NEW BOOKS

This was our pact By Ryan Andrews

It’s the night of the annual Autumn Equinox Festival, when the town gathers to float paper lanterns down the river. Legend has it that after drifting out of sight, they’ll soar off to the Milky Way and turn into brilliant stars. This year, Ben and his classmates are determined to find out where those lanterns really go, and they made a pact with two simple rules: No one turns for home. No one looks back.

The plan is to follow the river on their bikes for as long as it takes to learn the truth, but it isn’t long before the pact is broken by all except for Ben and Nathaniel, the one kid who just doesn’t seem to fit in. Together, Nathaniel and Ben will travel down a winding road full of magic, wonder, and unexpected friendship.

Arctic Zoo By Robert Muchaore

From London…Georgia gets straight As at school, writes essays for fun, has placed first in twenty-six drone races and has a serious addiction to buying Japanese stationery. She plans to follow her older sister Sophie and become a doctor, but her worldview is shattered when Sophie commits suicide.

To Lagos…Julius lives in Ondo, a Nigerian state where half the population lives on less than a dollar a day. But he isn’t one of them. His uncle has been governor of Ondo for more than a decade and his mother is the power behind that throne. He finds refuge in a derelict zoo with best friend Duke, but as the two of them grow close, the world outside becomes more and more hostile.

Following two teenagers living very different lives, Arctic Zoo is a startling contemporary novel about protest, mental health and flawed leadership, from the bestselling author of the children’s CHERUB series.

Sick Bay by Nova Weetman

Two very different Grade 6 girls meet in their school sick bay.

Meg uses Sick Bay to hide from other kids. She’s struggling with changes at home, wears slippers to school and buries her head in books.

New girl Riley is a type 1 diabetic with an over-protective mother. She’d rather chat with her friends than go to Sick Bay, but sometimes she has no choice.

They think they’ve worked each other out, but what if they’ve got it all wrong?

On the brink of high school, Meg and Riley need a place where they can find the courage to be themselves.

Amazing Dogs with amazing jobs By Laura Greeves

Dogs have been living with and helping humans for around fifteen thousand years. All those years ago dogs were either hunters or guardians, but these days, dogs can do all kinds of amazing jobs.

In this book, find out how Bailey the border collie became the Assistant Director of Seagulls at the Australian National Maritime Museum, or what Caesar, the footy mascot for the Western Bulldogs, does during footy season. Discover how Mr Walker became a canine ambassador at a Melbourne hotel and how Molly Polly, the Aussie silky terrier, saves lives.

With the right training, there is almost nothing a dog can’t do.

Our chemical hearts by Krystal Sutherland

John Green meets Rainbow Rowell in this irresistible story of first love, broken hearts, and the golden seams that put them back together again.

Henry Page has never been in love. He fancies himself a hopeless romantic, but the slo-mo, heart palpitating, can’t-eat-can’t-sleep kind of love that he’s been hoping for just hasn’t been in the cards for him:at least not yet. Instead, he’s been happy to focus on his grades, on getting into a semi-decent college and finally becoming editor of his school newspaper.

Then Grace Town walks into his first period class on the third Tuesday of senior year and he knows everything’s about to change.

Grace isn’t who Henry pictured as his dream girl: she walks with a cane, wears oversized boys' clothes, and rarely seems to shower. But when Grace and Henry are both chosen to edit the school paper, he quickly finds himself falling for her. It’s obvious there’s something broken about Grace, but it seems to make her even more beautiful to Henry, and he wants nothing more than to help her put the pieces back together again. And yet, this isn’t your average story of boy meets girl.

The Ocean at the end of the lane by Neil Gaiman

A brilliantly imaginative and poignant fairy tale from the modern master of wonder and terror, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is Neil Gaiman’s first new novel for adults since his #1 New York Times bestseller Anansi Boys. This bewitching and harrowing tale of mystery and survival, and memory and magic, makes the impossible all too real.

Impossible music By Sean Williams

Music is Simon’s life - which is why he is devastated when a mini stroke obliterates his hearing. He resists attempts to help him adjust to his new state, refusing to be counselled, refusing to learn sign language, refusing to have anything to do with Deaf culture. Refusing, that is, until he meets G, a tough-as-nails girl dealing with her own newly experienced hearing loss.

In an emotionally compelling tale crackling with originality, Simon’s quest to create an entirely new form of music forces him into a deeper understanding of his relationship to the hearing world, of himself, and of the girl he meets along the way.

A story about cancer (with a happy ending) By India Desjardins and Marianne Ferrer

A teenage girl heads towards the hospital waiting room where the doctors are going to tell her how much time she’s got to live. As she walks, she thinks about her journey up to this point … the terrible decor in the hospital, wearing a headscarf, the horrible treatments, but also being with her friends, family, and her new boyfriend Victor.

This is a story about cancer with a happy ending. It’s about life, love, and especially, hope.

Students can see more new books at the Library Instagram page at lalorsc_library

PREMIERS’ READING CHALLENGE

PREMIERS’ READING CHALLENGE

We only have FOUR WEEKS left before the Premiers’ Reading Challenge ends on the 6th of September. Students will not be able to log in to the website after this date so it is important that students add all the books they have read before then.

We now have 37 students who have completed the Challenge. Congratulations to the additional nine students who have met the Challenge in the past fortnight:

7B Junior Lauina, Mustafa Abdulsahib

7F Jovana Kostovic

7H Deveraux Kalauni, Dimitra Georgiadis, Ivana Zubic, Violeta Thodori

9B Khadeeja Albadri, Nikku Sharma

Keep reading everyone and remember to add your books to the website at www.education.vic.gov.au/prc

Georgia Flaskas – Library Resource Centre Manager

Forthcoming Events & Notes