Library News

New Books: Aster's Good Right Things Series

By Kate Gordon

What if you believed that one small act of kindness each day could keep the people you love safe?

That's the question at the heart of Kate Gordon's Aster's Good Right Things series. After her world is turned upside down, Aster creates a set of strict rules: every day she must do one anonymous "good, right thing." If she doesn't, she fears something terrible will happen. As our student readers follow Aster it becomes clear her behaviour is driven by anxiety rather than her choice. Aster soon learns that she doesn't have to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Gordon explores themes of friendship, resilience and mental wellbeing. Although Aster is never given a diagnosis, her fears and rituals will resonate with our students who understand anxiety or obsessive thoughts, and this is a story about learning healthier ways to cope.

Following Aster's story, Xavier in the Meantime shines a light on her loyal friend Xavier as he learns to live with depression while holding onto hope and his dream of creating a place of healing for others. 

In Aster's Next Good Thing, Aster continues her journey, discovering that recovery isn't about being perfect but taking things one step at a time. The series concludes with Indigo in the Storm, where Indigo must overcome a difficult past and learn to trust and accept the love of a family that chooses her through foster care. These beautifully connected Australian books remind our students that kindness and hope can help us through life's challenges. This series is available in our library for loan and is perfect for our students in year 7-10.

Library Laughs: Stitch Head Graphic Novels

By Guy Bass & Pete Williamson

Meet Stitch Head—a small, stitched-together creature who lives in Castle Grotteskew, looking after his mad scientist creator's weird and wonderful monsters. 

In Stitch Head: The Graphic Novel, the story comes to life with hilarious illustrations, spooky adventures and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. It's packed with eccentric inventions and a hero who proves that you don't have to be the biggest or loudest to save the day.

The adventure continues in Stitch Head: The Pirate's Eye, where mysterious treasure, swashbuckling pirates, and more monsters await each turning page.

These graphic novels are perfect for fans of The Bad Guys, Dog Man, Amulet, all of which can be found in our library at Beaumaris Secondary College. 

BLAKWORK 

By Alison Whittaker 

Winner of the 2019 Queensland Literary Award (Judith Wright Calanthe Award for a Poetry Collection) and the 2019 Mascara Avant-Garde Literary Award, BLAKWORK was also shortlisted for the Prime Minister's Literary Awards, the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards (Indigenous Writing Prize) and the Australian Book Industry Awards.

A blend of poetry, memoir, satire and social commentary, Gomeroi writer Alison Whittaker writes a powerful exploration of identity, justice, family and the enduring impacts of colonisation. Her writing is bold and BLAKWORK, an important addition to our poetry collection, will challenge our student readers to think deeply about Australia's past and present.

For our VCE English Language students, most interesting is the contrasting relationship with language itself. In When Words Fail Us, Grant writes of the limits of language, ‘becoming weary of his own voice’ and how he feels his words ‘labour under the weight of Australia’s history’.

By contrast, Whittaker shows the possibilities of language. In BLAKWORK, she reshapes it through poetry, using rhythm and imagery, her work reminding students that language is not fixed.

Read together, these books invite senior students to consider: Do words ultimately fail us, or can they be transformed into new ways of telling truth? 

Library Opening Hours 

Make your way up to S3 on the Southern level! 

Monday - Thursday 

9.30am-2.30pm.

The library is open at recess and lunchtime.

Student ID Cards

A reminder to all students that your Compass Student ID card is also your library card. Please bring your student ID card to the library when you would like to borrow.

Book Returns

Please Return any books to the RETURNS BOX at the entrance to the library on Southern level (S3).

During a library class students are to return books to the shelves when they have finished with them, respectfully leaving the space as they found it ready for the next class.

Niamh McPhelimy 

Library Manager