Lit Club Term 2 Week 1

The  Book we introduced this week was ...
From British author Frank Cottrell Boyce—the beloved, award-winning, bestselling author of Millions and Cosmic—comes another hilarious, heartbreaking, and enjoyable childrens novel.    
"Filled with humour and likeable characters, this was a gripping read from start to finish."
Find out why it's not easy being green in the hilarious story from Frank Cottrell Boyce: The Astounding Broccoli Boy! Rory Rooney likes to be preparedfor all eventualities. His favourite book is Don't Be Scared, Be Prepared, and he has memorized every page of it. He could even survive a hippo attack. He knows that just because something is unlikely doesn't mean it won't ever happen ...But Rory isn't prepared when he suddenly and inexplicably turns green. Stuck in an isolation ward in a hospital far from home with two other remarkably green children, Rory's as confused by his new condition as the medics seem to be. But what if it's not in their genes, or a virus, or something they ate? What if turning green actually means you've turned into a superhero? Rory can't wait to make it past hospital security and discover exactly what his superpower might be


Can you work out from the clues below 
what classic childrens book this is ?….

•   This book was written in in 1881 but published in 1883 by a Scottish Author.)

• ·     This book was SET (PLACE)  ·on ,an island off the coast of “Spanish America” (an unnamed carribean Island)

• ·     The inspiration for this book comes from the authors son who had made up  and drew a map of an imaginary island.

• ·     It is a narrating a tale of "buccaneers and buried gold" by the narrator teenager Jim Hawkins .

• ·     It is one of the most frequently dramatized of all novels. and has been adapted to live thatre , film and tv.

• ^· This book has had a major influence on popular perceptions of pirates such elements as treasure maps marked with an "X", schooners, the Black Spot, tropical islands, and one-legged seamen bearing parrots on their shoulders.   This Childrens Book is called .......Check out the clip below 

Alice in Wonderland 150 years on

This year is the 150th anniversary of the publication Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Siobhan organised some questions for us based on this today.

Lewis Carroll is a pseudonym - what does this mean?

a fictitious (made up - not real) name, especially one used by an author, sometimes called a pen name.

What is Lewis Carroll's real name?

Charles Lutwidge Dodgson better known by his pen name, Lewis Carroll was an English writer, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer.

How did Alice get to Wonderland?

She fell down a hole while chasing the white rabbit.

What was unusual about the Queen's game of croquet?

She used flamingoes for croquet clubs and a hedgehog for a ball.

What is the sequel to Alice in Wonderland?

Alice in Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass

Study these questions - there will be a fun quiz at Lit Club next week just on Alice in Wonderland!

Alice in Wonderland Characters 

	Mad Hatter A small impolite man who lies in a perpetual tea time. The character enjoys frustrating Alice.
	Alice The seven year old who believes the world is orderly and stable, and she has an insatiable curiosity about her surroundings. Wonderland challenges and frustrates her perceptions of the world.

George's Secret Key to the Universe

We also introduced a series of books written by Lucy and Stephen Hawking. These books are a great mix of fiction and non-fiction - you can learn about the universe while enjoying a fun story about George and his friends and family.

Looking back on Valentines Day

Saturday was Valentines Day which prompted us to look at books about love. Book written about love come under the Romance category.

Often books about love will have hardship as part of their plot. A recent example of this was A Fault in Our Stars written by John Green. "Love against all odds."

Summary

The Fault In Our Stars is a fabulous book about a young teenage girl who has been diagnosed with lung cancer and attends a cancer support group.

Hazel is 16 and is reluctant to go to the support group, but she soon realises that it was a good idea. Hazel meets a young boy named Augustus Waters. He is charming and witty. Augustus has had osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, but has recently had the all clear.

Hazel and Augustus embark on a roller coaster ride of emotions, including love, sadness and romance, while searching for the author of their favourite book. They travel to Amsterdam in search of Peter Van Houten the author of An Imperial Affliction. While on their trip Augustus breaks some heartbreaking news to Hazel and both of their worlds fall apart around them.

Another example of a love story (classic this time) is Romeo and Juliet written by William Shakespeare.

My Dog Doesn't like me - Elizabeth Fensham

Today we introduced a different type of love story - a story about a boy and his love for his dog.

Eric is very disappointed in the dog he got for his eighth birthday.  He thought the dog, named Ugly (because he is just that), was going to be his 'best friend'.  But Ugly doesn't even consider Eric his first-or second-best friend.  Ugly loves Eric's mum, Granddad, dad, and his horrible sister Gretchen, even more than him.

Desperate to make Ugly love him the most, Eric puts some crazy plans into action to win over his pooch.

Will Eric uncover the secret to Ugly's heart, or will he forever have to watch his dog dote on every other family member except him?

Friday Barnes - the second book is out!

Who knew boarding school could be this perilous! 

When Friday Barnes cracked the case of Highcrest Academy's mysterious swamp-yeti, the last thing she expected was to be placed under arrest. Now with the law on her back and Ian Wainscott in her face, Friday is not so sure boarding school was the smartest choice. From a missing or not-so-missing calculator to the appearance of strange holes in the school field, she is up to her pork-pie hat in crimes – and she swears not all of them are hers. There's also new boy Christopher, who has taken quite a shine to Friday, to contend with.

