Plenty of online resources to keep the kids occupied.

I do hope you are all keeping as occupied as possible during this strange time.

If want to use our ebooks and audio books but have forgotten your login details please contact me here and I will provide that information for you.

Keep in touch - I'd really like to know what you are all reading.

I've just finished this book which I really enjoyed having never read Mark Twain before.  Although it was first published 146 years ago and the language is very different to what is acceptable today I found it was funny  - a real boy's adventure story.

Amber's books

Girl Missing series

Amber brown

Girl Missing is a three book series written by the amazing Author Sophie McKenzie. The first one is called Girl Missing, then it is Sister Missing, then Missing Me. 

The first book is about a girl called Lauren who was adopted.She is eager to find out more about her past. She finds out she may have been snatched from her real family.

Sister Missing is, two years after the events of Girl Missing and life is not any easier for sixteen-year-old Lauren, with exam pressure and a recent family tragedy. Lauren's birth mother takes Lauren and her two sisters on holiday in the hope that some time together will help, but a few days into the holiday one of the sisters disappears,  very similar to those in which Lauren was taken years before. 

Missing Me tells the story of Madison, a girl totally in the shadow of her adventurous older sister. During a visit to her sister's flat she not only finds out that her sister is to have a baby but that her father is an anonymous sperm donor. Wrapped up in a furious search to find her birth father, Madison finds herself in a dangerous search for missing girls.

Oliver's best books to read.

Oliver's suggestions for 2020 for Years 7&8

Charlotte's Book Display

I have chosen to write about these Wildboy books because they were very inspirational stories about a boy named Brando Yelavich, whose life was going down the wrong path. Brando wanted to turn his life around so he walked the coastline of New Zealand from Cape Reinga to Bluff and all the way back up again to raise money for charity. 
I have now finished all my student librarian awards and earned my gold. 

By Charlotte McHaffie

New Zealand Book Awards for Children & Young Adults 2018

We have a display in the library of some of this year's finalists.  An activity booklet is also included with some fun things to do relating to some of the titles.  A full list of finalists is available from this website and on the display shelf.

National Simultaneous Storytime 2018

This event was held in libraries across New Zealand and Australia on Wednesday 23 May.
Throughout the afternoon senior students - Maddy, Aleigha, Neve, Anya, Christine, Charlie and Brooke visited the Team Explorer classes and read the book 'Hickory, Dickory Dash' aloud to the children.  Based on the well-known nursery rhyme this book has lots of  onomatopaeia so required plenty of practise first to get it right.  They did a great job and the audiences seemed to enjoy the story and the way it was read to them.  Good work everyone.

Jayde's recommended great reads 2017

Jayde has read many of our library books this year.  Read her reviews here which also include links to the author websites.  Great work Jayde.

Victoria Scott

About the Author

Victoria Scott is an American writer of young adult fiction novels.She is the author of Titans and the Fire and Flood series.Victoria has a bubbly personality and she has wished to be an author since the age of six.

Fire and Flood

Fire and flood was the first book in the series.It captured me and brought out my adventurous side.It is now one of my favourite reads.If you are into adventure and a little bit of romance this book is for you.Tella walks into her room one night to find an earpiece sitting on her bed waiting to be listened to.At first she thinks it's a prank and finds out that she could really save her brother.In the middle of night she runs out to complete the first mission.Will she ever receive the cure or will she always blame herself for her brother's illness?

Salt and Stone

This was the second book in the series even though there was more adventure this book didn't captivate me as much.I just feel like the first one was because it was them meeting each other and not knowing what was going on.In the second book it was really just about the competition.Tella is off to the last two lands of the competition the hardest yet - the river and the mountain.She finds out one of her teammates turns on her and is she falling in love with someone that doesn't love her back?Will Tella ever get the cure or will someone else get to it before her?

Why I like these books are because there is lots of tension and adventure.I guess stuff like that captivates kids at the age of 10 to 14.It’s one of those books that are so good you can't put the book down because on every page it's written to edge you in farther.

Neve Albert

Katherine Rundell- Arwen

 I did a library display on Katherine Rundell and the books she has written. In doing so I will get my Gold Librarians Award. They are very good books to read and I do recommend them.

