School Library Association Media Release: Uplifting Stories – Book List

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In a recent article in The Conversation entitled ‘A place to get away from it all’, researcher Dr Margaret Merga identified five ways that school libraries support student wellbeing. These were that school libraries:
• Can be safe places
• Provide resources for wellbeing
• Help build digital health literacy skills
• Support reading for pleasure
• Encourage healing through reading

In response to this important acknowledgement of the role that school libraries play in supporting the wellbeing and mental health of their school communities, the School Library Association of Victoria (SLAV) has produced a list of books, for all age groups, that offer uplifting and positive views of the world.

At a time when we all need support, to see the world we live in in a positive light and our lives as worthwhile and meaningful, this list, constructed by experienced school library staff, offers reading opportunities that are positive and uplifting.

School libraries are safe, inclusive spaces that support reading and learning of all kinds, whose staffs have the specific knowledge and expertise to recommend the right book at the right time.

You can download the full Media Release here

Download the Uplifting Book List here

SLAV Online Book Club – August 11th 2021 – Strategies and Titles to Engage Reluctant Readers

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Our thanks to those of you able to join us for our recent book club meeting to discuss strategies and titles that have worked with reluctant readers. As we discussed in the meeting, there is an important difference between readers who are reluctant because of barriers to reading (low literacy levels, learning difficulties, etc.) and readers who are simply reluctant to read, despite being good readers. Readers who need to be encouraged and engaged. As always, so many of you had so many wonderful contributions to share with us, and it is very appreciated.

Below is the hugely diverse and broad list of titles and series shared and discussed. Some titles may have an indicated suitable age range next to each title, however this is merely a guide and we encourage you to use your own judgement, as you know your students best.

We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting on September 9th 2021 to discuss Culturally Diverse books.

Disclaimer: The lists generated as a result of Book Club discussions are not, by any means, an exhaustive list of all titles or authors for each genre/category discussed. Nor will all titles be suitable for all libraries. We advise staff discretion when referencing these lists, to properly confirm individual title suitability for individual libraries, school and students needs. These are suggested titles only, shared by our members and inclusion on, or exclusion from, a list does not suggest SLAV endorsement or rejection of a title.

Books for Reluctant Readers
Subjects/ formats of current interest –
DK Guide to Rocks and Gems
Science Comics, I Survived Series are good non-fiction graphic novels
Magazines
Non-Fiction Choose Your Own Adventure
Almost anything about cars
World War 1 & 2 nonfiction
The “Who is…?” and “Who was…?” biographies
Sporting/Athlete Biographies
Secondary – AFL and Cricket biographies are popular
Non-Fiction about sustainable living is really popular with secondary students
Younger format Biographies such as the Little People Big Dreams
All things Minecraft – guides and fictional stories to support the world building
National Geographic Weird but True
Dylan Alcott Biography
Anything about Skateboarding
We’ve had some interested in books about the share market
Recipe Books
Anything diary related is also popular.
We have had a huge resurgence in reading Stephen King novels (Secondary students)
Horror
Choose Your Own Adventure
True Crime

Strategies shared
Borrowing out both an audiobook and text version of the same book can be a great support. We’ve done that for struggling readers that want to take part in our Readers Cup challenge
Create a List of Dyslexia Friendly Books.
We’re trialling a Read Aloud option with our Year 9 boys who struggle. So far it’s working well with the boys keen to start each week… and others in the larger reading cohort wanting to join
We are doing the Premier’s Reading Challenge and we have a “quick reads” trolley with short and sharp novellas.
Build up a short story collection
For teachers: Jim Trelease’s The Read-aloud Handbook has great suggestions across all ages for books with a vibrant narrative voice(s). I’ve consulted it over the years — now in its 8th edition.
We have moved our books on film to the DVD stands
I’ve been working on pairing books with audio books that are exactly the same
My favourite thing to say “you won’t believe that will happen in Chapter 4” and the kids come back saying “OMG, you won’t believe it”.
Have Students recommend books. Display these face out with a tick on them (spine & front cover)
We do book chats in groups and students recommend books to other. The power of the friendship recommendation is strong.

