Throughout April we’re running a Library Explorers Challenge where you can answer a series of questions and go in the draw for some great prizes. We have Paper Plus vouchers and movie passes to give away.
All you have to do is grab a question sheet from your library (or download it here – April challenge), go to the Kids website to find the answers, enter your answers and your contact details into the form and you’re in the draw for the whole of April.
Week 1 winner – Maifea Fetu, age 12, won a movie pass
Week 2 winners – Lucy Constable, age 12 ($20 Paper Plus voucher) and Anthony Orr, age 11 (child’s movie pass)
Week 3 winners – Tyler Timms, age 11 ($20 Paper Plus voucher) and Grace Boddington, age 12 (child’s movie pass)
Thanks to everyone who entered. This competition is now closed.
Have you read all the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books and want something like them? Have you been waiting ages to read them and want something to read while you wait? Here’s a list of some books and authors you could try:
Imagine if you could live in a hotel. Not just any hotel, but one where each of the rooms had a different theme. If you like cuddly toys, you could live in a room full of cuddly toys of every size, colour and type. If you like Playstation, you could live in a virtual reality room where you could be a character in any game you chose. In Patrick Carman’s new book, Floors, Leo lives in the weirdest, most wonderful hotel in the whole world, the Whippet Hotel.
Leo Fillmore and his father Clarence live and work at the Whippet Hotel as the caretakers, making sure everything is in working order. The hotel’s eccentric owner, Merganzer D. Whippet disappeared one hundred days ago and hasn’t been seen or heard from ever since. This leaves the mean hotel manager, Ms. Sparks in charge of the hotel, and when the hotel doesn’t work as it should, everybody hears about it. Leo spends his days helping his father maintain the hotel and making sure Betty and the other ducks get walked. One day, as Leo is returning the ducks to their pond on the roof, he discovers a mysterious box in the duck elevator. This box is the first of four that will lead Leo to discover the secrets of the Whippet Hotel and the mystery of the missing Merganzer D. Whippet.
Floors is full of wonder, mystery and mahem, and made me smile the whole way through. Patrick Carman has created this weird and wonderful hotel and filled it with one exciting room after another. There’s a Pinball Room, which is set up like a pinball machine, with bowling balls as the pinball and couches for the flippers; the Cake Room filled with real cakes that are delivered by the chefs each morning; and the Central Park Room which contains a scale model of New York’s Central Park. The characters are just as weird and wonderful as the hotel. There’s Captain Rickenbacker who thinks that his arch-nemesis is out to get him, the obsessive writer, Theodore Bump, and the nasty hotel manager Ms. Sparks. Floors is one of the most fun, imaginative stories you’ll read this year. It’s perfect for fans of Roald Dahl and Lemony Snickett.
There have been heaps of children’s books made into movies. Some of the movies are really good – the actors playing the characters are exactly as you pictured them and they stick to the story. Others are really bad and the story has been changed so much that it’s completely different from the book. Some of my favourite movies based on books are:
I’ve been looking forward to seeing The Adventures of Tintin since I heard the movie was being made, so I went to the very first screening on Boxing Day. All of the pictures and movie trailers I’ve seen for the film made it look amazing and I wasn’t disappointed.
The Adventures of Tintin is a mish-mash of three different Tintin stories, Secret of the Unicorn, Red Rackham’s Treasure and The Crab with the Golden Claws, so there are locations and characters from each of these books (minus Professor Calculus). The opening credits really set the scene with an endless action sequence that highlights lots of different Tintin stories. The movie opens with Tintin’s creator, Herge, making a guest appearance in the market where Tintin discovers the model of the Unicorn. The story rockets along like all good Tintin adventures and you meet some of your favourite Tintin characters, including Captain Haddock and Thompson and Thomson.
The motion capture animation is amazing, making the characters look real while still looking like Herge’s illustrations. The characters use their catch-phrases, including my favourite ‘Billions of blue, blistering barnacles!’ There are some brilliant action sequences throughout the movie, especially in Bagghar (this part made me crack up laughing as well). I saw the movie in 3D but I’m sure it’s just as great in 2D. Whether or not you’re a fan of Tintin you should go and see The Adventures of Tintin for your dose of action, adventure, and laughs. It’s perfect for anyone from 7-107. 10 out of 10 – my favourite movie of the year!
