book reviews

Top 10 Childrens comics March 2016

Dusty

=^^= The feline world meets the animated in this month’s leader board, featuring Garfield and Chi’s Sweet Home. Garfield is famous for translating our needs for sleep-ins and delicious food, thanks to the talents of Jim Davis.  Davis grew up on a farm in Indiana, USA with 25 cats!. New Writers and other illustrators now help to keep the whole shebang rolling on.  Did you know that Garfield has a world record for being the most syndicated cartoon ever?!

1. Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz
2. Big Nate, by Lincoln Peirce
3. Pokémon, by Hidenori Kusaka
4. Garfield, by Jim Davis and Mark Evanier
5. Asterix, by Goscinny and Udzero
6. Adventure time, by Ryan North
7. Amulet, by Kazu Kibuishi
8. Chi’s sweet home, by Kanata Konmai
9. My little pony, by Ted Anderson
10. Uncle $crooge and Donald Duck, by Don Rosa

Hey Kids! Write a review – win prizes. It’s Easy Peasy.

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kidsclub-sidebarCheck out the library Kids’ Club – it’s an online place where you can find out what other kids have been reading and what they think of the books, and where you can write your own reviews. But did you know that every person that has written those reviews received prizes for them? You can too! Each review you write earns you prizes that you can collect from your library. It’s fun, easy and free.

(Keep an eye out for the Kids’ Club Summer Reading Challenge – where there are heaps more cool prizes up for grabs. Starts in December)

Click over to the Kids’ Club webpage to get started.

Looking for something to do?

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How does earning prizes for writing book reviews sound? You read that correctly! All you have to do is grab a book, read it, go to our Kids’ Club webpage, write a review of the book, and click on submit.

Your review will be published online for the whole world to see. Even better – you will earn a prize after writing your first 2 reviews, and then for every 5th review from then on. Really thoughtful reviews might be picked to win extra cool prizes. We’ll send you an email when you’ve earned a prize and let you know when it’ ready to be picked up from your local library.

If you’re stuck for something cool to read, why not have a look though all the recently written reviews? These are reviews written by kids, for kids, and about kids books. So you can really find out what people your age think about them.

Give Kids’ Club a go – it’s really fun.

Read, review and win!

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We all know you love to win prizes, and here’s a really simple way to do it – write a Kids’ Club review!

All you have to do is read something, write a review about it, and you’ll automatically win prizes. The reviews are published online for the whole world to see too -cool!

You’ll get a prize after writing your first 2 reviews, and then after every 5th review from that point on. We’ll send you an email when you’re due a prize, which are available to pick up from your local Wellington City Library.

 

We also have extra special prizes for thoughtful and well written reviews.

 

So what are you waiting for? Get reading, get reviewing and start winning!

Love reading? Love winning prizes?

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Then you’ll love Kids’ Club!

Kids’ Club is simple – you don’t have to join or register, it’s free, and anyone aged between 5-12 years old with their own Wellington City Libraries card can do it.

All you have to do is read, review and WIN!

READ: any book, magazine, comic

REVIEW: write a review, whcih will be published on the reviews page of this Kids Blog for everyone in the world to find and comment on.

WIN: you automatically win prizes for your awesome reviews. Any reviews that are particularly thoughtful or inspiring may also win extra special prizes and go on the Kids home page.

 

 

Not sure what to read? Why not check out the reviews that other kids have written, and then write your own review of it. If you like (or disagree) with someone’s opinion, then feel free to write a comment on their review (you can do this by clicking on the green ‘comments’ link at the bottom of each review on the blog).

A closer look at history: New non fiction

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Usborne encyclopedia of ancient Egypt

Many books about ancient Egypt focus on Mummies and pyramids, which is a pity because, obviously, the history of an empire that lasted from  1096BCE to 30BCE is much richer than that.  This book encompasses over 1000 years of history, not only focusing on the great Pharaohs, but what everyday life was like for the poorer members of Egyptian society.  There are sections on everything from the Egyptian army to medicine to beauty care.  There are plenty of links to useful websites, as well as a few timelines; one lists the pharaohs in chronological order, the other gives a chronological look at Egyptology and how its changed over the centuries.  This is certainly one of the most through books on ancient Egypt we have in our collection, and a great book for school projects.

