Edward the Magnificent came to Karori Library for a magic show a couple of weeks ago, and about 88 people were indeed amazed – there are still people talking about the card trick at the end! Thank you to everyone who braved the cold weather to come out that evening, we’re hoping Edward will come back in the future when he says he’ll have even more tricks to show you all – we will let you know!
Everyone is sad when Old Hu-Hu dies, but little Hu-Hu-Tu is the saddest of all. Sad and confused. Where has Old Hu-Hu gone? Why isn’t he here? Hu-Hu-Tu asks his friends, but their answers are strange and confusing. Hu-Hu-Tu is alone and inconsolable. But as the sun dawns on a new day, Hu-Hu-Tu reaches an understanding about Old Hu-Hu’s death. Hu-Hu-Tu realises he must live life to the fullest, just as Old-Hu-Hu would have wanted him to do.
Right now you can find Hu-Hu-Tu all set for a new adventure at Johnsonville Library. He has been crafted by students at Churton Park school. Check out Hu-Hu’s enormous eyes and long antennae , he looks just as though he has stepped out of the book – but in giant size!
by Fiona Markwell
Tawa and Miramar Libraries will be hosting the Books Go Arty exhibition for another few days. Come and read the books written by Kyle Mewburn and see the sculptures inspired by his books. Scavenger Hunt game, Crafty Kyle Competition, jigsaw puzzles, special story times… Don’t miss all this fun!
In the current context of international tensions, isn’t it a good time to pick some good new fiction that will make you think, understand and reflect on important issues such as war, refugee and society crisis?
Alexander Altmann A10567, by Suzy Zail 
Fourteen-year-old Alexander Altmann doesn’t need to look at the number tattooed on his arm. A10567: he knows it by heart. He also knows that to survive Auschwitz, he has to toughen up.
When he is given the job of breaking in the commander’s new horse, their survival becomes intertwined.
Alexander knows the animal is scared and damaged, but he must win its trust. If he fails, they will both be killed.
Age 10 and +
My brother’s secret, by Dan Smith
Twelve-year-old Karl is a good German boy. He wants his country to win the war – after all, his father has gone away to fight.
But when tragedy strikes and his older brother Stefan gets into trouble, he begins to lose his faith in Hitler. Before long, he’s caught up in a deadly rebellion.
Age 10 and +
Refuge, by Jackie French
When a boat carrying a group of asylum seekers is sunk by a freak wave, Faris wakes from the shipwreck in an Australia he’s always dreamed of. There are kangaroos grazing under orange trees and the sky is always blue. On a nearby beach, Faris meets a group of young people who have come from far different times and places.
They are also seeking refuge, and each has their own story of why they had to leave their country to make a new life for themselves. It is only when Faris chooses to return to “real life” and find his father in Australia that he learns the extraordinary truth about the friends he made on the golden beach.
Age 10 and +
Valentine Joe, by Rebecca Stevens
Rose goes to Ypres in Belgium to visit the graves of those who died in the Great war. There, the name of one boy stays in her mind: fifteen-year-old Valentine Joe.
That night, Rose hears marching and when she looks out of her window, she sees a young soldier…
Age 10 and +
KISS KISS! on the right cheek, KISS KISS! on the left cheek…. YUCK! YUCK! cries Andy who just can’t escape Auntie Elsie’s sloppy kisses fast enough. Andy hides from Aunty Elsie in the most ingenious places, but Aunty Elsie always finds him, and delivers another two fat, sloppy smooches every time.
But one day, Auntie Elsie doesn’t visit. Andy realizes that perhaps the sloppy smackers weren’t quite so bad after all…
Come and see Newtown School’s brilliant 3D sculpture of Andy and Auntie Elsie at Miramar Library, where it will be on display until August 21st. They are part of Wellington City Libraries “Books Go Arty With Kyle Mewburn” children’s sculpture exhibition. The amazing Newtown School sculptors have smothered Andy and Auntie Elsie in bright red sloppy kisses. They have used papier mache, cardboard tubes, bamboo garden sticks and many more to show the warm and special relationship between the two.
by Fiona Markwell
Check out the photos of last week amazing event “Books Go Arty” at Central Library. Kyle Mewburn came all the way from Central Otago last Tuesday and Wednesday to meet the classes who had created sculptures based on his books. Classes from Karori Normal, Clifton Terrace, Newtown and Mount Cook had the chance to meet Kyle Mewburn, ask him lots of questions and play a Scavenger Hunt game. The sculptures based on Blue Gnu, Dinosaur rescue, Duck is stuck, Chick is sick, A crack in the sky, Melu, Kiss Kiss Yuck Yuck were honored by their creators…
Come along to these upcoming events at Kilbirnie library…
This Thursday 26th June at 3.30pm, the wonderful Kilbirnie School Kapa Haka Group is coming in to perform waiata for Matariki.
