Uhu by Annette Macarthur-Onslow

This is one of the first books I purchased for use in the classroom when I started teaching in 1985. The book itself was first published in 1969 and it is still a very accessible text for todays' students. It won the Book of the Year Award in 1970. This book records a family's efforts to raise a baby owl to maturity.

For Uhu it was bound to be trouble from the start. He was one of the inquisitive ones who must tempt providence. There he was on the ground, having fallen out of the nest in his pine tree...a defiant white ball of fluff with enormous blackcurrant eyes and tiny beak clicking a warning to anyone daring to enter his territory among the roots and pine needles. For a creature born to inherit the forest this was all most humiliating. No doubt if I had not come along, a fox would have found him and made a hasty meal.

The language is very descriptive with challenging vocabulary, but entirely suitable to a capable upper primary reader.

The Laziest Boy in the World by Wendy Orr

The title is a bit misleading as you will find out. Simon Brown is quite the reverse in fact. I found this little novel a little on the boring side to be quite honest, despite the quirky illustrations and all the strange and somewhat ridiculous inventions that Simon makes. The plot jumps around a lot and it's hard to really get to know any of the characters, except for maybe the manic dog, Tam, who terrorizes the Tupperware party. I pushed my way through the book to its painful conclusion. Read it and see what you think.

Plants by David Alderton

New to our little library comes this beautifully illustrated and informative book on plants. Pages 26-27 are all about pollination and seed dispersal, just what we have been looking at in Bay Unit as part of our unit on seeds. If you are struggling with your concept map, then have a quick squiz at this book as it will be very useful. It has sections on how plants survive hot and cold climatic conditions, on how plant protect themselves...and their weapons, and also a section on those strange meat-eating plants. It is a very accessible text with well-labelled diagrams and a glossary. The Amazing Plants Facts page at the back is also worth a look. There is also an eight-page fold out explaining the life cycles of trees and featuring vital features of all plant life.

Treasure Trove by Dick King-Smith

Young Ben just loves to save money, some would even call him a miser. But, he definitely has a business brain as well as a conscience. When he finds a stash of gold coins hidden under a floorboard at his house he sets out to find out what they are worth and tries to find out about to whom they used to belong. Accompanied by his best mate Jamie, he visits a numismatologist called Harry Garter who informs him of their great value. One afternoon after school when they are exploring the local cemetery, they come across something very strange which turns out to be connected to the mysterious coins. Whilst this little novel is a bit on the lame side, and Ben is just a bit too goody-two-shoes for my liking, it is a pleasant little read which could be read quite easily in a couple of silent reading sessions.

Mind-Bending Classic Logic Puzzles composed by Jenny Lynch

Do you like a challenge? Or maybe you are after some additional practise for Naplan? Maybe you just enjoy the challenge of solving logic puzzles. This little book has a wide variety of mathematical problems for you to solve. The answers are all in the back of the book so you can check your progress or challenge a friend. The money problems are in pounds but that doesn't really detract from the challenges and these only comprise a small ratio of the book at any rate. This book is also a good way to improve your comprehension of written mathematical questions. Some are easy whilst others may require a concerted effort. Each puzzle comes with an interesting and sometimes striking illustration.

Lockie Leonard Legend by Tim Winton

Lockie is missing Egg, his best friend who has moved away to Freemantle, his brother Phillip is blowing things up in his quest for the ultimate scientific experiment, and Blob...well, she is still chewing on linoleum and filling her nappies. Lockie, who is now fourteen, hasn't been able to shake off his infatuation with Vicki Streeton although he fools himself that he has, and Sarge, his Dad, is still into poetry and other great literary classics. But something is not quite right with his Mum. The house is a mess, she sits staring into space and she is crying all the time. Sarge calls in the golf-obsessed grandparents to supposedly help, but they only make life in the house more complicated and Lockie finds himself sleeping in the laundry. Then, in an unexpected twist, Sarge brings home Cyril the merino ram who is attracted to Phillip's bike.

Finally, the third book in Winton's Lockie Leonard series has made it onto our bookshelves. Lockie takes on many new household responsibilities when his mother is diagnosed with depression and hospitalised. This book is quite different from the preceding two in that it is mainly set at home and focuses on household life and the way Lockie, Philllip and the Sarge cope in the absence of Joy, the family glue who would normally deal with the laundry, the dishes, the cleaning, the meals, the baby and everyone's problems.

Making Friends With Frankenstein by Colin McNaughton

Well we have just finished a unit on poetry so some of you might appreciate this book of poetry. It is chiefly made up of humorous poems to do with monsters and just plain weird stuff. There are some very clever forms of poetry in this book. The Wild Bill Hickok Bird is probably one of my favourites. Another which I found very imaginative was:

IT WAS A DAY LIKE ANY OTHER IN FISHTOWN

"Spare a penny, mister?" said the sea urchin.

"Neigh!" said the seahorse.

"Outta my way!" said the mussel.

"Halleluiah!" said the angelfish.

"You'll get nothing from me," said the clam.

"Weeee!" said the flying fish.

"Woof!" said the dogfish.

"Shocking!" said the electric eel.

"Do you think I am made of money?" said the goldfish.