The August issue of our OPHS Online Library Newsletter #13

 The OPHS Library Online Newsletter

August 2022  #13

Welcome to our Online Monthly Library Newsletter

Every month, in our Library Newsletter, we have reviews on wonderful books that we have in our Library, snippets of new books on the horizon, interesting information about lovely Authors and also books-to-movies information. There will be links to access upcoming books that are in The Library and lots of book information that you will enjoy.  We will have competitions, winner announcements, links to short stories and poems and other interesting literacy information all in one Newsletter!  

If you would like to add a contribution to our next Newsletter (September issue), such as:  What is your favourite book from our Library?  What were your favourite and/or worst books that you have ever read?  Would you like to send in a book review and/or a literacy picture? Can you think of anything else that would look great in our newsletter?  Then please email:

ltaylor@oakspark.redbridge.sch.uk

Reviews of  The Library by our Students:

 

Near the Acorn Centre, the great O.P.H.S Library is located………..  I love the library because there are three great, kind and hardworking librarians there. 

This library is situated over two floors with a total of 29 computers to use for homework and research.  Two books (or more if you want) are allowed to be taken out of the Library along with 2 quick reads. All books (and they even have other resources e.g rubix cubes and even a plastic wand) can be borrowed on a three week loan period. 

If  you want to have more time to read your book/books, you can ask the librarians and they’ll give you more time.

All the fiction books are arranged alphabetically by the author’s name and Non-fiction books are arranged in numerical order, dewey, according to their subject. 

Every morning, you can arrive at 8:00 sharp and you’ll find the library door open, welcoming you in.  The amazing librarians always put on a movie every morning so you can sit and watch until it’s time to line up. 

What do you do once you finish your books? Well, you line up in front of one of the librarians and they’ll scan your library card and then you can change your books. 

There are even Manga books you can access when you are in a certain year. I hope you can see why I love the Library.  I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

What I like about the library is that we have library lessons often. The library has a quiet and a peaceful environment to study or finish off any work.  The books that are in the library are interesting to read.  The teachers who look after the library are kind and friendly.

THE LIBRARY IS ONE OF THE BEST PLACE IN SCHOOL, AND HERE'S WHY:

FIRSTLY,THE DECORATIONS ARE ABOVE EXCELLENT AND ARE A GREAT ADDITION TO THE LIBRARY.  SECONDLY, THE LIBRARY IS VERY COSY AND HOMELY, AND AS IF THAT WAS NOT ENOUGH, THERE ARE A GREAT SELECTION OF BOOKS TO READ FROM.

DID I MENTION THE COMFORTABLE SEATING? IF NOT, THE LIBRARY INCLUDES  VERY COMFORTABLE SEATING RIGHT OPPOSITE A TV! 

ENOUGH BLABBER, NOW GO CHECK IT OUT FOR YOURSELF!

The library is important to me because I find it amusing and entertaining. I can learn new things by reading books I'm not familiar with. The books help me understand new words and what they are used for.

I come to the library every morning and afternoon. You can do your uncompleted homework, you can read, revise for upcoming tests and you can do lots more! The teachers in the library are very understanding and they make me feel comfortable. I love their energy and the way they make everybody feel like they are having a good time.

I LIKE THE LIBRARY BEACUSE IT IS VERY WELCOMING AND HAS A GOOD VARIETY OF BOOKS OF ALL GENRES.  

The library is a wonderful place to develop your imagination and skills.  It is also a peaceful and quiet place.  All in all, it is a great environment to work in. 

The library (or LRC) is a calming place where you can catch up on any homework, read silently and even watch movies! 

The staff are lovely in the library and Mrs Taylor encourages you to read everyday for 20 minutes, and we have the accelerated reader programme,  where you have to have a big book and two small books. 

After you finish your book, you do a test giving you an amount of words that you can get rewarded with! 

There are thousands of books to choose from ranging from different genres.

Our library and reading staff are like no other, with their words of encouragement to read new books and helps us to be the best.

They have certainly helped me achieve new feats I’ve never thought I’d get to, but enough of that let’s talk about the actual library, shall we? 

Well, the library here is surely a sight to see with their wide range of books that are surely enough to satisfy my thirst for knowledge as well as enjoyment! 

My heart goes out to our library as it has not served me as just a learning centre…but a home.

I like the library because when I come into the library the teachers are always smiling and helping me find a book. 

I also enjoy the library lessons because they are so fun and enjoyable.  I really liked it when we got a book and had to read the book and then make a similar story from the book.

I like the library because it has many books that I find interesting to read and I enjoy them a lot. There are a wide range of books that you can choose from. Some of my favourite books are Harry Potter, Beast Quest and there are many others as well. You have the opportunity to pick any book you would like. The staff are friendly and recommend books that you might like to read. It is quiet here and it is perfect  to do your reading and your homework as well. 

In the library, I love coming in and seeing people reading and also love watching the films. The library has so many books, it's almost like paradise. 

The library is a wonderful place where you can learn something new everyday. All you need to do is borrow a book you’re interested in and get lost in your own imagination! The library offers a large range of books from fiction to nonfiction and many genres to choose from. The library has helped nurture my knowledge and vocabulary overall.

