Christmas Poster Competition

This week in the library we are having a competition to design a Christmas poster to go up in the library. Create a Christmas themed poster, give it to Mr McCallum and we'll draw the winners on Friday at the end of 2nd lunch. 

Thanks to Scarlett and Jessica in T22 for this awesome idea!

Winners of the Timmy Failure prize packs

Thanks to everyone who entered the Timmy Failure competition, especially Miss Harney and T25.  The two winners of the prize packs (drawn at random) are:

• Nathan - T23
• Tasmyn - T25

Congratulations! 

Keep your eyes peeled for more competitions coming soon.

Te Reo Singalong at the library

Today Huritini were treated to a special performance of te reo songs by Sharon and Alan Holt. Everyone loved their action-packed, fun show! Sharon is the author of the Te Reo Singalong books, a great series of stories in te reo maori that come with a CD of the song.  They are perfect for anyone learning te reo as you can listen to the CD to help with your pronunciation.

Here are a couple of photos from their performance:

We have each of Sharon Holt's Te Reo Singalong books in the library to borrow now.

Book Fair next week

Our Book Fair starts next Monday 21 November and runs through to Friday 25 November.  Make sure you come in and have a look at all the fantastic books that you can buy.

Geronimo Stilton will be visiting your classes on Monday morning to remind you about the Book Fair

Here are the times that the Book Fair will be open:

Monday                                  1:30-2:00      3:00-3:30      6:30-7:30
Tuesday        8:30-9:00          1:30-2:00      3:00-3:30
Wednesday   8:30-9:00          1:30-2:00      3:00-3:30
Thursday      8:30-9:00          1:30-2:00      3:00-3:30
Friday           8:30-9:00          1:30-2:00

On Monday night we have a special family event, called Books and Baking, when you can come along to school with your family, check out the books to buy and enjoy some yummy baking.  This runs from 6:30-7:30.

Remember that each purchase you make at the Book Fair helps us to get some great new books for the library.

Win a Timmy Failure prize pack

The Timmy Failure series by Stephan Pastis is one of my favourite series.  It has great characters, lots of comic illustrations and is absolutely hilarious.  I've got a really exciting prize to give away that fans of Timmy Failure will want to get their hands on.

 

I have two Timmy Failure prize packs to give away which include a copy of the new Timmy Failure book called The Book You're Not Supposed to Have, a bookmark, a Timmy Failure lanyard and a pair of Timmy Failure sunglasses.

To get your name in the draw you need to email me (zac.mccallum@halswell.school.nz) with your name, room number and the name of Timmy's polar bear sidekick. Teachers can enter too. You have until Friday 18 November to enter.

New Diary of a Wimpy Kid book

The new Diary of a Wimpy Kid book, Double Down, is in the library now. We have 3 copies (which flew out the doors yesterday) so if you would like to reserve it please see Mr McCallum.  

Mr McCallum has a couple of free sample chapters of Double Down so if you would like one please ask him.

Soraya Nicholas visits the library

On Tuesday we had New Zealand author Soraya Nicholas visiting us at Halswell School.  Lots of you enjoyed meeting Soraya and are eager to read her books.  We have all of her Starlight Stables books in the library so if you want to reserve them please see Mr McCallum.

Here are some of the great things that Soraya Nicholas told us:

• She has been writing since she was 9.  She carried a notebook everywhere with her.
• Girls can do anything!  Soraya knew that if she set her mind to it she could get her books published.
• She wanted to see her name on a book but was told that she was more likely to get struck by lightning 3 times on the same day.
• Her dad told her that if she worked hard at riding school for a whole year that he would get her a horse.  She had to get up early every Sunday and be at the riding school at 7am.
• The best thing to remember when you are writing is make sure you have some conflict.  You need to have something going wrong for the characters.

Here are some photos of Soraya's visit:

Middle School series by James Patterson

Do you like Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Tom Gates? You should try James Patterson's Middle School series.  We have some of the books in the library, including the first book. 

Here is a book trailer that introduces you to the series:

The first book in the series, Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life, has been made into a movie that comes out here in NZ in January.  Keep your eyes peeled for a special giveaway of the movie tie-in book here on the blog soon.  In the mean time, check out the movie trailer.  Leave a comment and tell us what you think.

Spooky stories and freaky facts

October 31 is Halloween or All Hallows Eve.  It's an American tradition that isn't celebrated much here in New Zealand but it's a great time of the year to read some spooky books.  We've got some great spooky books that you can borrow from the library and these are just a few:

• The Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine - we've just got a whole new set of these in the library.
• The Scream series by Jack Heath - a new spooky series that is perfect for anyone who loves Goosebumps
• The Giant's Necklace - a ghost story by Michael Morpurgo.
• The Prankster and the Ghost by R.L. Stedman - a funny ghost story.
• Shadow House: The Gathering by Dan Poblocki - a creepy new ghost story series that has a bonus app with extra ghost stories.
• The Ghosts of Tarawera by Sue Copsey - a spooky adventure story set in New Zealand.
• Monkey Boy by Donovan Bixley - a pirate ghost story.

