Readers' Challenge Certificate Ceremony 2006

The Australian Readers' Challenge in association with The Fred Hollows Foundation and Ian Thorpe's Fountain for Youth Trust is pleased to invite you to the ARC Certificate Day Ceremony with Certificate Presentation by Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC Governor of New South Wales, Monday 23 October, 10-11am, Customs House Library, Barnet Long Room, Circular Quay.

Eight of the twenty-nine boys who completed the Readers' Challenge this year had the opportunity to attend this special ceremony, along with two teachers. Jordan, Moseley, Navin, Elias, Kane, Joshua Z, Luke and Joshua O were the lucky ones, with Mrs Ghikas and Mrs Thomson. Some of their thoughts and a few pictures from the day are featured here.

"We were happy to hear that our contribution was worth it and that over all the schools raised $80,000." - Navin
Australian publishers give a generous discount on books purchased with this money, so resources to an even greater value can be provided to those remote Indigenous communities which have access to very few books. Learn more about ARC here.

"We got to see an interesting library and a model of the city." - Moseley.
The City of Sydney model is visible through the glass floor of the ground floor. You can take a virtual tour here. Customs House Library is the latest addition to the City of Sydney library system.

As well as The Governor, Professor Marie Bashir, there were two special guests who spoke at the ceremony.

Gabi Hollows represented the Fred Hollows Foundation and welcomed the money raised as she knows the value that reading brings to individuals and communities who have grown up without access to such resources.

Tara June Winch is a young writer of Wiradjuri, Afghan and English heritage. She has already won awards for her first novel, Swallow the Air, which we have at Patrician Brothers library.

Now we can all look forward to our fourth year of the Readers' Challenge in 2007.

Doppelganger

by Michael Parker

This is an exciting time slip thriller, set in Sydney. Partly it is in our Sydney and partly in a quite different Sydney which is a scary place and one which is strange and nightmarish yet proves to be dangerously real. Andrew thought he had a few problems, but nothing he couldn't handle. Never quite sure that supporting his bullying mate Josh is the right right thing to do, but too weak to do anything else, he suddenly finds himself lost in a world out of his control and faced with a seemingly twin Josh. But this version is even more worrying. Can Andrew take control and survive as well? Find out in this gripping read. There is also a website which gives lots of background to the ideas in the book, suggests a soundtrack and lists other books which inspired the author to write Doppelganger, like Heart of Darkness and Lord of the Flies.

One Way Ticket - The untold story of the Bali 9

by Madonna King and Cindy Wockner

Reviewed by Matthew of Year 11

Are the Bali 9 drug mules or are they humans like me or you?

One Way Ticket is the real story behind the Bali 9’s lives and what events lead up to their arrest. It also shows insight into what the families had to cope with through the arrests of their beloved ones. This book tells us what happens throughout the court cases in which sentences were handed down. Indonesia is a major drug port or a trafficking area in which drugs that pass through the country are headed towards Australia.

One Way Ticket is a great read and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to know the real truth behind the faces of the Bali 9.

For more information about the questions raised by the Bali Nine case see the Four Corners website: Big Fish, Little Fish

The Story of Tom Brennan

by J. C. Burke

2006 Winner CBCA Award - Older readers

Tom Brennan is 17 and was the hero of the rugby team at his school before the accident. Now he is repeating Year 11 in a new town, having to face his old team on the field, and coping badly with visiting his brother in gaol and his cousin in hospital.

In a small community the waves that reverberate from a fatal crash caused by one of their own seem to go on forever. What of the family of the drunken driver? In this story they find that leaving town is the only way out. Even then each must come to terms in their own way.

This is a powerfully told story with all the more impact because any one of us might one day be in the situation that faces the Brennans. You can’t go back and as Tom finds, you can’t just forget. The only way is forward.

The relationship between Tom and his brother Daniel is very important in Burke's book. Their cousin, Fin, was also like a brother to them, and their mother's brother was close to Daniel and helped Tom come to terms with circumstances.

