Library News 

The theme for the Children’s Book Council of Australia for 2024 is Reading is Magic and we live and breathe this in our school library! From the day we opened the doors to welcome the 2024 school year, the library has been a hub of activity, and it is just so lovely that the library at Box Hill High School is a place where students want to be. 

Whether it is to collaborate with their peers, to take part in the ‘Puzzle Gauntlet Challenge’; to immerse themselves in the books and search for their next adventure or to share their favourite stories and recommend some to add to the collection, to play chess, to knit, to assist as a Library Leader or just to find a space to work, study and just be. Our library is a thriving, bustling, welcoming and positive space for the whole school community and we are so very proud of this.  

What's been on in the library in Term 1

‘The Puzzle Gauntlet’ has students bustling into the library first thing in the morning with a positive buzzing vibe of energy eager to discuss clues and solve each of the puzzles in order to earn house points and stickers. What’s the ‘Puzzle Gauntlet’? Just the daily challenge where students can work with friends or independently to solve the word/picture puzzle, guess the nine-letter word, a Boggle challenge and match the world flags to the correct country.   

So far in Term 1 we have celebrated Valentine’s Day – speed dating a book and encouraging students to borrow those books who have not ‘been taken out’ for a while; World Pride Day; International Women’s Day and Lunar New Year – celebrating the Year of the Dragon. 

Clubs have also seen a welcome return with Chess Club, Knitting Club, School Magazine Club and Book Club running in the library space.  

Chess Club

Chess Club has continued to be a popular lunchtime activity every recess and lunch but exclusively on Friday lunchtime. A chess tournament for students in Year 7-10 will be running in the last week of this term in the lead up to our interschool chess tournament that will run in Term 2.  

Knitting Club 

Knitting club has exploded this year and every Friday we have over 60 to 70 knitting needles and crochet hooks busily working wool into very creative designs.  Students from all year levels and abilities have been welcomed into the library space guided and mentored by our talented and creative Library Assistant Ying Yu. We have also welcomed the support from our talented teaching staff, Jamie Moshman, Benjamin Davies, Hannah Templeman and Emily Collins.   

Breakie and a Book 

Breakie and a Book has started again, and we are meeting every Thursday and Friday mornings in Wellbeing to chat about books, books and more books. This month the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) announced the top 21 young adult books and will shortlist this to their top six on Tuesday 19 March 2024. For the third year running we have signed up to take part in the Shadow Judging program. This is where students who sign up to read the top six books, write reviews and meet to discuss and decide on which book they believe should win the book of the year. 

Parent Student Book Club  

Thank you to everyone who signed up to our 2024 Parent Student Book Club. We aim to meet at the end of every term to chat about what we read, learned, discovered and enjoyed but if you cannot fit this in and would still like to be included in the list of book recommendations, please send an email to kylie.pearson@education.vic.gov.au and she will add you to the mailing list.  

Kylie has provided her recommendations for Term 1 below, so you can select the most suitable book for your child’s age and maturity. A short synopsis of the books is provided to help you decide which you would like to read but if you would like further information on any of the books selected, or if you would just like a recommendation for a book in another genre (we have over 20 genres in our library) please don’t hesitate to contact us. We really hope something piques your interest from Kylie's Term 1 recommendations but please do not hesitate to contact us if you need additional advice regarding suitability or a recommendation for a different kind of book. 

Kylie's Picks:

The first  in our selection is a book that I read with my 8-year-old son who whilst browsing the bookshelves in the op shop (another excellent place to find fabulous books) picked up a book that we read together and which I now have sitting on the shelves in our library at school.

This particular book was called Ugly by Robert Hoge – younger readers version. 

Genre: True Stories 

Robert was born in the early 70’s with physical disabilities and facial difference as a result of a tumour. My son who was fascinated by the title and intrigued by the blurb spent every night wanting to read the next chapter of this book and what a powerful lesson it was for both of us. In a world obsessed by beauty, this book provided a chance for my child to step into the shoes of someone who could not blend into the crowd but had to build resilience and deal with prejudice. The final chapter of this book is when fourteen-year-old Robert is faced with a decision whether to go ahead with another serious operation. This book allowed me to discuss issues relating to inclusion, discrimination, and unconscious bias as well as diversity and respect for all in our community.

https://www.hachette.com.au/content/resources/9780733634338-teachers-notes.pdf   

The second book I absolutely LOVED was Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell. 

