Library Matters 

Library Social Clubs

Our school library is a popular place! During the breaks we have a variety of social clubs and activities to keep students entertained:

Year 8 HPGE Passion Projects

In Term 4 of last year we ran a High Potential and Gifted Education activity for 18 students in the library. This week-long program allowed our students the opportunity to create a project on a topic they were personally passionate about, and we had a number of interesting investigations:

• Brax S: A PowerPoint on the Fibonacci sequence
• Bailey M and Oliver M: An electrically engineered device to pull washing back inside when it starts to rain
• Ivy N and Sophia T: A game designed using Roblox Studio
• Nathaniel R: A choose-your-own-adventure story
• Hadley S: A crochet scarf
• Alicia P: A series of poems with a cake designed to reflect their symbolism
• Emma W, Joveena J and Irene P: A website to help students access mental health support
• Blair B: A working piston and gear box built out of Lego
• Evan O: An experiment testing the benefits of carbon-plated shoes
• Jessica D: A series of clothes made from second hand material which reflect women’s changing fashion in the 1960s
• Emma B: A novel
• Ethan H: A presentation exploring the history of puppets
• Darcy M: A poster exploring the ways plants and animals have evolved to defend themselves against predators

CBCA Shadow Judging Scholarship

Elderslie High was one of 20 schools who were successful in gaining the Children’s Book Council of Australia Shadow Judging Scholarship. This fantastic opportunity allows our readers to participate in the Shadow Judging Book of the Year Awards program, where we will read, discuss, and judge our own winners for the CBCA Book of the Year. Our students will use the same criteria as the expert judges to determine the winner from the 6 shortlisted books, embedding our students’ voices into the literary awards conversation. The winner of the Shadow Judging Book of the Year will be announced during Book Week later in the year.

The Premier’s Reading Challenge

The Premier’s Reading Challenge has started once again! This challenge involves reading 20 books from the end of September last year to the 18th September this year. Of these books, 10 must be approved on the Premier’s Reading Challenge book list but 10 can be free choice books. 

We’ve already had two students complete the challenge for the year. Congratulations to Lily N and Tyler WL of Year 7 on their excellent effort reading the 20 required books. It’s not too late for students to join! If your child is interested in participating in this year’s challenge, they can update their reading records online. 

The Readerboard and House Points

This year, students can earn House Points for every book they borrow. So far this term, our avid readers have earned the following additional points for their houses:

• Kookaburra 74
• Lyrebird 62
• Merino 106
• Bluetongue 56

• Razorback 67

   

Our Top Borrowers are acknowledged via the Readerboard poster on the library front doors. Currently leading this Readerboard are:

• Laylah MW in Year 7: 50 books
• Tyler WL in Year 7: 43 books
• Lily N in Year 7: 30 books
• Levi DW in Year 11: 20 books
• Thomas B in Year 11: 19 books
• Joveena J in Year 8: 12 books
• Natalie Kormos in Year 9: 11 books
• Ivy N in Year 8: 11 books
• Allegra J in Year 7: 10 books
• Layla-Elizabeth P in Year 9: 10 books
• Keanu R in Year 12: 10 books

We’ve had loads of requests for new books which are starting to arrive on our shelves. If your child finds themselves looking for something to read during the upcoming holidays, they can also borrow from the thousands of free ebooks and audiobooks available on our virtual library.

Most Popular Books of 2025

Last year we had a variety of different books and genres make it into our most popular books. 

If you’re looking for something similar to spark your child’s interests in reading, try the following recommendations!

For romance readers and fans of Powerless:

• The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
• The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

• These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan

   

For fans of Death Note who enjoy psychological battles and moral questioning:

• One of Us Is Lying by Karen M McManus

• A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

   

For readers of Demon Slayer who love a good action story with tested loyalties and high emotional stakes:

• Attack on Titan by Hajime Isayama
• Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa

• Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

   

For crime-solving teen fans of The Naturals:

• The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

• We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

   

For fans of philosophical, psychological SciFi like Neon Genesis Evangelion:

• Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
• Scythe by Neal Shusterman

• Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

   

For readers of contemporary, coming-of-age romances like The Summer I Turned Pretty and The Summer of Broken Rules:

• To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
• Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter
• You’ve Reached Sam by Dustin Thao
• Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott, Mikki Daughtry, and Tobias Iaconis
• If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin

Ms Lysaught

Librarian