The magic school bus and the science fair expedition, by Joanna Cole ; illustrated by Bruce Degen
It is a story that Ms Frizzle and her class go back in time and meet some of the scientists, including Galileo.
5 stars
Reviewed by Victor from Karori and Karori West Normal School , 10 years old
The magic school bus and the electric field trip, by Joanna Cole ; illustrated by Bruce Degen
It is a story where Ms Frizzle and her class go into a power plant and figure out how electricity is made and how it goes through the wires. (It is very interesting.)
5 stars
Reviewed by Victor from Karori and Karori West Normal School , 10 years old
The magic school bus inside a hurricane, by Joanna Cole ; illustrated by Bruce Degen
It is a book that Ms Frizzle and her class go into a hurricane and learn a lot about it. It is very interesting.
5 stars
Reviewed by Victor from Karori and Karori West Normal School , 10 years old
Charlotte’s web, E. B. White ; illustrated by Garth Williams
I like to the book because it had a piglet in it and, it was a very entertaining book . There are some parts that are a bit sad so I would rate rate it eight and up. It is a very good book👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
5 stars
Reviewed by Millie from Miramar and Seatoun School , 11 years old
The magic school bus : inside the Earth, by Joanna Cole ; illustrated by Bruce Degen
It was interesting because they went inside the earth and did not die. From that book I learnt one kind of rock floats. It was so so funny that a girl knocked a boy’s head saying this rock is very hard .
4 stars
Reviewed by Miki from Johnsonville and Rewa Rewa School , 7 years old
The magic school bus inside a hurricane, by Joanna Cole ; illustrated by Bruce Degen
This book is just amazing I learnt so much about hurricanes just by reading the book. this book is amazing and can easily teach anyone about hurricanes in under 30 minutes.
4 stars
Reviewed by Gaurav from Johnsonville and Raroa Normal Intermediate , 11 years old
Swan Lake : a retelling of the classic ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Anne Spudvilas
Were the pictures painted?
5 stars
Reviewed by Angela from Johnsonville and Amesbury School , 8 years old
Christmas is coming to the Capital and to the library! Why not get into the Christmas spirit and check out the amazing Christmas themed books and DVDs we have in our collection in between Christmas shopping and life! The countdown to Christmas and the end of 2019 is on!
Check out the following:
What’s Christmas? Find out with…
Learn what Christmas is, and how it is celebrated. Learn about the religion of Christianity, and what Christmas means to its followers.
Learn about prayers and carols, Santa Claus and his reindeer, and traditional decorations and gifts. Also learn about festive Christmas foods and traditions of giving to charity at Christmas.
Some handy ideas for Christmas Crafts:
Need some ideas on making Christmas cards, decoration and gifts? Why not check out books such as:
100 things to recycle and make.
Provides step-by-step, illustrated instructions for crafts made with everyday materials, including egg cartons, sticks, and cardboard tubes.
From baking Christmas pudding sweets to creating hand-printed angels. These projects include how to make a pop-up polar bear card, a snowman paper chain or glittery decorations. Two pages of stickers are included and each project is accompanied by simple step-by-step instructions and an illustration or photograph of the final creation.
This book explores the festival of Christmas and the story behind it and features six simple origami projects for your own festive fun! The book shows how people around the world celebrate Christmas both in church and at home. Attractively designed, its simple text and wonderful full-colour photos make this an essential book for children celebrating or learning about the festival. The origami activities are accessible to all and are explained with step-by-step illustrations. Your fantastic creations can be used as decorations for the festival, for presents, to impress your teacher for a Christmas school project or simply to wow your friends!
Read stories about Christmas or Christmas themed:
Picture Books:
With all the excitement of Christmas approaching, it’s no surprise that Marley, the loveable pup with a nose for trouble, wants to get in on the action. Anticipating his very first snowfall and Santa’s arrival, Marley jumps in to help his family every way he can. But Marley, being Marley, always ends up on the wrong side of right.
From Cameron Williams and Matthew Martin comes a hilarious and energetic story about the worst Christmas present ever.
How the Grinch stole Christmas!
When the grumpy Grinch tries to steal Christmas from the citizens of Who-ville, he realises there’s more to it than presents and tinsel!
When Simon sees a competition in the newspaper for the best decorated Christmas house, he is keen to enter it. His mother says she can’t afford expensive lights and decorations. So Simon decides to decorate their caravan in his own way.
Late one Christmas Eve, a boy boards a mysterious train that waits for him- the Polar Express bound for the North Pole. When he arrives, Santa offers him any gift he desires. The boy modestly asks for one bell from the reindeer’s harness. It turns out to be a very special gift, for only believers in Santa can hear it ring.Liam Neeson’s gravitas lends the story just the right sense of magic and possibility in the book and CD edition.
There are just a few days to go before Christmas, and everyone’s busy putting up decorations, preparing food and getting ready for the big day. Then comes the shock news – Santa’s cancelled Christmas. Santa had so many disasters last year that he can’t face it again, and he’s quit. The elves try everything, but they can’t get him to change his mind. In this Aotearoa Christmas picture book, the kids come up with a clever plan and amazing gadgets to get Christmas back on and Santa back in the sleigh delivering presents.