Book Suggestions and Chat Discussion
Verse Novels
Steven Herrick
One and Also We Come Apart by Sarah Crossan
Love that Dog and Hate that Cat (great read aloud)
Bindi by Kirli Saunders

Graphic novels can be helpful
Alex Rider
James Patterson
Maximum Ride
Macbeth
Bartolo
The I Survived Series by Scholastic
Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone
New Kid by Jerry Craft

Barrington Stoke Series
Other Suggestions

Guinness Book of Records
Factopedia
Amulet Series
Wings of Fire Series
My Hero Academia (Manga) The Boy Who Became a Dragon: Bruce Lee Story – Jim Di
Onjali Rauf, The Boy at the Back of the Class (refugee story).
Jack Heath’s short stories 200, 300 minutes of….
All Manga
High Interest Publishing – Canada – can be great for VCAL seniors, Literature Circles, class novel. Short snappy novels.
Horrible Histories
The Little Bookroom’s Recommendations for Reluctant Readers
Tried and true: Wonder Compendium by R.J Palacio (a boy I taught once said “This book feels like it’s reading itself to me”).
George Ivanoff’s Survival Series
Science Comics, I Survived series are good non-fiction graphic novels As well as: They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, The Best We Can Do by Thi Bui
Dropping In by Geoff Havel
Bubble Wrap Boy by Phil Earle
Biographies such as the Little People Big Dreams and the DK books. Students don’t have to commit too much time and can be used as a launching pad for more
Wonder is great and there are a few other titles that we market as ‘read alikes’ such as Ugly by Robert Hoge.
Bad Guys Series by Aaron Blabey
Anh Do’s Series – Wolf Girl, E-Boy, Sky Dragon all work well with Year 7 struggling readers
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Real Pigeons Fight Crime Series – by Andrew McDonald and Ben Wood – this is being adapted for an animated series on Nickelodeon
Primary School: try the Little Gem books by Anna Zobel they’re also good for children who have dyslexia. Billie. B. Brown and Hey Jack by Sally Rippin. School of Monsters by Sally Rippin
Our Australian Girl Series
Anything by Raina Telgemeier, Babysitters Club
Leigh Hobbs Old Tom which is a compilation of 4 to 5 picture books also works well with EAL readers. It is simple but looks like a big fat book.
The Cherub Series by Robert Muchamore is really popular with year 7 and 8 boys. Also Ultimate & Classic Football heroes books are very popular with boys who don’t usually like to read
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo is great for older readers
Babysitters Club very popular. Start with the Graphic Novels and then show them the actual novels . Under 150 pages, good size text and easy language.
Anything by Gary Paulsen
F.L.Y. Financially Literate Youth is a good one for finance interests
Neal Shusterman – Unwind, Dry Lex Thomas – Quarantine good for reluctant but capable readers
Once Series by Morris Gleitzman
Dork Diaries, Tom Gates, Geronimo Stilton/Thea Stilton, and Adventure Time books also good for reluctant and/or EAL kids + early teens
I have students wanting to read about real stories / murder mystery e.g. OJ Simpson
Counting by 7s Holly Goldberg Sloan
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
Geek Girl got one of our reluctant readers started. Also agree with verse novels
Keeper of the Lost Cities’ Series by Shannon Messenger great for Harry Potter fans
Becoming Muhammad Ali by James Patterson is very popular. More inclusive books seem to work with our school community.
Quick Reads that connect to their interest area – Soccer (Ultimate Football Heroes)
Parvana is also available in Graphic Novel
My son loves The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander’s
Daughter couldn’t put down Highway Bodies by Alison Evans
Anything Roald Dahl is really popular in my school at the moment
Scythe by Neal Shusterman walks off the shelf after book talking
My little sister started reading more in Year 12, she has read: My Best Friend’s Exorcism, Lonely Castle in the Mirror, Before the Coffee Gets Cold, and Convenience Store Woman. But not sure how some of these would do in high school libraries
We have had a huge resurgence in reading Stephen King novels with reluctant readers…the more horror the better
We had a book called ‘Crime Time: Australians behaving badly’ that was a collection of chapters timelining the history of Australian criminals. That was very popular when students were aware of it! Not so recent, but goes back to Ned Kelly times etc.
Risk by Ferris Fleur with students who don’t identify as readers. Mysteries such as One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus
Great Escape by Felice Arena is great to get kids interested in historical fiction.
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Minecraft novels appeal to players
Five Nights at Freddies Series is based on a video game. Quite scary.
We’re bringing in more Legend of Zelda Manga into the collection for the primary school children
D&D is very popular
Gamer trilogy by Chris Bradford (short, gritty, dystopian video gaming future). Chris Bradford, amazing author
Cry Blue Murder by Kim Kane & Marion Roberts also appeals because it breaks up the text
The Road to Winter by Mark Smith is very popular for year 9 very topical and fast moving. Any student that liked Tomorrow when the War Began by John Marsden will love it!!
None Shall Sleep by Ellie Marney
Red Eye Series, scary, thrilling, horror
They Both Die in the End Adam Silvera
Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson
Making Friends by Kirsten Gudsnuk
Heartstopper GN Series by Alice Oseman
Reluctant readers have shown to like or seek books like Bro – similar background Lebanese
This is Where it Ends Marieke Nijkamp
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo is moving through our Year 8’s at the moment.
Carousel by Brendan Ritchie is popular
Wilder Girls by Rory Powers
One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus – I would recommend for year 8-9 and good year 7s
After Wings of Fire – for primary, junior sec – The Dragon Prince by Aaron and Melanie Ehasz
Animorphs Graphic Novels
Warriors GN
Lumberjanes GN
This is How We Change the Ending by Vikki Wakefield
Kids are loving medical supernatural mysteries – Whisper/Weapon, The Program/The Treatment/The Remedy
A Trio of Sophies by Eileen Merriman is another one that I’ve had success with for students who have liked the one of us is lying series
Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
We can’t keep Fleur Ferris books on our shelves, always being borrowed.
Lightfall: the girl & the Galdurian by Tim Probert is another good graphic novel
Robert Cormier’s novels: oldies but goodies. We all Fall Down for Year 9+
Starters and Enders has had a resurgence at my school
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
Attack on Titan!! Love them
Manga readers are not reluctant and highly sophisticated in my view.
Manga most popular in my school – shelves always empty
Dog Man is really popular and really funny – Dav Pilkey
Captain Underpants, Toffle Towers, Nat Amoore’s books, Dog Man are all good humour
I know that there was a written anthology of short stories around “Attack on Titan” Manga, however I don’t know what reading level it is.
The Tokyo Ghoul manga series also has some companion novels, I have had some students use them as a bridge
Treehouse Series by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton
Mercy Watson for the Preps and Year 1s
Atticus Von Tasticus by Andrew Daddo and Stephen Michael King
I have found the kids who read Manga are often interested in Art/Gaming so have spent money on the ‘Art of Manga’ and some have moved onto these nonfiction
The Bolds Series by Julian Clary
Some manga that’s popular in primary: Spirited Away, Legend of Zelda, Pokemon, Haikyuu!, Sailor Moon, Card Captor Sakura: Clear Card, Yuzu the Pet Vet, Chi’s Sweet Home,
Robert Muchamore’s CHERUB series and Henderson’s Boys series
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer is funny too
The Funny KId by Matt Stanton series for lower/mid primary
Don’t Call Me Ishmael by Michael Gerard Bauer is very funny.
I agree that our Manga readers are thinkers and will happily bridge to a chapter book if it complements what they are reading in their Manga.
I think we often focus on “wide reading” and this lends to us trying to move readers “off Manga” rather than the skills of the student or the content of the Manga.
A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron
A Million Things by Emily Spurr – more adult but mature readers would probably like it too
Marley and Me by John Grogon
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DeCamillo is good
Aussie Nibbles, Bites, Chunks collections.
Pawcasso by Remy Lai
Warriors Series by Erin Hunter
Middle Grade Read -Living Next Door to Doctor Death – Spider Lee. Great short cliff hanging chapters. Both boys and girls love it.

