castles

New Back to school Non Fiction reads at the library!

Katie

The holidays are at an end. With school and winter rolling around the corner, it looks like the blues are about to set in. But have no fear, here’s another selection of new junior non fiction to enhance your knowledge base and make sure you ace at all your school subjects.

Enjoy

image courtesy of synedticsThe Kids’ Money Book.

Get smart with money while you’re still young! Fun, and informative, this useful guide can help put you on the path to managing your money, from earning it to saving, spending, growing and sharing it. Also features information about the financial crisis, bitcoin, and identity theft.

 

image courtesy of syndeticsThe recorded poems of Och Aye the G‘Nu.

He’s a handsome young calf, he’s a wildebeest, too. But in Scotland they call him young Och Aye the G’Nu… Jimmy Barnes, Aussie rock legend and grandad, has penned this delightful collection of poetry for the young grandson he affectionately calls G’Nu… Read along with Jimmy in this treasured keepsake for sweet g’nus everywhere.

 

image courtesy of syndeticsPocket Change: Pitching in for a better world.

This book explores how growing a cabbage can fight poverty, how a few dollars can help ten families start their own businesses, and how running errands for a neighbor can help you learn to become a bike mechanic. It asks the question “What if you could meet all your consumer needs while, at the same time, get to know your neighbors and protect the environment?

 

image courtesy of syndeticsAdrift at sea: A Vietnamese Boy’s Story of Survival.

“Tuan and his family survive bullets, a broken motor, and a leaking boat in the long days they spend at sea after fleeing Vietnam. A true story as told to the author by Tuan Ho. Includes family photographs and a historical note about the Vietnamese refugee crisis”– Provided by publisher.

 

Cimage courtesy of syndeticsastle.

A beautiful book that showcases and contains text and detailed drawings follow the planning and construction of a “typical” castle and adjoining town in thirteenth-century Wales.

5 fun new children’s fiction books to kick off your springtime reading

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Spring has sprung! The weather can be a bit mucky – sunny one day, raining the next. So it’s a good idea to have some awesomes reads on hand in case you need some emergency entertainment while waiting for the sun to shine. Try these new fiction books:

 

The Whispers of Wilderwood Hall by Karen McCombie

Ellis is losing track of time … Following her mother’s marriage to a famous rock star, Ellis moves to a crumbling old mansion in the wilds of Scotland. Far away from her friends and familiarity, she finds waves of anxiety rolling in and threatening to capsize her. But when she finds herself whisked back to the world of 1912 where she meets lonely servant girl Flora, Ellis finally feels like she’s home. But living in the past might not be as perfect as it seems … and is there more to hope for in the present than she first thought?

 

 

Image courtesy of Syndetics

The Castle of Inside Out by David Henry Wilson

Lorina, a young schoolgirl, is led by a black rabbit through a wood to a magical land. There she finds a race of green people, who are all overworked, starving and suffering from the toxic fumes billowing out of a nearby castle. She decides to gain access to the castle for the poor green people, and within its walls she meets the “insiders”, selfish creatures who hoard all the resources and treat the outsiders as slaves. Her quest leads her to encounter the bureaurat, the superviper, the farmadillo and, eventually, the awful Piggident himself.Will she be able to save the green people from the cruelty of these “insiders”?

 

 

Image courtesy of Syndetics

How to Beat Genghis Khan in an Arm Wrestle by Nick Falk and Tony Flowers

Join three friends as they use their imagination, settle playground scores and alter the entire course of history in the process! Big bully Zachary Black has stolen the awesome comic that Sid has spent hours drawing. Zachary sets Sid a challenge – beat him in an arm wrestle and the comic is his once again. Sid’s evil-genius neighbour, the Mighty Professor Skeletron, calculates Sid’s chance of victory as one in ten, so they create a Time Rescrambler in order for Sid to take the challenge ten times… and eventually win! But catastrophe strikes when the rewind button jams and the boys, along with Sid’s little sister, Wendy, are transported back to the time of the Mongol Empire. To make matters worse, the device falls into the hands of a fearsome warrior. Will they save the world, or will life as we know it no longer exist?

 

 

Alanna the First Adventure; Song of the Lioness #1Image courtesy of Syndetics by Tamora Pierce

Eleven-year-old Alanna, who aspires to be a knight even though she is a girl, disguises herself as a boy to become a royal page, a learning many hard lessons along her path to high adventure.

 

 

 

Image courtesy of Syndetics

The Spy Who Loved School Dinners by Pamela Butchart

Izzy is really pleased to have been put in charge of the new girl at school. Matilde is French, and Izzy and her friends can’t wait to show her their den and its moth, and to help her avoid school dinners (also known as poison). But Matilde LOVES school dinners and even has seconds! And that’s when they know. Matilde is a spy and she has come to find out their secrets. They must stop her before it’s TOO LATE!!!

 

 

 

Epic mysteries are fun!!!

wcl staff

Have you ever been wandering around an old castle or a crumbling mansion? Did you hear the stories of the past told by  its ruins or its demolished walls? Did anything odd happen to you that you felt you were going on an adventure?

If so, here is a bunch of medieval-royal-epic mysteries you might enjoy… !

The water Castle, by Megan Frazer Blakemore

Ephraim Appledore-Smith is an ordinary boy living an ordinary life. But all that changes when his father suffers a stroke, and his family moves to the Water Castle – their ancestral home in the small town of Crystal Springs, Maine.

Mallory Green’s ancestors have always been the caretakers of the Water Castle – and the guardians of its magic. She’s been raised to protect the legend of the Fountain of Youth, rumored to exist on the grounds. But ever since her mom left, she’s stopped believing in magic.

When Ephraim learns of the fountain, he’s sure finding it can cure his dad. With Mallory and Will’s help, Ephraim embarks on a mission that brings them deep into their families’ shared history, through every mysterious room in the Water Castle, and on a quest that will blur the lines between magic and science, creativity and discovery, leaving you to wonder: DO YOU BELIEVE IN THE UNBELIEVABLE???

8 and +

Story’s end, by Marissa Burt

Long ago, a King ruled the land of Story… During his reign, Heroes, Villains and characters of all kinds lived out tales filled with daring quests and epic struggles.

Then the king disappeared, and over the years, nearly everyone forgot that he had ever existed. Now an evil Enemy has emerged, determined to write a new future for Story that he will control. And an ordinary girl named Una Fairchild is inextricably tangles up in his deadly plan…

9 and +

 

Thrice upon a Marigold, by Jean Ferris

Once… Twice… Thrice the fun!

There’s always trouble on the way to happily-ever-after in Zandelphia-Beaurivage, but don’t tell King Christian and Queen Marigold. They’ve just welcomed little Princess Poppy to the royal family. Life at the palace seems happier than ever- until the princess is kidnapped by the kingdom’s ex-torturer-in-chief and ex-poisoner-in-chief as an act of revenge!

Rescuing the princess from the bad guys won’t be easy- it might take the king, the queen, the royal guards, a librarian, a blacksmith, a retired wizard, a white elephant, and a fire-breathing dragon! Can this royal kidnapping caper finally end in a happily-ever-after for all?

8 and +

 

 

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.