Library

LIBRARY NEWS 

The Year 7 Readers’ Cup Competition will take place on Monday 20th May. At the moment teams are busy getting books finished and starting to work on their book trailer. 

The current teams are as follows: 

7A – Rebecca Blanchard, Elliott Savage, Yousuf Fahad, Finn Larsen-Brown, Thien Tran, Mahith Gogari, Lim Nguyen, Taj Coleman, and Xavier Domantay. 

7B – Samara Wood, DJ Lyons-O’Hanlon, Cooper Smith, and Ted Klahsen. 

7G – April Coleman, Pearl Simunitsch, Lacey Young, and Arjun Bharathi, with Evynn Sleep and Elizabeth Donaldson as emergencies.  

7M – Aydan Ruston, Mussa Bhatti, and Kiera Walker. 

7N – Charlie Parnell, Imogen Lugg, and Georgia McLennan. 

7P – Edie Forbes, Louella McCawley, Harvey Darken, and Javi Rau.

7U – Georgia Fairhead, Alice Schmidt, and Esme Willers. 

7S – Amelia Carney, Ben Fuller, Declan Fletcher, Poppy Corneby, Roma Partos-Slattery, Dhyan Patel, Charlie Jess, and Max Schembri, with Alyssa Noble as an emergency. 

Just a reminder that we are still taking sign-ups for the Premier’s Reading Challenge. The Challenge is open to students in Years 7 to 10, and they must read 15 books or more before the cut-off date in early September. We currently have 47 students participating! Those who complete the Challenge will receive a certificate recognising their efforts and a pizza lunch hosted by BHS Library! 

Earlier this term, Geelong Regional Library hosted a games (non-computer) in our library at lunchtime. Several students came along to try out new games and have a good time. 

GRL will be hosting three more events in our library during lunchtimes throughout this term: 

• Monday 20th May – Board/Card Games and Quilling (paper craft)
• Monday 3rd June - Board/Card Games and Mini Books 
• Monday 17th June - Board/Card Games and Blackout Poetry 

The library will remain open during these times to those wishing to read and/or study individually, borrow/return books, photocopy, and charge their laptops. Those wanting to play computer games are asked to please play outside during these lunchtimes. 

Book of the Week

Race Against Death 

by Deborah Hopkinson

Race Against Death is the story of American and Filipino prisoners-of-war (POW’s) during the Second World War. 

Following the attack on Pearl Harbour in December 1941, and the rapid advance of Japanese forces in the Pacific, the United States were unable to get support to their troops and allies in the Philippines, who made a courageous last stand on a peninsula called Bataan. Race Against Death tells the story of those desperate months through the eyes of key eyewitnesses, some of whom were imprisoned for 3 years. 

An estimated 75,000 American and Filipino soldiers became prisoners of war after the surrender in May 1942. Many died on the brutal ‘death march’ to the prison camp in the weeks following, and more still over the next three years in captivity. However not all soldiers surrendered – some escaped into the jungle and formed units of guerilla fighters to harass the enemy while allied forces fought their way across the Pacific. These guerilla fighters helped to plan and execute the most daring POW rescue of the Second World War, saving around 500 soldiers from possible death at the hands of the enemy. 

Race Against Death is a fascinating look at a part of history that is often over-looked, easy to follow and full of memorable people. It is more suited to students in Year 9 and up due to its serious, and sometimes troubling content. 

Susan Winfield