The Library Scoop
Year 5 & 6 - Term 4, 2024
It's Sp👀ky Month in the Library!
Hey ghoulfriend!
We're so happy to see your smiling face back in the library. We've got spooky competitions coming up for Halloween, new jigsaw puzzles on the front counter, lots of games to play and of course, plenty of new books to check out!
Read on to find out what's happening in the Library this term!
NEW GRAPHIC NOVELS
Katie the Catsitter #3: Secrets and Sidekicks
What’s better than BFFs? Super sidekick BFFs! Katie can’t wait to have Beth join her for sidekick training! Until . . . it turns out Beth might be a way better sidekick than Katie! And now Beth and Marie are hanging out all the time, Jess is acting super weird, and Katie still needs to tell her mom about being a sidekick. Oh yeah, and giant robots are attacking the city. So. That’s not great.
Can Katie and 217 super-unusual cats work together to save the city (and seventh grade)? Or is Katie about to be in super trouble? Bonus: includes instructions to make your own friendship bracelet!
Sweet Valley Twins #3: Choosing Sides
No matter what Elizabeth does she can't stop her best friend, Amy Sutton, from trying out for the Unicorn Club's cheering squad. Elizabeth is sure that the Unicorns are going to steal Amy away from her but when it is revealed that Jessica and the rest of the Unicorns don't want Amy, what should Elizabeth do? The Unicorns will do anything to keep Amy off the squad! Can Elizabeth stand by and watch Amy get hurt? And if Elizabeth takes Amy's side against the Unicorns does this mean she'll be taking a stand against her own twin sister?
Spooky Story Competition
Can you write a Spooky Story in TEN WORDS or less?
How to Enter:
- Craft a chilling tale in ten words or less.
- Submit your spine-tingling story by October 28th.
- Winners will be announced on Halloween! 👻
Prizes Await!
There will be a "goodie bag" for the best story in the following year levels:
🎃 Year 5/6
🎃 Year 7/8
🎃 Year 9-12
Will your story send shivers down our spines?
Submit your stories to library@ahs.qld.edu.au with the subject line “Spooky Story Competition.”
NEW FICTION
The Beast of Buckingham Palace
It is 2120 and London is in ruins. The young Prince Alfred has never known a life outside Buckingham Palace - but when strange goings-on breach its walls and stalk the corridors in the dead of night, he is thrust into a world of mystery, adventure and monsters. And when his mother, the Queen, is dragged away to the Tower of London, Alfred must screw up his courage and battle to save her, himself and the entire city.
Adventures Unlimited: The Land of Lost Things
Hey, you - yes, YOU!
Remember the time we went to the Land of Lost Things to look for my lucky rabbit's foot and then we got lost too?
That was one of our most exciting, surprising and knuckle-headed adventures ever.
What? You don't remember? Well, have I got a story for you!
It all started like this . . .
The Best Witch in Paris
Luna rides a battered old broom that keeps crashing itself into the school pond. She has a witch’s hat and wand and sometimes she’s quite good at magic, but she isn’t completely sure that she’s a real witch. When she swaps her moonstone ring for an Australian boobook owl in the Lost Forest, the mysterious bird seller makes her promise to keep the bird hidden for as long as she can. This is not easy when you live with very inquisitive aunts. And it’s not easy when you find out that the fearsome Madame Valadon, the Best Witch in Paris, is missing her boobook owl and she’s sure that Luna knows something about it.
Snow & Rose
Snow and Rose didn't know they were in a fairy tale. People never do. . . .
Once, they lived in a big house with spectacular gardens and an army of servants.
Once, they had a father and mother who loved them more than the sun and moon.
But that was before their father disappeared into the woods and their mother disappeared into sorrow.
This is the story of two sisters and the enchanted woods that have been waiting for them to break a set of terrible spells.
Whatever After: Abby in Oz
Abby, her two friends Robin and Frankie, and the annoying Penny, are in their treehouse arguing about what to do for their special school project when a tornado appears out of nowhere, scoops up the treehouse, and transports them all to the land of Oz, where they are soon confronted by Wicked Witch of the East (who is very much alive, and rather angry), and must save a story that is going completely sideways - all because of the evil Gluck.