Other excellent books about brothers include:
Flash Jack by Maureen McCarthy
Fighting Ruben Wolf, The Underdog and When Dogs Cry, all by Markus Zusak
Lost Property by James Moloney

...and don't forget sisters:
The Red Shoe by Ursula Dubosarsky
Dead Girls Don't Write Letters by Gail Giles
Missing You, Love Sara by Jackie French

Have you read any of these books? Well why not? We would love to publish your review of any of these titles, or one of your own choice. Send to the address above or just add to "comments" below.

Mister Monday

by Garth Nix

First book of The Keys to the Kingdom series.

Reviewed by Brendan H. of Year 8

This is a very weird book, as all of them are in this series. It’s about a kid who has asthma and isn’t a very good athlete, who one day runs into a man called Mister Monday who gives him a part of a weird and mystical key and an atlas. Then he goes into a weird house in another realm. It seems he must kill Mister Monday and be the ruler of the lower house.

Try the rest of the series: Grim Tuesday, Drowned Wednesday, Sir Thursday....so far. For more information, free chapters and other fun go here.

Runcible Jones: The Gate to Nowhere

by Ian Irvine

Reviewed by Brendon D. of Year 8

The start of a whole new fantasy quintet about a 13 year old foster child. When his dad mysteriously dies after writing a book on magic, Runcible Jones goes on a quest full of magic, mystery and mayhem. This is a fun adventure novel with a whole range of magical characters and creatures.

Runcible Jones is a great read which I would recommend for all fans of magical stories or if you like any book by Ian Irvine. Be sure to look out for the second book, coming out in October 2006.

Take a look at the Runcible Jones website. Lots of information including a sample chapter to read. Ian Irvine's earlier books have also been popular with boys at Patrician Brothers' who like to get into a great big fantasy series. Runcible Jones is his first book for younger readers.

Theodora's Gift

by Ursula Dubosarsky

Australian Readers' Challenge listed title.

This is a sequel to The First Book of Samuel but it is not necessary to read both books to enjoy either one. Both feature a loving but chaotic family focusing on Samuel aged 13 and Theodora, 14, who live with their father and his second wife Hannah (Samuel's mother). At the heart of this family is their German Jewish heritage and their grandfather Elias, a holocaust survivor who is approaching death.

Theodora and Samuel are both disturbed when their father sees frightening visions and suddenly moves to the country with Pearl - his first wife and Theodora's mother. Both children take action in their own way to bring their father home. The story is set in September 2001 - it seems for a while that it is not just this unusual family which has become somewhat more chaotic than usual.

A gentle and absorbing story with a cast of unusual characters.

The Red Shoe

by Ursula Dubosarsky

The Red Shoe is a story with the child’s point of view at its centre. Set around Easter 1954 and looking back to a significant event of the previous Boxing Day, we see a family in a time of crisis. There are three daughters aged 6, 11 and 15, a mother, a father who is often absent on his ship, and Uncle Paul.

Around them are contemporary events involving Russian spies, children dying of polio, and various Sydney murders and misadventures, captured in newspaper clippings placed between many of the chapters. But there is also the possibility of going to the Royal Easter Show, family picnics, trips to the beach and school parades.

In spite of the child’s point of view, this story deals with some serious issues. The father is suffering from the after-effects of trauma so his depression and the shocking possibility of suicide create a fearful backdrop to the story.

Looking back on The Red Shoe is like viewing a tapestry that reveals greater depths as you move from capturing the big picture to looking into each detailed corner. There is much to discover here.

Read how the author came to write The Red Shoe here. For links to background information about a variety of things mentioned in the book, like the Petrov Affair, polio epedemics of the 50s, the Argonauts Club and the Palm Beach Ferry look here.

Hold On

by Alan Gibbons

We hear this story in turn about from two sources – the diary of John, who we know from the start has died, and the recollections of school mate Annie. Although never a friend of John's, they happened to meet some months before on holidays a long way from home. John is not someone she has paid any attention to - in fact she rather fancied one of the boys who turns out to have been tormenting John for years. But she learns from him something of the bullying he has suffered and sees first hand how harshly John’s father treats him.

Who is responsible for John's death? Annie thinks she knows and returns to England bent on exposing the bullies. But could she be implicated? Her friendship with John stirred up feelings in him that were more than she wanted. Has she done the right thing? Can she accept that others have learned from this hard experience? Why didn’t John do more to expose the classmates who terrorised him? And did he really intend to kill himself?