Here are 5 interesting facts about Halloween:

1. The first Jack O'Lanterns were actually made from turnips.
2. Original trick-or-treaters received mostly fruits and nuts not candy. 
3. It is believed that if you see a spider on Halloween it is the spirit of a loved one watching over you.
4. In Mexico they celebrate Dias de los muertos or Day of the Dead on November 1st. It is a big celebration that honors family and friends who have passed away.
5. In Hong Kong Halloween celebrations are known as Yue Lan meaning Festival of the Hungry Ghosts. During Yue Lan celebrations fires are lit and food and gifts are offered to angry ghosts looking for revenge. 

For more information about Halloween, including games to play, costume ideas, party food to make, more books to read and tips for safe trick-or-treating go to the Christchurch City Libraries Halloween page.

Halloween Competitions

It's Halloween on Monday so we have two competitions in the library:

Find the bats - the library is infested with bats!  If you help us track down the bats and bring one to Mr McCallum he'll give you a Halloween candy treat.  Juniors can come bat hunting at 1:00 and seniors can come bat hunting at 1:30.

Create a new Goosebumps title - R.L. Stine has written HEAPS of Goosebumps books, with names like Say Cheese and Die, The Werewolf of Fever Swamp, Night of the Living Dummy and Tick, Tock, You're Dead! All you have to do is create your own title for a new Goosebumps book.  Just make it as spooky as you can.  Write your title, your name and your room number on a piece of paper and put it in the entry box in the library.

Soraya Nicholas and Stacy Gregg visiting Halswell School

In Week 4 we are going to have two very special authors visiting Halswell School.  The first author is Soraya Nicholas, the author of the new Starlight Stables series.  If you love horse and pony stories this is a great new series to try.  We will have them in the library very soon.

Soraya is visiting us on Tuesday 1 November from 9:30am-12:00pm

The second author who is visiting us is Stacy Gregg, the author of Princess and the Foal, The Girl Who Rode the Wind, and her latest book, The Diamond Horse.  Stacy is visiting us on her tour of New Zealand to celebrate her 21st book.  You can borrow Stacy's books from the library, including her new book.

Stacy is visiting us on Thursday 3 November at 10:00am

Save your money for our Book Fair

In week 7 this term, from Monday 21 November to Friday 25 November, we are going to hold our Book Fair.  This is a great opportunity to get some really great books for yourself and raise some money for the library.  Every book, poster, or pencil that you buy at our Book Fair means new exciting new books for our library.

These are just a handful of the books that you could buy:

I'll be asking for volunteers to help with the Book Fair very soon.  We will need people to help decorate the library, put up posters, help at the fair and lots more.

Story Time with Darth Vader - Friday

I bet you didn't know that Darth Vader loves reading! Here he is sharing the first line from one of his favourite books.  Can you guess which book he is reading?

If you think you know the book write the title on a piece of paper, along with your name and room number and put it in the entry box in the library.

Every correct answer goes into the draw for a Star Wars prize pack.  There are also prizes for the runners-up.  The winners will be announced today at 2pm.

Story Time with Darth Vader - Thursday

I bet you didn't know that Darth Vader loves reading! Here he is sharing the first line from one of his favourite books.  Can you guess which book he is reading?

If you think you know the book write the title on a piece of paper, along with your name and room number and put it in the entry box in the library.

Every correct answer goes into the draw for a Star Wars prize pack.  There are also prizes for the runners-up.  The winners will be announced on Friday at 2pm.

Story Time with Darth Vader - Wednesday

I bet you didn't know that Darth Vader loves reading! Here he is sharing the first line from one of his favourite books.  Can you guess which book he is reading?

If you think you know the book write the title on a piece of paper, along with your name and room number and put it in the entry box in the library.

Every correct answer goes into the draw for a Star Wars prize pack.  There are also prizes for the runners-up.  The winners will be announced on Friday at 2pm.

Which Star Wars Characters Are You?

There are heaps of Star Wars quizzes around that you can do to find out which Star Wars character you are.  Some of these quizzes help you to figure out which Star Wars character is most like your dad or which Star Wars creature you are.  Try out these quizzes and leave a comment telling us who you are.

Which Star Wars Character Are You?

Which Star Wars Character is Most Like Your Dad?


