“Crow comes
from this place; this place comes from Crow. And Crow has work for you.”
Totemism is a part of Aboriginal lore that binds people to the land and the
animals, and in Crow Country we are introduced to Crow, totem of the Dja Dja
Wurrung Yung Balug Clan. When 10-year-old Sadie reluctantly moves from
Melbourne with her mother, Ellie, to Boort in country Victoria, all she sees
is, “… parched yellow paddocks and empty roads.” But when Sadie stumbles across
Indigenous rocks and carvings long hidden within a dried up lake-bed, she is
suddenly confronted by Crow who implores her to correct a grave injustice that
took place there long ago.
To do this,
Sadie must time-slip back to the 1920s where she finds herself caught up in
Boort’s complex history and its past stories of greed, war and prejudice.
Sadie’s connection with the past extends to the present where she struggles to
find her feet in this strange new place, and finds two new boys in her life who
both have very different perspectives on culture and belonging. An ultimate
‘outsider’ Sadie must decide who to believe and what’s important in order to
fix past wrongs for Crow who is never far away.
This is an
enjoyable book that will take you into the very heart of Australia's history
and how this history can shape all that it to come... but remember too that
history is never unchangeable.
You can't blend in when you were born to stand out.
Wonder is one of those books that people will tell you to read. It is also one of those books that people will tell you to read, but won’t exactly be able to pinpoint the reason why.
Probably because there is no single life lesson that you will learn from its pages; you will learn many. There is no one character that you will align yourself with, as everyone has a story to tell. And there is no other book that I can think of that consistently reveals some very harsh truths about our society and our cultural obsession with image and beauty. This book is funny, moving and real. August “Auggie” Pullman will warm your heart with his quest for “ordinariness” in a world that has labelled him different. Born with facial abnormalities and home-schooled all his life, Auggie is persuaded to attend a real school for the first time, a situation which he is dreading. Can Auggie convince the other kids that he’s just like them? Can he be accepted outside his tiny world? By the end, you’ll be wondering what you truly value and what really matters.
Finished Wonder? Check out Auggie & Me: Three Wonder Stories - F PAL
The 2016 Premier's Reading Challenge is now open to all girls in Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9.
Year 7 - Mrs Lansdown and Mrs Vince will visit you in your English class to get you started
Year 8 - Come into the library and see us about registering for this year
Year 9 - See Ms Warland and your Girls9Unite teachers about your challenge
Congratulations to Leigh Hobbs, who has been announced as the Australian Children's Laureate for 2016 - 2017. During his tow year term Leigh hopes to encourage creativity among children and highlight the important role of libraries.
The eighth book is finally here! Harry Potter and the Cursed Child follows on from where the last book left off. Harry and Hermoine's children are heading off to Hogwarts for the first time. This book was originally written by Jack Thorne as a play to be performed in London. J K Rowling has collaborated with Thorne to turn it into a book to be released in print and online on July 31st!
CBC Book Week 2015 Shortlisted Books for Older Readers
Nona & Me by Clare Atkins
Watch Clare Atkins & Alice Pung discuss Clare's first book Nona and Me
Intruders by Christine Bongers
I don't walk past the house next door. I wish the woman who lives in it was dead. Which makes it hard . . . because she was the one who came running when I screamed.
Kat Jones is woken by an intruder looming over her bed. She's saved by Edwina – the neighbour Kat believes betrayed her dying mother. Her dad issues an ultimatum. Either spend nights next door, or accept another intruder in her life – Hercules, the world's ugliest guard dog. It's a no-brainer, even for dog-phobic Kat.
When she meets adorkable Al at the dog park, finally Kat has someone to talk to, someone who cares.
But the prowler isn't finished with Kat. To stop him, she needs Edwina's help . . . and what Kat learns could mend fences – or break her fragile family apart forever.
Are you Seeing Me? by Darren Groth
This road trip will have earth-shattering consequences . . .
Twins Justine and Perry are about to embark on the road trip of a lifetime in the Pacific Northwest.
It's been a year since they watched their dad lose his battle with cancer. Now, at only nineteen, Justine is the sole carer for her disabled brother. But with Perry having been accepted into an assisted-living residence, their reliance on each other is set to shift. Before they go their separate ways, they're seeking to create the perfect memory.
For Perry, the trip is a glorious celebration of his favourite things: mythical sea monsters, Jackie Chan movies and the study of earthquakes.
For Justine, it's a chance to reconcile the decision to ‘free' her twin, to see who she is without her boyfriend, Marc – and to offer their mother the chance to atone for past wrongs.
But the instability that has shaped their lives will not subside, and the seismic event that Perry forewarned threatens to reduce their worlds to rubble . . .
The Incredible Adventures of Cinnamon Girl by Melissa Keil
Alba loves her life just as it is.
She loves living behind the bakery, and waking up in a cloud of sugar and cinnamon. She loves drawing comics and watching had TV with her friends.
The only problem is she's overlooked a few teeny details: Like, the guy she thought long gone has unexpectedly reappeared. And the boy who has been her best friend since forever has suddenly gone off the rails. And even her latest comic-book creation is misbehaving. Also, the world might be ending - which is proving to be awkward.
As Doomsday enthusiasts flock to idyllic Eden Valley, Alba's life is thrown into chaos. Whatever happens next, it's the end of the world as she knows it. But when it comes to figuring our her heart, Armageddon might turn out the be the least of her problems.
The Minnow by Diane Sweeney
Tom survived a devastating flood that claimed the lives of her sister and parents. Now she lives with Bill in his old shed by the lake. But it's time to move out - Tom is pregnant with Bill's baby.
Jonah lets her move in with him. Mrs Peck gives her the Fishmaster Super Series tackle box. Nana is full of gentle good advice and useful sayings.
And in her longing for what is lost, Tom talks to fish: Oscar the carp in the pet shop, little Sarah catfish who might be her sister, an unhelpful turtle in a tank at the maternity ward. ant the minnow.
The Minnow is a moving and powerful coming-of-age story with a whimsical element that belies the heartbreaking truth of grief and loss. Tom is a character you will never forget.
Watch the book trailer for The Minnow below.
The Protected by Claire Zorn
I have three months left to call Katie my older sister. Then the gap will close and I will pass her. I will get older. But Katie will always be fifteen, eleven months and twenty-one days old.
Hannah's world is in pieces and she doesn't need the school counsellor to tell her she has deep-seated psychological issues. With a seriously depressed mum, an injured dad and a dead sister, who wouldn't have problems?
Hannah should feel terrible but for the first time in ages, she feels a glimmer of hope and isn't afraid anymore. Is it because the elusive Josh is taking an interest in her? Or does it run deeper than that?
In a family torn apart by grief and guilt, one girl's struggle to come to terms with years of torment shows just how long old wounds can take to heal.
'The Protected captures the volatility of adolescence, the fragility of family, and the importance of a good friend.' AJ Betts, author of Zac & Mia
“Crow comes
from this place; this place comes from Crow. And Crow has work for you.”