Alan Gibbons stirs up emotions and asks us to put ourselves in the places of the major characters of this drama. Many of us will identify with the friends and teachers in the story who are very wary of causing a fuss, but also played their part. A gripping read.

This author seems to make every story he writes a thriller. Other excellent books by Gibbons held by the library include The Legendeer Trilogy - Shadow of the Minotaur, Vampyr Legion and Warriors of the Raven. Even his humorous books tell stories at a mile a minute - like Julie and Me and Michael Owen Makes Three, which is about a boy who can never quite decide if he is more obsessed with soccer or girls (at least, a certain girl).

Room One Nineteen

by Luke Keioskie

This novel is set in the Green Institute for Wayward Adolescents, specifically in Room 119 where Dr Carl T. Luskan meets a group of students each week for his radical new therapy called Elementary Creative Thought. But we know right from the start of the book that something very wrong has happened in this room . Dr Luskan is dead and his colleague has put together this book which includes transcripts of Dr Luskan's taped notes about each of the students, and their writings completed in the course of the treatment.

Some bad behaviour has been going on but who might be the trouble makers and who are the troubled?

The best parts of this book are the stories which are presented as being written by the six students, each of whom has had a troubled past and is being treated for some crime or major problem which Dr Luskan has not been informed about. Dr Luskan himself seems to be becoming increasingly anxious as the story goes on, leading to a thrilling conclusion - unless you are smart enough to work it out for yourself.

Stormbreaker

by Anthony Horowitz

Australian Readers' Challenge listed title.

Reviewed by James of Year 8


Stormbreaker is the first book in an epic series written by Anthony Horowitz. The series is based on a 14 year old teenager who becomes a secret agent. His name is Alex Rider. His uncle is a secret agent who looks after Alex during his pre-teens after his parents pass away. Alex’s uncle is killed while on an undercover mission. Alex investigates his uncle’s murder, finding out he is a secret agent. Alex is approached by HQ and forced to undertake his own mission to finish where his uncle left off.

I like Stormbreaker because it is great when it comes to suspense and you never know what is going to happen next.

Dragon Rider

by Cornelia Funke
Australian readers' Challenge listed title

Reviewed by Luke of Year 8.

A book that has been recently purchased by the library is called Dragon Rider. It’s about a silver dragon and his two companions, a human and a very strange creature. They meet new people and learn about themselves all to find the Rim of Heaven a mysterious place known to dragons.
Recommended for all to read.

Other books the library has by Cornelia Funke: The Thief Lord, Inkheart, Inkspell

Want to meet the author? Go to this video interview.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

by J.K. Rowling

Reviewed by Brendan H. and Luke of Year 8

This is a book about a boy named Harry Potter who attends a magical school which is called Hogwarts. In his second year Harry faces new enemies and challenges. Also there is a new teacher called Professor Gilderoy Lockheart and Harry finds out that he has another power.

We enjoyed reading this book and we encourage all to read.

What is Parseltongue?

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

By J.K.Rowling

Reviewed by Brendan H. of Year 8

Our first student reviewer!

This is about a boy called Harry Potter who lived with a family called the Dursleys, until one day Harry finds out that he’s not just an ordinary boy but a wizard and a pretty famous one at that. Then a man called Hagrid took him to the station were he meet Ron and his family and they got onto the Hogwarts' Express. They arrive at a magic school called Hogwarts which has one of the best headmasters in the wizarding world - Dumbledore. Harry meets some friends called Hermione and Ronald.

One day a very precious stone called the Philosopher's Stone is found by Harry and friends. They figured out that Professor Snape, who used to be a Death Eater, was trying to take it. They went down through a door and discovered Snape had not been trying to steal it after all, but Quill. He was taken over by Lord Voldemort who then tried to kill Harry.Over all I really liked reading the book and found it was really funny and enjoyable.

