Fully Booked

The book “The Indian in the Cupboard” is written by Lyne Reid Banks, and is set in an American boy’s bedroom. Omri is the main character whose dream comes true when he locks a little plastic Indian in a small cupboard, and the Indian comes to life. The little Indian is a proud and fearless character whose name is Little Bull. This great, adventurous book is full of really awesome highs like when Omri decides to give Little Bull a pony and take him and the pony riding on the dirt outside, and some really sad lows, like when Omri puts an old plastic Indian man in the cupboard and the old man dies from a heart attack. All up I would have to say this is a good book to read for year 7 students who loves adventure and surprise.

 Reviewed by Taskyn D

John Free, teacher librarian extraordinaire, died peacefully on June 3rd after a short illness. 

Those of you who knew John knew of his passion for teacher librarianship.  He nurtured amazing relationships with all those he came in contact with.  He developed Barker College’s “Boys and Books” program with the teacher librarian team.  He was joint winner of the ASLA(NSW) Teacher Librarian of
the Year, presented at the State Library NSW earlier this year.He threw himself into all aspects of school life - readers’ theatre, school camps, staff concerts, sports’ days to name a few. He was a remarkable short story
writer for adolescents and was an excellent bass guitarist and took every opportunity to be involved in all things musical at the school.  He was also part of the band “Blind Lemon Chicken” and played at various
locations all over Sydney, especially the Botany View Hotel.

He was loved by students and staff alike and he will be sorely missed.

(Barbara Yates, Head of Library Services)

They may be oldies, but these “goodies” from Agatha Christie published as graphic novels are a fresh slant on the mystery thriller genre.  Have a read and let us know what you think.

From the June issue of Good Reading (p.10)…

As we all probably spend more time reading emails than we do reading books, why not have bits of books conveniently delivered to your inbox?… Sign up [to DailyLit.com] and they’ll send you a portion of the classic or contemporary tilte of your choice at the time of your choice.  These digestible chunks can be read in two to five minutes.  Public domain titles are free and copyrighted titles are available via pay per read… You can browse the site by title, author or category and there’s also a forum so you can chat with other readers.

Why not try it and tell us whether you enjoyed reading your book online?

This review of Elizabeth Fensham’s Helicopter Man  was written by Jono S.  He writes:

‘Helicopter Man is a must read for all fans of the ‘curious dog incident’.  It is a very short and easy to read as it is set out like a diary. It’s hard to write a blurb about it without giving it away.  Find it! Grab it! Read it!’

Thanks Jono. Perhaps we can reveal that the blurb on the back of the book says ‘Pete’s dad is being pursued by a secret organisation.  Both their lives are in danger and when the helicopters hover nearby they must hide.’

    In Conn Iggulden’s Wolf of the Plains, we followed the journey of Temujin from boy to warrior. In Lords of the Bow Temujin, now known as Ghengis Khan, fights battle after bloody battle in his attempt to unite the warlike tribes of Asia. As tribe after tribe  falls before the ruthless Mongel bowmen, Ghengis builds an army that appears invincible… until he comes up against the strength of the Chin empire.

It was a long wait for this sequel to Wolf of the Plains.  However, it was well worth it.  Iggulden’s blend of fiction with fact makes for exciting reading.  The vivid descriptions are enough to place a bow in one’s hand and to live the sights, smells and sounds of the Mongol campaigns.

I liked it, but I can’t say I loved it.  No matter how brilliantly the film was directed, acted and computer-modeled, it couldn’t and didn’t come close to projecting the sheer emotional power of the book.

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“Crusade” by Elizabeth Laird is a historical novel set during the third campaign by European Christian powers to wrest control of Jerusalem from the Muslims, or Saracens, as they were called by European forces.  On another level, though, it’s also a clear reminder to readers of the folly of religious wars.  As Laird says in her website, “(the) worlds of Christianity and Islam, of West and East, collided so catastrophically then (and) are colliding again now.”  http://www.elizabethlaird.co.uk/B01_Crusade.html

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The latest release in Charlie Higson’s Young Bond series is without a doubt the best yet. There’s far more edge-of-your-seat action to keep the reader engaged from start to finish.

James Bond is not looking forward to spending his holiday in the company of two spoilt children in a sleepy town in the Caribbean.  However, when his host’s house is robbed and destroyed during a hurricane, James and the children embark on a quest to recover the stolen goods. Little do they realise this quest will become a fight for life and death in the jungles of Mexico. James’ final effort to stay alive is nail-biting stuff.

Read interviews with the author and more at the MI6 site.

Well, it’s happened at last, as we suspected it would sooner or later.  James Adams has had his first sexual experience.  Many boys in Middle School even know the page number by heart.

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