Which Star Wars Creature Are You?

Story Time with Darth Vader - Tuesday

I bet you didn't know that Darth Vader loves reading! Here he is sharing the first line from one of his favourite books.  Can you guess which book he is reading?

If you think you know the book write the title on a piece of paper, along with your name and room number and put it in the entry box in the library.

Every correct answer goes into the draw for a Star Wars prize pack.  There are also prizes for the runners-up.  The winners will be announced on Friday at 2pm.

Story Time with Darth Vader - Monday

I bet you didn't know that Darth Vader loves reading! Here he is sharing the first line from one of his favourite books.  Can you guess which book he is reading?

If you think you know the book write the title on a piece of paper, along with your name and room number and put it in the entry box in the library.

Every correct answer goes into the draw for a Star Wars prize pack.  There are also prizes for the runners-up.  The winners will be announced on Friday at 2pm.

Star Wars Week in the library

Starting on Monday we have Star Wars Week in the library.  It is part of a celebration of Star Wars books called Star Wars Reads Day (which happens on Saturday 15 October).

We have some great new Star Wars books in the library that you can reserve, from quick chapter books and picture books about Star Wars through to character encyclopedias with information about the whole Star Wars galaxy.

There are different Star Wars themed activities happening in the library each lunch time, from colouring and wordfinds to design your own X-Wing.  Come in the library library to check out what is happening.  We've also got a couple of competitions running so keep your eyes peeled.

And now to officially launch Star Wars Reads Week check out this awesome video:

A Child of Books by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston

A Child of Books is an amazing new picture book that we'll have in the library very soon.  It's a celebration of books, reading and stories.  The illustrations on each of the pages are made up of words from classic books like Treasure Island and fairy tales like Rapunzel.

I can't wait to share this special book with you in the library!  It will be in the library after the holidays but while you wait you can watch the book trailer.

What books will you be reading in the holidays?

The school holidays start next week, which means you'll have 2 weeks to read all the books you like.

We have heaps of awesome books in the library for you to take home for the holidays.  The library is open every day at lunch time, between 1pm and 2pm, so make sure you come in this week to get some holiday reading.

What books have you got on your reading pile to read in the holidays?  Leave a comment and let everyone know.

New beanbags

Our cool new beanbags are now in the library.  Take them anywhere in the library and find the perfect spot to read or chat.

They will be great in summer because you can take them outside and sit in the sun with a book too.

Come and check them out now.

Jorja meets Andy Griffiths

Jorja was the winner of an awesome Andy Griffiths competition run by Christchurch City Libraries.  To enter you had to email the one question that you would ask Andy Griffiths if you got the chance to meet him.  Jorja was chosen as the winner and got the chance to have afternoon tea with Andy on Friday afternoon and go to his sold out show on Saturday morning.  Mr McCallum was a lucky librarian because he got to go to afternoon tea and meet Andy Griffiths too!

We took a couple of Halswell School Library copies of Andy's books to get signed, which are now extra special.  Next time you borrow an Andy Griffiths book from our library check to see if it has been drawn in by Andy Griffiths.

Timmy Failure Book Trailer

If you've read the Timmy Failure series you'll know how great these books are but if you haven't watch the book trailer for a taste of this hilarious series.

We have the first four books in the series in the library and book 5, The Book You're Not Supposed to Read, is out on 1st October.

Book Character Dress-up Day in the library

Yesterday we had book character dress-up day at school to celebrate Roald Dahl's 100th birthday and to commemorate Mrs Lester.

It was a fantastic day and I spied lots of different book characters hanging out in the library, from Willy Wonker and Matilda to Alice in Wonderland and Batman. It was SOOOO busy in the library with lots of Roald Dahl books being borrowed and kids colouring in the BFG and doing a George's Marvelous Medicine wordfind.

Which Roald Dahl Character Are You?

Do you love books like Matilda?  Are you kind like the BFG?  Are you cunning like Mr Fox? To find out which character you are click here to try the quiz.

Happy 100th Birthday Roald Dahl!

Did you know that if Roald Dahl were alive today he would be 100 years old on Tuesday 13 September?

People all over the world are going to be celebrating this huge occasion by dressing up, reading Roald Dahl's wonderful stories, having parties and eating lots of chocolate.

Here at Halswell School we are celebrating on Monday 12th September with a dress-up day, quizzes and heaps of fun activities.

Join me in the library next week for some Roald Dahl fun.  Here are some of the things you can do:

• Create your own Mr Twit beard
• Colour in the BFG
• Do some word finds and crosswords
• Enter the Roald Dahl Quiz
• Hunt for the Golden Tickets

For some fun ideas for costumes and activities to do at home check out www.roalddahl.com