Archive for the 'General reading' Category
You’ve seen the book – now read the movie!
Over the Christmas break, there were a number of movies released which began their life as literature. These included:
Beowulf, an old English poem dating from the tenth century AD
The Golden Compass (Northern Lights, Philip Pullman)
The Waterhorse, Dick King-Smith (author of Babe)
Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
Even Alvin and the Chipmunks began life in a different form – [...]
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How’s your Reading Fitness?
The New Year has come and gone and by now many of your New Year’s resolutions may already be broken. Or you may be like me, and have only just decided to ‘get fit’.
It’s hard isn’t it - taking those first few steps after making a decision to do something? But with perserverance, you begin to [...]
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the Harry Potter Phenomena
For many years now, the writings of J.K.Rowling have been hailed as the mechanism by which the youth of the world have been returned to the pleasures of reading…. a book! With follow-up movies and merchandising, Harry Potter has remained a popular figure in the minds of school children as we wait anxiously for the [...]
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To read or not to read …
Sometimes the classics just seem too hard to follow. How many times have you started a novel from another time, and found it difficult to understand the poetic language and the often very descriptive passages therein? Many 19th and 20th century authors, such as Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and Henry James, may challenge our staying power with [...]
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The Rights of the Reader
This is a new release of a book, first published in French in 1992, but there is nothing outdated in what it says. It reminisces the fun times of reading to your children as they first discover the delights of books. Then it recognises the sometimes rushed finishes of nighttime reads… It ponders the busyness [...]
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Graphic Novels - not just cartoons!
According to (excuse me!) Wikipedia, a graphic novel is “a type of comic book, usually with a lengthy and complex storyline similar to those of novels, and often aimed at mature audiences”. So does that make them a good thing, or are they something to be avoided by schools?
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The Wait is Over!!
Announced today! The shortlists for the Children’s Book Council of Australia awards for 2007. In the Older Readers category, there is great variety with a humorous look at family life from Lisa Shanahan, My Big Birkett; an intriguing look at recent history by award winning Ursula Dubosarsky, The Red Shoe; and a selection of short horror [...]
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What grabs you? (Fiction Genre)
I’ve just finished a book by Randa Abdul Fattah, Does My Head Look Big in This, and have started on the sequel, 10 Things I Hate About Me - both if which reflect on issues facing young adults - body image, friendships, choices, faith and religion. This started me thinking about how students select the [...]
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What else are you reading?
One of the laments of many teachers and parents these days is that ‘their kids’ aren’t reading anymore. Is this true? Do students of the Net Gen actually read less than their parents? And if boys spend so much time on computers, do they take the time to read books?
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Christmas gifts - books!
So did you receive any fabulous books for Christmas? My family knows to expect books from me- occupational hazard, I guess! I pick up gems throughout the year, then try to decide who is going to be blessed with my choices. My nieces are doing rather well at the moment, with all my favourites for [...]
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