Library News
Welcome to another busy but fun week in the library with lots of books being borrowed and read.
Current Reads
Kindergarten
Keeping the summer vibes going, we’re reading The Unwilling Twin by Freya Blackwood and Chip by Kylie Howarth. Chip is a fun series about a brave seagull with big dreams of becoming a lifesaver—and yes, he even gets to save the day!
Stage 1 is wrapping up John Canty’s series with Heads and Tails Insects and Heads and Tails Underwater. The students have a great time guessing the animals from the clues and then putting their own creative spin on one by writing their own version. They’ve thoroughly enjoyed these fantastic non-fiction books.
This term, Stage 2 has been exploring a variety of genres—from David Walliams's hilarious tales to fascinating nonfiction stories in Paul Bugeja's Aussie Dog Stories. Students have been imagining memorable adventures with Red Dog, taking him on trips to places like Copeton Dam, Seaworld, the Gold Coast, and even our own HTS Library. They’re also flexing their writing skills by creating book reviews of their favourite stories. It’s been an exciting mix of creativity and reading fun! Next week, they’ll be diving into the world of Andy Griffiths!
Stage 3 - have been enjoying more of Alan Gratz’s stories, this week reading Two Degrees, a suspenseful story about climate change. Gratz weaves together different characters and locations, all connected by a common theme. This week, we explored stories of hurricanes, wildfires, and melting ice caps—gripping stuff!
Our students have also been busy creating book recommendation posters showcasing their Oliver, SORA, and visual literacy skills. I can’t wait to print and display these fantastic posters so that students throughout the school can enjoy their peers’ recommendations and discover new books to love! Here are just a few for you to enjoy, too.
SORA Books of the Week
This week, SORA’s theme is the magic of storytelling. They’ve gathered a collection of stories passed down through generations and modern digital stories. If you’d like to check out these captivating stories on SORA, follow the instructions here. Happy reading!
Graphic Novels and Manga
Have you picked one up yet? That’s right, a graphic novel! This book format is currently the most borrowed in the library, and it’s not just popular in school libraries. Sales of graphic novels, mainly Manga, have seen remarkable growth. According to Nielsen, an organisation that tracks international book sales, Manga sales increased by 86% from 2020 to 2021 and are on track for a similar surge this year.
Although many students love these books, some adults may hesitate to encourage them, believing they aren't 'real' books. However, graphic novels demand a strong understanding of visual literacy techniques and the ability to convey a story with far fewer words than traditional texts—an impressive skill. Year 7 English classes are currently completing a Manga unit and discovering that it’s more complex than expected. Plus, reading from right to left is trickier than it seems!
Cruz Taylor created a graphic novel book recommendation poster with some great suggestions to try.
Overdue, Lost or Missing Books
As we approach the middle of Term 4, I would like to remind everyone that I will shortly follow up on books that have been overdue for a significant time. If any of these books are completely lost, please let me know via a note to your child or email invlibrary@arm.catholic.edu.au so we can arrange to replace them. We close borrowing for the year at the end of week 8, so if you could please have a good look for these books, I would appreciate it. Thank you.
Scholastic Book Club
A big thank you to the families who ordered from the last Book Club of the year. It was finalised last week. Orders can take a couple of weeks to process, so they should be here soon.
New Books!
We are so lucky to have new books available for our students, including those from the Armidale Catholic Schools Office, our Scholastic credit, and books paid for by our school. Several new books and series have hit the shelves this week, ready for our students to borrow.
Meet the Readers
Meet Ebony, the first borrower of the newest Diary of a Wimpy Kid book, Hot Mess.
And meet Miss Alana Goldman from the Secondary department, our very special borrower this week. Miss Goldman’s niece, Chloe Belle Lincoln, was selected for the Matilda’s soccer team for the first time. When she saw these books written by the current Matilda’s goalkeeper, Mackenzie Arnold, she had to take them home. Maybe we’ll be reading stories by Chloe one day!
Meet the Workers!
Meet Henry and Hunter, who said their mums would never believe they were doing extra work during snack breaks—so, of course, I had to snap some photos as proof! Not only did they complete their tasks, but they also squeezed in some quality reading time, too! Keep it up, boys.
Happy reading,
Mrs Toni Fraser