The Library Scoop

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!

How to Enter:

1. Craft a chilling tale in ten words or less.
2. Submit your spine-tingling story by October 28th.
3. 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.”

True tales of crimes so bizarre you might not believe them. The mysterious disappearance of thousands of false teeth, international travel via the postal system, doughnut delivery heists, clowns terrorising a neighbourhood, the theft of a three-storey-high replica mango, criminal clairvoyants making off with haunted cash: could crime get any weirder, and could people get any stupider?

What happens when the Zusaks open their family home to three big, wild, pound-hardened dogs - Reuben, a wolf at your door with a hacksaw; Archer, blond, beautiful, deadly; and the rancorously smiling Frosty, who walks like a rolling thunderstorm? The answer can only be chaos: there are street fights, park fights, public shamings, property trashing, bodily injuries, stomach pumping, purest comedy, shocking tragedy, and carnage that needs to be seen to be believed... not to mention the odd police visit at some ungodly hour of the morning. There is a reckoning of shortcomings and failure, a strengthening of will, but most important of all, an explosion of love - and the joy and recognition of family.

Piper Manning survived the apocalypse. Barely. She recovered from the virus that killed millions, but it left behind a new, uncontrollable power that's forced her to isolate herself from others — for their sake. Then an injured boy shows up at her mountain hideaway. And what hurt Seth is out to get her, too. Now she's on the run, risking everything for a shot at an actual future. But to get there, she'll have to trust a stranger, control her abilities … and face her ghosts. Because the end of the world was just the beginning.

The battle for Camp Jupiter is over. New Rome is safe. Tarquin and his army of the undead have been defeated. Somehow Apollo has made it out alive, with a little bit of help from the Hunters of Artemis. But though the battle may have been won, the war is far from over. Now Apollo and Meg must get ready for the final - and, let's face it, probably fatal - adventure. They must face the last emperor, the terrifying Nero, and destroy him once and for all. Can Apollo find his godly form again? Will Meg be able to face up to her troubled past? Destiny awaits.

Seventeen-year-old Leopold Berry is seeing weird things around Los Angeles. A man who pops a tooth into a parking meter. A glowing trapdoor in a parking lot. A half-mechanical raccoon with its tail on fire that just won't leave him alone. Every hallucinatory moment seems plucked from a cheesy 1990s fantasy TV show called Max's Adventures in Sunderworld and that's because they are.

Don't be deceived by Northaven's prettiness, by its white-wash houses and its sea views. In truth, many of its townsfolk are ruthless hunters. They revile those who have developed songlight, the ability to connect telepathically with others. Anyone found with this sixth sense is caught, persecuted and denounced. Welcome to the future. Lark has lived in grave danger ever since her own songlight emerged. Then she encounters a young woman in peril, from a city far away. An extraordinary bond is forged. But who can they trust? The world is at war. Those with songlight are pawns in a dangerous game of politics. Friends, neighbours, family are quick to turn on each other... When power is everything, how will they survive?

Leander’s ritual at the island temple was meant to prevent a war between the gods. Instead, it nearly cost him his life, and drew the goddess Barrica back from exile. Now, as her Messenger, Leander is imbued with her deadly magic, and only Selly’s presence can stop it from consuming him.
But Barrica wasn’t the only immortal roused from sleep. The God of Risk, Macean, was awakened by an enemy all thought dead, and across the sea he’s calling for war.
The fight to save their world will take Selly and Leander from the gilded ballroom of the royal palace to the hallowed halls of an ancient library. Battle lines will be drawn, and bonds will break.
With the wrath of gods and the machinations of power-hungry rulers straining their loyalties, can their love withstand the trials that await them?

The Queen's Rising

Seventeen-year-old Brienna has been raised in Valenia -- the land of elegance, etiquette and learning. But her father, whose name is a mystery to her, was Maevan. Brienna has never set foot in Maevana, but knows it is a wild, windswept place, fiercely proud of its ancient heritage of magical warrior queens -- yet now trapped under the rule of a tyrannical king. Then Brienna begins to have visions: the inherited memories of a long-dead Maevan ancestor, who hid the legendary Stone of Eventide. It the Stone can be found, the rightful queen of Maevana may be restored to the throne. And Brienna has the power to do it.