Print out the reading log [101KB PDF] or get one from your local library or the Summertimes booklet.
Read six books of your choice.
Get a parent, caregiver or librarian to register your reading online and be one of the first 500 to pick up your prize pack from your local library. All registrations go in the draw for the premier prizes.
Does your granny smell like cabbage? Does she like to play boring games like Scrabble? Do you think she’s boring? If you’ve answered yes to all of these questions you probably don’t know her that well. For all you know she could be a spy, a superhero or even an international jewel thief like Ben’s granny.
Every Friday night Ben gets sent to stay with his granny, while his parents go out to the movies or to watch Strictly Stars Dancing Live. Ben thinks she’s boring and would rather be anywhere else than spending time with her. Ben gets sick of eating his granny’s cabbage soup and decides to look in her cupboard for some real food. He never thought he would discover the stash of priceless jewels in her biscuit tin. When he confronts her to find out the truth, he discovers that his granny isn’t boring, she’s an international jewel thief. Ben decides to help his granny pull off the crime of the century – break into the Tower of London and steal the crown jewels.
Gangsta Granny is a book that’s both really funny and a bit sad. I’m sure your granny’s just a bit like Ben’s granny, even if she’s not a jewel thief. If you ask her I’m sure some of her stories are just as interesting. Ben’s parents seem like they don’t really care about him because they’re more interested in their dancing show than they are in him, but deep down they love him. I love the way David Walliams writes because his stories are so different and his characters are really easy to relate too. If you liked his other stories, like The Boy in the Dress, Mr Stink and Billionaire Boy, or you like Roald Dahl’s books, you’ll love Gangsta Granny. Recommended for 7+ 8 out of 10
Velocitchy-raptor, book 3 in the hilarious Dinosaur Rescue series by Kyle Mewburn and Donovan Bixley, sees Arg trying to escape the clutches of a hungry Quetzalcoatlus (pronounced Kwet-zal-ca-AT-lus). Arg is trying to keep himself dry in a storm using his dried devil frog when a Quetzalcoatlus swoops down and snatches the frog, with Arg still attached. He’s taken to the dinosaur’s nest where he meets a baby velociraptor. They escape from the nest and Arg takes the baby home to hide it safely in his cave. Unfortunately Arg seems to be allergic to velociraptors and breaks out in itchy sores. If that wasn’t bad enough, his sister would have the velociraptor for dinner if she found it. Can Arg get the baby to safety?
Velocitchy-raptor is another hilarious and disgusting addition to the Dinosaur Rescue series. Kyle and Donovan once again introduce us to snippets of prehistoric life, from the bizarre leisure time activities of Arg’s family and how to talk to stone age people, to the not-very-useful guide to dinosaur names and the many uses of Old Drik’s toenail goo. Velocitchy-raptor will leave you with a sore stomach from laughing or a very sick stomach from this snot and pus-filled adventure. Recommended for 7+ 9 out of 10
Oh dear. My month as Star Author is rapidly drawing to a close. I have really enjoyed spending time, if only virtually, in Christchurch.
As this is one of my last posts, I thought I might stop talking about myself and offer something to you. If you are reading this, chances are you love reading and/or writing. So I thought you might enjoy some quick writing activities that you can do to get yourself writing. Grab a pen and paper, and sit yourself down, then choose one of these exercise and just write.
Write a sentence where every word starts with the next letter of the alphabet – a, b, c and so on. (for example A brown cat dropped everything…). Don’t worry if it is silly or even ungrammatical. Just see what comes out.
Write for as long as you can without using the letter ‘e’. Again, don’t worry if it’s a little ungrammatical or silly.
Same as 2, but this time see how long you can write without using the word ‘and’.
Find five random words by opening a book or dictionary and picking the first word you see on five different pages. Or get someone else to give you five random words. Then write a sentence, paragraph or even a story which includes all five words.
Open the book you’re currently reading (you are reading one, aren’t you) at any page, and copy out the first sentence of the second paragraph. Now, close the book and start writing, using that sentence as the first sentence of a completely new piece of writing.
Chances are, none of these exercises will produce an absolute masterpiece. But they will challenge you, might make you laugh, and will help get your creative juices flowing.
