Lit Week 2022

Thank you to everyone who made this year’s Lit Week a special celebration of books and authors! From the beautiful banner made by Mrs Williams from the Art Department design; the cushions designed by students and completed by Mrs Williams; to Ms Filkin who facilitated Mandala Art; and the Library staff who facilitated dreamcatchers, bookmarks and the Cinema experience - it has been fun! Next year will bring more possibilities and excitement as we celebrate across two campuses.

Below is an outline of activities and some examples of work from across the week:

Monday

Mandala Art with Miss Filkin

Tuesday

Dreamcatcher Craft with Miss Leach

Wednesday

Bookmark Design with Mrs Gates

Thursday

Cushion Colouring with Mrs Williams

Friday

Cinema in the Library with Mr Cohn

Congratulations to Moore 5 on winning the Lit Week Kahoot Quiz & winning the giant jar of lollies!

Thank you to all the students who took part in the daily quizzes and received prizes as a result of their submissions.

Winner CBCA Book of the Year for Older Readers

Wen Zhou is determined to create a future for herself that is more satisfying than the life her parents expect her to lead. Wen Zhou is the daughter and only child of Chinese immigrants whose move to the lucky country has proven to be not so lucky. Wen and her friend, Henry Xiao - whose mum and dad are also struggling immigrants - both dream of escape from their unhappy circumstances and form a plan to sit an entrance exam to a selective high school far from home. But when tragedy strikes, it will take all of Wen's resilience and resourcefulness to get herself and Henry through the storm that follows.

The CBCA judges say...

Written with the palpable anger of being kept silenced in a cage of patriarchal injustice. A beautifully written story of the challenges and injustices of culturally based domestic violence and the injustices and effects of migrant discrimination. The strength of love, and the importance of connection to community are clear themes throughout. The book also explores grief, cultural clash, patriarchy, racism and friendship. Youth wins out over adult indoctrination, disappointment and pessimism.

Honour Books:

Winner CBCA Book of the Year for Younger Readers

Meixing Lim and her family have arrived at the New House in the New Land, inherited from First Uncle who died tragically and unexpectedly while picking oranges in the backyard. Everything is vast and unknown to Meixing and not in a good way, including the house she has dubbed Big Scary. She is embarrassed by the second-hand shoes given to her by the kind neighbours, has trouble understanding the language at school, and with fitting in and making new friends. Her solace is a glasshouse in the garden that inexplicably holds the sun and the moon and all the secrets of her memory and imagination.Her fragile universe is rocked when tragedy strikes and Ma Ma refuses to face the world outside. Meixing finds herself trapped within the shrinking walls of Big Scary. Her parents said this would be a better life for them all, but it feels like the worst and most heart-breaking experience of Meixing's entire existence. Surviving will take all the resilience and inner belief of this brave girl to turn their world around.

The author says...

I wrote a Glasshouse of Stars hoping to connect with readers over my personal experiences of childhood migration - whether they be migrants themselves or someone in any situation in life looking to find their place in the world.

To be shortlisted by the CBCA is such an honour. When I was in primary school and still learning to read English, I knew that if I went to the library and sought out the books with the "special stickers" on the covers that they would inspire me along my journey. So it is an unbelievable feeling to see everything come full circle - that the book I wrote myself now wears the same sticker!

The CBCA judges say...

Using the rarely seen second person point of view, Marr addresses both the reader and the protagonist in a tale of identity, belonging, social exclusion, cultural diversity and adaptation. This challenges the reader and makes the protagonist's emotions and fears direct and personal. The subtle magic of both the house and the glasshouse serves as an extension of the protagonist's emotions and provide her with hope. The story asks the reader to look beyond tragic and difficult events to a resilience that enables one to dream and addresses cultural biases, customs and expectations.

Blurb and Judges’ comments are taken from the CBCA website: https://cbca.org.au/winners-2022

Honour Books:

To borrow any of these award-winning books, please ask any of our Library staff.

Jokes of the week

Why should you be careful reading a book about mazes?

You could easily lose yourself!

Why did the Romanian stop reading for the night?

To give his Bucharest!

Happy reading!

The Library Team

Sandhurst Arts on Show