On Tuesday 1st July at 10.30am, Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngā Mokopuna will be presenting a Matariki play.
Come along and celebrate Matariki with us! And don’t forget you can listen to Te Huihui o Matariki read online (in English and Te Reo) on our Downloads page.
The great escape, by Judy Brolin
Meet Archie the cat, Sparky the mouse and Flo the bird – three pets built by a brainy professor to be the perfect robo-friends!
But without him, their quiet life is turned upside down. The mechanical marvels are forced to leave their house and use all of their special robot powers to survive the dangers of the outside world!
The right base for a robot is hard to find, but could a school full of children be the new home they are looking for?
Age 8 and +
Game of clones, by M.E. Castle
Fisher Bas was able to track down his gone-Hollywood clone – two- but only with the help of Amanda Cantrell. Now “Three” and Dr. X remain on the loose. If Fisher is going to stop his secret from getting out, he’ll have to figure out a cover for his brother clone and keep Three from helping Dr. X take over the world.
Easier said than done, though. Two’s true identity can no longer be concealed after a disastrous school dance, and then crazy things start happening at Wompalog Middle School. Turns out Three has come to Palo Alto bent on eliminating Fisher and Two. The boys will have to join forces with their friends and an unlikely ally- with hilarious consequences – to stop Three and his clone army. The future of Fisher and Two’s hometown depends on it.
Age 9 and +
Opal Moonbaby forever, by Maudie Smith
Martha’s best friend is an alien. Opal Moonbaby can move things with her eyes, make popcorn fountains, and travel all over the world in her very own spaceship. Martha can’t imagine life without her.
But Opal’s time on Earth is almost at an end. They have one final summer together. So why is Opal acting so strangely all of a sudden?
A madcap story of friendship, fun- and aliens!
Age 8 and +
The story of Owen, dragon slayer of Trondheim, by E.K.Johnston
Valiant at heart, hopeless at algebra, last in a long line of legendary dragon slayers. Though he had few years and was not built for football, he stoof between the town of Trondheim and creatures that threatened its survival.
There have always been dragons. As far back as history is told, men and women have fought them, loyally defending their villages. Dragon slaying was a proud tradition.
But dragons and humans have one thing in common: an insatiable appetite for fossil fuels. From the moment Henry Ford hired his first dragon slayer, no small town was safe. Dragon slayers flocked to cities, leaving more remote areas unprotected.
Such was trondheim’s fate until Owen Thorskard. At sixteen, with dragons advancing and his grades plummeting, Owen faced impossible odds – armed only with a sword, his legacy, and the classmate who agreed to be his bard.
Age 10 and +
Evening storytimes will be happening again at Cummings Park library (Ngaio) and Karori library! Here’s your chance to wear your snuggly pyjamas to the library!
Details are…
When: The second week of the every month, Monday at Cummings Park Library (Ngaio) and Thursday at Karori Library.
Time: 6.30-7pm
Who: All 5-10 year olds and their families are welcome
What: Come along and listen to some stories!
See you there!
How are you feeling now that you are back at school? Ready for new challenges? Are you getting confident with reading short stories all by yourself? If so, this selection of easy chapter books will be perfect for you!
Spooky house, by Sally Rippin
Billie and her friends have started a Secret Mystery Club! There’s just one problem – they don’t have any mysteries to solve. But then Billie thinks of the spooky house at the end of her street. She has always wondered who lives there. Is it a witch or a ghost?
It is up to the SMC to find out!
Age 7 and +
Stink it up! A guide to the Gross, the bad and the smelly, Megan McDonald
Stink has a nose for yuck and muck, and this book is full of it: moose-poop festivals, mouse-brain toothpaste, maggot cheese, and more.
The pages are packed with more than two hundred facts and bits of trivia about things that are gross, bad, and smelly – loads of P.U. served up just for YOU!
Age 7 and +
Thea Stilton and the Spanish dance mission, by Geronimo Stilton
The Thea sisters are visiting friends at a lively festival in Spain. But the theft of a precious fan turns their trip into an investigation! They end up hot on the trail of a secret treasure… but they’re not the only ones searching for it. Can the mouselets solve the mystery in time? It’s a mission full of flamenco dance!
Age 7 and +
Lulu Bell and the Cubby Fort, by Belinda Murrell
Lulu and her family are visiting their uncle’s farm for the Easter holidays. There are horses to ride, a creek to swim in, and they can even sleep outside in a tent. What fun!
Lulu loves being a cowgirl on the farm, especially when all the cousins decide to build the best cubby fort ever. But when she sees a calf get stuck in the mud, Lulu has to find help – fast!
Age 7 and +