The reason why I enjoy the library is because I like the selection of some of the books and the different types of genres of books, such as fantasy, gothic and adventure. 

What I like about the library is the variety of books that are there. There are very nice librarians and it is very easy to get a book. 

The library is not just about how many books you read, or the number of words you read or about any of the famous Authors that you have read and that you can impress your friends with, it is about enjoying the books you pick and read yourself.

The school's library is awesome… Here are my reasons why: They have a dvd player so we can watch movies on it.. They have various books for us to use… We have computers so you can do your homework… we have great library teachers… and finally the library is calm and it's huge… The books there are amazing!  You must read every day for 20 minutes.  There are books such as horror, fairy tales, peaceful, happy and calm books in our library!  To me, the library means to have intelligence and calmly  read the books here or watch the movies our librarian puts on…  Also it means to do all your homework in time as we have the computers to use for homework.  Our library has so many books.  Our library is  colourful with an upstairs as well. Keep reading!

The Cool Club

A new story that will be continued every month……………………

Chapter 2: So What’s Wrong With Angela?

What’s wrong with Angela! What’s right with her? I DO NOT like her!! If you haven’t guessed already, I DO NOT like her. But why? Well, there was a time (you won’t believe this), but  there was a time when me and Angela were friends. I know! It’s so crazy right? I mean I've just told you that I DO NOT like her.

So, it all started 2 years ago. We had just started high school. Camden high school to be exact. We were new and had no idea who anyone was. Luckily we had each other. You see, Angela was prettier than me and I was smarter than her. But somehow, we had been the bestest of friends since we were babies. Us two were inseparable.

On the first day, things went from awkward to more awkward. Then they got even worse. 

We walked into our first classroom. It was large and everyone had their own individual desks. The windows were wide open and letting in a cool breeze, which was a good thing because I felt really hot that day. 

At the front of the class was a large chalkboard, and beside it was the teacher's desk. The teacher wasn’t there yet so I decided to just go and sit down. There were two desks next to each other for me and Angela but Angela had already sat down somewhere else and didn’t want to move. I went to sit on the seat when somebody pulled it backwards without me noticing. I fell down on the floor hard. I heard laughing and screams of joy. I looked up and people were pointing at me, laughing at me and talking about me. I looked at Angela for guidance but she just sat there. 

I even saw her giggle a little bit. I felt like crying but I knew it would only make things worse. I left the room and ran to the bathroom to sort myself out.

I heard the door open. I told them to go away. They spoke to me. I knew instantly that it was Angela. I felt a sigh of relief and opened the door of the stall I was using. As I opened it I remembered that Angela had been laughing with the rest of the class too. I got angry. I opened the door fully and gave her a horrible look, she just looked at me in shock.

To be continued in September’s Online Library Newsletter…………………

Library Book Reviews by Students:

Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire

by J K Rowling

My favourite book that has been adapted into a movie is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

 

My reason for this is that it is better than the movie and The Goblet of Fire is my favourite Harry Potter movie, so I knew that the book would be even better.

In my opinion, the book is  more immersive, and you can get really carried away with book.  The book is action-packed and leaves you on the edge of your seat.

Anthony Horrowitz: 

The Falcon’s Malteaser

The Diamond brothers are a series of books in which ‘Tim Diamond’ (real name Herbert Simple) and his younger brother Nick, go on various adventures as detectives. 

In this book, Tim and Nick are struggling to find a way to earn money when suddenly, a man named Johnny Naples, a dwarf, tells them to hide a suspicious package for him for 200 pounds.  The next day, Tim and Nick find Johnny dead in a hotel unexpectedly, and after all this, they unwrap this package to find out that the package was a box of maltesers. Why would someone be after a box of maltesers so bad ? 

Read this book if you love a good detective story!

Creative writing stories by our students:

Out of this World!

Did you ever wonder if giraffes could fly, if elephants could actually dance?  How about if birds could actually sing or if zebras were able to tap-dance? Well, you are just about to find out.

Way beyond the Savannah district in Africa, there is a land where no one has yet discovered. There are animals, but not just any regular animals - animals with secret features! (Do not tell anyone about this as the animals are happy the way they are; they don’t want to be discovered. Shhhh!) 

Just as I said at the beginning, there are giraffes who can fly and there are zebras who can tap dance and there are birds that can sing and there are elephants that can dance! It is what any child could possibly ever dream of. All of the wildlife was content with their life and did not want anything to destroy

it.

But what I am just about to tell you, could possibly change their lives forever.

A little girl, named Emerald Jenkins came on a holiday to Africa. She belonged to a very rich family and was able to get anything she wanted. She even had her own butler! 

But the one thing she wanted was to have a pet who was SO special. One day, Emerald and her family were in the hotel and Emerald was getting bored and decided that she would visit her friend’s house as it was nearby. 

So, Emerald and her butler arrived at her friends house and she gazed at the exalted sights before her eyes.  She saw some giraffes in the distance. Since they were so tall of course she could see them! 

