Library Bytes
Term 3
As Term Three draws to a close, we reflect on another busy term here in the library. Winter brings a renewed interest in the use of the library and we have very been busy with students using the quiet study spaces in preparation for exams in Term 4.
During the term, we held a fun Photo Competition to celebrate International Cat Day and International Dog Day. Staff and students were invited to submit photos of their cats or dogs either reading or on an adventure. The competition brought out lots of creativity and was a great way to share some light-hearted fun across our community.
Happy holidays to all our students and staff - I hope everyone enjoys the well-earned break and some rest. Safe travels for anyone who may be travelling during the break. We look forward to seeing you all again in Term 4.
BOOK WEEK 15th-19th September 2025
This year we have hosted Book Week in the last week of Term between September 15-19th. Children’s Book Week 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of this beloved national celebration, hosted by the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA), this year’s theme - "Book an Adventure!” explores the magic of storytelling through bold journeys, imaginative quests and meaningful connections.
Shortlisted books for the Children's Book Council of Australia 2025
Murder Mystery Monday
On Monday during lunchtime, the library hosted a Murder Mystery activity where the students had to solve several clues to work out the Murderer. We ended up with 6 super sleuth winners who all took home a nice prize.
Trivia Tuesday
On Tuesday lunchtime, we hosted a Trivia quiz that attracted an excellent turnout from our students across all year levels. The competition was lively and engaging, with participants showcasing impressive book knowledge across a range of genres. Congratulations to the four Year 7 students who demonstrated outstanding performance by winning all the prizes. It is great to see that there are still so many readers amongst us!
Escape Room Activity
An invitation was sent out to our Year 7 and Year 8 English classes to take part in an Ancient Egypt themed Escape Room Activity. Students had to complete a set of activities following only written instructions. This activity whilst being a bit of fun, required the students to practice collaboration, reading, comprehension, creativity, logic and mathematical skills to complete each of the required tasks. There was little to no input from teaching staff, and each class boasted 2 students who could claim "I escaped".
NEW BOOKS!!!
Losing Hope
#1 Sunday Times bestselling author of It Ends with Us held readers spellbound with her novel Hopeless, the story of what happened when a troubled girl named Sky encountered a long-lost childhood friend, Dean. Now, in Losing Hope, we finally learn the truth about Dean Holder. Haunted by the little girl he couldn’t save from imminent danger, Holder’s life has been overshadowed by feelings of guilt and remorse. He has never stopped searching for her, believing that finding her would bring him the peace he needs to move on. However, Holder could not have anticipated that he would be faced with even greater pain the moment they reconnected. In Losing Hope, Holder reveals the way in which the events of Sky’s youth affected him and his family, leading him to seek his own redemption in the act of saving her. But it is only in loving Sky that he can finally begin to heal himself.
ELPHIE
What happened to young Elphaba before her witchy powers took hold in Wicked? Almost 30 years after the publication of the original novel, for the first time Gregory Maguire reveals the story of prickly young Elphie, the future Wicked Witch of the West--setting the stage for the blockbuster international phenomenon that is Wicked: The Musical. Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, will grow to have a feisty and somewhat uncompromising character in adult life. But she is always a one-off, from her infancy; Elphie is the riveting coming-of-age story of a very peculiar and relatable young girl. Young Elphie is shaped and molded by the behaviors of her promiscuous mother, Melena, and her pious father, Frex. She suffers ordinary childhood jealousies when her sister, saintly Nessarose, and brother, junior felon Shell, arrive. She first encounters the mistreatment of the Animal populations of Oz, which live adjacent to but not intertwined with human settlements, haunted by a Monkey and receiving aid from Dwarf Bears. She thrashes through her first bruising attempts at friendship, a possible lifeline from her tricky family life. And she gleans the benefits of an education, haphazard though it must be--until she arrives at the doors of Shiz University, about to meet the radiant creature that is Galinda. Elphie is destined to be a witch; she bears the markings from childhood--most evidently in her green skin but more obscurely and profoundly in her cunning and perhaps amoral behaviours, as she seeks to make do, to slip by, to sneak out, to endure, and to aspire.
