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Posts tagged ‘School’

Kick it to Nick

By: Shane Crawford & Adrian Beck

Books 5 and 6 of the series

Footybot Face Off

footybot-face-off

Science week at school really isn’t all that exciting as far as Nick is concerned, there are things he would much rather be doing and one of them is playing football. Things take a turn for the better when the principal announces they have a demonstration happening by the footybots. It all is starting to look exciting but then something goes wrong. The robots start acting outside of their coding and somehow Nick and his friends find themselves battling robots on the footy field.

Publisher: Puffin

Published: 25th February 2015

Key Words: Football, Friends, School

Age : 4-9

ISBN: 9780143307891

The Fanged Footys

xthe-fanged-footys.jpg.pagespeed.ic.sWPCW3g7du

The Crocs finally have their footy oval back just in time for the last game and the team can’t wait to get back on it. Nick though does have concerns considering all the weird things that had happened on that oval. Nick was right to be concerned, something happens to the footballs. Suddenly they get mouths, grow fangs and start attacking the players. It isn’t a problem kept to the footy ground as the balls somehow make there way to many other locations. It is up to Nick and his friends to get rid of all the fanged footys.

Publisher: Puffin

Published: 25th February 2015

Key Words: Football, Friends, School

Age: 4-9

ISBN: 9780143307907

These are a fun read that combines action and sport for those who like AFL. Large print, easy language, fast paced story, short chapters and black and white illustrations to break up the text, making this series a good choice for sport loving young readers.

Category:

Fiction 4-9

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Bridesmaid in Training

I received this book from the publisher

bridesmaid-in-training.jpgBy: Meg Cabot

Notebooks of a Middle School Princess Bk 2

Olivia Grace is now in residence at the palace in Genovia where she is doing all she can to help out with her half sister’s upcoming wedding. There is so much to learn being a new princess, with all those table settings which one is for what or whom? Then to make matters worse she has to start school, during the last week, not something she wants to do at all. Starting a new school is hard enough, let alone if everyone at your school is a noble of some sort, and your distant cousin is doing all she can to make you feel uncomfortable. Let’s hope that everything for the wedding goes smoothly.

This is a fun story. Even being set in the world of princesses it remains very relatable, Olivia’s issues are ones that most kids can identify with; friends, new schools, learning new skills and an beginning interest in the opposite sex. (Not that Olivia is, really.) The story moves at a good pace, the text is broken up by occasional simple illustrations. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

Recommended.

Publisher : Pan MacMillan

Published : 21st April 2016

Key Words : Fun, Humour, Family, School, Friends

Age : 8+

ISBN : 9781447292487

Category:

Fiction 8-12

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A Tiny Bit of Luck

a-tiny-bit-luckyBy: L Pinchon
Part of the Tom Gates series

Tom is okay with his life, but his dad seems to think he needs to spend more time outside, so they make a kite. Somehow this doesn’t seem like a great idea to Tom, who’d much rather be watching his favourite shows or practicing with his band. Speaking of the band, they have a lot of work to do before the big Band Battle Competition. The last thing Tom wants to do is go to his neighbours place for a tea party, but his mother insists. What are you ring to do? They’re family.

Tom has a plan but outside influences always seem to get in the way of the plans. That’s what life is though and this is why these stories are easy to understand. We all have things we want to do before other people come along and get involved. The format is easy to read with large text and plenty of simply illustrations. Fans of Big Nate and Diary of a Wimpy Kid might like to take a look at these.

Publisher: Scholastic
Published: May 2014
Format: Paperback 253 pages
Age: 7+
Key Words: Humour, School, Family
ISBN: 9781743625347

Category:

Fiction 4-9

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Tom Gates – Extra Special Treats (not)

tom-gates-extra-special-treats-not-By: L Pinchon
Part of the Tom Gates series

Tom is wanting to get a star pupil badge this term, some of the perks that come with it are good, but with all the things that go wrong at school he’s just not sure he’ll ever get one. That’s not going to stop him trying though. Then a horrible girl moves in next door and his relatives turn up needing a place to stay for a while. As if that isn’t all bad enough Uncle Kevin thinks the family should get a family portrait done for the grandparents where everyone is wearing matching sweaters. Urgh!

Filled with the silly little things that make up everyday life, this is a fun story. THe normality of the events make it easily relatable. Large text in a variety of fonts is broken up by plenty of black and white illustrations making this an easily approachable read.