What We Are Reading/ Adult Reading
Migrations and Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy
The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni (YA)
The Dressmakers of Yarrandarra Prison by Meredith Jaffe
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
The Paris Library by Janet Skelian Charles
Locust Summer by David Allan-Petale:
The Deep by Kyle Perry
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips
Lonely Castle In the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Mother-In-Law by Sally Hepworth
The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman
Codebreakers by Alli Sinclair
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
A Good Girls Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson (YA)
Penguin Bloom by Bradley Trevor Greive
Before You Knew My Name – by Jacqueline Bublitz
Who Gets To Be Smart by Bri Lee
Songlines – Lynne Kelly
Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling by Wai Chim
Women and Other Monsters by Jess Zimmerman
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
Nemesis by Roth
The Golden Age by Joan London
Silent Footsteps by Sally Hepworth
The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue
Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams

 

 

 

The Importance of Reading and School Libraries

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Library professionals have long known the benefits of school library spaces, managed and staffed by qualified library staff. We are all very aware of how vital school libraries are, for a myriad of reasons.

COVID19 has had an enormous impact on how our students learn, access books, resources and libraries. It has also had a significant impact on student wellbeing. Much is being written about the importance of reading for continued well being, including this excellent article written by Dr. Margaret. K. Merga and published on The Conversation on August 9th 2021.  She writes “We know that adults who are avid readers enjoy being able to escape into their books. Reading for pleasure can reduce psychological distress and has been related to mental well-being. Reading-based interventions have been used successfully to support children who have experienced trauma. In a recent study, around 60% of young people agreed reading during lockdown helped them to feel better.” 

