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Book Week 2025 | A literary adventure to remember
From storybook safaris to poetry-packed lunchtimes, Book Week 2025 at St Mary’s College was a fabulous celebration of imagination, creativity and the joy of reading in all its forms. Here are just some of the highlights from the week.
We kicked off with a bang on Monday 18 August in the SMC Student Resource Centre, where stories soared and treasure maps led to new chapters. The Junior School Book Swap uncovered hidden gems, while the Senior School Poetry Competition brought rhythm and flair to the lunchtime crowd. With Safari Sam and the library crew at the helm, the week promised to be a real page-turner – and it delivered!
On Tuesday 19 August, our Year 2 students embraced the Children's Book Council of Australia theme ‘Book an Adventure’ with a magical morning at Libraries Tasmania. They were captivated by two award-winning Australian picture books:
- The Truck Cat by Deborah Frenkel and Danny Snell (CBCA Picture Book of the Year)
We Live in a Bus by Dave Petzold (CBCA Shadow Judging winner)
After story time, students sang, danced and crafted their own bookmarks to take home. Huge thanks to the State Library team for their warm hospitality and a beautiful celebration of Australian storytelling.
Also on Tuesday, our Prep students went book-hopping in Hobart, visiting Fullers Bookshop for a delightful story time with Sophie. Wide-eyed and curious, they explored the shelves and chose a special book to take home. And yes – hot chocolates were involved! Thank you, Fullers, for championing literacy and wonder.
The pinnacle of our Book Week celebrations, our Dress-Up Parade, took place on Wednesday 20 August, where the Nagle Centre transformed into a living library as students from Kinder to Year 12 dressed as their favourite literary characters. Pirates, Minions, mermaids and explorers lit up the runway in a spectacular parade of colour and creativity. Bravo to our students and staff for their sensational costumes, and heartfelt thanks to our families and the Student Resource Centre team for bringing the magic to life.
Earlier that day, Senior School students joined junior classrooms for a special buddy reading session. Our older students loved sharing stories with our Kinder to Year 6 bookworms, honing their storytelling skills and rediscovering the joy of children's books. The calm and cosy reading time was a beautiful moment of connection and a perfect lead-in to the parade later that afternoon.
To wrap things up, we ran a senior school debate on AI on the Friday, which got everyone thinking and talking. There were some strong opinions, clever arguments and a few laughs too. The students really brought their A-game and made it a fun and thought-provoking way to end the week.
Book Week 2025 has officially closed its covers, leaving us with a week full of unforgettable literary moments, from bookshop visits and poetry readings to debates, book swaps, buddy reading, storytelling at Libraries Tasmania and, of course, the spectacular parade.
A huge thank you to our incredible Student Resource Centre team for curating such a magical experience, and to all staff, students and families for your enthusiasm and support. Seeing stories come to life in the hands of our young readers has been truly inspiring.
Until next time: keep reading, keep imagining and keep adventuring through books!