Genre: Fantasy

This book first came across my radar just before Christmas when I had just finished another book written by the same author called The Explorer (which is also a fabulous read). An old colleague of mine posted a raving review of Impossible Creatures on social media. This was quickly commented on by others who also raved about the book and while it is a children’s novel, I have absolutely no hesitation recommending it to teenage readers and adults. Recently awarded Waterstones 2023 Book of the Year, Impossible Creatures is about a magical Archipelago where all mythical creatures still reside.  

The main character Christopher, who when visiting his reclusive grandfather is shocked when he finds a baby griffin, witnesses a series of mythical creatures running towards him and learns that his grandfather is a guardian between the non-magical world and a place called the Archipelago. Then a girl Mal, appears. She is in possession of a flying coat, is being pursued by a killer and is herself in pursuit of the baby griffin. Christopher needs to enter the Archipelago; a cluster of magical islands where all mythological creatures live and thrive alongside humans and embark on a quest to unearth why the gateway which has protected the place and the creatures in it from being discovered for thousands of years has worn thin and in critical danger.

The third book I picked up in my Christmas shopping trip was titled Sisters of Sword and Shadow by Laura Bates. 

Genre: Fantasy/Historical Fiction (14+)

This is a story about women who live and train as Knights in King Arthurs realm. They train to fight, protect their community and right the wrongs of men. However, they must do this in secret because this is still King Arthur’s realm which is very much a man’s world.  

Cass, the main protagonist, is destined for an arranged marriage and dreams of freedom and a different life, so when she is rescued by a nameless knight, taken to a castle and introduced to the Sisters of Sword and Shadow - a group of female knights, she is exposed to an alternative future for herself. These women are strong and complex in character but very much still exist in a man's world where revealing who they are and what they do, would cost them dearly. This book is the first in a series and I know I will be watching closely for the second instalment of this historical, fantasy adventure.  

Another new book that I read and loved over the summer was Once There Was by Kiyash Monsef. 

Genre: Fantasy (14+)

The book follows fifteen-year-old Marjan Dastani who after her father’s murder, discovers he was no ordinary veterinarian but rather a descendant of those who bear a gift to communicate and protect mythological beasts and consequently, so does she. But as Marjan steps into a secret world hidden in plain sight, where magical creatures are bought and sold, treasured and trapped; she is tangled in a complex array of emotions as she grapples with people who will stop at nothing to keep and control these beasts and why her father chose to keep so much from her. 

A more detailed review of this book and some Reading Group Discussions points and, an excerpt from the first chapter can be found at https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Once-There-Was/Kiyash-Monsef/Once-There-Was/9781665928502   

Cherub series Robert Muchamore  

OK – so I was super late to the party with these books. The first book, The Recruit, was published in 2004 and the series are read by everyone from our Year 7’s to Year 12’s, so I finally decided to take the plunge and see why it was still so popular. 

Inspired by my recent addiction to Muchamore’s latest series, Robin Hood – which is so fabulous, and I cannot recommend enough (Book 8 is coming out March this year and I cannot wait), the Cherub series did not disappoint.  What I did not expect was to become quickly addicted, reading book 1 through to 8 in a matter of weeks. 

Muchamore’s books are action packed and gritty. The books centre on the main character James who is placed into a care home after his mother dies. It is there that he is secretly recruited to Cherub; a facility that trains kids to become secret spies because nobody suspects kids, right? They are sent on missions to catch drug lords and terrorists, and infiltrate large scale criminal gangs. The kids are intrepid and highly trained. The action is fast paced and engaging and while there are some scenes that may require conversations about underage drinking, coarse language and violence (see https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/the-recruit-cherub-book-1 for more parental guidance) I completely understand why these books have stood the test of time and still engage a whole range of readers. This book is also available as a graphic novel. 

From the library team 

Emily Collins, Kylie Pearson and Ying Yu