Publisher: Scholastic
Published: Nov 2013
Format: Paperback 228 pages
Age: 7+
Key Words: Humour, School, Family
ISBN: 9781743622032

Category:

Fiction 4-9

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The 100 Society

I received my copy from the publisher
the-100-society
By: Carla Spradbery

Grace Becker attends Clifton School, a school with a not so secret, secret. There is something that is part of the school’s history called the 100 Society and being part of it is something Grace is absolutely determined to do. The 100 Society isn’t just a game to Grace, the objective is to graffiti tag 100 specific locations around the city, each location has a risk often greater than the one before it. She has managed to convince some friends to help her achieve this goal even though it could result in suspension. The problem is what started as a sort of game has become something much more, someone is watching them, playing them, targeting them. Her friends are in the cross-hairs and Grace won’t stop. Will she be able to figure out who is behind it all before it costs her everything?
This is a tight, tensely woven story. One moment you think you know who it might be, then you’re not so sure. I must admit to getting a little frustrated with Grace at some point, her drive to do something better than her brother clouds her vision but this is her flaw and ultimately I prefer characters with flaws to the perfect ones. The characters all stand alone on their own merits and the darkness isn’t so overwhelming that it becomes detrimental to the plot.
An enjoyable read.
Publisher: Hachette
Published: 28th October 2014
Format: Paperback
Number Of Pages: 320
ISBN: 9781444920086

Category:

Young Adult Fiction

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Sean

I received my copy from the publisher.
stuff-happens-sean
By: William Kostakis
Part of the Stuff Happens series

Sean has been hauled across the country by his parents and now he had to figure out how to make new friends and survive school without the friends he has had forever. His parents finally relent and allow him a phone to contact his buddies, but he blows it and has it confiscated. How is he going to prove he is responsible enough to get the phone back. Fortunately he has managed to make a couple of friends who are willing to help him out.
Another bite sized real life instalment of this series. Starting at a new school is something many can relate to and is a situation fraught with all sorts of things to navigate. It can be hard making new friends and you need to make sure you don’t do the things that will turn you into an immediate outcast. It doesn’t shy away from the awkward bits but shows that it isn’t all bad and life after moving away form old friends does actually exist and can be good.
As a concept this series shows a lot of promise, relatable short stories make for reads that fit into a lifestyle that is filled with other activities, also the brevity of the books means they don’t look intimidating or time consuming.

Publisher: Puffin
Publication Date: 27th August 2014
Format: Paperback 92 pages
Key Words: Friends, Family, School, Moving
ISBN: 9780143308119

Category:

Uncategorized

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The Year My Life Broke

I received my copy from the publisher.

9781742613352

By: John Marsden

Tarrawagga is a hole. It simply is not a place anyone, with any choice in the matter, would move to. Yet this is where Josh finds himself. He is not happy with the turn his life has taken, and he isn’t all that interested in getting involved and making friends like his parents want. Somehow, without really meaning to, he becomes someone he barely knows. He doesn’t get involved in sport and works at being unpopular. His athletic prowess catches up to him and he starts playing cricket for a team that isn’t his school and this proves to be his downfall, because in a place as small as Tarrawagga secrets don’t stay that way for long.

Then there is the house next door. At first he thought no one lived there. Then he meets the kid from over there. Then bullets start flying. This sort of excitement is totally not what Josh expected from a dump like this place.

This comes across as a real slice of life kind of book. The town is totally believable to me (maybe because I’ve lived there only it was called something different, in fact I’ve lived in several theres). Josh is as real as they get, the heartbreak of leaving a life you know and are comfortable with, the difficulty of starting a new school, the suckiness of not being popular at school. The simplicity of Josh’s life is what makes the whole thing so very tangible. This story is at times funny, frustrating and enthralling, in short it is life. Marsden shows a masterful touch in bringing Josh off the page. His family, friends and even the town add a texture that you can so easily visualise. Life can throw you poop sometimes and really it’s all about what you do with it.