 

Stephen Biesty’s Cross-Sections: Castle

This book is a classic and for good reason. As a close look at castle life during the medieval period it’s yet to be bettered. The cross sections of the various parts of the castle are intricately detailed, with explanations of what’s happening in different parts of the drawing. They’re also quite funny; try to spot the sneaky spy and the castle inhabitants getting up to all sorts of things, many of them not exactly appropriate to the situation!  The book manages to be both very informative and extremely fun. As well as the cross sections there are plenty of things like the feudal system, clothing and warfare.  This is THE book to read if you’re at all interested in Medieval castles.

 

 

Deadly days in History

Terry Deary has been writing the Horrible History books for twenty years, and to his credit, they’re still as interesting and funny as they’ve ever been. Rather than focusing on one specific country, this is a look at the days in world history that have been particularly bloody.  True to his established pattern, he doesn’t just stick to Western History; he also looks at the Sepoy and Boxer rebellions, as well as the Battle of Isandlwana.  He also isn’t biased towards any particular group; everyone involved has their savagery discussed.  It’s a great book, even by Terry Deary’s high standards, and well worth reading if you like your history both balanced and gory.

 

 

 

Bones never lie: How Forensic science helps solve history’s mysteries

One of the strangest parts of learning about history is how evolving scientific techniques of the present help us better understand the mysteries of the past. Forensic science is used to solve modern day murders, but it also has its uses in working out just what happened. For example, did Napoleon die of natural causes or was he murdered? Did the Grand Duchess Anastasia survive the massacre of her family by Communists? This book works hard to debunk various theories and explains the science behind each of the conclusions.  But it also takes the time to look at each of the other theories in turn, and treats each one with equal weight.

 

 

New Non-Fiction to inspire you

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The Hugo movie Companion

Hugo was an amazing film that came out in 2011 that won five Oscars. It was based on a book called The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick. This brilliant book shows how you take an incredible book and make it into award winning film. This book is more in depth than your average movie guide. It includes not only interviews with the director and main cast members but also the costume, hair and set designers, as well as the cinematographer and the camera operators. So not only is it a great guide to a brilliant film, it’s also an excellent insight into the film making process.

 

 

 

 

Toy Story: the art and making of  the animated film

This is another great book that takes a close look at the making of a movie, Toy Story. It was groundbreaking back when it was released (1995!) and this book takes you through how a CGI movie is conceived and then animated. There’s lots of cool concept art to look through, and you can see how the story and the character designs changed over time.  It’s a must-read for Pixar fans.

 

 

 

 

 

Star Wars Clone Wars: the visual guide to the ultimate battles

If you loved the Star Wars animated series, you’ll love this book. It discusses all the major battles in the series so far, as well as having some extra information on the characters themselves.  It doesn’t go into the making of the series, but for information about the story it can’t be beaten.

 

 

 

 

 

Knights and Castles

Although this book is aimed at young readers, it contains some useful information about what life is like for a medieval knight and how he tried to live his life. It’s interesting, but takes a bit of an optimistic view of knights. If you’re a bit older you might want to look at Terry Deary’s Horrible History book.

 

 

 

 

Rescuing Gus

Melissa Wareham always wanted a dog. So when she grew up she started working at Battersea Dogs Home, the oldest and most famous dog shelter in England.  There she meets “Gus” a part husky mongrel who’s had a bit of a rough start in life. So she adopts him, and tries to make sure he has the best life possible. Hard when he gets into a lot of trouble! This is a great book for those who are thinking about adopting pets.

 

 

 

 

 

Martha Stewart’s Favourite crafts for kids

This is a great little book that will teach you how to make 175 cool projects; everything from Terrariums to gingerbread houses.  The instructions are clear, and there’s a picture of everything you need to make the project, so everything’s easy to make.  We’ve recently gotten a whole heap of craft books: Art Lab is a cute book for preschoolers, Crafts for accessorising that look for  the fashionistas, and another ‘bumper’ book of crafty activities, 100 fantastic things to make, do, and play.

