Kids Blog

Hey, do you know about the 39 Clues books? Are you interested in unlocking the secrets of the world’s most powerful family and winning prizes? If you are, we’ve got eight game card packs to give away – they’ll help you with your clue solving! All you have to do is write a two line, rhyming poem with the title “The 37th Clue”. For example:

The 37th Clue

The secret of the 37th clue,

Can be found inside a banana coloured blue.

But I’m sure your poems will be much better than that! So, write a comment here* including your poem (you must have a Wellington City Libraries library card) and the first eight will get a 39 Clues game card pack. Cool!

* Before the end of November 2008!

Did you know that there are 28,000 species of fish known to exist and that new species are being discovered every year. If you would like to check out some really Freaky Fish, then take a look at the fish in this book. The Viperfish are among the fiercest predators of the deep. It has sharp fanglike teeth that are so long that they do not fit inside its mouth, but curve back close to the fish’s eyes and boy is it ugly.  Or what about the Swordfish – its long sharp bill which looks like a sword is at least one-third of the fish’s length. It has even been know for Swordfish to push their swords through the sides of small boats, so watch out next time you go fishing.

Hi Guys, check out the fifth fabulous Horrid Henry book called House of Horrors. It has ten of his best previously published stories with great colour pictures and lots of brilliant extras, including Henry’s secret language, the photos his family don’t want you to see, and secrets about Mum and Dad. It’s a must read.

It’s Halloween this Friday: October 31st! So get dressed-up in your ghoulish gear and head over to Karori Library for some fun. From 3.30 to 5.30pm there will be creepy crafts, freaky face painting and ghastly games. So see you there… if you dare.

Gavin Bishop has written some really neat books… you may know some of them. The house that Jack built, Little Rabbit and the sea, Mrs McGinty and the bizarre plant, Rats!, Stay awake, Bear!, and so many others. Guess what? He’s now written a book about when he was growing up. Find out about him! It’s called Piano rock : a 1950s childhood, I wonder why it’s called that?! I can’t wait to read it!

Bonjour! Comment allez-vous?

Free French clases for children will be held at the Wellington French Event on Sat 1st Nov and Sun 2nd Nov at Chaffers Marina at Oriental Bay. Head along to try some yummy french food and learn a new language while you’re there! You can impress your friends at school with some cool new lingo!

You can head to http://www.nzlive.com/nzlivecom/french-event-08 for more details.

Hey guys,

Ever wondered what to call a group of ants, donkeys, apes, or elephants are called? No? Well check this out anyway!

Christchurch City libraries have done all the hard work for you and have sussed out what to call different groups of animals from a troop of giraffes to a parcel of hens.

You can have a giggle at more strange names here- http://christchurchcitylibraries.com/Kids/Animals/Groups/

Looking for something to do this long weekend? Well, look no further than Te Papa and Earth Rocks 2008! So, what is Earth Rocks then? It’s a three-day natural-disaster event. There will be heaps to see and do, especially…

Fun activities with Suzy Cato

Rescue helicopter demonstrations (cool!)

Displays of fire engines and emergency vehicles

First aid demonstrations

Quizzes, competitions, prizes

And much more!

Sound good? Well check out the full timetable (.pdf) for more info or just rock up to Te Papa!

If you want to learn more about natural disasters, check out some of these books in the library.

One of my most favourite books has to be Sarah, plain and tall by Patricia MacLachlan. I just read another one by her recently called Edward’s eyes . I like her books because she has often put alot of thought into the story – they are often sad stories that resolve in a very special way. They make you think about families and the people who are special in your life…..Here’s some other books by her….Read one and let me know if you like it!

Hey, do you enjoy reading books about dragons? If you’re a dragon fan or the parent of a dragon fan you might like to check out some of the fiction books mentioned in this article in The Times by Amanda Craig. She examines stories about dragons, good and bad, and for all ages, from Cressida Cowell’s stories about Hiccup and Toothless (see book cover for catalogue link) through to the classic Earthsea books by Ursula le Guin. It might give you some ideas!