Publisher: Pan Australia

Published: 01 December 2013

Format: Paperback 180 pages

Categories: Life, School, Moving

ISBN 13: 9781742613352

Purchase: here or use Booktopia link on side of page

Category:

Fiction 8-12

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The Andy Flegg Survival Guide…

9780143306771By: Mark Pardoe

Andy Flegg wants an X-box, to get one his mother has told him he has to write in a journal everyday. Andy is not impressed. Some entries are really short and then things start happening. A cute girl starts in his class, his parents are fighting and his dog gets sick. Then his dog gets a bit better, his parents get back to normal briefly and the cute girl is texting him. Things are just not meant to be that way. The day the motorbike his dad has borrowed is vandalised is the day things go from bad to worse for Andy. Just when he thinks it can’t get any worse he finds out just how wrong he can be.

Andy is an everyday 11 year old who loves computer games and isn’t fond of school. His biggest problem is that he doesn’t have an X-box. As Andy writes in his journal bits of his life seem to unravel. It is a fun, somewhat quirky look at being a preteen boy who has to deal with the obvious things such as the next best computer game and the other unexpected things such as his ‘thingie’ suddenly taking on a life of it’s own, particularly when he thinks about Amber. It is an angsty time and Pardoe takes you through it with humour and ease. Andy could be any boy, he is believable and his responses to the curveballs life throws at him are made all the more real by the fact that there are consequences.

This is a wonderful read, the fun balances out the pathos and there is no total happy ending, which is good because that would totally have negated the power of the story-telling. Also as a funny little bonus each entry has an obscure word defined and used, I think I can safely say a large number are words I will never come across again but it is a great device. Suitable for 10+.

Recommended.

Publisher: Penguin Books Australia

Published: 24 July 2013

Format: Paperback 240 pages

Categories: Life, School, Friends, 

ISBN 13: 9780143306771

Purchase: here or use Booktopia link on the side of the page

Category:

Fiction 8-12

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Clementine Rose and the Pet Day Disaster

I received my copy from the publisher.

9781742755434

By: Jacqueline Harvey

Clementine is about to start school. She couldn’t be more excited, in fact she is so excited that she gets up way too early. She is going to have a lovely teacher named Miss Critchley and be in a class with her best friends. When she gets there though things aren’t what she was hoping for. Firstly her teacher is not Miss Critchley but the meaner, shoutier and way more boring Mrs Bottomley. Then there a horrible boy called Angus, he keeps doing mean things to Clementine but the teacher doesn’t believe her. It doesn’t take long for Clementine to think school isn’t going to be any fun. Things look up though when there is an announcement of a Pet Day. Clementine thinks at least this will be a good thing. She plans to take her teacup pig called Lavender with her and she is sure she will win a prize.

This is a fun book for young readers. It is easy to be swept into Clementine’s initial excitement then her disappointment as things don’t go as she hoped.  Harvey has given us something a little outside the realm of what we expect, what with Queens and Ladies, but still at it’s core it is a story about starting school, being bullied and having a positive outlook. I found this a joy to read. The text is easy to understand and it has some black and white, quite stylised illustrations which help the story jump of the page.

Publisher: Random House Australia Children’s Books

Published: 02 January 2013

Format: Paperback 160 pages

Categories: School Stories, Animals

ISBN 13: 9781742755434

Purchase: here or use Booktopia link on the side of the page.

Category:

Fiction 4-9

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Strike a Pose Daizy Star

By: Cathy Cassidy

Daizy Star series book 3

Daizy Star is still searching for her star quality. This time she thinks she may have finally found it – modeling. She seats out to make herself into a top pre-teen supermodel for the class recycled fashion show. She is hoping to be discovered by a model scout. The problem is her dad’s crazy new scheme is threatening not only her modeling career but also the very foundation of her life. This time he wants the family to move to a Scottish island and farm nettles. Daizy will be away from all her friends. The worst thing is that this time it appears her mother is enthusiastic about this plan. Daizy isn’t the only one with problems this time, something is wrong with one of her best friends and Daizy wants to help fix it.

Daizy is just as quirky as ever and still determined to find her star quality. On of the changes in this book is her mother supporting her father, which gives the story a slightly different dynamic to the previous two. Also her big plan this time around comes from her desire to help someone else, something which adds a nice depth to the friendships, (the others are usually supporting and doing things for Daizy). It doesn’t loose any of its humour or wackiness though and I still really like the unique Daizy Star.

Publisher: Puffin Books

Published: 02 June 2011

Format: Paperback 192 pages

Categories: Humour, School, Friendship

ISBN 13: 9780141335971

Purchase: here or use the Booktopia logo on the side of the page

Category:

Fiction 8-12

Tagged with:

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