Hey guys, have you ever wanted to take Batman’s Batmobile for a spin? Well now’s your chance. The Batmobile Owner’s Manual puts you directly inside this state-of-the-art vehicle. It has every detail of the Batmobile, including never-before-seen blueprints and diagrams of its infant phases of design. So kick the tires (beware the antitheft deterrents), grab the wheel (provided you have thumbprint indentification approval), and take it for a test spin down the streets of Gotham City!
IncrediBots.com is a website with robot games you can play – you can do challenges like drive a tank, launch a catapult, construct a car-bot and other cool stuff. I’m really bad at it but I’m sure you’re excellent!
More on robots: have you checked out Robots! Draw Your Own Androids, Cyborgs & Fighting Bots by Jay Stephens? This book will show you all you’ll need to know about how to draw robots. Have a look and then impress your friends with your robot art.
If you’re more into building than drawing then there’s Making Robot Warriors from Junk by Stephen Munzer. Here you can learn about making robots using everyday household items. You can even fit lights and buzzers to your robot to make it more, well, robot-like.
So what did kids do when they got bored while they were learning to read and write in the 13th century? Pretty much what kids do now, really! Archeologists discovered some drawings done by a Russian boy called Onfim who lived in Novgorod in the 12th or 13th century. He drew pictures of his friends, himself as a warrior in battle, and with his dad. (Warning: because this is a freeserve site it has pop up adverts.)
If you’re interested in History, check out the “Explore History” option on the kids’ catalogue for heaps of books and information.
Today is the 20th birthday of bungy jumping! 20 years ago people jumped off the Kawarau Bridge for the first time. People must have thought they were crazy, but we’re still doing it! The bungy cord was invented by AJ Hackett, check out this book for more information about him.
Two books that have been enthusiastically recommended to me are The Inventors and sequel The Inventors and the City of Stolen Souls. They are written by British author Alexander Gordon Smith and his kid brother Jamie Webb. They are an exciting read full of action, adventure, fantasy and some science fiction. Two inventive friends win a scholarship to attend an amazing institution run by a famous inventor. All is not what it seems and when they try to leave…
Famous in pirate legend, The Spanish Main was the Spanish Empire’s territory in the “New World” of North and South America.
Discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492, The New World contained vast amounts of treasure belonging to the Aztec and Inca empires in what is now Mexico and Peru.
Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, large amounts of gold and silver were shipped back to Spain.
This new-found treasure drew pirates and privateers. In their desire for wealth, privateers would often attack ships of any nation, instead of only enemy ships. To avoid raids, treasure ships would travel in convoys of up to 100 galleons.
From the gold and silver of the New World, the Spanish minted doubloons and pieces of eight. This became the currency of pirates.
Football – or, as we usually call it, Soccer - has become a really popular game in New Zealand, with loads of new kids taking up the sport. Even if you have never played in a team I’m sure you have kicked a ball around with your friends at the park and have had lots of fun doing so. Football the Ultimate Guide is a great new book which tells you all about the history, the culture, the players and teams. From Beckham to Beckenbauer to Maradona, discover how it all began – plus why do they call it the beautiful game?
I have recently been addicted to the Boobela and Worm series by Joe Friedman because it really draws you in with such heart warming and funny stories. It’s about a friendship between two very opposite characters, one large and one small. The colourful and wonderful illustrations also add to the reading enjoyment. If you’d like to have a go try some titles in our catalogue like:
The book also has a website you can check out which is pretty interesting: www.boobela.com. I had loads of fun when I checked out the site and learned some funny facts about the beginnings of the book. Why don’t you check it out as well?
Do you often find yourself making doodly figures or characters sometimes? Or would you like to create a cartoony character but don’t know how to go about it? Why don’t you try some cartooning books in the library? Draw Cartoons by Noel Ford, Pete Dredge, Steve Chadburn has loads of stuff that can help you create a wacky character of your own. It shows you basic techniques in drawing cartoons plus some exercises to help you practice your new found cartooning hobby. Go on have a go, who knows your character might be the next big thing in the cartoon world!
Hey guys, have you ever wanted to take Batman’s Batmobile for a spin? Well now’s your chance. The Batmobile Owner’s Manual puts you directly inside this state-of-the-art vehicle. It has every detail of the Batmobile, including never-before-seen blueprints and diagrams of its infant phases of design. So kick the tires (beware the antitheft deterrents), grab the wheel (provided you have thumbprint indentification approval), and take it for a test spin down the streets of Gotham City!