The article draws upon findings from her important research into Libraries as Wellbeing Supportive Spaces in Contemporary Schools published in July of 2021.

Dr. Merga’s findings further reinforce the important work that SLAV completed in 2020. During June 2020, the School Library Association of Victoria surveyed its members in order to gain a picture of what remote learning meant for school libraries during term two. 269 people responded to 20 questions in an online survey.

From the Executive Summary – “The results of this survey clearly indicate the vital role of school libraries in our school communities. There are many examples here of trained library professionals displaying creativity and flexibility in responding to the learning and teaching needs of remote learning. Results clearly demonstrate how a well-staffed and well-resourced school library supports and enriches a school community. This is vital for learning and teaching, but also in support of the general well-being of staff and students and the common pursuit of developing resilient, life-long learners.” You can read the full report which includes a comprehensive reference list – here 

From SLAV Executive Officer Dr. Susan La Marca – “The spread of articles published during this period both online and in our journals, on this topic, are excellent examples of best practice responses to remote learning. They also indicate a high level of engagement with the issues related to learning and teaching by school library professionals during a time of disruption. These teacher librarians, and their school library teams, have also demonstrated a level of proactivity, expertise and reflection that is to be celebrated.”

 

Continuing To Work From Home – Some Ideas

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With the recent lockdowns and remote learning continuing on and off, many of our members have been sharing (through our discussion forums) tasks they are prioritising and assigning library staff during our time working from home. We thought it might be helpful to share a list of those here for you to reference and, if needed, to jog your memory for tasks that can be done remotely at this time.

These two articles from Knowledge Quest offer food for thought:

The School Library Is Still Open! Ten Ways to Change Our Physical Spaces into Virtual LibrariesThe New

Virtual Reality: Surviving and Thriving as a School Librarian during a Pandemic

Other tasks you might like to consider and schedule are:

Revisit, revise or update policy statements on library operation
Update procedures manual
LMS
• Reconsider home page
• Revisit loan period dates
• Fix cataloguing errors
• Maintain authority file
• Update patron records
• Reassess genre lists
• Update cover images
• Update keywords and subject headings

Professional learning
• Reading – FYI and Synergy
• Access past event material in the members only area of the SLAV website
• Access webinars on your particular LMS, databases etc

Update the library website
Promote ebooks and databases to staff and students
• Create user guides

Promote your availability for one-on-one online support to staff and students
Promote online competition options for students
Consider opportunity to attend more faculty area meetings
Curate resources to support projects and tasks across remainder of 2021
Liaise with teachers to incorporate research skills into future units of work
Plan displays and library activities for remainder of 2021
Begin compiling statistics and data for annual report to school admin / council

What can you work on now to ease the load in 2022? If you have any ideas or suggestions, or you think of something we may have missed, please feel free to contribute in the comments.

 

SLAV Online Book Club June 17th 2021 – Speculative Fiction

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Our thanks to those of you able to join us for our recent book club meeting to discuss speculative fiction. As always, so many of you had so many wonderful contributions to share with us, and it is very appreciated. We have an additional resource the What If List (generously shared by Susan La Marca) that you are welcome to download and use.

Below is the list of titles and series shared and discussed. Some titles may have an indicated suitable age range next to each title, however this is merely a guide and we encourage you to use your own judgement, as you know your students best.

We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting on Wednesday August 11th 2021 to discuss titles for engaging reluctant readers.

Disclaimer: The lists generated as a result of Book Club discussions are not, by any means, an exhaustive list of all titles or authors for each genre/category discussed. Nor will all titles be suitable for all libraries. We advise staff discretion when referencing these lists, to properly confirm individual title suitability for individual libraries, school and students needs. These are suggested titles only, shared by our members and inclusion on, or exclusion from, a list does not suggest SLAV endorsement or rejection of a title.