Chapter Books:
A cup, a compass, a key: the magic tree house has brought siblings Annie and Jack to Camelot, where they embark on a mysterious mission to find these enigmatic gifts. In this special hardcover addition to the bestselling Magic Tree House series, the young adventurers must travel to the Otherworld, an “ancient, enchanted land beyond the edge of the Earth, the place where all magic began” to save Camelot from dark wizard Mordred’s evil spell. If they fail, Camelot will be forgotten forever. Fans of the beloved, highly readable series by Mary Pope Osborne will rise to the challenge of this longer, more complex companion to her other titles, which include Earthquake in the Early Morning and Twister on Tuesday. As in every story in the sequence, Jack and Annie bravely plunge into their quest, learning about a culture and time very far removed from their own, and prove once again that children can make a difference.
A Christmas carol by Geronimo Stilton.
Ebenezer Scrooge is a cranky old mouse who is only concerned with his business and making money. Scrooge thinks Christmas is just a waste of time. But on the night of Christmas Eve, he is visited by three ghosts who take him on a journey through his past, present, and future. His experience could change him forever and teach him the true meaning of Christmas!
The Christmasaurus and the Winter Witch.
One year has passed since William Trundle’s incredible adventure with the most extraordinary dinosaur: the Christmasaurus. Now, William is swept back to the magical North Pole, where he meets a mysterious witch – whose power to control time allows Santa Claus to make the long journey all around the world every Christmas Eve. And when they learn that the fate of Christmas itself hangs in the balance, William and the Christmasaurus must work with the Winter Witch to protect it.
Quentin Blake’s A Christmas carol.
A beautiful edition of the timeless Christmas classic. A Christmas Carol is the book that defines the Christmas spirit. Ebenezer Scrooge, a mean-spirited miser, is visited by three ghosts one Christmas Eve. The ghosts show Scrooge the true value of Christmas: charity, good humour and love for his fellow man.
Stuck inside? Try some Christmas movies:
When the McCallisters went on holiday they forgot eight year old Kevin. When two bungling burglars break into the house Kevin outwits them.
A re-telling of the classic tale about a grumpy old creature living in a cave on Mt. Crumpet who can’t stand to see his neighbors in Whoville enjoying themselves. Things are especially bad at Christmas, when the Whos kick their merriment into high gear with fantastic celebrations. This year, the Grinch decides to dress up like Santa Claus on Christmas Eve and steal all the Christmas gifts and decorations so the Whos can’t enjoy the season. What he finds, however, is that Christmas in Whoville is much more than gifts and decorations, it’s a time to celebrate love and friendship.
Santa Claus does not exist. Or does he? For one doubting boy (voice of Daryl Sabara and Tom Hanks), an astonishing event occurs. Late on Christmas Eve night, he lies in bed hoping to hear the sound of reindeer bells from Santa’s sleigh. When to his surprise, a steam engine’s roar and whistle can be heard outside his window. The conductor (voice of Tom Hanks) invites him on board to take an extraordinary journey to the North Pole with many other pajama-clad children. There, he receives an extraordinary gift only those who still believe in Santa can experience.
When an evil spirit known as Pitch lays down the gauntlet to take over the world, the immortal Guardians must join forces for the first time to protect the hopes, beliefs, and imagination of children all over the world.
Olaf teams up with Sven on a merry mission. It’s the first holiday season since the gates re-opened and Anna and Elsa host a celebration for all of Arendelle. When the townspeople unexpectedly leave early to enjoy their individual holiday customs, the sisters realise they have no family traditions of their own. So, Olaf sets out to comb the kingdom to bring home the best traditions and save this first Christmas for his friends.
Check out the movie trailer for Frozen II!
Not Christmas, but just as amazing and new to the Childrens DVD collection is…
The Lion King is finally at WCL! Why rent the DVD… rent the original film this Christmas and relive the class tale of Simba, a delightful lion cub who is heir to the throne of the pride lands. However, when Simba’s father is killed… by Simba’s treacherous uncle, Scar, poor Simba, feeling guilt ridden lion cub flees into exile until the moment where he must confront his uncle and reclaim his identity , as well as destiny as the future King. Another movie trailer filled with (wild) animals and cute baby animals!!!
And coming soon to movie theaters…
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, produced, co-written and directed by J. J. Abrams. It will be the third installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, following The Force Awakens (2015) and The Last Jedi (2017), and the ninth and final episode of the main Star Wars film franchise.
“The saga comes to an end”… on December 19th 2019, and from the looks of this trailer, they definitely saved the best for last.
To get into the spirit of a Kiwi Christmas, relive the magic of Kiwi Christmas song, Summer Wonderland so you can sing along and take part in the festive cheer while strolling through a summer wonderland. To recap, Summer Wonderland is a Kiwi spin on a much beloved classic Christmas carol Winter Wonderland, with a lyrical twist for the Southern Hemisphere and recorded for Air New Zealand. This Christmas carol really showcases and beautifully captures the spirit and essence of a Kiwi Christmas of tucking into ham and pavlova, playing cricket, mozzie spray and tan marks. Check it out!
On behalf of the staff at Wellington City Libraries, we would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy new year!
The haunting, Margaret Mahy
This book is about a boy called Barney and he starts getting haunted. He and his sister try to find out who is haunting him, and they find out about a lost great uncle and a strange and mysterious family past. Is the haunting something to do with Barney being magic? Or something else?
4 stars
Reviewed by Robin from Island Bay and South Wellington Intermediate , 12 years old
The Penderwicks at Point Mouette, Jeanne Birdsall
This book is the third in a series called The Penderwicks. It is about three sisters and their friend Jeffrey and their dog Hound. They go to stay at a place called Point Mouette. I would reccomend this book to people aged 7-12. Five stars.
5 stars
Reviewed by Robin from Island Bay and South Wellington Intermediate , 12 years old