The Queen's Resistance

Brienna Colbert is settling into life as the adopted daughter of the house of MacQuinn. But as the new queen's closest confidant she'll have to balance serving her father as well as her country. And then there's Brienna's old tutor, Cartier Éveriste... Cartier, now head of the once ruined house Morgane, is falling for Brienna, fast. With the trial of the old king rapidly approaching. Brienna and Cartier will have to put their love aside to ensure that no one halts the new queen's coronation. But resistance is rumbling among the old king's supporters, who are desperate to find a weakness in the united rebel forces. And what makes on more vulnerable than love?

Sixteen-year-old Lucy Hart has been counting the days till she can get out of Digger's Landing -- a small Queensland fishing hamlet home to fifteen families, a posse of mongrel dogs, and Parkers Corner Store (no apostrophe and nowhere near a corner). But just like the tides Lucy's luck is on the turn, and as graduation nears her escape plans begin to falter; her best friend, Polly, is dropping out of school to help pay the bills, and Tom has been shipped off to boarding school, away from the flotsam of this place. And then there's Lucy's nightlife, which is filled with dreams that just don't seem to belong to her at all. When the fish stop biting, like they did when her mum was still around, Lucy realises she isn't the only one with a secret.

The story of T.S. Garp, the illegitimate son of a feminist leader who is ahead of her time. A comic and compassionate coming-of-age story.

When Delilah meets Sawyer Saffitz (son of Anya Saffitz, aka Hollywood royalty), she becomes hooked on a decade-old scandal. In her quest for the truth, Delilah uncovers blogposts written by the mysterious “gottiewrites” and is soon caught up in a world of greed, fandom conspiracy theories and murder. And the deeper Delilah digs, the more dangerous it becomes, because someone is willing to kill to hide the truth.

If He Had Been with Me
If he had been with me, everything would have been different...
Autumn and Finn used to be inseparable. But then something changed. Or they changed. Now, they do their best to ignore each other.
Autumn has her boyfriend Jamie, and her close-knit group of friends. And Finn has become that boy at school, the one everyone wants to be around.
That still doesn't stop the way Autumn feels every time she and Finn cross paths, and the growing, nagging thought that maybe things could have been different. Maybe they should be together.
But come August, things will change forever. And as time passes, Autumn will be forced to confront how else life might have been different if they had never parted ways...

If Only I Had Told Her
If only I'd told her that I loved her years ago, then I wouldn't be here now.
Finn has always loved Autumn. She's not just the girl next door or his mother's best friend's daughter, she is his everything. But she's not his girlfriend. That's Sylvie, and Finn would never hurt her, so there's no way Autumn could know how he truly feels.
Jack, Finn's best friend, isn't so sure. He's seen Finn and Autumn together. How could she not know? And how is he supposed to support and protect Finn when heartache seems inevitable?
Autumn surrounds herself with books and wants to write her own destiny-but one doesn't always get a new chapter and fate can be cruel to those in love.
Told through three different perspectives, If Only I Had Told Her is a love story brimming with truth, tragedy, and the unexpected bonds that heal us.

Introverted, slightly anxious Astoria "Story" Herriot knows everything about Rome-her mom's an attorney here and the two of them are living la dolce vita... at least until Story's off to college in the fall.
But when Story is in the wrong gelato shop at the right time, she's swept up in a fake dating scheme with Scottish heartthrob, Luca Kinnaird, to protect his relationship with a pop princess. There's something in it for her, too-Luca promises to help fund a scholarship in her dad's memory. Soon she's showing Luca the best cafes, sightseeing at the Mouth of Truth, and picnicking at the ruins of the Abbey of Santa Maria del Piano. Story's travel guide skills are 10/10, but what she knows about being a celebrity-or having feelings for one? Zero.
Pretending to be Luca's guide-then his girlfriend-gets the paparazzi's attention . . . and what's true and what's fake gets blurry as their different worlds crash together. Sophisticated, hot, rich, and with the most charming accent ever, Luca is full of surprises. And maybe, too, is Story's perfectly planned future.
It's a fairy-tale romance in the Eternal City...will it have a fairy tale ending?

