Students are encouraged to complete the CBL Feedback Survey on library resources and services.
In six words, students are asked to complete the statement "This book changed my life because..." Keep an eye out around the college for their responses.
The Good Son by
A young WWI soldier's unauthorized visit home has dire consequences in a haunting story reimagined in miniature tableaux. About one hundred years ago, the whole world went to war. The war was supposed to last months. It lasted years. It is Christmastime, 1914, and World War I rages. A young French soldier named Pierre had quietly left his regiment to visit his family for two days, and when he returned, he was imprisoned. Now he faces execution for desertion, and as he waits in isolation, he meditates on big questions: the nature of patriotism, the horrors of war, the joys of friendship, the love of family, and how even in times of danger, there is a whole world inside every one of us. And how sometimes that world is the only refuge. Its publication coinciding with the centennial of the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, this moving and sparely narrated story, based on true events, is reenacted in fascinating miniature scenes that convey the emotional complexity of the tale. Notes from the creators explore the innovative process and their personal connection to the story.
Wilam: A Birrarung Story by
Summary: In this picture book the indigenous and geographical story of Melbourne's beautiful Yarra River, from its source to its mouth; from its pre-history to the present day. An ode to Australian rivers, the flora and fauna that live on them, and the function they perform as a part of modern day life. Wilam brings Aboriginal life, culture and language right in to the heart of the city. (Publisher).
The Encyclopaedia of Ugly Animals by
Summary: With more than sixty ugly animals to explore, this compendium of the unusual celebrates the beauty in 'ugliness'. Children and adults alike will pore over the scientific illustrations of unusual animals, debating their relative ugliness and merits, learning about science and nature along the way. Featuring illustrations and facts about the thorniest species the animal kingdom has to offer, from the naked mole rat to the goblin shark, aye-aye, sphinx cat, blobfish and many more 'ugly' beauties.
Young Dark Emu by
Summary: Bruce Pascoe has collected a swathe of literary and awards for Dark Emu and now he has brought together the impeccable research and compelling first-person accounts in a book for younger readers. Using the accounts of early European explorers, colonists and farmers, Bruce Pascoe compellingly argues for a reconsideration of the hunter gatherer label for pre-colonial Aboriginal Australians. He allows the reader to see Australia as it was before Europeans arrived, a land of cultivated farming areas, productive fisheries, permanent homes, and an understanding of the environment and its natural resources that supported thriving villages across the continent. Young Dark Emu, A Truer History asks young readers to consider a different version of Australia's history pre European colonisation.
Students are encouraged to enter the CBL Book Week Creative Writing Competition.
Use this year's theme "Curious Creatures, Wild Minds" as inspiration and write a piece of creative writing.
Entries can be emailed through to rbyrne@riverview.nsw.edu.au by Friday October 30.
During Book Week Wide Reading classes will begin their reading period with a Book Quiz incorporating this year's theme, Curious Minds, Wild Creatures.
The library is running a Book Trailer Competition as part of this year's Book Week celebrations. To enter, create a book trailer for a YA book. The length of the book trailer should be between 45 and 90 seconds. Email entries to snrlibrary@riverview.nsw.edu.au. Competition closes midnight Friday October 30.
The following resources may assist you in completing this task.
Below is an example of a Book Trailer for 400 Minutes of Danger by Jack Heath.
FIND GOD IN ALL THINGS
Students from SIEP will listen to a reading of one entry from The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Ugly Animals by Sami Bayly. Students will identify an animal within the book and create a 'Fun Facts' poster of their animal. The ICT skill of scanning and sending will be incorporated in the lesson by students using a scanned picture from the book in their poster.
The Boy Who Steals Houses by
Can two broken boys find their perfect home? By turns heartbreaking and heartwarming, this is a gorgeously told, powerful story. Sam is only fifteen but he and his autistic older brother, Avery, have been abandoned by every relative he's ever known. Now Sam's trying to build a new life for them. He survives by breaking into empty houses when their owners are away, until one day he's caught out when a family returns home. To his amazement this large, chaotic family takes him under their wing - each teenager assuming Sam is a friend of another sibling. Sam finds himself inextricably caught up in their life, and falling for the beautiful Moxie. But Sam has a secret, and his past is about to catch up with him. Heartfelt storytelling, perfect for fans of Jandy Nelson and Jennifer Niven.
When the Ground is Hard by
At Swaziland's Keziah Christian Academy, where the wealth and colour of one's father determines one's station, once-popular Adele bonds with poor Lottie over a book and a series of disasters.
Four Dead Queens by
Eonist messenger she stole from, and together they race to discover who has killed the queens. But when dark secrets threaten their reluctant partnership and put everything at stake, Keralie and Varin must use all their daring to stay alive and untangle the mysteries behind the nation's four dead queens. An enthralling, fast-paced murder mystery where competing agendas collide with deadly consequences.
How it Feels to Float by
Summary: Biz knows how to float. She has her people, posse, her mum and the twins. She has Grace. And she has her dad, who tells her about the little kid she was, and who shouldn't be here but is. So Biz doesn't tell anyone anything. Not about her dark, runaway thoughts, not about kissing Grace or noticing Jasper, the new boy. And she doesn't tell anyone about her dad. Because her dad died when she was seven. And Biz knows how to float, right there on the surface - normal okay regular fine.
Ghost Bird by
Summary: Remember daughter, the world is a lot bigger than anyone knows. There are things that science may never explain. Maybe some things that shouldn't be explained. Stacey and Laney are twins - mirror images of each other - and yet they're as different as the sun and the moon. Stacey works hard at school, determined to get out of their small town. Laney skips school and sneaks out of the house to meet her boyfriend. When Laney disappears one night, Stacey can't believe she's just run off without telling her. As the days pass and Laney doesn't return, Stacey starts dreaming of her twin. The dreams are dark and terrifying, difficult to understand and hard to shake, but at least they tell Stacey one key thing - Laney is alive. It's hard for Stacey to know what's real and what's imagined and even harder to know who to trust. All she knows for sure is that Laney needs her help. Stacey is the only one who can find her sister. Will she find her in time?
This Is How We Change the Ending by
I have questions I've never asked. Worries I've never shared. Thoughts that circle and collide and die screaming because they never make it outside my head. Stuff like that, if you let it go--it's a survival risk. Sixteen-year-old Nate McKee is doing his best to be invisible. He's worried about a lot of things--how his dad treats Nance and his twin half-brothers; the hydro crop in his bedroom; his reckless friend, Merrick. Nate hangs out at the local youth centre and fills his notebooks with things he can't say. But when some of his pages are stolen, and his words are graffitied at the centre, Nate realises he has allies. He might be able to make a difference, change his life, and claim his future. Or can he? This is How We Change the Endingis raw and real, funny and heartbreaking--a story about what it takes to fight back when you're not a hero.