From the Library 

Student Assistants' Christmas breakfast

Last Wednesday the library held a breakfast Christmas party with pastries, fruit, and drinks for our Student Assistants. Student Assistants work in the library helping with loans, returns, displays, book purchases, covering and cataloguing. They add a great atmosphere to the library, and we value their contributions. 

At the breakfast awards were given to the three students who had the most loans in 2023. Mason, Heidi, and Miller received book vouchers for Readings.  

Congratulations to our top ten borrowers for 2023: Mason Botha; Heidi Anson; Miller Joyce; Alice Horacek; Zara Langmead; Orion Wojciechowski; Maisie Amos; Jacinta Silva; 

Jorja Nunn and Bon Kheang. Keep up the reading!

We also farewelled a library favourite, Year 10 student Frederick. Frederick will return to Germany after spending two terms at NHS. He was a very popular addition to the Student Assistants group and marvelled us all with his broad knowledge of world history and his black sense of humour. Good luck Frederick, we will all miss you and wish you well as you work towards your goal of becoming a historian with the German military. 

Thank you to all the Student Assistants this year.  

Happy Holidays from the Library Staff 

 Extended book loans for holiday reading   

Students are reminded they can borrow up to 10 items for holiday reading.   

The loan period for print resources will be extended over the term break.     

Students still have time to choose some great books to take on holidays.  

Please remember to return any books you no longer need by the end of term, so others can have access to them.    

eBooks available all Summer 

The library has a huge range of eBooks and Audiobooks available for you to borrow online over the Summer Holidays. There are a variety of different categories to choose from such as Fantasy, classics, biographies, #OZYA, and more. 

Go straight to the Wheelers icon on the John Cain Library page and log in using your NHS email and compass password or using the QR code below.  

You can read eBooks or listen to audiobooks online via your internet browser or download the Wheelers App onto your device. Once you borrow a book it will stay on your record for two weeks and then automatically drop off at the end of the loan period. It is also possible to renew your books and make reservations. 

The Library Team– Richard, Dannielle and Dianawish the school community a very happy holiday.  

Summer Reading Recommendations 

Each year, Australians have their say about which books and authors they love to read in the Better Reading Top 100. It has become a well-loved annual event that readers vote for, celebrate, and discuss. It is a true reflection of what Australians read, featuring a mix of crime, women’s general fiction, literary fiction, and classics. 

For the second year in a row, the top spot in the annual Top 100 goes to a previous winner. Readers have once again voted for Honeybee by Craig Silvey as the #1 book.  Australian readers have embraced this tender and profoundly moving novel, brimming with vivid characters and luminous words. It’s about two lives forever changed by a chance encounter – one offering hope, the other redemption. 

Debut authors play a prominent role on the list – especially authors whose books have now remained on the list for consecutive years.  Crime thrillers remain one of the genres most widely enjoyed by readers. Australian crime is well represented with books by Chris Hammer, Dinuka McKenzie, Petronella McGovern, Jane Harper and Christian White, among others, making the list. Women’s fiction is a mainstay on the list and widely embraced by readers. 

For the full list of Better Reading’s 2023 Top 100, click here. 

Better Reading’s Top 10 reads: 

Honeybee by Craig Silvey 

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus 

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Ownes 

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 

The Tilt by Chris Hammer 

The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams 

The Lost Man by Jane Harper 

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover 

How to play Book Bingo 

Keep track of books you read now through to the end of Term 1, 2024 (28th March) by writing the title and author in the matching square. 

Book titles may be used only once per card, and only one entry per person. 

How do I win? 

BINGO: Complete a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line!  

BLACKOUT: Complete all 25 squares! 

How do I submit my card for the prize draw?  

Submit your completed card (with either a bingo or blackout) in one of the following ways:  

1. DROP OFF your card (or a copy) with completed entry slip below at the John Cain Library  

2. EMAIL an image of your card and completed entry slip to library@nhs.vic.edu.au 

 Entries must be received by the last day of Term 1, 2024 (28th March) 

Tell us in 40 words or less about your favourite reading experience from Book Bingo: