I learnt it from a book: Wrapping gifts

 I may be in the minority but I REALLY love to wrap gifts up. I take pleasure in finding the right wrapping paper, matching the bow, finding a gift tag, making a card, jazzing it all up and FINALLY gifting my gift.

Over the weekend, I had two presents to wrap up for a friends birthday and I thought that it was time to up my game so I trotted off to the library. I returned with a stack of books to pour over and got some really great ideas, from three of them, to try out.

From Handmade cards and gift-wrap I took the idea of stamping my own wrapping paper using Kraft paper as the base. I also had a little gift box so I stamped the top of it to tie it in.

From Giftwrapped: Practical and inventive ideas for all occasions and celebrations I followed the instructions to wrap a simple box, which I have done many times before but I really liked how the ends came out looking sharp and even.

I find that often when I have a small giftbox. I just scrunch up a bunch of tissue paper and place the item amongst it. I found a section explaining how to line a box with tissue paper which I followed to the T. 

Finally, I learnt how to tie a corner bow and finished off the whole gift with a tag. Now, my calligraphy skills leave a lot to be desired but I gave it a crack using some images I found in Creative calligraphy as a guide.

Now to actually gift it...

-Kristen

I learnt it from a book: Fashion origami

I have always admired origami and have been slightly (read more than slightly) jealous of people who could actually follow written instructions and create the most beautiful origami pieces.

Ask anyone who has watched me try and they will tell you that I end up acting something like this:

via GIPHY

Over the years I have seen various images of beautiful origami dress garlands so imagine my excitement when I found a book in the junior non fiction section called Fashion Origami by Catherine Ard with a picture of a beautiful dress on the cover. My mind started ticking over and I wondered if maybe this was my time to learn a new skill and shine!

The book has screeds of different fashion items such as dresses, skirts, shorts, mittens and high heels. Each item is rated either easy, medium and hard. I found the pattern I wanted to try first (of course it was rated hard) and after a few attempts, a bit of time, several curse words, rage quits and scenes like this:

via GIPHY

I had my first completed dress! Yes, it had some fold marks in the wrong places and was dog eared and ripped but I felt so accomplished.

The next morning with a good nights sleep and fresh eyes I sat down with some beautiful origami paper and created 10 dresses one after the other! By the end I didn't even need the instructions.

While I was riding high I thought I would give a shirt and shorts combination a go. They were rated easy so I was feeling (prematurely) confident. After another bout of wrong folds, multiple attempts, time, curse words and rage quits I correctly folded the shorts - I aced the shirt first time.

I finished the day with two beautiful garlands and a new skill. Who knows what pattern I might try next.

-Kristen

Seven Great Podcasts to Try

Podcasts are a great way to consume content. There are podcasts out there about EVERYTHING, some are informative, some are fictional, most are just down right enjoyable. Search wherever you listen to podcasts, grab some headphones, and check out some of our recommendations below

LORE:

Lore is a podcast about true life scary stories, each episode examines a new dark historical tale or folklore.

Warning: Some episodes are down right spine tingling! Maybe don’t listen in the dark?

If you want more LORE check out The world of Lore: Dreadful places or Wicked mortals from the library.

The Financial Confessions

This podcast is the companion to The Financial Diet Blog and YouTube channel. Every week, Chelsea sits down with fascinating guests to talk about all things money-related. While Chelsea is based in America, many of the concepts she talks about are relevant and interesting anywhere in the world. Previous episodes have included topics such as meal prepping, divorce, growing up poor and the cost of death.

My Dad Wrote a Porno

Imagine if your dad wrote a dirty book. Most people would try to ignore it but not Jamie Morton. Instead, he decided to read it to the world. With the help of his best mates, James Cooper and Alice Levine, Jamie reads a chapter a week a discovers more about his father than he ever bargained for.

Warning: This podcast is VERY NSFW (not safe for work)

White Silence

On November 28, 1979, an airliner took off from Auckland Airport on a sightseeing trip to Antarctica. There were 257 people on board. Hours later everyone was dead. White Silence is an eight-part podcast about the Erebus Disaster and what happened next.

RNZ: The Lost

The true stories of New Zealand’s missing people. Paloma Migone digs into cold cases of those who never came home.

Although this podcast is a few years old now, it is still a very interesting listen.

 The Soundtrack Show

Are you a fan of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Frozen or just movies in general? The Soundtrack Show explores the music in movies and explains everything you ever need to know about what goes into a movie soundtrack.

The Adventure Zone

The Adventure Zone is a comedy and adventure podcast based loosely on Dungeons and Dragons (which is currently making a massive come back). Brothers Justin, Travis and Griffin McElroy take their father along for the ride!

What podcasts have you listen to and enjoyed? We would love to hear your recommendations about what we should listen to next!

Posted by Kristen

ANZAC eBooks for Kids

Looking for some ANZAC content to share with the kids? Our Wheelers eBook platform has you covered. We have the following ANZAC eBooks, plus many more, available for free using your library card. If you have never used ebooks before, or just need a refresher, check out the helpful guide on our website.

ANZAC Ted – Belinda Landsberry

The poignant story of a little boy's teddy bear that was passed down to him from his grandfather. He might look scary now but he's got a great story to tell, for Anzac Ted went to war.

Meet the ANZACS – Claire Saxby

A picture book series about the extraordinary men and women who have shaped Australia's history, including our brave ANZAC soldiers. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. It is the name given to the Australian and New Zealand troops who landed at Gallipoli in World War I. The name is now a symbol of bravery and mateship.

ANZAC Girl: The War Dairies of Alice Ross-King – Kate Simpson and Jess Racklyeft

It was 1914 when Sister Alice Ross-King left Australia for the war. Nursing was her passion - all she had ever wanted to do. But Alice couldn't have imagined what she would see. She served four long years and was brave, humble and endlessly compassionate. Using extracts from Alice's actual diaries kept in the Australian War Memorial, this true story captures the danger, the heartache and the history of the young nurse who would one day become the most decorated woman in Australia.

Brave Bess and the ANZAC Horses – Susan Brocker

The true story of the courageous and loyal horses of World War One. The jet-black mare galloped wildly across the scorching white sands, the guns and shells exploding around her with a deafening roar. Her master spurred her on, his legs tightly gripping her heaving sides. With foam-flecked lips and ears laid flat, she thundered on through the flying bullets and choking dust. Every ANZAC Day we celebrate the brave soldiers who fought and died in World War One, but the story of the loyal horses who carried our troops in the desert war has remained untold until now. This is their story - and the story of Bess, one of only four horses to return to New Zealand. 

Zero Hour: The ANZACS on the Western Front – Leon Davidson

The First World War was only meant to last six months.

When the Australians and New Zealanders arrived at the Western Front in 1916, the fighting had been going for a year and a half and there was no end in sight. The men took their place in a line of trenches that spread through Belgium and France from the North Sea to the Swiss Alps. Beyond the trenches was no-man’s land, an eerie wasteland where rats lived in the ribs of the dead and the wounded cried for help. Beyond that was the German Army.

The ANZACS had sailed for France to fight a war the whole world was talking about. Few who came home ever spoke about it again.

Scarecrow Army: The ANZACS at Gallipoli – Leon Davidson

As part of a World War I campaign, thousands of Australians and New Zealanders landed at an unnamed cove on the Gallipoli Peninsula. They had come to fight the Turks. They thought the battle would be over in three days. Months later they were still in the trenches they dug at the landing.

Poems from the First World War – Gaby Morgan
Poems from the First World War is a moving and powerful collection of poems written by soldiers, nurses, mothers, sweethearts and family and friends who experienced WWI from different standpoints. It records the early excitement and patriotism, the bravery, friendship and loyalty of the soldiers, and the heartbreak, disillusionment and regret as the war went on to damage a generation.

Posted by Kristen

Kristen's 2019 Top 10 (in no particular order)

They Both Die at the End – Adam Silvera

“On September 5, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They’re going to die today.”

Spoiler alert: The title says it all and that doesn’t make it any easier when it happens.

Silver - Chris Hammer

“For half a lifetime, journalist Martin Scarsden has run from his past. But now there is no escaping. He'd vowed never to return to his hometown, Port Silver, and its traumatic memories… Martin arrives to find his best friend from school days brutally murdered…With the police curiously reluctant to pursue other suspects, Martin goes searching for the killer and finds the past waiting for him.”

Scrublands was one of my favourite books from 2018 and this book didn’t disappoint me.

Hangman – Jack Heath

 “Timothy Blake, codename Hangman. Blake is a genius, known for solving impossible cases. He's also a sociopath - the FBI's last resort. Timothy Blake has a secret, one so dark he will do anything to keep it hidden. He also has a price. Every time he saves a life, he takes one…”

A friend lent me this book, he loved it. I know a lot of my friends struggled with it. I was both - I couldn’t put it down and can't stop thinking about it but I don’t know how I feel about Timothy - part disgusted, part attached?

Traitor and the Thief/ The Clockill and the Thief – Gareth Ward

“Discovered picking pockets at Coxford’s Corn Market, fourteen year old Sin is hunted across the city. Caught by the enigmatic Eldritch Moons, Sin is offered a way out of his life of crime: join the Covert Operations Group (COG) and train to become a spy.”

A steam punk, adventure story which keep me engaged and then left me sad when I finished as I wasn’t ready to leave the world the Gareth so beautifully crafted. 

I can’t remember the title but the cover is blue – Elias Greig

“Veteran bookseller Elias Greig collects the best, worst and downright weirdest customer encounters from his years working as a Sydney bookseller."

This book really struck a chord with me as an ex bookseller. It was quick, easy to read but very funny and well presented. I also really enjoyed a moment when a customer asked for this book and the staff member on the desk tried to work out what the blue covered book might be called.

Lockwood and Co. Series – Jonathan Stroud

“For more than fifty years, the country has been affected by a horrifying epidemic of ghosts. A number of Psychic Investigations Agencies have sprung up to destroy the dangerous apparitions. Lucy Carlyle, a talented young agent, arrives in London hoping for a notable career. Instead she finds herself joining the smallest, most ramshackle agency in the city”

Lockwood and Co. is a steampunk, adventure, ghost story, horror all rolled into one with a strong, female lead.  I demolished the whole series in a matter of days.

Captain Marvel (film)

“Captain Marvel is a 2019 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Carol Danvers. Set in 1995, the story follows Danvers as she becomes Captain Marvel after Earth is caught in the centre of a galactic conflict between two alien civilizations.”

I am currently working my way through all the Marvel movies and TV shows in chronological order. I really enjoyed this, a really strong female lead with a good dash of nostalgia thrown in.

All we can do is wait – Richard Lawson

“In the hours after a bridge collapse rocks their city, a group of Boston teenagers meet in the waiting room of Massachusetts General Hospital”

Told from multiple perspectives, I spent hours piecing the story together and crying.

Living Big in a Tiny House – Bryce Langston

“Exploring small-space design projects from New Zealand and around the world, a must-have resource for anyone interested in living well with less, packed full of ideas and inspiration for any aspiring tiny-house owner.”

I find Bryce’s YouTube channel fascinating and this book did not disappoint with its awesome photography and interesting write ups of many of the homes seen on said YouTube channel.

Broken Lands – Jonathan Maberry

“Ever since her mother’s death, Gabriella “Gutsy” Gomez has spent her days flying under the radar. But when her mother’s undead body is returned to her doorstep from the grave and Gutsy witnesses a pack of ravagers digging up Los Muertos—her mother’s name for the undead—she realizes that life finds you no matter how hard you try to hide from it.”

I read the Rot and Ruin series in 2018 and loved that they are set 15 years AFTER the zombie apocalypse so I jumped at the chance to revisit this world and many of the same characters again

Living Big in a Tiny House: Exploring small-space design projects from New Zealand and around the world by Bryce Langston

“I’ve travelled the world seeking examples of cleaver small-space design and delving into the lives of the people who inhabit these ingenious structures… These homes may be small but within their walls it’s easy to find a lot to love.”

Five years ago, while living in Auckland, Bryce Langston was looking for a way to have a permanent home while living costs just kept rising. While searching online, he came across an image of a tiny house on wheels which planted a seed in his mind that was too hard to ignore. Bryce started to explore the concept of tiny living and begun to share what he was learning on his YouTube channel ‘Living Big in a Tiny House’. From there he was inundated with demand for tiny house content. His channel evolved and he began to travel around New Zealand, and later on around the world, viewing tiny homes and talking to their occupants about everything from the lifestyle choice to process to quirky design elements. His channel has exploded and he is now nearing on two million subscribers.

Living Big in a Tiny House is an extension of his YouTube channel. The book begins by sharing what he has learnt while exploring downsizing. It includes design essentials, off grid living, how to live tiny and costs involved in living tiny. The rest of the book explores different tiny dwellings around the world which are broken up into three categories: on the road, grounded and parked up. Each dwelling is photographed beautifully alongside a write up about the home and its inhabitants.

Reviewed by Kristen Clothier 

Catalogue link:  Living Big in a Tiny House

Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter

Andrea Oliver, or Andy as everyone calls her, is stuck in a rut and has been coasting through life with no real plan. She spends her days moping around and her nights working in Police dispatch. Her mum, Laura, seems to be the perfect suburban woman, living in the town she grew up in, working as a speech therapist. Everyone loves Laura.

While celebrating her 31st birthday at a diner, Andy is caught up in a violent attack. Laura steps in to defend her daughter and in doing so commits the unthinkable, murder. Laura seemingly becomes a different person, someone Andy no longer recognises.

As Laura recovers and with a video of the attack circulating the internet, Laura quickly becomes the target of unwanted attention.
Andy is sent on the run to find safety but instead she is determined to delve into her mother’s past and find out how she is connected with everything that is happening.

Pieces of Her is told between two timelines, today and 1986. Each timeline expertly draws the reader in and as you learn about Laura’s background you begin to question how much you really know about those who are closest to you.

How could Karin Slaughter not be crime writing royalty with a name like that? Her Grant Country series was one of my first forays into the crime world and I have had a soft spot for her ever since. Her most recent works are stand alone, all of which are worth the read.

Posted by Kristen

Catalogue link: Pieces of Her

I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death by Maggie O’Farrell

“I knew, in that moment, and perhaps for the first time, that I would one day die; that at some point there would be nothing left of me”

Maggie writes the story of her life based on the seventeen times that she was close to death. The chapters are named after the part of her body that the most damage either had been done or would have been done to, should death have occurred. Some experiences are common and could happen to anyone while others feel just that much more serious, closer to the end.

Death could be as close as if you had taken just one more step closer to the road as a massive truck swoops by. It could be as close to you as the time when Maggie was hiking alone and met a strange man. Her gut told her that something wasn’t right; years later she would find out just how right she was. Death could come in the form of childhood illness when no one expects you to survive. Or it could be coming for the family and friends that you love and care about.

As a first time reader of Maggie O’Farrell, I wasn’t too sure what to expect. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this memoir. Although the subject matter seems dark and unforgiving, Maggie writes in such a way that you forget this and instead become carried away and invested in the people and their stories. This is a book I would highly recommend to anyone.

Posted by Kristen

Catalogue link: I Am, I Am, I Am

Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

Rot & Ruin is a young adult zombie novel but it’s not your run of the mill battle to survive the apocolypse zombie novel.

Rot & Ruin is set about fifteen years after the first night; when people stopped dying for good and started rising from the dead. As expected, the first night sent the world into a whirlwind of panic and a battle for survival. A baby during the first night, Benny Imura was rescued by his older half-brother, Tom.

These days, most people won’t leave the secuity of the chain link fences which surround towns that have sprung up in the years since the first night. Within these fences life has been pieced back together. Towns have been built, families created, adults go to work and kids go to school, trading happens. In Mountainside, once you turn fifteen you need to find a job or else your rations will be halved. After a string of failed attempts, Tom offers to take Benny on as an apprentice; he is a zombie hunter out in the rot and ruin. Tom is a local hero. The police and mayor love him; all the women want to be with him and all the men want to be him. All except Benny and his heroes: bounty hunters Charlie Pink-eye and Motor City Hammer. They believe Tom is a coward, not worth the ground he stands on.

As Benny begins his training, Tom realises that Benny has no understanding of what life is like beyond the fences. Beyond the fence there are no laws or enforcers of the law. It is rough and dangerous and no one is there to save you. During his first trip beyond the walls, his life as he knows and his veiws about it rapidly change, as it starts to look like his life and the lives of all he cares about may be in danger.

Rot & Ruin is not my normal type of book but I had challenged myself to try new things this year. It is a great first book in a series and it can also be read as a stand alone. I sped through book one to four in the space of a week. The final book Bits & Pieces is more of a collection of stories woven through memories of our favourite characters, and some new characters, beginning at the first night right through to present day. Rot & Ruin is not only a zombie book, it is a coming of age story that just happens to be filled with zombies.

Reviewed by Kristen Clothier

Catalogue link:  Rot & Ruin

Tattletale by Sarah J Naughton

The perfect brother. The perfect fiancé. The perfect revenge.

Mags and Jody could not be more different. Abe's fiancé, Jody, has spent years not trusting anyone and avoiding dealing with her past. Everything started looking up for her as soon as she moved in next door to Abe.

Mags has not seen or heard from her younger brother, Abe, since she was a teenager. Imagine her shock when she is woken, in the middle of the night, to the news that Abe is in hospital, she is listed as his next of kin and there are tough medical decisions to be made. After years as a high flying Vegas lawyer, returning to the dingier parts of London where Abe has been living in a halfway home is a shock to her system.

Mags refuses to accept the Police’s decision that Abe’s injury was an accident. As Mags tries to discover what really happened to her brother, she begins to fill in the gaps. Is she putting herself in danger?

At first, I struggled to follow who was who and how they all fitted into the story. It took me a few chapters to really sink my teeth into this novel; luckily I was out at the beach with only one book so I had to keep with it. Tattletale is such a well written psychological thriller. It has you second guessing everything you think you know. The characters are well developed and I quickly became connected to them. Overall, I would easily recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good crime novel.

Posted by Kristen

Catalogue link: Tattletale

The Caller by Chris Carter

I read a lot of crime books. In fact, I would take a guess that about 95% of all books I read are crime books. This means that it takes a special kind of book to give me the goose bumps, make me double check that all my locks are actually locked and to make sure I am not being watched.

Recently, I came across a book called The Caller by Chris Carter. I speed through it and as it was the eighth book in the series, I knew I needed to read the rest of his books as quickly as possible. It didn’t matter what order they arrived in, I was reading them as quickly as I could get my hands on them.
The Caller opens with Tanya picking up a video call from her best friend, Karen. It quickly becomes a nightmare as Karen is gagged and bound and if the voice at the end of the phone is to be believed, her fate lies in Tanya’s hands. The police believe that it is a one off crime but the phone calls keep rolling in and the victims begin to pile up. It is up to Robert Hunter and Carlos Garcia, partners who work for the UVC (Ultra-Violent Crimes) Unit within the Los Angeles Police Department, to catch the killer before it is too late.

Robert Hunter is an interesting main character. He has flown through the ranks at the LAPD and has been approached to join the FBI many times over the years. His thesis is even compulsory reading for any FBI agent during their time at Quantico. After the early deaths of both his parents he struggles with insomnia. He spends a lot of his time reading and so in true Sherlock fashion he is a wealth of knowledge about anything you could think of.

Chris Carter was born in Brazil and later moved to America where he studied psychology and criminal behaviour. Chris has been involved in interviewing over 100 serial killers, murderers and violent criminals. Following on from this he spent 10 years as a guitarist for Glam Rock bands. His book Evil Minds is based on some of these criminals he spent time with and I think it is the most chilling book to date.

Reviewed by Kristin Clothier

Catalogue link:  The Caller

One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

Karen M. McManus has hit a home run with her debut young adult novel One of Us Is Lying. A friend sold this to me with the line ‘it’s just like The Breakfast Club!’ The Buzz online sell it as a mixture of The Breakfast Club and Pretty Little Liars; for once, I couldn’t agree more.

Monday afternoon’s detention is made up of five unlikely attendees ; all of whom claim they don’t belong there after cell phones were found in their schoolbags. Cooper, the jock; Addy, the popular princess; Bronwyn, the straight A high achiever; Nate, the criminal and Simon, the outcast and creator of an app, About That, that outs the secrets of all his classmates.