Bravepaw and the Heartstone of Alluria
Ella at Eden: Puppy Rescue
Ella's class are given a new opportunity to help the community through their Service-Learning project, and Ella is excited to be assisting at the Morningside Animal Shelter. She immediately bonds with a dog named Luna, and has a bunch of ideas for the shelter's special adoption day. But when Ella overhears something that makes her fear for Luna's future, she knows she must do whatever it takes to help Luna find her forever home.
11 Ruby Road: 1925
It is 1925 and Bert Mueller and his German-Australian family have moved from Ipswich to their new house at 11 Ruby Road. Bert’s father has been deported to Germany after the Great War, and with Dad still absent, Bert is unsure about moving away. But the city means opportunity and jobs for his mother and older siblings. And for the grown-ups, it also means fun - dressing up, going out, and all that jazz. Bert loves jazz too, but he’s too young for the clubs, and instead his time is spent at his new school where the kids play cricket, not music.
The Thames & Tide Club: The Secret City
Clem and her friends Ash and Zara are members of the Thames and Tide Club! Every weekend they go mudlarking by the river, searching for treasures that have washed up on the shore. Clem has found old things, new things and a whole heap of rubbish. But one day, she finds something really special. Something magical that belongs in the river and must be returned to its rightful owner … or else. Before they know it, the Thames and Tide Club are on the weirdest, wildest, underwater-iest adventure they could possibly have imagined on a mission to save Underwater London!
Spirals & Stars
Its 1993. Beth McMaugh is eleven years old and about to start her final year of middle school. Her best friend since kindergarten is Ashlee, but Ashlee is changing. She wears surf brand clothes now, and watches teenage TV and knows all the words to all the songs by Girlfriend and Peter Andre. Beth is terrified of losing her when they get to senior school, but Ashlee assures her that grade six is going to be the best year ever. On the first day, though, Beth enters her new homeroom to find Ashlee sitting with Kristy, Abbi and Nikki – the popular girls. The mean girls. What is Beth going to do?
Small Acts
There are people everywhere who need help, who might seem okay on the outside but aren't on the inside. People whose whole entire day can be changed ...
Josh wants a friend but he doesn't know how to find somewhere to belong ...
Ollie wants to express herself but doesn't want to be noticed ...
Small Acts introduces two kids with great hearts who know that helping others can start with one small act of kindness. Josh has a plan to start with just that. So does Ollie. What Josh and Ollie don't know yet is that they need each other to make their plans work.
Six Summers of Tash and Leopold
Alytash and Leopold - Tash and Leo - are neighbours who used to be best friends, but aren't anymore, for reasons that Leo doesn't entirely understand. But now it's the last week of Year Six and Tash is standing in Leo's front yard with a misdelivered letter - and a favour to ask. It's a request that will set off a chain of events in their little crescent in Noble Park, a suburb that is changing, and fast. As they solve an unfolding neighbourhood mystery and help Ms Shepparson, a reclusive neighbour with a tragic past, Tash and Leo each has to confront fault lines in their own recent histories and families. They will discover that friendships can grow and change, that bravery takes many forms, and that, most of all - whatever the future holds - friends and family are what matter.
Spooky Storytelling on Halloween!
Thursday 31 October
Join us in the Reading Cave at lunchtime to hear some spooky tales! Remember to eat before you arrive. No food or drink (except water) is to be brought into the library.
Makerspace
Don't forget that Makerspace is open every day before school and at lunchtimes!
Take a look at what you can make this term.
Friday Writers' Club
Calling all budding writers!
Come to The Forum every Friday lunchtime this term for fun activities held by the library's own resident author, Mrs Pickering and kickstart your creativity.
Trick 🎃r Treat?
How many spooky symbols did you find throughout this newsletter? Email the correct answer to: library@ahs.qld.edu.au for a treat!
References
Images for books are sourced either from the author's websites or are book and film covers, used as permitted under copyright for promotion. Other images were created by the author using Canva.
Ghosts reading books image from Design by Humans. 👻
About AHS Library
Blog: All Hallows' School Library (allhallowsschoollibrary.com)
Instagram: @ahsbrisbanelibrary
Email: Library@ahs.qld.edu.au
Website: https://allhallows.libguides.com/home
Location: 547 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley QLD, Australia
Phone: 32309531