Artemis Fowl

The Artemis Fowl movie remake is debuting on Disney + on 12 June. Originally scheduled to screen in cinemas, the movie will now be released on Disney's streaming platform. Based on the first book of the series by Eoin Colfer, Artemis Fowl is a 12 year old criminal mastermind. 

The film has had a lot of controversial comments regarding re-writing of the original storyline. Watch it for yourself and decide - is the remake better or worse than the original?

Harry Potter at Home

There is a great new resource for Harry Potter fans. Harry Potter at Home has a variety of free resources you can access from home. This includes a free recording of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The first installment is online now - read by Daniel Radcliffe.

Book of the Year Shortlist

The Children's Book Council of Australia has announced the shortlist for their awards online for the first time. Click the image below to watch the presentation by some of Australia's authors and illustrators.

Friendship and Family

Our Friendship and Family genre includes books about the most important relationships in our lives. Our friends and family are a great source of love and also anguish. If you love to read stories set in the real world about real issues this is the genre for you. Click this image to go to a selection of books from the Friendship and Family books available in the school library.

H is for Happiness

Watch the film trailer below.

H is for Happiness is based on the book 'My life as an Alphabet' by Barry Johnsberg.

Laugh-out-loud funny and wonderfully touching, H is for Happiness is the film based on Barry Jonsberg's award-winning novel My Life as an Alphabet. A delightful story of an unusual girl who goes to great lengths to bring love and laughter into the lives of everyone she cares about.

Both books are available in the school library in print and online from SORA.

 

Dystopian

Dystopian Fiction is one of the most popular genres in our library. But what is it?

According to Goodreads,

Dystopia is a form of literature that explores social and political structures. It is a creation of a nightmare world - unlike its opposite, Utopia, which is an ideal world.

Dystopia is often characterized by an authoritarian or totalitarian form of government. It often features different kinds of repressive social control systems, a lack or total absence of individual freedoms and expressions, and a state of constant warfare or violence.

Many novels combine both Dystopia and Utopia, often as a metaphor for the different directions humanity can take in its choices, ending up with one of the two possible futures.

Click here to see some of our Dystopian books in the school library. 

Look for reviews by students of books in Oliver. Click on the image below and then select 'Read 1 review'.

Lenny's Book of Everything by Karen Foxlee

Lenny’s book of everything, is quite indeed just about everything. The protagonist’s thirst for knowledge
drove this novel from the humble streets of 1970’s Ohio, into the depths of childhood and the realities
of growing up. It explores complex family dynamics challenged by the tragedy of a younger brother’s
mysterious disease. 

It is Lenny’s mother, Cynthia Spink, that introduces her two children to the wonders of the world. It takes
Cynthia a chain of letters to a publishing company before winning a free encyclopedia set, her sturdy
persistence I can only liken to that of my own mother when she rings up Telstra’s NBN. It was this
exchange of letters that enlightened Mrs Spink’s character, her struggle for independence and pride as
a single mother, as she supports her growing family. 

But It is these encyclopedia copies which are greatly anticipated with curiosity and active imagination.
Lenny and Davey are drawn to the world which exists beyond their small flat. Their inquisitive mind
transports from the Great bear lake to the bombardier beetle, in a desperate attempt to escape the
bland normality of their own lives. 

But Lenny insists on ordering the world through the alphabetised encyclopedia. She leaves no room
for unprecedented events and is constantly challenged when things are out of her control. Lenny’s
quest is to make sense of the things she cannot change and to appreciate the things within her reach.
To not be ungrateful for the love and consideration the people surround her give - even if there are only
a few.  

Although, it frustrated me to the very end, wishing for a future where the Spink family were happy.
Each tragedy shook the story and every character within, forcing my hope for a “happily ever after” to
seem fictional. 

Foxlee brought to life a children's novel with mature themes, dealing with the intricacies of life beyond
the age of single digits. Give Lenny's book of everything a read, and I assure you, you'll be left praising,
"Holy Batman" before the end of the first chapter.

Madeleine, year 9