Can Friday navigate the dangerous grounds of Highcrest Academy and decipher a decades-old mystery without getting caught in an unexpected love triangle? 

We started a scavenger hunt that we will complete next week because we just tried to fit too much in today!

Straight after lunch the whole school joined together to DEAR - Drop everything and read! What a fantastic way to finish Lit Club for the week!

Lit Club 2015

Lit Club started last Monday. We were really excited to welcome a number of new members (Year 5 students). 

Each week we will be presenting new books, introducing new authors and participating in fun activities that are centred around books.

We will also be entering the National Year 7/8 Lit Quiz which this year will be held in late March this year.

During the year the students all get the chance to earn badges. The criteria for earning the badges will be posted on this blog and will be discussed in the next Lit Club session.

One of the requirements for all of the badges is to keep a journal of what you read. One way of doing this is on Goodreads - this is a website or can be downloaded as an app.

We will be going over how ot set up an account on Goodreads in tomorrows session. Children will need permission to set these up.

Lit Club Delegates

Each week we will choose 3 students to be Lit Club Delegates. These students make up questions for each team and stand up in front of assembly asking questions and giving out prizes - it's always lots of fun. This week was time for our new Year 5 students. Bridie, Keeley and Olivia did a great job.

Tuck Everlasting

1. Tusk Everlasting

   Tuck Everlasting  written by Natalie Babbitt and published in 1975 (39 years ago).

   
   

   

   
   

   Plot Summary. Tuck Everlasting is the story of a girl named Winnie and a family whom she meets, the Tucks. The Tucks have a secret, they're immortal.They drank water from a spring that was actually a fountain of youth.

   
   

   Book Trailer

   Movie Trailer

   Musical Trailer

   Website

Opal Plumstead

This Week at Lit Club we introduced Jacqueline Wilsons 100th Novel,Opal Plumstead, which just launched on 9th October, below is information and a book trailer about this book.

OPAL PLUMSTEAD

JACQUELINE WILSON’S

100^TH NOVEL

 Opal Plumstead might be plain, but she has always been fiercely intelligent. Yet her scholarship and dreams of university are snatched away when her father is sent to prison, and fourteen-year-old Opal must start work at the Fairy Glen sweet factory to support her family. Opal struggles to get along with the other workers, who think her snobby and stuck-up. But Opal idolises Mrs Roberts, the factory's beautiful, dignified owner, who introduces Opal to the legendary Mrs Pankhurst and her fellow Suffragettes. And when Opal meets Morgan - Mrs Roberts' handsome son, and the heir to Fairy Glen - she believes she has found her soulmate. But the First World War is about to begin, and will change Opal's life for ever. This is the brilliantly gripping new story from the bestselling, award-winning Jacqueline Wilson.

          

Awful Auntie and The Mute Button

This week at Lit Club we introduced 2 books called Awful Auntie by David Walliams and The Mute Button by Ellie Irving. Below is a presentation on these books.

David Walliams is laughing all the way to the bank after his new children’s book has notched up almost £1 million of sales in just three weeks.

The phenomenal success of Awful Auntie – the fastest selling book of the year so far – means that Walliams, 43, is set to become one of the country’s most successful children’s writers ever.

The book follows the fortunes of Lady Stella Saxby, a recently orphaned heiress, and her beastly Aunt Alberta, who will do anything in her power to get her hands on the child’s fortune.

A page-turning, rollicking romp of a read, sparkling with Walliams' most eccentric characters yet and full of humour and heart. From larger than life, tiddlywinks obsessed Awful Aunt Alberta to her pet owl, Wagner – this is an adventure with a difference. Aunt Alberta is on a mission to cheat the young Lady Stella Saxby out of her inheritance –. But with mischievous and irrepressible Soot, the cockney ghost of a chimney sweep, alongside her Stella is determined to fight back… And sometimes a special friend, however different, is all you need to win through

This is a hilarious new story from the author of Billie Templar's war. How do you make yourself heard in the midst of chaos?

Ten-year-old Anthony Button is one of five children in a big, mad family who all have a talent except him although he can name 403 different types of cheese. He has a suicidal cat called Badger, and hasn't yet found that one thing he's good at (besides eating cheese, of course). His family life changes when Ben arrives , the son Anthony’s father never knew he had.

Anthony isn't impressed and, in protest, decides to stop talking. The only thing is: will he be able to start again?

The Mute Button is a fantastic book, brilliantly conveying good messages. There's lots to be found in this book that some will relate to. Bullying at school, friendship cliques, loneliness,., This book is recommended for all primary students to read and hopefully take something from. Whether it's just to smile at the quiet girl every day, or think twice about calling someone a nasty name, it's all relevant and important to making the school environment a better, nicer place.

The Mute Button is a funny book - it will make you laugh out loud at times but it will also make you cry. As Ant’s silence carries on we see layers of family relationships peeled away, not only in the Button family but in the families around him. He makes new friends during his silence and comes to see that his old friends didn’t really care about or know him. He learns the lesson that we all have insecurities and secrets but we also all have something unique and worthwhile about us as well.