Titles Discussed 

Dry by Neal Shusterman
Scythe by Neal Shusterman
Game Changer by Neal Shusterman
The Sky So Heavy
After the Lights Go Out by Lili Wilkinson
How to Bee by Bren McDibble
Wasteland by Susan Kim
Rain by Virginia Bergin
Future Girl by Asphyxia
Slated by Terry Teri
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Shatter Me Series by Tahereh Mafi
Hive, Zero Hour and Rogue by AJ Betts
Wool by Hugh Howey
Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness
Virozone by Sarah Cole
Gone Series by Michael Grant
Monument 14
Whisper by Chrissie Perry
Left-handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix
All Rights Reserved
The End of the World is Bigger Than Love by Davina Bell
Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Road the Winter Series by Mark Smith
The Secret Runners of New York by Matthew Reilly
The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni
Monuments and Rebel Gods by Will Kostakis
Proxy by Alex London
The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda
Disruption and Corruption by Jessica Shirvington
Lock In by John Scalazi (For older readers yr 9/10)
Matched by Alie Condie
1984 by George Orwell
A Wizards Guide to Defensive Baking by T Kingfisher
War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi
Unwind by Neal Shusterman
The Gathering by Isobelle Carmody
Coraline and The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman
When we are Invisible by Claire Zorn
Highway Bodies by Alison Evans
Host by Stephanie Meyer
Noughts and Crosses by Marjorie Blackman
Obernewton by Isobelle Carmody
Warcross and Wildcard by Marie Lu
The Gilded Ones by Naomi Forma
Lifelike by Jay Kristoff
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
A Wrinkle in Time – Madeleine L’Engle
Seahearts by Margo Lanagan
Ink by Alice Broadway
The Power by Naomi Alderman
Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

What We Are Reading

The Convict Valley: The Bloody Struggle on Australia’s Early Frontier by Mark Dunn
The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse
Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
While Paris Slept by Ruth Druart
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Julia Gillard: Women in Leadership
Vox by Christina Dalcher
The Last Survivor by Tony Park
The Catalogue of Shipwrecked Books: Christopher Columbus, His Son, and the Quest to Build the World’s Greatest Library
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
The Silent Listener by Lyn Yeowart
The Codebreakers by Alli Sinclair
Last Boat Out of Shanghai
Curse So Dark and Lonely Trilogy by Brigid Kemmerer
A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell

SLAV Primary Conference Poster Gallery – May 24th 2021

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SLAV Primary Conference Poster Gallery – May 24th 2021 Our thanks to those conference attendees who participated in the poster gallery competition! We had 6 wonderful submissions, all sharing great ideas. The criteria specified for our poster gallery submissins were … Continue reading →

SLAV Online Book Club May 19th 2021 – Graphic Novels

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Our thanks to those of you able to join us for our third book club meeting for 2021 to discuss graphic novels. As always, so many of you had so many wonderful contributions to share with us, and it is very appreciated.

Below is the list of titles and series shared and discussed. Some titles may have an indicated suitable age range next to each title, however this is merely a guide and we encourage you to use your own judgement, as you know your students best.

We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting on Thursday June 17th to discuss Speculative Fiction.

Disclaimer: The lists generated as a result of Book Club discussions are not, by any means, an exhaustive list of all titles or authors for each genre/category discussed. Nor will all titles be suitable for all libraries. We advise staff discretion when referencing these lists, to properly confirm individual title suitability for individual libraries, school and students needs. These are suggested titles only, shared by our members and inclusion on, or exclusion from, a list does not suggest SLAV endorsement or rejection of a title.

Maximum Ride Series by James Patterson
Lumberjanes Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, Brooklyn A. Allen and Noelle Stevenson
Over The Garden Wall by Jonathan Case and Patrick McHale
Pawcasso by Remy Lai
When Stars are Scattered by Omar Mohamed, Victoria Jamieson
Amulet Series by Kazu Kibuishi
Wings of Fire Series by Tui Sutherland
My Hero Academia (Manga)
Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone – great for secondary readers, girls or boys.
The ‘I Survived’ Series by Scholastic looks like a sure-fire winner for kids who like graphic novels and true stories.
London: New Burlington Books, 2016 – suitable for boys or girls, good readers because the language can be challenging.
Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, Robert Smith’s illustrations and layout are crisp, arresting, and quite remarkable.
Seance Tea Party by Reimena Yee
Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol
Witchy by Ariel Slamet Ries
Witchlight by Jessie Zarbasky
Lightfall by Tim Probert
Tyranny by Lesley Fairfield
Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Flamer by Mike Curato
Directly from the chat:
Horror – Locke & Key series Romance/LGBTQI – Heartstopper Series, Bloom, Mooncakes Manga series – My Hero Academia, Bleach, Assassination Classroom, Fairy Tail, Manga Dogs

Sheets by Brenna Thummler (Best book ever! according to one reluctant reader)
Doug TenNapel books (Ghostopolis, Cardboard) Grimoire Noir by Yana Bogatch

The graphic novels of Vera Greentea Anne of Green Gables : the graphic novel Meg, Jo, Beth by Rey Terciero.

The Graphic Novels of – To Kill a Mocking Bird, The Great Gatsby, & The Handmaids Tale are very popular

These are really popular in our Primary Library –
Dogman by Dav Pilkey, Big Nate, Super Sidekicks, The Odds by Matt Stanton, Percy Jackson and Wings of Fire graphic versions, Asterix, TinTin, Geronimo Stilton graphic versions, Mighty Robot, Catstronauts, Legend of Zelda.