By Arwen Kleinsmith 

The Sisters Grimm series display

This is my series display I have done it on the Sisters Grimm books. By doing this I have accomplished my GOLD librarian award. This is a great series and I highly recommend them.

By Amy Ellis

The Chocolate Box Girls Series Display

This is my display about the chocolate box girls series. I have done this for my gold librarian award. I have done this series because it was a very good series and I couldn't stop reading them.

By Neve Kerslake

Titanic display

  This is my  Library display about  the Titanic that sank in 1912.

I am doing this because it is part of the Gold Librarian Award.

I did the Titanic because I am fascinated about it  and the secrets of it and how it has come to be at  the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. 

By Robert Chapman

Alex Rider gets a make-over

Wow - look at the fabulous new covers for these all-time favourite stories about teenage agent Alex Rider.  Don't they look amazing.  Should we get them? Let the librarians know what you think.

Alex Rider is getting a makeover. Anthony Horowitz’s bestselling teen spy series, about a reluctant but brilliant 14-year-old MI6 agent, has already sold over 16 million copies and the series is getting a whole new look. Gadgets, super-villains and exotic locations: it’s got it all! Take a sneak peak at all 10 brand new covers here

Thanks to


for this awesome news

Mockingjay Part 1

I have recently finished Mockingjay, the book, and part 1 of the movie is now out.




I think the movie should be close to the book, because those of you that know me well will know that I HATE  movies that change the books completely (*cough* Percy Jackson *cough*). JLaw plays Katniss well, but after watching the trailer, I don't recognise some of the other characters. I don't imagine Peeta looking like that either.
(There may be spoilers from here. If you haven't read the books, and are planning to, stop reading now. In other words, SPOILER ALERT!!!)
To be honest, I never like movies as much as books (with the exception of Harry Potter :)) , but I obsessed over the Hunger Games for a loooooooong time. It is now one of my 4 favourite series' (Hunger Games, Divergent, PJO/HoO, HP). Hunger Games fans? Who else cried when Prim died? She grew up waaaay too fast. I cried when they told her cat :(
Anyway, I would like it to be...
1. Close to the book in the plot line.
2. Smooth and no too long, like some movies I know (*cough* the hobbit *cough*)
3. Good enough so that you can watch the movie then read the book without being lost. (Not that I approve of this behaviour.)
So, yeah. Tonight, or tomorrow, or sometime, I will watch the movie, and criticise everything that didn't happen in the books, blah blah blah.
Bye!

Andy Griffiths Display

We did this display on Andy Griffiths for our Gold Librarian's Award. It took us three weeks to pick which author we want to do, make the poster and the collect the books. We chose this author because we enjoyed his books. We also did a bit about Terry Denton because he illustrated all of Andy's books and is a really good friend of Andy's.

By Chaya & Abbey.

An interview with Jackie French

Author and literacy advocate Jackie French joins Andrew Dickens in NewsTalkZB studio to discuss dyslexia, and her latest book for children, I Spy a Great Reader.

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/auckland/listen-on-demand/audio/1292397770-jackie-french-in-studio

Author Anthony Horowitz interview (video)

On June 16 2014, Anthony Horowitz was interviewed in a live, interactive broadcast in front of his biggest audience ever.  The event was attended by school children and 500 schools registered to watch the event online. Children in the audience got to ask him questions.  He talks about his books, writing, teachers and the importance of school libraries.  If you have read his books this interview is well worth watching although it is over an hour long.

The Fourteen Olympians Display By Emma Kirkwood

This is my library display on the 14 Olympians or the 14 major gods in Greek mythology. I did this display for my librarian gold award which I have now completed. I chose to do it on the Greek gods because they are awesome and there are lots of books in the library. I really suggest you read some of them and come into the library and check out my display.

By Emma Kirkwood

Rebecca's Holocaust Display

Rebecca Chapman, Room 18, has worked really hard to produce this brilliant library display on the Jewish Holocaust.  She has included lots of information, photos and books and a bibliography as well.
This is the final activity for her to achieve her Gold Librarian's Award.
Well done Rebecca on a fabulous effort that is already getting plenty of interest from library users.

There are about 25 books, several pages of images of the horrific events, and a huge poster full of information.                                                                    

Before and after photos of my display. Room 20 demolished my book display in 1 quick session to the library. What  a lonely book display for Bluestone School.