Book Week - August 22th - 26th 2005
Reading Rocks! Trivia Competition
Your chance to win a lollipop. A new competition everyday.
Entry forms in the library.
McKinnon S.C. Library has all of the shortlisted books in the Younger readers, Older readers and information books categories. Check out the titles below.
Children's Book Council of Australia
Younger Readers (Years 5 - 8) |
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The silver donkey by Sonya Hartnett Two young French girls find an English soldier exhausted, hungry and blind in the woods near their home. They are determined to help him to stay undetected (he could be shot as a deserter), and return to his home across the Channel. In return for their help, the soldier tells them four stories, all relating to the silver donkey he carries in his pocket. (Focus on Fiction. EdDept W.A.) |
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Billy Mack's War by James Roy A prequel/sequel to Captain Mack is just as compelling as the first book. It concerns the problems faced by Captain Mack and his family following Captain Mack's return to Australia, after being a prisoner of war in Burma, during World War II. Danny, who had befriended Captain Mack and attempted to help him escape from his nursing home in the preceding book, now has to return Captain Mack's Victoria Cross to his adult son William (Billy). Through a series of conversations, William tells Danny about Captain Mack's experiences during and after the war, and what it was like for William as a young boy of Danny's age, trying to understand what had happened to his father. (Focus on Fiction. EdDept W.A.) |
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A horse called Elvis by John Heffernan This gritty novel is not just another horse story. It is framed by Matt's reflections as he looks back on the time when Elvis, the foal of the title, is born. Matt's battling family is very poor, there is tension between family members and Dad can be violent if aroused. The numerous incidents involving the unruly foal are the catalyst that tears the family apart. Dad is just making some headway with looking after the two boys after Mum and Jaz have left, when Elvis is stolen and the family re-unites to get him back. (Focus on Fiction. EdDept W.A.) |
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Soraya the storyteller by Rosanne Hawke Soraya, her mother and young brother are refugees from Afghanistan adjusting to life in Australia under Temporary Protection Visas, after surviving the journey on a people-smuggling boat and spending time in the Woomera detention centre. The story is told through Soraya who uses storytelling to come to terms with the tragedy of her family's life in her homeland and struggle for acceptance in Australia. Stories from the Arabian Nights told by Soraya's adopted grandmother keep Soraya in touch with her culture and her father, who was killed; while writing in her diary and ESL class help her to express her thoughts, fears and dreams. (Focus on Fiction. EdDept W.A.) |
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The boy, the bear, the Baron, the Bard by Gregory Rogers The boy, the bear, the baron, the bard is a textless picture book about a curious boy, a grumpy bard, a captive bear and a baron whose head is bound for the chopping block. This is a great visual feast, where variety is created by the differing size of the illustrations, which are framed and unframed. It is a dramatic tale of adventure and friendship that will be enjoyed by students who have background knowledge of Shakespeare. (Focus on Fiction. EdDept W.A.) |
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Tiff and the trout by David Metzenthen Tiff lives in paradise (Tilgong) in the Snowy Mountains and loves skiing and trout fishing and Cass, her best friend. However, when her parents suddenly break up, the family is thrown into turmoil and paradise doesn't seem so appealing any more. (Focus on Fiction. EdDept W.A.) |
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Older readers (Years 8 and older) |
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The running man by Michael Gerard Bauer Joseph, a shy quiet boy is asked by his next door neighbour to draw her reclusive brother, a Vietnam veteran. Joseph becomes caught up with Tom's story through their love of the silkworms an the link with the mulberry tree in Joseph's backyard. This is an entrancing read about facing fears, loneliness and family. (Premier's Reading Challenge 2005 SA) |
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Fireshadow by Anthony Eaton Age 14+ Vinnie Santini, a young outcast from his family runs from the world seeking the solace of the bush near Dwellingup, after a motor accident in which his sister was killed and he was burnt. While camping amid the rain-soaked forest, he meets Helen a young attractive girl who is spending time at the campsite with her terminally-ill grandfather, Erich Pieters. Erich had spent three years at the site when it was a camp for German and Italian internees during World War II. The plot moves between the current day, exploring the developing relationship between Vinnie and Helen; and the past, describing Erich's experiences with his fellow prisoners, guards and Alice, the daughter of the camp's doctor. (Focus on Fiction. EdDept W.A.) |
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By the river by Steven Herrick Harry, named for Harry Houdini, lives in a country town by a river. His mother died when he was seven and he lives with his younger brother and his father. Harry shows us life in a small town in the 50s and 60s through his eyes as he records every day activities, some ordinary and some life shattering but all of them poignant. The river of the title is ever present, either meandering benevolently, encouraging swimming and swinging, or rushing fiercely in flood, sweeping away Harry's friend, Linda: In 1962 I was fourteen and the flood swept refrigerators, bikes, used tyres, and Linda Mahoney downstream. This event has a big impact on Harry's life, yet the lines are understated. Only as we read on do we find out gradually the impact Linda's death had on her family and Harry and his friends. Harry takes the reader with him as he grows up and we experience his loves and his losses and his eventual decision to escape from his hometown. (Focus on Fiction. EdDept W.A.) |
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Black juice by Margo Lanagan In this companion volume to White Time, Margo Lanagan offers another 10 outstanding stories that delight, shock, intrigue, amuse and move the reader to tears with their dazzling imaginative reach, their dark humour, their subtlety, their humanity and depth of feeling. (Allen and Unwin) |
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The whole business with Kiffo and the pitbull by Barry Jonsberg Part quirky journal, part detective fiction, this wild and witty novel is a laugh-out-loud comedy about two unlikely friends who are drawn into a dramatic series of events through their mutual mistrust of their new English teacher. (Allen and Unwin) |
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Secret scribbled notebooks by Joanne Horniman Kate writes all her dreams and hidden thoughts in her secret scribbled notebooks as she helps to care for her sister's baby, makes friends with Alex, thinks about her lost parents, and yearns for the future. A beautifully written portait of a young girl in her last year of school.
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