What if We Were by Axelle Lenor

Just read ‘Animal Farm: A Fairy Tale Graphic Novel’ beautiful illustrations

The graphic novel of Anne Frank’s Diary

The Deep (Tom Taylor)

Fruits Basket Series by Natsuki Takaya (Manga)

Guts, Smile, Drama, Sisters, Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier

Babysitters Club graphic novels

Meg Dunley set up a Padlet for anime/manga recommendations. You can find it here https://padlet.com/09297081/13hww6jduitzv95f

White Bird by RJ Palacio (class text year 7 & 8)
Maus (class text year 10)
Coraline (class text year 7)
We have a GN for Macbeth
Illegal by Eoin Colfer
Romeo and Juliet
Speak by Laurie Anderson
Sapiens Graphic Novel

OMG Shakespeare’ which are retelling of plays in ‘twitter’ format – e.g. ‘YOLO Juliet’ and ‘srsly Hamlet’ – very funny and has hooked a few reluctant Year 10s doing Macbeth

Sad Ghost Club by Lize Meddings

The Dark Matter of Mona Starr by Laura Lee
Long Way Down
Future Girl by Asphyxia
New Kid by Jerry Craft
Parvana by Deborah Ellis
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci – Goodreads

graphiclibrary.org – curated by sarah smooth – site recommended by Jo Menzies for ratings of graphic novels

ALIA have a graphic novel book club – aliagraphic.blogspot.com
Non-fiction graphics for primary – Graphic Library titles and Illustrated History. Wheelers good for ordering non-fiction graphics for primary.

All Marvel -Superman, Spiderman, Batman are popular with Manga. Simpsons, Snoopy, Garfield
‘Great Lives in Graphics’

A Beginner’s Guide to Manga

Manga for libraries – VIZ Media Catalogue has titles listed under age groups – got a copy from our book supplier

ADULT – what we are reading
The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue
Waking Romeo by Kathryn Barker
House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski
House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland
Scars like Wings by Erin Stewart
A Million Things by Emily Spurr
Love Objects by Emily McGuire
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
The Burning God by R.F. Kuang
Born Into This by Adam Thompson – (Tasmanian, indigenous short stories)
Smart Ovens for Lonely People by Amy Tan – short stories
Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Where we Begin by Christie Neiman. Coming of age story includes domestic violence and racism.
The Tolstoy Estate by Steven Conte
First Person Singular by H.Murakami.
Sunburnt Veils by Sara Haghdoosti
The Mother Fault by Kate Mildenhall
Young Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe

Upcoming Events to Celebrate in Your Library

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There are two important events coming up in the calendar you can celebrate in your school library, both of which are fun and easy with wonderful ready made resources for you to access.

 

 

 

 

The Great Book Swap

The Great Book Swap is a fantastic way to celebrate reading locally, learn more about Indigenous languages and culture, while raising funds for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. Schools, workplaces, libraries, universities, book clubs, individuals and all kinds of organisations can host a Great Book Swap. The idea is to swap a favourite book in exchange for a gold coin donation.

This year, the Indigenous Literacy Foundation are aiming to raise $350,000! By registering to host a Great Book Swap at your school or library, you will be actively helping them gift 35,000 new, carefully chosen books to children in remote communities across the country. Yo can find resources and register HERE.

NAIDOC Week 2021 

NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia each July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC is celebrated not only in Indigenous communities, but by Australians from all walks of life. The week is a great opportunity to participate in a range of activities and to support your local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.

NAIDOC originally stood for ‘National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee’. This committee was once responsible for organising national activities during NAIDOC Week and its acronym has since become the name of the week itself. Find out more about the origins and history of NAIDOC Week.

Each year, there is a different focus city for the National NAIDOC Awards Ceremony. The focus city, National NAIDOC Poster Competition and the NAIDOC Awards recipients are selected by the National NAIDOC Committee.

Local community celebrations during NAIDOC Week are encouraged and often organised by communities, government agencies, local councils, schools and workplaces.

Have you thought about organising a NAIDOC event in your Library? A few suggestions about how you can celebrate NAIDOC can be found on this website.

The learning resources available to all students through the NAIDOC website are invaluable for teachers and students and can be foudn HERE. 

SLAV Online Book Club March 24th 2021 – Emotional and Mental Wellbeing

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Our thanks to those of you able to join us for our second book club meeting for 2021 to discuss books that are useful for exploring issues of emotional and mental wellbeing with our students. Some of the titles discussed are useful resources, others are novels that explore characters dealing with issues around their own emotional and mental wellbeing, or that of a friend or family member. As always, so many of you had so many wonderful contributions to share with us, and it is very appreciated.

