The holiday is just around the corner, so whether you plan to travel or stay at home, reading is an excellent way to keep you happily occupied on the train, plane or beach. Reading broadens pupils’ horizons and intensifies their understanding of the world, allowing them to better adapt to society and its future developments. There is no denying that reading benefits us all tremendously. It is important that pupils are persistent in their reading, as it can gradually deepen their understanding of various materials. We are going to organise a Chinese New Year reading challenge “Get Caught Reading” to motivate pupils to keep up the habit of reading during the holiday. Pupils should take a picture of themselves reading somewhere unique and submit a printed or emailed photo to the Primary School librarian. Once we have gathered in and reviewed all the entries, we will choose one winner from each grade and present them with a small prize to further encourage their reading. If you are traveling this holiday and are looking for something to keep busy on the train, plane or beach, check out these great books by award-winning authors: Lower Primary After the Fall
Dan Santat Humpty Dumpty loves birdwatching, but after his great fall, he is anxious to climb up on the wall. Children will relate to Humpty Dumpty as he shows his resilience and courage when he faces his fears. Brilliant Deep: Rebuilding the World’s Coral Reefs
Kate Messner Reading about the state of coral reefs in the world’s oceans can leave you filled with despair, but Ken Nedimyer saw an opportunity to help. As a child, Ken loved the ocean, had dozens of aquariums in his room and read anything he could find about the sea and sea life.As an adult, Ken developed a method to grow new coral reefs and graft healthy colonies into existing struggling reefs. Children will be inspired by Ken’s true story of how one person can make a difference. Upper Primary Mysterious Benedict Society
Trenton Lee Stewart Four children are recruited by the mysterious Nicholas Benedicts. The children must learn to work together, use each other’s strengths and solve some challenging puzzles in order defeat the evil and elusive Ledroptha Curtain. Case Closed? Nine Mysteries Unlocked by Modern Science
Susan Hughes Egypt’s first female Pharaoh disappears, was she murdered? The ancient city of Ubar disappears without a trace. Susan Hughes uses these and other cases from history to demonstrate how archaeologists, scientists, forensic anthropologists and historians approach these challenging mysteries. Junior School Spiderman
Jason Reynolds Miles is a typical inner-city teenager: playing video games with friends, piles of homework, pressure from his parents to do well in school. He has won a scholarship to a prestigious private school, making his dad proud. Oh, and he’s Spiderman. When his Spidey sense is sending him messages that land him in trouble, threatening him to be expelled from school, will Miles ignore his superhero duties and focus on his schoolwork? Boys in the Boat (Young Readers Adaptation)
Daniel James Brown The Olympics are just a few months away, so get into the spirit with this tale of grit and teamwork. Joe’s life is full of heartbreak: his mother died, his father abandoned him, he grows up alone and in poverty. Through Joe’s grit and determination, enduring dangerous jobs Joe is able to enrol in Washington State University. Joe tries out for crew team because a spot on the team guarantees him a job on campus. Washington State University doesn’t have much of a crew team, most years UCLA represents the USA at the Olympics. There is no reason to think a spot of the crew team will amount to much, other than a bit of income. But the hope and determination of these 9 young men enables them to overcome obstacles to become Olympic Champions in Nazi Germany in 1936. During this winter holiday, let us take a marvellous reading journey where we can get to know more wonders of our world while opening doors to other new and exciting worlds as well.
