Library
Book Week begins this week and the library has a new display and competition running for the next two weeks. ‘Symphony of stories’ is this year’s theme, and the competition involves students matching sets of (made up) song lyrics to the books on display. Students must correctly match up all twenty books to go into the prize draw.
See the library display for more details!
The Victorian Premier’s Reading Challenge will close on Friday 4th September. We are asking that all students participating return their verification slips (signed by parents/guardians) to the library desk by the end of Monday 31st August.
Recruiting for Year 8 Readers’ Cup has begun. Each class from Year 8 will form a team of 4 students and read the following books: Bite risk by S.J. Wills, The road to winter by Mark Smith, and Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman. Please see library staff or English teacher for more details.
There are new additions to our eAudioBook ePlatform:
Raised by wolves (sequel to Two wolves) by Tristan Bancks
Eleanor Jones is not drowning (#4 in the series) by Amy Doak
Believe me (Shatter me novella #3) by Tahereh Mafi
Watch me (Shatter me: new republic) by Tahereh Mafi
The books listed are also available on our bookshelves.
Book of the Week
Life in a jar: the Irena Sendler project
by Jack Mayer
Life in a jar is the very moving and inspiring story of how one person can make a difference even when things seem impossible.
In the 1990’s, three high school students from Kansas were looking for a topic for their National History Day project when they came across the brief story of a woman who had rescued 2,500 children from the Warsaw Ghetto in Poland during the Second World War. Their research led them to Irena Sendler, a social worker who worked tirelessly to keep people fed, clothed and housed throughout the German occupation of Poland. She also convinced many parents in the Ghetto to let her take their children – some aged just a few months old – and give them new identities with adoptive families, saving thousands of lives.
Life in a jar follows the stories of both Irena in the 1940’s and the three girls who ‘rediscovered’ her in the 1990’s – Megan, Liz and Sabrina – in an interesting way. My favourite part was Irena’s story, because her bravery and selflessness in the face of extreme danger were nothing short of inspirational.
Megan, Liz, and Sabrina brought global attention to Irena’s work with their play ‘Life in a jar’, and meant that she was finally recognised for her heroism. This is an incredibly touching story that I would recommend everyone read regardless of their age or interests.
Susan Winfield