The Wand in the Word

- Conversations with Writers of Fantasy

Compiled and edited by Leonard S. Marcus

If you are a fantasy fan (and I am not particularly) then you will love this book. I went straight to the interview with Garth Nix and found it immediately absorbing. Nix answers questions about his childhood reading, how he came to be a writer, how he organises his work, about research and advice for young writers. My favourite answer is to the question What is the best part of being a writer?:
"Making up stories. Finishing a book. Receiving the first copies hot off the press. Having my work sit on the same shelves as books by authors whose work I have admired all my reading life."

The illustrations include a copy of handwritten notes for Drowned Wednesday. Great stuff! Other authors featured include Brian Jacques (Redwall), Ursula K. Le Guin (Earthsea), Tamora Pierce (Song of the Lioness), Philip Pullman (Northern Lights) and half a dozen more. Would love to hear some reviews of the other interviews in this book from some of the many fans of these authors.

Meanwhile, there seem to be a dozen Garth Nix websites out there but his own fairly plain one is my favourite. It has his own humorous comments and has lots of interesting stuff, plus links to all the sites which are produced by his publishers. Garth Nix

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

by John Boyne
Australian Readers' Challenge listed title.
The author describes this book as a fable, the name given to a simple story with a mesage to impart - like "Slow and steady wins the race." But this book is not so simple, although written in a beautifully simple style. The cover blurb warns that it is best to start this story without knowing what it is about, and there is some wisdom in that. It is also a story whose whole point could be missed if you don't know a bit of the background.

Bruno is a boy of nine (but the book is not for nine year olds) and he is taken away from his beautiful home in Berlin during World War II when his father is given a very important job. Now he must live in a lonely place with just his family. Yet Bruno is an explorer and one day he finds a fence and a friend.

If you are interested in the historical background to this story, or in reading other Holocaust stories, you may like the following books from our library. Be warned that they are not stories for the faint hearted.

Maus by Art Spiegelman is the story of Holocaust victims told in comic book format.
Hitler Youth by Susan Campbell Bartoletti contains many stories and pictures of real children and young people who grew up in Nazi Germany.
Finally, Auschwitz by Pascal Croci is a haunting picture book.

Boy Proof

by Cecil Castellucci
Egg knows she is different from most people at her high school and has decided that that is their problem. Calling herself after the tough heroine of her favourite science fiction film, shaving her head and being unfriendly to just about everyone means that she is boy proof - and no-one can hurt her. A film buff, talented photographer for the school newspaper and honour student in all her subjects (well, almost) she is enraged when a new boy comes to school. It seems he is as smart as her (surely not!) and friendly to everyone - including Egg. Max is also a fantastic artist, and he just might tip Egg out of the top academic honour of the year - unless she admits she needs help to pass maths. Egg has finally met someone who understands her, but can she let herself be nice to him? Both she and Max are pretty interesting characters to get to know.

Lost Property

by James Moloney
Australian Readers' Challenge listed title.
Josh is enjoying his job in the lost property office at Central Station in the Christmas holidays, when he finds a photo that has his missing brother Michael in the background. Although Josh has good friends, a pretty girlfriend, is lead singer of a band and has lots of money saved from his job, his missing brother causes a pain he can't express and is threatening to destroy his family. It is time he did something about finding Michael, and the photo is his first clue. But things are not quite as they seem. A satisfying book about a young man who finds himself while looking for his brother.

Deep Water

by Ann Turnbull

"The bus was late. Jon hoped it had broken down. Or caught fire. Or been hijacked. Anything - so long as he didn't have to go to school this Friday."

Have you ever made a decision that you lived to regret? Jon makes one, that leads to another and another. Before he knows it, he is in deep and in the wrong place when something really bad happens. Does he have the inner strength to know when enough is enough? This is a short book (96 pages) and to tell any more of the story would be to seriously ruin the suspense. A must read.

We also hold "No Shame, No Fear" by this author. It is a longer novel about religious persecution in England in the 17th Century, and young love that suffered the consequences. Another excellent book.

All Fall Down

by Susan Geason
Set in Sydney in 1900 this story tells an exciting adventure located in the seedier parts of the city. When the son of a young serving girl disappears it is feared that his father, a wanted criminal has taken him. Fourteen-year-old Christabel, from a well off home but bored and lonely, decides to rescue him, with the help of stable boy Billy. This is a fast moving story, which gives a very realistic idea of what Sydney must have been like in those days.