Before the end of detention, Simon is dead. A police investigation reveals that his death was no accident. It also quickly comes to light that Simon was about to post the juiciest gossip about his fellow detention attendees on About That. Simon knows everyone’s secrets and he is NEVER wrong. This raises the question - who was willing to kill to keep their secret safe? As the secrets begin to leak out the stakes just keep getting higher.

The danger with using characters that fit so well into teen stereotypes is that they can stay very two- dimensional but I believe not in this case. One of Us Is Lying is told from the points of view of the other four who were in the room that day. It did take me a few chapters to develop a connection with each of them then I quickly found my rhythm. I was rooting for each of them the whole way.

I have been in a pretty severe book slump for the last few months and I am so lucky this book came along. I could not put it down. I even managed to read it in one sitting even though I looked like a zombie the next day at work. I have been recommending this book left right and centre to anyone who will listen and have even gone as far as driving it to a friend’s house so they would have something to read while they were home sick. A must read.

Posted by Kristen 

Catalogue link: One of Us Is Lying

Always Watching by Chevy Stevens

I first discovered Chevy Stevens when I read her first novel, Still Missing. Still Missing follows a realtor who is kidnapped by a potential client and spends a year as his captive. I followed that up with Never Knowing, a book about an adopted women trying to find her birth parents. Once she find her mother she discovers that she was the only living survivor of a well known serial killer. While I was searching the shelves to find something to read I stumbled across Always Watching.

I enjoyed reading Always Watching and I managed to read it curled up by the fire in one night. I found myself developing my own theories about what was happening and who might be responsible- some which were correct and some which missed the mark entirely.  At times I did think the author had stretched some events out into the slightly unbelievable but I was willing to overlook it and I have put her other books on my ‘to read’ list.

Dr Nadine has recently given herself a new start. In her mid fifties, she is widowed, experiences bouts of severe claustrophobia, repressed memories and is estranged from her only daughter who has been living rough on the streets for the last seven years. She has given up her private practice, moved cities and begun working in the psychiatric ward of the hospital. She is in her element there, she can help people, heal people and rebuild lives. It is her safe haven.

Heather is admitted to the psychiatric ward after an attempted suicide. Nadine finds herself drawn to Heather and once she begins to unravel her story she begins to see connections between their lives. Both women have spent parts of their lives living in a commune. Heather recently, Nadine during her early teenage years.

As Nadine’s interest in her new patient begins to border on obsession and the lines of professionalism blurring, her past is quickly catching up to her. With Nadine, Heather and every else she holds dear in danger, she must begin to face her past and find the cause of her repressed memories before it finds her.

Reviewed by Kristen

Catalogue link:  Always Watching

April Update: 101 Books to Read Before You Grow Up

Tikki Tikki Tembo
Once upon a time, a long time ago, it was custom in China to give the first son great long names. Second sons were given short names. Through misadventures involving a well, Chang, a second son, teaches everyone the ridiculous nature of this custom.

I really enjoyed Tikki Tikki Tembo. I know that some people have issues with the non traditional names used in the book but I felt like it was an enjoyable story which would be great for a read aloud.

Rosie Revere, Engineer
Rosie dreams of inventing. After an unfortunate incident where her favourite uncle laughed at her failed invention she vows to give it up for good- this is until her aunt mentions her dream of flying.

I loved the message in this book. Nothing is perfect the first time and if you keep trying you will succeed. It also has an enjoyable rhythm making it a good read aloud for 6+

Mango, Abuela and Me
Mia's Abuela is leaving her sunny house surrounded by parrots and palm trees to live in the city with Mia and her family. Mia realises that her Abuela does not know how to speak English, while she struggles to understand Spanish. Mia undertakes the challenge to help her Abuela while learning in return.

This book has a great story of love weaved through. Mia wants to connect with her Abuela and even though they can't understand each other they find ways to break through the barrier until they can both communicate.

The Giving Tree
"There once was a tree and she loved a little boy." Every day the boy would come and play under the
tree. As the boy grows up he spends less and less time with the tree and wants more and more from the tree, yet the tree still loves him unconditionally.

