Friends A Book of Quotations

I guess this is what you'd call a gift book. It is a collection of quotations about friends and friendships. So if you want some inspiration in this area, it's a quick and enlightening little read.  Here are a few cited in the book:

An honest answer is the sign of true friendship
Proverbs 24:26


It's the ones that you can call up at 4:00 a.m. that really matter.
Marlene Dietrich (Popcorn in Paradise)


Treat your friends as you do your best pictures, and place them in their best light.
Jennie Jerome Churchill

A friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.
Walter Winchell

A friend is one who knows us, but loves us anyway.
Fr. Jerome Cummings.


Friendship is one mind in two bodies.
Mencius

Millie and the Night Heron by Catherine Bateson

Millie Childe has a somewhat unusual family, her mum's an artist, her dad's a scientist living in London, and then there is her adopted aunt Sheri and her son Mitchell.  She loves her family, their house meetings, the curry cook-ups, and even the Saturday clean-ups but all this changes when Sheri meets Brendan Trotter and moves out. Her mum decides it is time for a change and they move to a new town and  Millie finds the adjustment a difficult one. The girls at her new school have a pecking order and are only interested in the latest brands and boyfriends. School camp enables her to make a few friends with similar interests and things are improving until Millie meets her mum's new boyfriend. This book is quality Australian teenage fiction at its best. For more information on author Catherine Bateson, click on this link to visit her website:
http://www.catherine-bateson.com/

Cat-Face by Penny Hall

Edwina receives an unusual gift from her Uncle Jack. He is always bringing her gifts, but this one is special; a black jaguar head carved from wood all the way from Mexico. One morning Edwina wakes to discover that her jaguar can talk and has other has special powers as well. She discovers it was in fact carved in the likeness of the rain god's noble head. Edwina takes it to school, and unfortunately her precious cat-face mysteriously goes missing. It seems that Tilly Moon knows more about the jaguar than Edwina would like. This is a short novel of only nine chapters, each with their own ink illustrations by Margaret Power,and could easily be read in a couple of quiet reading sessions.

Junk Castle by Robin Klein

Mandy, Rene, Con and Splinter are all in the same grade at school and live in the same block of flats. They have nowhere to play and the so called park over the road is only a moderate-sized triangle of grass called The Beatrice Binker Reserve which is not even big enough for a game of soccer. They also have the grumpy and verbally abusive Mr Drake to deal with.

"...aren't you the same kids I have already told of yesterday for chalking arrows all over the footpath you need a good belting the lot of you and you girl yes you with the plaits what do you mean by leaning against my fence like that blocking the sunlight from my dahlias eh speak up!"

Take a step back into the eighties to see what upper primary kids did without Play Stations, mobile phones and other electronic gadgetry. Irene has a speech to make at school so it's off to the local library, no world wide web. In the block of flats they have to creep up and down the stairs to deliver messages to each other, no texting. To alleviate their boredom they scavenge around the neighbourhood for building materials and build their own castle in the reserve. There are now two copies of this little delight with different       covers in the classroom library. 

Izzy, Willy-Nilly by Cynthia Voigt

Before, the accident, Izzy's life had been wonderful, she was an attractive cheerleader with lots of friends. But now the greyness of her life is swallowing her up, and whilst her family try to make things okay, her friends are too uncomfortable to be around and she is finding life as an amputee difficult. Then Rosamunde bounds into her life, providing her with support and teaching her persistence to overcome the hurdles of school. This book is all about human survival and growth. Izzy makes you laugh and cry, but mostly she makes you want to stand and applaud.

A little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

This book is one of my all time favourites and set in the early 1900’s. It tells a story of the extremely rich and the extremely poor. It shows how differently they were treated and how much they were segregated. Sara Crew was born in India to a very rich man named Ralph Crewe, he is very close to his daughter Sara so he is very upset when he has to send her away to boarding school because at that time India wasn’t a safe place for children to live; the climate was terrible and there was a war going on. Since Sara was very wealthy she was treated very well at the boarding school, she had her own toy room, a pony, and a very extravagant wardrobe. But when Mr. Crewe dies of Brain Fever, a very common disease in India at that time, and she is told she has no money and is an orphan. Mrs. Minchin; the lady who owns the boarding school wants to throw her out on the streets, but instead she keeps her as a servant, she takes all her belongings and makes her sleep in the attic, and she deprives her of food. Then when an Indian man moves in next door to the boarding house Sara befriends him. She speaks to him in Hindi and he was very impressed, but he wasn’t really just an Indian man, he is a friend of Sara’s father. He becomes her legal guardian and keeps the fortune until she is of age. Click on the link below to watch the trailer to the movie:

http://www.videodetective.com/movies/trailers/a-little-princess-trailer/5637

The Blossoms Meet the Vulture Lady by Betsy Byars

When we first meet the protagonist of this novel, Junior, he is trying to fly with his home-made wings. After recovering from two broken legs he is trying to make the best coyote trap ever. But, a dangerous coyote is surely no match for Junior Blossom. He sets out to with his trap to try and win the big reward that's on offer! However, Junior’s inventions aren’t exactly known for their success. A malfunction sets off a series of events that leaves Junior trapped far from home in a place no one would think to look for him. Will the rest of the Blossom family be able to rescue him?

Lucky Star by Cathy Cassidy

"Don't judge a book by its cover." Now in regards to this particular book this is pretty good advice. I own a copy with this first cover and to me it doesn't look like it would attract too many male readers. The cover below this one might. The book is all about high school student Mouse, a budding graffiti artist, who likes to take a few risks every now and again and is not afraid of what people might think of him. However, he soon learns that some of the risks that he takes have such traumatic consequences that could change his life forever. One of the messages in the novel is about respect and the idea that it has to be earned and not bought or demanded. It also examines the importance of friendships and relationships. If you enjoyed our class novel Driftwood, then I think you would enjoy this one too. For more information about the author check out her website: http://www.cathycassidy.com/

Secret Sister by Martha Tolles

This novel would probably appeal to girls around the age of twelve. The characters, dialogues and actions are realistic. Secret Sister is a program at this school a bit like our Book Buddies to encourage friendships. Can you imagine leaving notes to a secret sister at school? Darci is assigned to send notes to Crystal, a popular student and tv star. But will Crystal want to be friends with Darci once sh finds out who she is? And, who is sending Darci notes? It seems to be someone very strange. Can you work it out?

Read My Mind! by Krista Bell

Krista Bell came to Illawarra Primary a few years back and she had the students very enthralled. I would recommend this book to upper primary and lower secondary girls. It is all about a mother/daughter relationship. I found it hard to put the book down.

Krita Bell has a very extensive website where you can find out much more about this novel as well as her other books.

http://www.kristabell.com/books/readmymind.htm

After Alice by Jane Carroll

I couldn't put this book down and read it in one sitting. Another little gem from Australian authoress Jane Carroll. It was published in 1999 and is now out of publication. The main character is Bree and her parents have adopted eight-year old Alice whose mother has recently died. She is coming to live on the farm and Bree can't wait. However, upon her arrival Alice finds the reality of having a new little sister nothing like she had imagined. Sibling rivalry soon rears its ugly head. Bree now finds little solace at school or at home and her special friendships are suddenly in jeopardy. This book would appeal to girls more than boys and would be suitable for 10-12 year olds.