Bookmarks

Junior Readers

‘Ollie and Augustus’ by Gabriel Evans

Starting school can be scary, especially if you have to leave your best friend behind. Before setting off for his first day at school, Ollie attempts to find his dog Augustus a new friend. This delightful picture book is perfect for young readers who have just started or returned to school. It’s also perfect for animal lovers and parents who don’t mind a chuckle while reading aloud to their bookworms.

Activity Idea: once you have read this book, take a walk around the neighbourhood and see how many different dogs you can spot. Are they big, or small, white like Augustus or some other colour?

If you like this, try: ‘Daisy and the Puppy’ by Sara Acton ad Lisa Shanahan.

Middle Readers

Reader favourite Raina Telgemeier is back with ‘Guts’, her next semi-autobiographic graphic novel. Raina thinks an upset stomach is just a bug, but when it sticks around while she’s dealing with the ins and outs of friendships and worries about school, she thinks there might be more to the story. With bright illustrations, this graphic novel is sure to thrill fans of ‘Smile, Sisters, and Drama’ and appeal to readers who know exactly how hard school can be sometimes. 

If you like this, try: ‘The Baby Sitter’s Club’ graphic novels. 

Senior Readers

This week’s recommendations are all about getting back to school and you can’t beat ‘Can’t Beat The Chemistry’ by Kat Colmer for some academic-based fun. Music, chemistry, hate-to-love romance and great character development, ‘Can’t Beat The Chemistry’ is a fun and light-hearted young adult realistic novel about growing up and looking past first judgments. MJ is finishing her final year of high school while also taking two university courses. It’s all part of her mother’s plan for her to become a doctor. MJ would rather study genetics but after the falling out between her mother and brother, MJ knows better than to deviate from the plan.

If you liked this, try: ‘It Sounded Better in My Head’ by Nina Kenwood.

Ms Madison Dearnaley, Teacher Librarian