimes, fatal. Set against the backdrop of America’s revolutionary war with Britain, the writing is a tour-de-force, perhaps aimed more at adults but worth trying if you have very competent, adventurous senior students.


reviewed by Lisa Allcott

Technospud Projects - Kids Read, Create, and Share with the World!

Would you like your students to have the opportunity of joining in with a fun, collaborative international project to help create readers? Have a look at Technospud Projects.

The current project is Salute to Suess.
This wiki came second in the category of Best Educational Wiki in last week's edublog awards.

The “SALUTE TO SEUSS” wiki is an online project for primary teachers to use within their classroom. Each teacher is encouraged to showcase their students’ participation on the web, with a slideshow, wiki, blog, photoshare, podcast, or other tool. There are 214 teachers from 45 U.S. States, 3 Canadian Provinces, and New Zealand participating. 2007 is the 50th Anniversary of the writing of “The Cat In The Hat” written by Dr. Seuss. To celebrate this milestone, this project also has many websites to visit, worksheets, standards, and activities to expand the project even more as the teacher wishes.

The worksheets, resources and weblinks themselves are amazing, and can be used free by anyone. Its also great to see Kiwi participation: see Puahue School powerpoint presentations.

A similar project took place earlier in the year about Charlotte's Web. The site contains some great ideas of activities for the book, as well as the contributions made by each participating school.

And coming up next year, will be a collaborative project on Prince Caspian. With the great interest in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and the Prince Caspian movie, filmed in New Zealand, and due out next year, this could be a wonderful opportunity to create readers using the web, in collaboration with classes around the world. Interested? Look at the Technospud calendar here, then click the link to join their mailing list.

We at Create Readers would love to hear about your Prince Caspian project!

See also last week's post about the Kiwi school which was also a finalist in these awards. Allanah's Appleby Showcase came second in its category of best educational use of audio. Congratulations Allanah and your clever students!

Trainspotting re-visited: picture books about two legends of the American rail

In Angela Johnson’s I dream of trains, a young black boy working in the Mississippi cotton fields is inspired by stories of the legendary Casey Jones, whose regular run had once followed the border of these same fields.

Until his heroic death in 1900, Irish-American Casey worked alongside a black fireman at a time when the lingering ghost of slavery made such partnerships almost unheard of. The sound of his train whistle became a symbol of hope to the toiling cotton pickers and, a generation later, its memory kindles enough courage in the young narrator for him to venture into the wider world with its possibilities of a better life.

‘…the feel of the whistle speaking to me…
it’s.. the sound of leaving that speaks to my soul’

Loren Long’s paintings perfectly complement Johnson’s rail-rhythm prose. An accompanying CD of the traditional ballad about Casey Jones would have been nice, perhaps incorporating the sound of that long, lonesome train whistle, but this is such a beautifully evocative book that maybe it lets the imagination take care of all that.
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

The train they call the City of New Orleans, a picture book version of the 1970 Steve Goodman song made famous by singer Arlo Guthrie, has an accompanying CD with both narration and song (best to cut straight to the latter!) presented this
time round by Tom Chapin.

Michael McCurdy’s lino-cut illustrations bring to life the story of the train that still runs from Chicago to New Orleans—coincidentally a very similar route to that of Casey Jones almost a hundred years earlier (both trains were part of the Illinois Central network).

Two years ago the song became the symbol of relief concerts held to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina, and gained a new life beyond its earlier baby boomer following.
Published by G.P.Putnam's Sons


Both books have a practical as well as a romantic side. I dream of trains emphasises that true freedom has to come from within; City of New Orleans ends with a sad comment on disappearing railway networks.

And both could inspire young boys to dream.

Reviewed by Cecily Fisher

The Palace of Laughter by Jon Berkeley

Miles Wednesday is an escaped orphan who lives in a barrel on a hillside of the town of Larde. On the day the Circus Oscuro comes to town and he meets a tiger, his life changes for ever. The circus owner and villain of the book, the moustachioed Great Cortardo has a plot to control the people of Larde through laughter at the Palace of Laughter. Sinister indeed!

A great adventure with a winged Song Angel, Little and a host of bizaare characters makes this a lively adventure/ fantasy with appeal to middle school children.

This is Jon Berkeley's first novel and he has a great love of words, but probably uses too many of them in this story. However his wit is brilliant and eccentric, and this makes you keep reading it.

Highly recommended for lovers of fantasy.

Pub. HarperCollins Children’s Books

Reviewed by Bob

Best and bravest: Kiwis awarded the Victoria Cross

by Glyn Harper & Colin Richardson. HarperCollins Publishers, 2006.

The recent raid on the Waiouru Army Museum has put war medals in the spotlight right now. Here are the stories of the 26 men who won the highest military honour our country can award. Only a few of the names will be known to most New Zealanders, but all of the stories are part of our kiwi heritage, and deserve to be known. Glyn and Colin have done a superb job of introducing these fighting heroes of the First and Second World Wars to young readers. This is an ideal read for all those who enjoy true adventure stories – boys are often attracted to this kind of book – and it will also be a valuable asset every year as Anzac Day comes around, and we focus once again on New Zealand’s history touched by war.

Reviewed by Pamela

Kiwi Teacher Finalist in International Award - Vote Today

Allanah's Appleby Showcase has been chosen as a finalist in the international EduBlogs awards (the Eddies). These are "the annual event where the best education blogs of the year are decided by, well, you!" Allanah and her students are up against 4 other finalists from around the world in the Best Educational Use of Audio category.