Below is the list of titles and series shared and discussed. Some titles may have an indicated suitable age range next to each title, however this is merely a guide and we encourage you to use your own judgement, as you know your students best.

We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting on Wednesday May 19th to discuss Graphic Novels.

Disclaimer: The lists generated as a result of Book Club discussions are not, by any means, an exhaustive list of all titles or authors for each genre/category discussed. Nor will all titles be suitable for all libraries. We advise staff discretion when referencing these lists, to properly confirm individual title suitability for individual libraries, school and students needs. These are suggested titles only, shared by our members and inclusion on, or exclusion from, a list does not suggest SLAV endorsement or rejection of a title.

Picture Books/ Younger Readers/ Middle Grade

Sometimes Cake by Edwina Wyatt
Angry Arthur by Hiawyn Oram
Tabitha and the Raincloud by Devon Sillett
I Am Yoga by Susan Verde and Peter Reynolds
No One But You by Douglas Wood
The Whirlpool by Emily Larkin
Jump by Andrew Plant
Good Night Ivy Bright by Ben Long and Andrew Plant
Willy and the Cloud by Anthony Browne
Mr Huff by Anna Walker
The Don’t Worry Book by Todd Parr
The Feelings Book by Todd Parr
Talking About Feelings by Janine Sanders
Me Time by Jessica Sanders
When I’m Feeling Angry by Trace Moroney
Hey Warrior by Karen Young
The Red Tree by Shaun Tan
Blue Flower by Sonya Hartnett
The Elephant by Peter Carnavas
Smiling Mind Series Books
What To Do With a Problem by Kobi Yamada
Trying by Kobi Yamada
The Invisible String by Patrice Karst
The Sad Book by Michael Rosen
Jetty Jumping by Andrea Rowe
Sick Bay by Nova Weetman
Edge of Thirteen by Nova Weetman
Secrets We Share by Nova Weetman
Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai
Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
All of Raina Telgemeier’s graphic novels are very popular with Year 5-7s.
The Little Wave by Pip Harry

Older Readers and Young Adults

Mosquitoland by David Arnold
The Happiest Refugee by Anh Do
The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku
Hero At Dunkirk (My True Story Series) by Vince Cross
Fighting Invisible Tigers: Stress Management for Teens By Earl Hipp
Leave Taking Lorraine Marwood
The Odd Ones Out by James Rallison
The Worry Less Book by Rachel Bryan
History is all You Left Me by Adam Silvera
More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera
All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
The Perks of Being a Wallflower Stephen Chbosky
Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
Darius The Great is Not Ok by Addib Khorram
Highly Illogical Behaviour by John Corey Whaley
The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness
The Unlikely Hero of Room 13 B by Teresa Toten
The Dead I Know by Scott Gardner
Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta
The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling Wai Chim
Tiger Daughter by Rebecca Lim
Good Selfie by Turia Pitt
The Sad Ghost Club – graphic novel by Lize Meddings
The Teenage Guide to Friends by Nicola Morgan (other titles The Teenage Guide to Stress
The Teenage Guide to Life Online)
The Awesome Power of Sleep
Blame My Brain
More Than a Kick by Tayla Harris
Paper Cranes Don’t Fly by Peter Vu
The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
The REsilience Project: Finding Happiness through gratitude empathy & mindfulness by Hugh Van Cuylenburg
Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott, Tobias Iaconis, Mikki Daughtry
Zac and Mia by A.J Betts
Helicopter Man by Elizabeth Fensham
Challenger Deep by Neal Schusterman
Cracked by Claire Strawn
How It Feels to Float by Helena Fox
Unexpected Find by Tony Ibbotson
Beautiful Mess by Claire Christian
The Thing About Oliver by Debra Kelly
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart
Diary of a Young Naturalist by Dana McAnulty
Please Don’t Hug Me by Kay Kerr
To This Day by Shane Koyczan
The Gaps by Leanne Hall
The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse by Charlie Mackesy
The Boy Who Steals Houses by C.G. Drews

What We Are Reading
The Loudness of Unsaid Things by Hilde Hinton
Angel of Waterloo by Jackie French
The Dilemma by B.A. Paris
The Truth About Her by Jacqueline Maley
Infinite Splendours by Sophie Laguna
The Birdman’s Wife by Melissa Ashley
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
The Breaking by Irma Gold
The Dutch House by Ann Pratchett
The Dry by Jane Harper
Home Stretch by Graham Norton

SLAV Online Book Club Meeting February 18th 2021 – Topic: Series

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Our heartfelt thanks to those of you able to join us for our first bookclub meeting for 2021! As always, so many of you had so many wonderful contributions to share with us, and it is very appreciated. Below is the list of titles and series shared and discussed.