Have fun. If you’re brave enough, post one of your efforts here as a comment for the world to see.
Want to know the perfect way to annoy your parents or your brother or sister? Celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day today. You can dress up like a pirate and talk like one all day long. Here are some fun websites to help you celebrate:
Pirate Translator – You can put in a few words, a sentence or even a whole website and this website will translate it all into pirate speak. Try translating the Kids Blog into pirate speak – it’s totally awesome!
Pirate Glossary - learn heaps of pirate words so that you can talk like a pirate all day long.
You can also find heaps of books on pirates in the library:
You’re stuck inside with no school, and the libraries are closed. You can still explore heaps of interesting library resources from the comfort of your warm house. The Kids page is one of the best places to explore on the library homepage because you can find quizzes, games and stories to keep you entertained. Check out these pages:
Our Arts and crafts page has some great crafty websites you could check out if you want to do some painting, drawing, cartooning or just some colouring in.
If you don’t know what to read next you could have a look at our If You Like book lists. They have some great suggestions of new books or authors that you could try, and you could request some books to pick up when the libraries reopen.
Have you ever wanted to learn Dragonese, from Cressida Cowell’s books? In this video you can learn how to say to following things in Dragonese: ‘Please would you be so kind as to spit out my friend?’ and ‘I don’t like that. It’s revolting, it’s gross, it’s really, really revolting.’ Have a go and impress your friends.
Do you like Dinosaurs? Do you like to be grossed-out by all sorts of disgusting things? If you answered yes to both of these questions then I’ve got the perfect book for you – T-Wreck-Asaurus, the first book in the hilarious new Dinosaur Rescue series by Kyle Mewburn and Donovan Bixley.
Arg is a caveboy with a really big brain. He doesn’t really fit in with the rest of his tribe who are really, really stupid. Arg doesn’t know why he was born with a bigger brain than anybody else, and sometimes it can be quite lonely being this smart. Thankfully, he has his pet microceratops, Krrk-Krrk to keep him company and join him on his adventures. When an angry T-rex starts destroying his village it’s up to Arg to come up with a plan to stop him.
T-Wreck-Asaurus is a gross, hilarious book and it’s perfect for fans of Andy Griffiths, Captain Underpants, and anyone who likes stories with dinosaur farts and Brontosaurus poo. The story and the illustrations had me laughing out loud. There are lots of little added extras throughout the book, including notes about Arg’s clothing, interesting facts about Brontosaurus poo and a diagram of Arg’s family cave. You may want to hold your nose as you read, because the stench from these dinosaurs is deadly! Look out for book two in the series, Stego-Snottysaurus.
You could get your favourite author’s autograph, listen to them talk about their books and read some of them, or enter the Storylines competition. It’s totally FREE, so come along with your family and join the fun. Go to the Storylines website to view the programme or grab one from your library.
The Storylines Free Family Day in Christchurch on Sunday 21 August is only 1 week away. There are lots of amazing author and illustrators coming, including the very cool, Kyle Mewburn and Donovan Bixley. Kyle and Donovan have created a hilarious and disgusting new series called Dinosaur Rescue. You can read our review of the series and watch the disgusting book trailer here on the blog. To celebrate the release of the first two books in the series and their appearance at the Christchurch Storylines Family Day, we have 5 sets of the first two books to give away, which include:
To go into the draw to win one of these books, all you have to do is answer this question – What is your favourite dinosaur and why? Add a comment on this post with your answer, your name, and email address (so we can contact you if you win). Entries close Friday 19 August at 5pm.
Yay – holidays! The only problem with the holidays is figuring out what to do, so we’re here to help fight boredom with the BIGGEST list of ideas. You can help us add to the list as well by telling us what you’re doing.
So…
Go to the library. You can get books to read when you’re wrapped up warm inside, DVDs to watch on a rainy day, audiobooks to listen to in the car, plus heaps more. Find out about the libraries that are open.
Go and see some of the cool movies on these holidays. There’s the last Harry Potter movie, Deathly Hallows Part 2, Cars 2, Kung Fu Panda 2, or Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Play some board games or card games with your friends and family. You can even make your own and challenge your friends.
Write a story or a poem and send it through to us and we could publish it on the blog.