I'm Not Really Here
A wonderful coming-of-age queer romance from the multi award-winning author of The Boy from the Mish. Jonah is the new kid in a country town. When he joins the local footy team to be closer to his crush, Harley, it feels like a fresh start – but he still has to navigate new friendships, an unresolved past, and the same body image issues he's always had. 'A moving coming-of-age story with so much heart. For readers who enjoyed Heartstopper.' BOOKS & PUBLISHING Footsteps approach behind me. I turn and see an Aboriginal boy arriving at the doorway. He's tall, taller than me. He's got curly hair. His body is fit. His chest is chiselled and bare and he's wearing only football shorts. When 17-year-old Jonah arrives in a new town – Patience – with his dad and younger brothers, it feels like a foreign place. A new town means he needs to make new friends - which isn't always easy. Especially when he's wrestling with his body image, and his memories of his mother. When he joins the local footy team so he can spend more time with his new crush, Harley, he feels like he's moving closer to something good. But even though he knows what he wants, it doesn't mean he's ready. Emotionally compelling, honest and warm, I'm Not Really Here is a beautiful novel about navigating family and friendships, and finding a way through grief towards love, from an internationally acclaimed bestselling Indigenous author. Praise for Gary Lonesborough
Comes The Night
A superb YA fantasy set in the near future, full of secrets, high stakes, peril, deceptions and dreamwalkers, from the internationally acclaimed and bestselling author of the Obernewtyn Chronicles and The Gathering. Will Helloran is sixteen years old and lives with his father in the Canberra dome complex that protects its inhabitants from the corrosive atmosphere outside. At night his dreams are haunted by his beloved uncle Adam, who unexpectedly died in his sleep almost a year ago. As the nightmares grow increasingly disturbing, Will comes to believe that his uncle's death may have been suspicious - and he begins investigating. Meanwhile, his best friend Ender is becoming concerned about her brilliant, troubled twin Magda, who has a top-secret intelligence role. When Magda disappears, Will is drawn into a web bigger than he can imagine. If he and his friends are to survive, he must navigate his way out of the treacherous dreamscape while staying safe in the waking world. Featuring a reluctant hero in a near-future city on an epic quest into an alternative dream world, Comes the Night is a thrilling new novel from Australia's queen of YA fantasy.
WHAT'S ON
State Library of Victoria Events
Ned Kelly Exhibition
Time: Until 31 December 2026
10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Cost: Free
Location:Redmond Barry Reading Room
State Library Victoria
Australia’s most notorious bushranger has split public opinion for more than a century – Edward ‘Ned’ Kelly is a criminal who robbed and killed to some, but a heroic underdog to others.
The display of Kelly’s armour asks provocative questions about truth, myth and nationhood.
WHAT'S ON AT YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY
Board Games at Frankston
Our selection of board games gives you the chance to enjoy classics or try something new! Bring the whole family and enjoy the relaxed library atmosphere as you spend the day playing board games.
No need to book, just come along!
When
- Every Sunday | 10:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Carrum Downs Library
Late Night Library
When :
- Thursday, 25th September 2025 | 06:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Board Games at Carrum Downs Library
Our selection of board games gives you the chance to enjoy classics or try something new! Bring the whole family and enjoy the relaxed library atmosphere at Carrum Downs Library.
No need to book, just come along!
When
- Every Saturday | 10:00 AM - 01:00 PM
- Every Sunday | 10:00 AM - 01:00 PM
SEEKING DONATIONS
WOOL YOU DONATE YOUR LEFTOVERS?
Do you have any left-over wool from projects, or supplies of wool that you would be willing to donate to our library for some lunchtime activities? We have started up a collection for yarn (wool/cotton) of any description, for students to learn a new hobby, or just to enjoy a quiet sit-down during recess or lunch and learn some new knitting and crochet skills.
Ms Yvonne Payne
Library Manager