Keeping up with the challenge

As you can see from our statistics at the top of the side bar (eyes left!) the PBB Readers' Challenge has really taken off. Further down you can read the list of books read so far. After only one week we have already nearly fifty entrants and about the same number of dollars. By letting people record books read since 1st February we thought we would give encouragement as some people might have a book to put down already. This was an underestimation in some cases, with several boys recording 10 books already, and more. To keep everyone recording those books we have an extra page of 25 lines on the back of the reading record. So keep on reading!

HELP WANTED - URGENTLY! Your ideas for improving Book Bites, including YOUR book reviews. If you have read any of the books listed so far why not write a short piece about it and send to us via the email address in the Book Bites header, or by clicking on COMMENT below.

A Getting of Wisdom

This is the title of a Sydney Morning Herald article featuring the words of Craig Ashby from Walgett in the far north west of NSW who successfully completed his first year at Sydney University last year. The surprising part of this story is that at 15, just four years ago, Craig could barely read or write. Getting a scholarship to St. Joseph's College, Hunters Hill was a turning point but the full story is worth reading. He tells it best. Here is a sample:

Even though I could not read or write when I went to Joey's, not once did any kid ever give me a hard time about it or call me dumb, and I got on pretty well with everyone. Maybe they were scared, or maybe they understood me, but whatever it was nobody ever had a go at me about it.

So my confidence kept growing and growing, and the more it grew, the better I started doing. My literacy skills improved rapidly and by the end of year 9 at Joey's I could read and write....

My years at St Joseph's changed my life. It turned me around as a person, made me proud to be an indigenous boy, and showed me that I can take my place in the world and the possibilities that are out there for me to work for my country, nation and people.