Book of the Year Winners

At the start of Book Week on Monday, the winners of the Book of the Year awards were announced by the Children’s Book Council of Australia. The winners were:

Older Readers – ‘This is How We Change the Ending’ by Vikki Wakefield

Set on the fringes of society, Nate McKee is a vulnerable sixteen-year-old trying to keep himself afloat. With a dangerous father at home and his friend Merrick dragging him into fights on the street, Nate's life is tough. Add to this that Nate has never forgiven his mother for leaving. But Nate is a warrior and a writer and he puts his thoughts to paper in secret at the local youth centre, a centre that has just been threatened with closure. This is a story about beating the odds that will have you cheering for Nate.

Younger Readers – ‘The Little Wave’ by Pip Harry

When a Manly school sets out to bring a country class to the city for a beach visit, three very different kids find each other and themselves. Noah is fearless in the surf. Being at the beach makes him feel free. So where does his courage go when his best mate pushes him around? Lottie loves collecting facts about bugs, but she wishes her dad would stop filling their lonely house with junk. She doesn't know what to do about it. Jack wants to be a cricket star, but first he has to get to school and look after his little sister. Especially if he wants to go on the class trip and see the ocean for the first time.

Early Childhood – ‘My Friend Fred’ by Frances Watts and Anny Yi

A picture book about a friendship between an exuberant but loveable dachshund and his more retiring, tidy housemate. My friend Fred eats dog food for breakfast. I think dog food is disgusting. My friend Fred howls at the moon. I don't know why. He does a lot of funny things. But even though we are different, Fred is my best friend.

Book Week Celebrations

Thank you to everyone who helped make Book Week a great success. We loved seeing all the wonderful costumes and feeling the buzz of excitement around campus. Our petting zoo for Kindy to Year 2 children was also a lot of fun, with goats, sheep, rabbits, guinea pigs, ducks and chickens for the students to pat.

Our lunchtime activities were very popular, particularly the virtual reality and the dark room, where students had to guess which curious creatures were inside. Students made monster bookmarks and animal head bands, sculpted creatures out of clay and had their photo taken in the photobooth.

Ms Nell Keen, Head of Library