When I finished this book, I actually said to the others in the room, "What a horrible book!" I don't like the fact that I felt like the tree kept giving and giving until the tree had nothing left the give and the boy just kept taking and taking without giving anything in return. In my opinion it does not deserve to be on this book list. Judging by Goodreads, there are others that agree with me.

Journey
Journey follows the story of a young girl who draws a door on her bedroom wall and once she goes through it she discovers a wonderful world where amazing things happen and she is free to create what she wants and what the world needs.

I struggled with this book. It has no words, which in itself was OK but I just found myself skimming through it. I wouldn't bother reading it again.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is set in the town of Chewandswallow. In Chewandswallow, food just magically falls from the sky and provides the town with just what they need until one day they falling food becomes unpredictable and dangerous. It might just be time for the townspeople to leave and find somewhere new.

I loved the idea behind the book. It is told via Grandfather telling his grand kids a bedtime story. The illustrations were amazing and the story was interested and easy to follow. 

Wonder
Auggie is ten years old. He was born with a severe facial abnormality and has been home schooled Wonder is told in four parts from four different points of view. All four are well written and a pleasure to read.
his whole life. Now, coming into 5th grade it is time for him to go to school. Auggie must learn how to navigate all the ups and downs that come with it. Will his classmates learn to look past what they first see?

I LOVE this book. I have read it twice in the last year because it gives you all the feels. There are highs and lows and it really makes you think about other people. Auggie does seem wise beyond his years but he has spent most of his life with mainly adults to talk to. Highly recommended- I don't know of anyone who has not enjoyed this book.

Holes
Stanley Yelnats is an unlucky guy. Nothing ever goes right for him or his family and they all blame it on their good for nothing, pig stealing, great great grandfather. Stanley's latest spate of bad luck has left him at Camp Greenlake, a correctional facility for young boys. Every day, each boy must dig a hole five feet wide and five feet high. What are they looking for?

Holes is just like Hatchet. Ask anyone who went to school around the same time as me and they had it as a read-aloud. By the sound of things everyone loved them both. In my re-read of the story, everything happened a lot quicker than I remembered!

Matilda
Matilda is an extraordinary young girl. Ever since she was three years old she has been working her way through the public library. Once she starts school, her teacher, Miss Honey, notices just how special she in. All the other adults in her life, her parents and her principal Ms. Trunchball, think she is trouble. Can Matilda get her
self out of a horrible situation?

As a child I loved Matilda, as an adult I see how horrible many of the adults in her life are. Matilda is a strong young women who has a golden heart. I am revisiting my love of all things Roald Dahl

March Update: 101 Books to Read Before you Grow Up

March was a productive month. I have had conversations with many people who are undertaking the same challenge which has been great! I also managed to knock a few more titles off my list but I still haven’t managed to tackle 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
I have always been a massive fan of Dr. Seuss. Not as much as an adult because reading his books out loud always involve a mass of twisted tongues and mispronunciation on my part but as a child I remember pouring over the pages of many of his stories.

Oh, the Places You’ll Go has the most amazing message anyone can give to a child (or adult who needs a bit of a boost). A reminder that everyone has the potential to be great and even though there will be bumps along the road there is a 98 and ¾ per cent guaranteed chance that you will succeed.

Where the Wild Things Are
After Max is sent to his bedroom, he imagines a world filled with wild things. Eventually he begins to miss home and begins the long trek back to his family.

Although I think the illustrations in Where the Wild Things Are are amazing, I found I did not connect to the text in the way that I was expecting. In my opinion there are many other pictures books I would rather share with others.

The Snail and the Whale
Snail wants nothing more than to travel the world and see faraway places, much to the disbelief and
dismay of all his snail companions. Thus begins the tale of two unlikely travel companions - a whale and a snail.

I absolutely LOVED the rhyme and rhythm of this book. As I was reading it, I was tapping my foot along to the beat. I can’t wait to share this book with my classes this week.

Whoever You Are
All around the world people look different, live differently have different life experiences. This book reminds the reader that although this is true, beneath it all we are all the same when it comes to our feelings.

Whoever You Are has a great message which people do need to be reminded of. It wasn’t the best picture book I have ever read but I believe it is a book to be shared widely.