Bake something yummy like a cake or some biscuits. Check out our books on baking.
Learn a new skill like magic tricks, juggling, skateboarding or knitting.
Go to a KidsFest activity. There are heaps on around the city and we have some great FREE events in the library, including Pandemonium at the Library and The Adventures of Tintin story readings.
If you have any other cool ideas, especially ones that are free, add a comment and let us know.
I write scary adventure books featuring Japanese demons (called yokai), and right now I’m researching quirky Japanese superstitions.
A great place to find superstition is in proverbs. Here are a few you may recognise:
- Step on a crack, marry a rat
- An apple a day keeps the doctor away
- Cross my heart and hope to die
- Don’t judge a book by its cover
- Red sky at night, shepherd’s delight
1) If you give a boy’s name to a girl, or a girl’s name to a boy, they will grow up healthy and strong
You may wonder why your parents gave you such a weird name. Well, maybe this is the reason? Switching boys’ and girls’ names is a way to confuse (and hopefully avoid) the demons who bring disease and bad luck.
Do you want to look like this?
2) If you scowl at your parents, you will turn into a sole.
You know the old saying “If you make a face, the wind will change and you’ll be stuck that way”? Well, this is the Japanese equivalent. Basically, it’s a warning to be nice to your mum and dad. Because if you don’t, you’ll turn into a flat fish with both eyes on one side of your face. (Don’t worry: you will still taste good served with chips!)
3) When a weasel cuts across your path, he will bewitch you if you don’t throw a stone at him.
In Japanese culture, animals like weasels, foxes and badgers are known to have magical powers over humans, including the ability to shape-change, and they love to trick you out of your money. Throwing a stone is a quick, easy way to make sure you stay safe.
4) If you put spit in your eyebrows, the fox will not bewitch you.
Here’s another simple way to stay safe from demon foxes: simply spit into your own eyebrows and mix well. (This belief comes from the idea that saliva is powerful and can help your eyes to see the truth behind magical spells)
5) If you kill a cat, it will haunt you and your family for seven generations.
Yikes! Better be nice to your cat! In Japan, cats who grow very fat and very old are also thought to turn into giant, man-eating cat demons. So your only hope for survival is to own a dog instead.
6) If your sandal strap breaks, evil is heading your way
This is a great reason to check your shoes and shoelaces before you head out on a dangerous mission. (If you’ve read The Filth Licker, you now know the secret double meaning behind Cait’s broken shoelace…)
7) If you pick up a comb, you will pick up suffering.
This superstition comes about because the Japanese word for comb is “kushi”, which is made up of two sounds: “ku” (the Japanese word for “suffering”), and “shi” (the Japanese word for “death”). So, instead of bending straight down to pick up your dropped comb, it’s better to stand on it first. Standing on the dropped comb drives out any evil spirits that are in it, making it safe to pick up. Phew!
8 ) A person who uses red things will only suffer a light case of smallpox
Carry this lovely RED book at all times, if you want to stay safe!
This proverb was around before the smallpox disease was eradicated thanks to vaccination, but it shows clearly that red was a colour of protection in Japan. Why red? It’s the colour of flushed, healthy cheeks. It’s the colour of warmth and cheerfulness. And it’s also the colour that many sick people wore in old Japan, to protect themselves from disease. (Red is also the colour of the first Takeshita Demons book…no coincidence there! Miku needs all the help she can get!)
What do you think? Do you know any spooky or strange proverbs or superstitions? Would you walk under a ladder?
Go out on Friday 13? What would you do with a 4-leaf clover? Do you believe in superstitions?
Want something to do in the school holidays? Have you always wanted to be on TV? The Erin Simpson Show wants you to be part of their live studio audience on Tuesday 19 July.
It’s for ages 10 – 18 only and there are five different times available:
19July – 8:45am – 10:30am
19 July – 10:30am – 12pm
19July – 12:15pm – 1:30pm
19July – 2:45pm – 4:15pm
19July – 4:30pm – 6:15pm
Time slots are limited so head 0ver to www.erinsimpson.tv and book your space!
Throughout April we’re running a Library Explorers Challenge where you can answer a series of questions and go in the draw for some great prizes. We have Paper Plus vouchers and movie passes to give away.
