We want to help create motivated and engaged young readers. This blog is about children's and YA literature (especially New Zealand), literacy research, and ways to get, and keep, kids reading.
For those of us who loved MT Anderson’s Feed, set in a dystopic future where most of the population have implants in their heads, this book will come as quite a surprise although both have the theme of social control running through them. Octavian is set in the 18th century, not only within the context of the story but also in its presentation and language. The author has recreated the flavour of 18th century English to an extraordinary degree:
"In the years as I grew, my mother must have perceived the peculiarity of our situation; but though she may have noted, she did not discover its irregularities to me by word, look or gesture.
Or, by God – I reckon now, now that it is all gone – yea – mayhap she did discover it to me, in every gesture, in all looks, in the space between each work – and I, never knowing her elsewhere, did not know how to parse her warnings and subtility."
This is not a book for those wanting an easy read. The language is sophisticated and events challenging, as Octavian discovers the true reason for the peculiarity of his situation, living in a house of rationalist philosophers for whom experimentation is supreme and, sometimes, fatal. Set against the backdrop of America’s revolutionary war with Britain, the writing is a tour-de-force, perhaps aimed more at adults but worth trying if you have very competent, adventurous senior students.
reviewed by Lisa Allcott
Would you like your students to have the opportunity of joining in with a fun, collaborative international project to help create readers? Have a look at Technospud Projects.
The current project is Salute to Suess.
This wiki came second in the category of Best Educational Wiki in last week's edublog awards.
The “SALUTE TO SEUSS” wiki is an online project for primary teachers to use within their classroom. Each teacher is encouraged to showcase their students’ participation on the web, with a slideshow, wiki, blog, photoshare, podcast, or other tool. There are 214 teachers from 45 U.S. States, 3 Canadian Provinces, and New Zealand participating. 2007 is the 50th Anniversary of the writing of “The Cat In The Hat” written by Dr. Seuss. To celebrate this milestone, this project also has many websites to visit, worksheets, standards, and activities to expand the project even more as the teacher wishes.
The worksheets, resources and weblinks themselves are amazing, and can be used free by anyone. Its also great to see Kiwi participation: see Puahue School powerpoint presentations.
A similar project took place earlier in the year about Charlotte's Web. The site contains some great ideas of activities for the book, as well as the contributions made by each participating school.
And coming up next year, will be a collaborative project on Prince Caspian. With the great interest in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and the Prince Caspian movie, filmed in New Zealand, and due out next year, this could be a wonderful opportunity to create readers using the web, in collaboration with classes around the world. Interested? Look at the Technospud calendar here, then click the link to join their mailing list.
We at Create Readers would love to hear about your Prince Caspian project!
See also last week's post about the Kiwi school which was also a finalist in these awards. Allanah's Appleby Showcase came second in its category of best educational use of audio. Congratulations Allanah and your clever students!
In Angela Johnson’s I dream of trains, a young black boy working in the Mississippi cotton fields is inspired by stories of the legendary Cas
Loren Long’s paintings perfectly complement Johnson’s rail-rhythm prose. An accompanying CD of the traditional ballad about Casey Jones would have been nice, perhaps incorporating the sound of that long, lonesome train whistle, but this is such a beautifully evocative book that maybe it lets the imagination take care of all that.
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
The train they call the City of New Orleans, a picture book version of the 1970 Steve Goodman song made famous by singer Arlo Guthrie, has an accompanying CD with both narration and song (best to cut straight to the latter!) presented this 
time round by Tom Chapin.
Michael McCurdy’s lino-cut illustrations bring to life the story of the train that still runs from Chicago to New Orleans—coincidentally a very similar route to that of Casey Jones almost a hundred years earlier (both trains were part of the Illinois Central network).
Two years ago the song became the symbol of relief concerts held to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina, and gained a new life beyond its earlier baby boomer following.
Published by G.P.Putnam's Sons
Both books have a practical as well as a romantic side. I dream of trains emphasises that true freedom has to come from within; City of New Orleans ends with a sad comment on disappearing railway networks.
And both could inspire young boys to dream.