Some titles may have an indicated suitable age range next to each title, however this is merely a guide and as always we encourage you to use your own judgement, as you know your students best.

Disclaimer: The lists generated as a result of Book Club discussions are not, by any means, an exhaustive list of all titles or authors for each genre/category discussed. Nor will all titles be suitable for all libraries. We advise staff discretion when referencing these lists, to properly confirm individual title suitability for individual libraries, school and students needs. These are suggested titles only, shared by our members and inclusion on, or exclusion from, a list does not suggest SLAV endorsement or rejection of a title.

Magisterium by Holly Black
Slated by Teri Terry
The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings Series by JRR Tolkien
Harry Potter by JK Rowling
Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan
Once, Then, Now, Soon, Maybe, After by Morris Gleitzman
Scythe by Neal Shusterman
Rangers Apprentice by John Flanagan
Gone Series by Michael Grant
Specky Magee by Felice Arena and Garry Lyons
The Enemy by Charlie Higson
Ricky Ricotta’s Mighty Robot by Dav Pilkey
Tokyo Ghoul Manga by Sui Ishida
Contagion Series by Terri Terry
Young Bond by Charlie Higgins
Berrybrook Middle School Series by Svetlana Chmakova
The Royal Rabbits of London by Santa Montefiore
Just a Girl Series by Jane Caro
Thirteen Series by James Phelan
Hamster Princess by Ursula Vernon (Yrs 1 & 2)
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
My Australian Story Series by Various
Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
‘Choose Your Ever After’ series by Various
Enola Holmes by Nancy Springer
Heartstoppers by Alice Oseman
The Tail of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler (Yrs 3, 4 & 5)
Five nights at Freddy’s novels and graphic novels (scary content, based on a video game)
Funny Kid by Matt Stanton (Yrs 3 & 4)
Wings of Fire (novels and graphic novels) by Tui Sutherland
A Wizards Guide to Defensive Baking – T Kingfisher
The Witcher Series by Andrzej Sapkowski
Throne of Glass Series by Sarah. J. Maas (Secondary)
Assassination Classroom, Naruto, Attack on Titan etc. Also graphic novels like Raina Telgemeier’s Smile, Guts, Drama, Sisters
Wolf Girl by Anh Do
Conspiracy 365 Series by Gabrielle Lord
Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles
Becca Fitzpatrick – Hush Saga
Dragonkeeper Series by Carole Wilkinson
200 minutes of Danger Series by Jack Heath
Mistborn Series by Brandon Sanderson
One of us is Lying and other titles by Karen McManus
Twisted Tales Series published by Disney is popular with year 7 girls
Nemesis by Brendan Reichs
Vampire Diaries by L.J Smith
Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer
For mature readers Rock war Series by Robert Muchamore.
Bodyguard Series by Chris Bradford
Carousel by Brendan Ritchie
All series by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Wiliam Wenton by Bobie Peers
E-Boy by Anh Do
The Selection by Kiera Cass
Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden
Jenny Han – To All The Boys Trilogy
Pages and Co by Anna James
Renegades by Marissa Meyer
Legend by Marie Lu
Road to Winter by Mark Smith
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Discworld by Terry Pratchett
Mortal Engines Quartet and Rail Head by Philip Reeves
YORK series by Laura Ruby
Prince without a Kingdom by T. De Frombelle
Assassins Creed by Oliver Bowden
Famous 5 and Secret Seven by Enid Blyton
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
Wolves of Mercy Falls and Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater
Alex Rider Series by Anthony Horowitz
New duology by Will Kostakis is great (The Monuments & Rebel Gods)
Rogue and Hive by A Betts
The Giver by Lois Lowry

ADULT – What We Are Reading
Dervla McTiernan The Ruin (series)
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
The Animals in That Country by Laura Jean McKay
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Lovely War by Julie Berry
Station Eleven by E,ily St. John Mandel
Book of Colours by Anne Cadwallader
The Broken Shore book 1 by Peter Temple
Truth by Peter Temple
The Dry by Jane Harper
All our Shimmering Skies by Trent Dalton
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
The White Girl by Tony Birch
The Truths We Hold An American Journey by Kamala Harris
Dark Tides by Phillipa Gregory
Lydia Sherrer series is a bit like a grown- up Harry Potter

NON FICTION
Humble Pi by Matt Parker (math mistakes, very funny).
The Last Paper Crane by Kerry Drewery
Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami
Greenlights by Matthew McConaghy
Honeybee by Craig Silvey