Allanah's Appleby Showcase is a blog of student podcasts (audio broadcasts) created by Allanah, a teacher at Appleby School in Nelson and her Year 4-5 students. The most recent podcasts are student reviews of Shaun Tan's The Lost Thing, and of Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes. Maybe this is something you could try at your school?

Another category in the awards is the Best Librarian/Library blog, with 5 great blogs to look at here.

If you would like to have a look at the EduBlog finalists, and vote for your favourites, you will need to do so by the end of TODAY (Thursday December 6th)!

Close to the Wind: the Beaufort Scale by Peter Malone

Did you know that a "jolly-boat" is a dinghy-type boat to collect stragglers from the quayside and deliver them to the Man-of-War? How is a knot (ship’s speed) calculated? Or that a sailor’s day begins at noon? Close to the Wind is full of these nuggets of knowledge for the curious. It is a cornucopia of maritime information.

It also belongs to what seems to be a growing genre – I think one calls it “faction”. They can be difficult to place in the library too - picture book or non-fiction? We, here at National Library have this one in non-fiction (551.518 weather) and really there is no dilemma in this case I think.

Although all characters are fictional - except Captain Beaufort and engineer John Smeaton - there is loads of factual information about the Beaufort Scale, wind, sailing ships, the sea and various ports between Naples and Barbados.

It is a very impressive production with gorgeous pictures and clear layout. Each page describes a different level of Beaufort Scale indicated by wind effects on the surface of the sea, wind effects on land (such as smoke direction and flag movement) and the effect of the wind on the handling of a Man-of-War.

Close to the Wind covers lots of curriculum areas – social science, technology, art and science. It is a great read for children who are interested in the sea and sailing - and for the generally curious. An excellent book for children from year 5 and older.

Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons (part of the Penguin Group)

Great reading for young scientists

It’s elementary: Putting the crackle into chemistry by Robert Winston. Published by Dorling Kindersley 2007

Full of information boxes, speech bubbles, colourful illustrations and a myriad of facts, this book would appeal to young scientists who enjoy browsing for information. Readers can investigate atoms, find out what dogs are made of, learn how the colours are created in fireworks and much more. A glossary and index are provided. The book is more suitable for recreational reading than research as topics are only covered lightly.
Content most likely to be appreciated by Year 7 plus.

A similar title in the same series is Can you feel the Force: Putting the fizz back into chemistry by Richard Hammond

In this title the reader is drawn into the text by questions such as ‘Can you lie on a bed of nails?’ and ‘Can you walk on custard?’ and are then provided with brief scientific explanations. Pages also include frequently asked questions and practical activities the reader can try.

Other books in this attractive series are:
Think of a number by Johnny Ball and What makes me me? also by Robert Winston.

Reviewed by Melva

Super Science Projects About Earth's Soil and Water
By Robert Gardner. Published by Enslow Publishers Inc, 2008.

This book is easy to read, and the layout and illustrations look inviting. It is a book in a series of six called 'Rockin' Earth Science Experiments' that includes books of science projects about the earth, rocks and minerals, sun and moon, sky, and the weather.

The book has 10 experiments that are are straight forward and fun to do. Each one starts with 'now lets find out,' which is the procedure for the experiment, and plenty of questions for consideration. This is followed on the next page with an explanation, and some related ideas for possible science fair projects. The procedures and explanations are very clear and easy to understand. They are supported by cartoon style diagrams, photographs, and a glossary and list for further reading at the back of the book.

It is suitable for senior primary and intermediate classes, and would be a great introduction to science fair investigations.

Reviewed by Heather

Monsters of Blood and Honour by Ken Catran

I am a big fan of Ken Catran and loved his war stories of the Moran family and Red leader Down. Alas this latest offering is not in the same league.

It consists of three novellas about World War 2, the first about a young man on his first mission over Germany in a Lancaster bomber as part of those 1000 bomber raids that began in 1944. Brilliant description of the horrors both in the Lancaster and on the ground.

The second is the story of a nurse caught up in the fall of Singapore who spends the rest of the war as a prisoner of the Japanese and like the first story the horrors of war and the injustices heaped on both sides are exposed.

Thirdly and the weirdest of the three stories the story of a tank commander involved in the largest tank battle ever at Kursk on the Russian borders.

All three stories are brilliantly researched as is Ken Catran's trademark. Alas the link through today’s teenagers with the old campaigners is a tenuous one and is the weak part of this book.

Still the details of the war incidents are intriguing, but forget the rest.

The book ends with an Epilogue of a veteran of the Desert and Monte Cassino preparing for the ANZAC Day parade, remembering his mates and struggling with life, how to pay the rates. A very meaningful ending.

Ken is such a wonderful writer I forgive him for not getting the teenagers right.

Published by Random House

Reviewed by Bob

“Landscape and the environment” by Jane Bingham

This series explores the interpretation of various themes by artists throughout history. There are many colour reproductions representing different cultures from around the world, and includes different types of media from toys to paintings, environmental art, porcelain, sculpture, right through to photographs.

Each title is beautifully produced and utilises a wide range of images to support the text. The author manages to concisely convey the essence of some rather complex artistic concepts very well to the 8 to 12 year old reader.

Also, each title contains a world map, further recommended reading, a timeline and a glossary of terms. A great buy to build up any child’s visual literacy skills and an attractive looking book as well.

View the book cover here

Reviewed by Suzanne Hardy