Book Week 2015
"To learn to read is to light a fire" Victor Hugo
2015 Theme: BOOKS LIGHT UP OUR WORLD
Byron Bay Writers Festival - Tuesday 4th August 2015
Book Week - 22nd -28th August 2015
Book Week Parade - Thursday 27th August
Pig the Pug by Aaron Blabey
Scary Night by Lesley Gibbs & Stephen Michael King
A House of Her Own by Jenny Hughes and Jonathan Bentley
Snail and Turtle are Friends by Stephen Michael King
Monster Chef by Nick Bland
Our Island by Alison Lester and Elizabeth Honey
Rivertime by Trace Balla
My Two Blankets by Freya Blackwood
The Duck and the Darklings by Glenda Millard and Stephen Michael King
The Stone Lion by Margaret Wild and Ritva Voutila
Fire by Jackie French and Bruce Whatley
Tea and Sugar Christmas by Jane Jolly and Robert Ingpen
Bleakboy and Hunter stand out in the rain by Steven Herrick
Jesse is anything but bleak, but he wears black, so who would know? His new alternative school trends toward positivity, calls buildings and teachers by their first names and is low on control.
Bleakboy and Hunter Stand Out in the Rain is full of funny moments, mysteries that don’t want to be solved and growing friendships.
Going Bush with Grandpa by Sally \morgan and Ezekiel KwayMullina
Peter sets off with his Grandpa to go gold prospecting in the bush. Everything they do and see is out of the ordinary for urban dwellers. Even country kids will find some unexpected fun with this Grandpa. For a start, there are no tents.
The Adventures of Stunt Boy and his Amazing Wonder Dog Blindfold by Lollie Barr
HE'S A BOY WHO DOES STUNTS.
Someone was out to get my dad.
Everyone said it was an accident but I didn't believe them, not even for a second...
and Stunt Boy is going to prove it.
Withering by Sea by Judith Rossell
The Simple Things by Bill Condon
Two Wolves by Tristan Bancks
The grandfather answers simply, ‘The one you feed.’
ACTIVITY SUGGESTION
Using the light bulb template found here print off and make available for students to write brief comments about a book which has 'lit up their world'. Take some time beforehand to brainstorm what this means. Each student who recommends a book can have their photo taken to accompany their 'light bulb'. Display on a wall in the library and students can speak about each to the class.
HOW TO WRITE A BLURB
Writing a BLURB – lesson plan idea
What is a blurb?
On back covers of books there is usually a summary which attempts to get the reader interested.
What makes a good blurb?
•They are short in length.
•They use attention-grabbing words and phrases.
•They tend to use question and exclamation marks.
•They often use three full stops at their ends (an ellipsis) to leave the reader asking questions...
]
Read out this suggestion for a blurb for Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer:
"There's a new master criminal on the scene, 12-year-old Artemis Fowl. Kidnapping a fairy starts out easy for Artemis, but he soon discovers he's taken captive Captain Holly Short. She's part of an armed and extremely dangerous LEPrecon Unit. Artemis should be able to handle things as long as they play by the rules..."
Ask students:
•Which bits appeal to children?
•Which bits appeal to adults?
•Which bits appeal to both?
Find further examples from the class' reading books to act as inspiration.
Students write brief attention-grabbing blurbs for their Book Week Class Book. They should be aimed at engaging children their own age. Each should be no more than fifty words in length. More able writers could be given the challenge of completing each in exactly fifty words.
Once drafted, the blurbs could be written on card to stand beside each book and be decorated in the style of each novel.
Another idea?
Students write an acrostic blurb or book review using the title of the book. For example, for Lord of the Rings:
L - Long journey to destroy the ring.
O - Overpowering magical forces.
R - Riding over dangerous ground.
D - Dark and emotional tale.
O - Only one hobbit, Frodo, given the ring.
F - Friends help him as 'The Fellowship'.
T - Timeless fantasy world.
H - Help comes from unexpected places.
E - Evil battles good along the way.
R - Risking their lives, the hobbits start their quest.
I - Isengard is the home of Saruman the wizard.
N - Nearly a thousand pages long.
G - Gandalf the Grey helps Frodo decide what to do.
S - Sauron is the evil one who made the ring and wants it back.