Reviewed by Cecily Fisher
In Angela Johnson’s I dream of trains (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2003) a young black boy working in the Mississippi cotton fields is inspired by stories of the legendary Casey Jones, whose regular run had once followed the border of these same fields. Until his heroic death in 1900, Irish-American Casey worked alongside a black fireman at a time when the lingering ghost of slavery made such partnerships almost unheard of. The sound of his train whistle became a symbol of hope to the toiling cotton pickers and, a generation later, its memory kindles enough courage in the young narrator for him to venture into the wider world with its possibilities of a better life. ‘…the feel of the whistle speaking to me…it’s.. the sound of leaving that speaks to my soul’.
Loren Long’s paintings perfectly complement Johnson’s rail-rhythm prose. An accompanying CD of the traditional ballad about Casey Jones would have been nice, perhaps incorporating the sound of that long, lonesome train whistle, but this is such a beautifully evocative book that maybe it lets the imagination take care of all that.
The train they call the City of New Orleans
(G.P.Putnam’s Sons 2003) a picture book version of the 1970 Steve Goodman song made famous by singer Arlo Guthrie, has an accompanying CD with both narration and song (best to cut straight to the latter!) presented this time round by Tom Chapin. Michael McCurdy’s lino-cut illustrations bring to life the story of the train that still runs from Chicago to New Orleans—coincidentally a very similar route to that of Casey Jones almost a hundred years earlier (both trains were part of the Illinois Central network). Two years ago the song became the symbol of relief concerts held to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina, and gained a new life beyond its earlier baby boomer following.
Both books have a practical as well as a romantic side. I dream of trains emphasises that true freedom has to come from within; City of New Orleans ends with a sad comment on disappearing railway networks.
And both could inspire young boys to dream.
Reviewed by Cecily Fisher
Miles Wednesday is an escaped orphan who lives in a barrel on a hillside of the town of Larde.Miles Wednesday is an escaped orphan who lives in a barrel on a hillside of the town of Larde. On the day the Circus Oscuro comes to town and he meets a tiger, his life changes for ever. The circus owner and villain of the book, the moustachioed Great Cortardo has a plot to control the people of Larde through laughter at the Palace of Laughter. Sinister indeed!
A great adventure with a winged Song Angel, Little and a host of bizaare characters makes this a lively adventure/ fantasy with appeal to middle school children.
This is Jon Berkeley's first novel and he has a great love of words, but probably uses too many of them in this story. However his wit is brilliant and eccentric, and this makes you keep reading it.
Highly recommended for lovers of fantasy.
Pub. HarperCollins Children’s Books
Reviewed by Bob
by Glyn Harper & Colin Richardson. HarperCollins Publishers, 2006.
The recent raid on the Waiouru Army Museum has put war medals in the spotlight right now. Here are the stories of the 26 men who won the highest military honour our country can award. Only a few of the names will be known to most New Zealanders, but all of the stories are part of our kiwi heritage, and deserve to be known. Glyn and Colin have done a superb job of introducing these fighting heroes of the First and Second World Wars to young readers. This is an ideal read for all those who enjoy true adventure stories – boys are often attracted to this kind of book – and it will also be a valuable asset every year as Anzac Day comes around, and we focus once again on New Zealand’s history touched by war.
Reviewed by Pamela
Allanah's Appleby Showcase has been chosen as a finalist in the international EduBlogs awards (the Eddies). These are "the annual event where the best education blogs of the year are decided by, well, you!" Allanah and her students are up against 4 other finalists from around the world in the Best Educational Use of Audio category.
Allanah's Appleby Showcase is a blog of student podcasts (audio broadcasts) created by Allanah, a teacher at Appleby School in Nelson and her Year 4-5 students. The most recent podcasts are student reviews of Shaun Tan's The Lost Thing, and of Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes. Maybe this is something you could try at your school?
Another category in the awards is the Best Librarian/Library blog, with 5 great blogs to look at here.
If you would like to have a look at the EduBlog finalists, and vote for your favourites, you will need to do so by the end of TODAY (Thursday December 6th)!
