Kids Blog

 Does your dad ever make tea? Can your dad cook? Has your dad ever given you takeaways for tea? Dad’s Takeaways by Melanie Drewery is a special book about a dad and his children’s special tea! Yum, fish and chips!

The youngest sailors ever to represent New Zealand at an Olympic Games have been selected for the New Zealand Olympic Team to compete in the Olympics in Beijing 2008. Carl Evans and Peter Burling are New Zealand’s top 470 performers and were named to the team. At just 17 years old the pair have impressed selectors with a string of top performances at all the recent major international events.  Most recently they finished 11th at the 2008 470 World Championships in Melbourne (there’s a clip of a 470 race). The pair stepped up to the 470 class less than twelve months ago from the 420 where they were reining World Champions! Wow! What do you think of that? Here’s a page from their diary in 2007. Peter was 6 years old when he started sailing and 8 when he started racing! Imagine going to Beijing at 17! Melbourne at 16! Let me know what you think. Let me know if you play any sports, like or go sailing, or are working towards any sporting competitions. . . .Do you want to go to the Olympics one day

Jacqueline Wilson’s new book My sister Jodie is receiving fantastic reviews around the world, especially from 11 year old girls, who say it’s the best book ever.

The book’s about two sisters, Pearl and Jodie, who move with their parents to live at an old fashioned, posh boarding school. Jodie is usually the popular one with lots of friends, but at the new school it’s Pearl who does well while Jodie has trouble fitting in. Then something tragic happens…

Make sure you get to read My sister Jodie as soon as possible! Reserve it now, and let us know what you think!

When Vikings died they believed they would go to Valhalla, where they would spend their afterlife. Before Christianity, Valhalla was the Viking eternal paradise, like Heaven. Valkyries were warrior-women goddesses who searched battlefields for dead heroes. Warriors who had died bravely would be carried by the Valkyries to Valhalla. There they would be welcomed to the afterlife by the god Odin, with whom they would feast every night.

Vikings would be buried with everything that they would need to have in the next world. The richest would be buried with ships that were filled with clothes, weapons, furniture, horses, dogs, and even servants. The ships were then covered with earth in funeral mounds, or burnt in a funeral pyre. Vikings were also buried with treasure, known as grave goods.

Check out KC Web for more info about Vikings.

Stupendous amazing excitement! Meg Cabot, author of the Princess Diaries plus lots of other amazing books, has just published a new book. Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls is the first book in a new series about Allie Finkle, a girl who likes rules but isn’t so crazy about everything else. It’s awesome! And it even has its own website. So does Meg Cabot.

There are some new instalments of your favourite series coming out in the next few months (reserve them now!):

Queste (Septimus Heap) by Angie Sage (April 2008). Septimus goes on a quest to find the House of Foryx and rescue Nicko and Snorri. But what is this House of Foryx?

Outcast (Warriors) by Erin Hunter (May 2008). Jaypaw, one of Firestar’s grandchildren, is captivated by an ancient prophecy and the power it holds.

The Crossing of Ingo (Ingo Adventures) by Helen Dunmore (May 2008). The fourth and final book in the Ingo Adventures quartet. Sapphire, Conor, Faro and Elvira are ready to make the Crossing of Ingo, but noone has ever attempted it, and Ervys and his mates are going to make sure they won’t make it.

The Spook’s Mistake (Wardstone Chronicles) by Joseph Delaney (July 2008). Tom is sent north to be trained by Bill Arkwright, another spook. The Fiend sends his daughter, a water witch called Morwena, to destroy Tom and a series of mistakes mean that Tom might be left to face his enemies alone…

Artemis Fowl and the Time Paradox (Artemis Fowl, of course) by Eoin Colfer (August 2008). Artemis’ mother is ill, and Artemis must do many genius things in order to save her, which isn’t beyond a boy genius (we hope), especially if he’s got the help of super-fairy Holly Short (as long as she can put up with him). I see that there’s going to be an Artemis Fowl movie coming out soon, so watch this space!

A Giant Problem (Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles) by Tony DiTerlizzi (September 2008). The second book in the “Beyond” series. According to the internet, Spiderwick will be in Florida (United States) for this story. Sounds interesting. Have you seen the Spiderwick movie? Was it truly scary?

The ten most fantastic books for March have been selected. From Schooled to Encyclopedia Horrifica, The Hound of Rowan to Pirates Drive Buses - and of course a couple of classic Roald Dahl books – we’ve got a very cool list, so well done and thank you to everyone for sending in your reviews (and keep sending them!)

Looking for something good to read? Check out the following books which Storylines has said are the best junior fiction books published in New Zealand in 2007.

Snake and Lizard by Joy Cowley, illustrated by Gavin Bishop.

The Mad Tadpole Adventure by Melanie Drewery, illustrated by Jenny Cooper.

The Dumpster Saga by Craig Harrison.

Shadows in the Ice by Des Hunt.

Dead Dan’s Dee by Phyllis Johnston.

What Happened that Day by Marie Langley.

Taking Off by Janice Marriott.

Yo, Shark Bait! by Vicki Simpson.

Archie’s Adventures by Leonie Jayne Thorpe.

The Great Chocolate Cake Bake-off by Philippa Werry.

What do you think is the best New Zealand book published last year? Or just the best book?

Olympic ‘Wunderkind’ Tom Daley is only 13. He is one of the youngest ever Olympic qualifyers. He is going to Beijing this year to compete in diving for Britain. Wow! Imagine being 13 and competing in the Olympics! Click on his name and it takes you to a picture of him and a video clip of his diving. For his profile from last year, 2007, have a look here. Make sure you have a look at him diving and tell me what you think. If you want a book on the olympics check out Modern Olympic Games by Haydn Middleton. Remember to watch the clip and let me know what you think!

Hello all you BookBusters, I hope the reading is going well this year. Come back and check often for heaps of awesome book recommendations and take a look at our new Kids’ Choice page for the best of the best!

Don’t forget to check out your special BookBusters page – you might even see yourself in a photo some time…