 

 

 

 

 

 

New non-fiction: books for younger readers

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First illustrated Science dictionary

This is a great little book for younger readers who are curious about how the world works. It’s beautifully illustrated, and the information is presented in a clear, simple way.  It talks about everything from cells to the stars, and is a great introduction to scientific concepts.

 

 

 

 

 

Black Holes

If the Illustrated Science dictionary has sparked your interest in black holes, this is the book you want to read next.  It’s simple, clear and if you get stuck, there’s a glossary of words at the back.  Plus there are some great pictures that take you through how Black Holes work.

 

 

 

African Myths and Legends

All cultures tell amazing stories about the past. This is a great little collection of myths and legends from all African cultures.  Gods, heroes and trickster spirits all have their own special stories, depending on where they come from. If you liked this book, you could check out other myths in our collection.

 

 

 

 

 

Make it!

If you like crafts and want to save the planet, this book is filled with awesome projects that will help you do just that. All of these are pretty easy, but very fun, so you probably won’t need Mum or Dad looking over your shoulder when you make toys out of odd socks or rocket ships from milk bottles.

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to your awesome Robot

This book is a lot like Make it! except you’ve got one project to focus on; making a robot costume out of an old cardboard box. Sounds boring? Well, it isn’t. There’s plenty of ideas here about how to customise your ‘robot’ as well as a cool comic strip showing how a kid (with a bit of help from Mum) made theirs. It’s not your average craft book.

 

 

 

 

Shipwrecks

What exciting things can be found beneath the sea? Mankind has been sailing the seas for centuries; but occasionally, things go wrong, and all sorts of ships end up on the ocean floor. It’s not just about the treasure; shipwrecks

 

 

 

 

New Non-Fiction : Big Books of interesting facts and things to do

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Star Trek : The Visual Dictionary

Like it says on the cover, this really is the ultimate guide to characters, aliens and technology of Star Trek.  It’s almost been 50 years since Star Trek first appeared on television, so there’s a lot to include! It doesn’t look at the more recent movies, but for all the old school tv series and movies, you can’t beat this book.

 

 

 

 

 

Houses of long ago

This has to be one of the coolest books we have in the library.  It’s got gorgeous pictures of different houses through history; from the Chinese courtyard house to the medieval English manor. Each picture of the house has small flaps you can lift to see inside the houses and learn all sorts of interesting facts about how people lived in the past.

 

 

 

 

Cook it step by step

With over 100 recipes, this is a pretty extensive cook book that could teach you how to make pretty much anything. There are lots of pictures that take you through each recipe, and there’s some great information on basic cooking techniques as well.  It’s a great book for a beginner cook, but there’s plenty healthy, delicious recipes in here that anyone could make.

 

 

 

 

The Great Big Book of Feelings

What do you do when you feel jealous? What things make you sad? What do you do when you feel satisfied? This book doesn’t have all the answers, but it will make you think about the hows and whys of your feelings and what to do when they cause you trouble.

 

 

 

 

 

RHS Garden Projects : loads of fun things to do and make in the garden

If the weather holds up, there’s plenty here to keep you entertained in your backyard. Or you could keep them in mind for the warmer weather. At any rate, this is a fantastic book full of awesome projects.  They’re divided into three sections: “make it”, “cook it”, and “create it.” There’s plenty of instructions on when to make the projects, as well. My favourite project is making a fairy ring for your garden…just ask your Mum or Dad first!

 

 


The Big book of Big machines

If you’re a nut about all sorts of movers, diggers, flyers and cars then this is an excellent choice.  It’s got lots of fold out pages, so you can appreciate just how big these machines are. It doesn’t go into much detail about exactly how these machines work, but there’s enough information to give you a pretty much basic understanding of what the biggest machines are and what they do.

 

 

 

 

 

Animal diaries: Tyrannosaurus Rex

This is an unusual book that’s told from the perspective of a Tyrannosaurus Rex who hatches from an egg shortly before the end of the dinosaurs.  The reader stays with him as he grows up, and learns all about how young t-rex dinosaurs learn to hunt, how they live in their family groups, and all the other creatures they would have interacted with. Which were not necessarily dinosaurs and not necessarily food! It also looks at what survived after the meteorite and why. If you find the mighty meat eater a bit much, there’s also a really cool book from the same series told from the point of view of an elephant.