Did you know that a "jolly-boat" is a dinghy-type boat to collect stragglers from the quayside and deliver them to the Man-of-War? How is a knot (ship’s speed) calculated? Or that a sailor’s day begins at noon? Close to the Wind is full of these nuggets of knowledge for the curious. It is a cornucopia of maritime information.
It also belongs to what seems to be a growing genre – I think one calls it “faction”. They can be difficult to place in the library too - picture book or non-fiction? We, here at National Library have this one in non-fiction (551.518 weather) and really there is no dilemma in this case I think.
Although all characters are fictional - except Captain Beaufort and engineer John Smeaton - there is loads of factual information about the Beaufort Scale, wind, sailing ships, the sea and various ports between Naples and Barbados.
It is a very impressive production with gorgeous pictures and clear layout. Each page describes a different level of Beaufort Scale indicated by wind effects on the surface of the sea, wind effects on land (such as smoke direction and flag movement) and the effect of the wind on the handling of a Man-of-War.
Close to the Wind covers lots of curriculum areas – social science, technology, art and science. It is a great read for children who are interested in the sea and sailing - and for the generally curious. An excellent book for children from year 5 and older.
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons (part of the Penguin Group)
It’s elementary: Putting the crackle into chemistry by Robert Winston. Published by Dorling Kindersley 2007
Full of information boxes, speech bubbles, colourful illustrations and a myriad of facts, this book would appeal to young scientists who enjoy browsing for information. Readers can investigate atoms, find out what dogs are made of, learn how the colours are created in fireworks and much more. A glossary and index are provided. The book is more suitable for recreational reading than research as topics are only covered lightly.
Content most likely to be appreciated by Year 7 plus.
A similar title in the same series is Can you feel the Force: Putting the fizz back into chemistry by Richard Hammond
In this title the reader is drawn into the text by questions such as ‘Can you lie on a bed of nails?’ and ‘Can you walk on custard?’ and are then provided with brief scientific explanations. Pages also include frequently asked questions and practical activities the reader can try.
Other books in this attractive series are:
Think of a number by Johnny Ball and What makes me me? also by Robert Winston.
Reviewed by Melva
Super Science Projects About Earth's Soil and Water
By Robert Gardner. Published by Enslow Publishers Inc, 2008.
This book is easy to read, and the layout and illustrations look inviting. It is a book in a series of six called 'Rockin' Earth Science Experiments' that includes books of science projects about the earth, rocks and minerals, sun and moon, sky, and the weather.
The book has 10 experiments that are are straight forward and fun to do. Each one starts with 'now lets find out,' which is the procedure for the experiment, and plenty of questions for consideration. This is followed on the next page with an explanation, and some related ideas for possible science fair projects. The procedures and explanations are very clear and easy to understand. They are supported by cartoon style diagrams, photographs, and a glossary and list for further reading at the back of the book.
It is suitable for senior primary and intermediate classes, and would be a great introduction to science fair investigations.
Reviewed by Heather
I am a big fan of Ken Catran and loved his war stories of the Moran family and Red leader Down. Alas this latest offering is not in the same league.
It consists of three novellas about World War 2, the first about a young man on his first mission over Germany in a Lancaster bomber as part of those 1000 bomber raids that began in 1944. Brilliant description of the horrors both in the Lancaster and on the ground.
The second is the story of a nurse caught up in the fall of Singapore who spends the rest of the war as a prisoner of the Japanese and like the first story the horrors of war and the injustices heaped on both sides are exposed.
Thirdly and the weirdest of the three stories the story of a tank commander involved in the largest tank battle ever at Kursk on the Russian borders.
All three stories are brilliantly researched as is Ken Catran's trademark. Alas the link through today’s teenagers with the old campaigners is a tenuous one and is the weak part of this book. Still the details of the war incidents are intriguing, but forget the rest.
The book ends with an Epilogue of a veteran of the Desert and Monte Cassino preparing for the ANZAC Day parade, remembering his mates and struggling with life, how to pay the rates. A very meaningful ending.
Ken is such a wonderful writer I forgive him for not getting the teenagers right.
Reviewed by Bob
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