When Sid sets off on her annual summer holiday to the Shipwreck Coast, she’s desperate for some familiarity after a year of unwanted change. Two weeks with her best friend, Lou, is exactly what she needs. They can continue their search for the millions of dollars’ worth of riches that disappeared in a tragic shipwreck over a hundred years ago. But Lou has brought along her popular new school friend Hailey, who’s more interested in boys than treasure hunting. So while Lou is busy chasing Hailey’s approval, Sid is left scrambling to catch up, wondering when everything changed. Can Sid protect her heart from getting shipwrecked too?

Sure, it looks like an ordinary book. But it’s not. In this book, the pirates could actually end your adventure! You see, in this book YOU are the main character and YOU decide what happens next in the story. If you aren’t careful, you could find your story ending at the point of a pirate’s cutlass or walking the plank over shark infested waters! Or maybe you’ll discover that you’re the Pirate Captain, and rich beyond your wildest dreams. In fact, there are sixty-four different ways your story could end. Keep track of how many stories you’ve finished by using The Checklist at the back of the book. Then start a new story – either from the very beginning or jump right into a new adventure using the page numbers on The Checklist. Have courage - only the bravest reader will be able to solve all the mysteries of Cuttlefish Cove. You’ve been warned! Think carefully before you go any further. Do you have what it takes to Escape from Cuttlefish Cove?

An original novel based on the hit Netflix series.

Spring break in the Outer Banks, and the islands are swarming with rich tourists. JJ and John B plan a fishing getaway to the notoriously dangerous Frying Pan Shoals-- nicknamed "Graveyard of the Atlantic" for good reason. Soon after they set sail the friends run into the Savannah, who hitches a ride aboard the HMS Pogue when the weather worsens and her boyfriend leaves her stranded. As a violent storm sets in, the three realize the only place to safely ride out the squall is a creepy, abandoned hotel on the shoals' lighthouse platform. But the three teens soon realize they may not be alone.

Steve Wheeler is enjoying retired life. He does the odd bit of investigation work, but he prefers his familiar habits and routines - the pub quiz, his favourite bench, his cat waiting for him when he comes home. His days of adventure are over - adrenaline is daughter-in-law Amy's business now. Amy Wheeler thinks adrenaline is good for the soul. As a private security officer, she doesn't stay still long enough for habits or routines. She's currently on a remote island keeping world-famous author Rosie D'Antonio alive. Which was meant to be an easy job... Then a dead body, a bag of money and a killer with their sights on Amy have her sending an SOS to the only person she trusts. A breakneck race around the world begins, but can Amy and Steve stay one step ahead of a deadly enemy?

The man's body is found in the early morning light by a local dog walker in the park outside Rosebank, a home for troubled teens in the coastal village of Longwater. The victim is Josh, a staff member, who was due to work the previous night but never showed up. DI Vera Stanhope is called out to investigate the death, with her only clue being the disappearance of one of the home's residents, fourteen-year-old Chloe Spence. Vera can't bring herself to believe that a teenager is responsible for the murder, but even she can't dismiss the possibility. Vera, Joe and new team member Rosie Bell, are soon embroiled in the case, and when a second connected body is found near the Three Dark Wives monument in the wilds of the Northumberland countryside, superstition and folklore begin to collide with fact. Vera knows she has to find Chloe to get to the truth, and the dark secrets in their community that may be far more dangerous than she could have ever believed possible.

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.

See below for this Term's Workshops - don't forget to sign up at the Front Counter!

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.

How many spooky symbols did you find throughout this newsletter? Email the correct answer to: library@ahs.qld.edu.au for a treat!

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. 👻

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