The Story of Ferdinand
Ferdinand is a bull. He doesn't want to fight and butt heads with the other bulls, he loves sitting under his favourite cork tree and smelling the flowers. One day five men arrive to take the strongest, fiercest bulls to fight in Madrid. Ferdinand, stung by a bee, catches their eye and is taken be in the bull fights. Much to everyone's surprise he refuses to fight and returns home to sit under his favourite cork tree and smell the flowers.

I enjoyed this story and I really enjoyed talked to my co workers who remember this from when they were children or read it to their children. What I was most interested in was finding out about how the message of peace in this story got it banned in many countries, including Nazi Germany where it was burned.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Alexander's day starts of dismally, complete with gum in his hair, tripping on a skateboard and dropping water all down his front. The day does not get any better and the more that goes wrong the more frustrated Alexander feels. Will things start to look up?

Who doesn't have those days where nothing goes right? You really feel for Alexander even though some of his misfortune is of his own making. It is easy to see yourself in Alexander which makes this a fun read aloud and book in general.

A Long Walk to Water
A Long Walk to Water is told as two story lines following two 11 year olds in Sudan. In 2008, Nya does a four hour round trip walk, twice a day, seven months of the year to provide her family with drinking water. In 1985, Salva is forced to run from school with only the clothes on his back after it was attacked by rebels and bombed. He becomes a lost child moving from camp to camp hoping to find his family one day.

I was given it by a friend who had shared it with his 11 year old. This book is deceptive. It is small, only 128 pages but it is 128 pages that make you think, feel and remind yourself how lucky you are. There were times I had goosebumps and wanted to cry but I feel like it is a story that needs to be told. Salva is a real person and this book follows his journey across Africa and to America and his goal to help others back home.

The 13-Storey Treehouse
Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton live in a treehouse as they write an illustrate books together. They
both managed to forget their latest book deadline and now have only 48 hours to produce a book to Big Nose, their manager, or they will be sent back to live in the money enclosure at the zoo. Of course, nothing goes to plan including procrastination, sea monkeys who are actually sea monsters and sea monkeys who are actual monkeys, flying yellow catnaries and a giant banana eating gorilla.

I was a big fan of Andy Griffiths when I was younger and after reading this book, I remembered why. He is a great author to recommend to get anyone to pick up a book and read and you will always have a good giggle.

Frindle
Nicholas Allen cannot sit still, he has an idea and he runs with it. He has just entered the fifth grade and he has heard how strict his new teacher, Mrs Granger, can be. She is in LOVE with the dictionary and after a time wasting stunt goes wrong, Nicholas is forced to do some research about the dictionary and how words come about. Thus begins a war between Nicholas and Mrs Granger over the new word for a pen - a frindle. This is a story about how an idea can become bigger than just one person.

Who hasn't sat down an pondered who decided that a chair would be called a chair. Why can't it be called a fork!? This book perfectly captures the curiosity that is in all of us and the power that friendship and an idea and a great teacher can have.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Dorothy lives with her Aunt and Uncle in Kansas until, during a tornado, she is transported, along
with her house and dog Toto, to Oz. To find her way home she must make it to the Emerald City to visit the wonderful wizard of Oz. Along the way she makes friends and some enemies. Will she be able to make it home?

I have never read the book or seen the movie before so I was in for a surprise. Quite possibly, everyone is my workplace has heard my rant about how dark this book is in places. If you don’t believe me just read about how to tin man became the tin man. Otherwise, the book ticked along nicely for a quick read.

Hatchet
Brian’s parents have recently divorced and he is on his way to spend the school holidays with his dad. As they are flying, in a one man plane, over the remote Canadian wilderness, the pilot suffers a heart attack. The plane crash lands in the middle of nowhere and with no way to know how far away help might be Brian must learn to survive with only a hatchet gifted to him by his mother before he left.

Hatchet is a book that was read aloud to me while I was in school. I remember loving it and over the past month I have had many discussions with others who had the same experience. Not one person said “Oh yeah, we read Hatchet and I hated it!” I think it says a lot about the content and story line that it is a book that is still remembered 15 or 20 years on.

Reviewed by Kristen