Emerald ran as fast as she could; she discovered that these were no ordinary giraffes, they were giraffes with wings. Confused, she thought that it must have been some sort of rare species. However, when she discovered the zebras, lions, birds and elephants, she realised that these were animals that have super powers and were not part of the regular ecosystem. 

She discovered lions who could write in English, ostriches that could drink with normal glasses and peacocks with shoes!

Emerald had mixed emotions: she didn’t know whether to feel shocked or happy that she could finally have her dream pet.  But, thankfully, Emerald realised that these animals had to stay where they were, because if she took one home as a pet, it would be dreadfully unhappy.

Emerald returned to the hotel by noon, telling no one about what she encountered.

Calling all Manga Artists!

We need more fantastic Manga art in the Library!  For more information, please pop into the Library 

to see Mrs Taylor or email  ltaylor@oakspark.redbridge.co.uk

 

Author of the Month:

Cressida Cowell

Cressida Cowell is currently the Waterstones Children’s Laureate (2019 – 2022). She is the author and illustrator of the bestselling The Wizards of Once and How to Train Your Dragon books series, and the author of the Emily Brown picture books, illustrated by Neal Layton.

The Wizards of Once series has been translated into 37 languages and has been signed by DreamWorks Animation. How to Train Your Dragon has sold over 11 million books worldwide in 38 languages and is a major DreamWorks Animation film franchise, as well as being made into a TV series on Netflix and CBBC.

Cressida is an ambassador for the National Literacy Trust and the Reading Agency, a Trustee of World Book Day and a founder patron of the Children’s Media Foundation. She has won numerous prizes, including The Blue Peter Book Award.

 

CRESSIDA ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS

Who was your favourite author/illustrator as a child?

I particularly enjoyed the books of Diana Wynne Jones as a child. The Ogre Downstairs, in which five children find two magical chemistry sets, was my favourite.

 

What is your earliest childhood memory?

My earliest childhood memory is of a game I played with my father in which he launched me to the ‘moon’ – my fingerprints were on the ceiling for years afterwards.

 

If you could meet anyone in the world, who would it be and why?

I would love to have met Shakespeare. I am a bit addicted to reading books about him and I would love to find out if any of them are at all accurate, but unfortunately whatever else may or may not be true about him he is most definitely DEAD.

How long does it take to write a book?

About a year including illustrations!

 

Who are your favourite authors?

Ooo dear, I’m terrible at favourites; there are just too many wonderful writers to choose from. I love David Almond, Lauren Child, Louis Sachar, Eva Ibbotsen, Michelle Paver, and so many, many more.

 

What advice would you give kids who would like to become writers?

My top writing tip would be to read lots, to give you a feel for the way different stories can be told. Also practice writing as much as you can – write, and re-write – don’t worry if you don’t finish a story, as long as you are practising, that’s what matters. Have a notebook for all of your ideas, and don’t worry about your spelling, or your handwriting.

 

How does it feel seeing your creations come to life on the big screen?

How to Train Your Dragon 3 is an absolutely magnificent ending to the film trilogy, and I am so very proud of all three movies. Everything in the films is true to the spirit of the books, all the messages about how we need to look after the environment, and the wild creatures and places in this beautiful world we live in. And the kind of leaders that we need, kind, clever, imaginative leaders like Hiccup, who have creative ideas.

 

What would your school reports have said about you?

They said that I day-dreamed a lot and that I was very disorganised. I was called ‘Messy Cressy’…

What inspired How to Train Your Dragon?

The ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ books were inspired by the summers I spent as a child on a tiny, uninhabited island off the west coast of Scotland. The island had no roads, houses or electricity, and I used to imagine that there were dragons living in the caves in the cliffs. There was no telephone or television, so I spent a lot of time drawing and writing stories. In ancient times, Vikings lived on that little island, and Vikings believed in dragons.

 

What was the inspiration for The Wizards of Once?

As a kid, I wanted to be magic. Children are surrounded by adults who are VERY BOSSY. They might not always mean to be bossy, and they have the best of intentions, but still, they are definitely bossy. I think one of the reasons kids want to be magic is to get back some of the control…

My Wizards of Once books are also inspired by holidays spent playing in the chalk and the woods of the Sussex South Downs, where my grandparents lived. These are old, old landscapes that have been inhabited by human beings and their stories for so long, that you feel you would not be terribly surprised to meet a Roman legionary striding across the hillside… There are lots of magic stories about those hills that sparked my imagination.

I also wanted to write a story about children from different tribes, who have to see things from another point of view in order to defeat a common evil. Empathy is what we need in these present times and it’s something that children are quite good at!

 

Where do you write?

I am lucky enough to have a studio at the end of my garden. It only takes 10 seconds to walk there, but I find it very important to make a break between work and home. I’ve put up lots of pictures up on the wall – some my own drafts of illustrations, some of the amazing artwork that children have sent to me (mostly of dragons).

 

 

  

Wonderful facts from the Non-Fiction books 

in our Library:

Water

• There is the same amount of water on Earth as there was when the Earth was formed. 

• The water from your tap could contain molecules that dinosaurs drank.

• Water is composed of two elements, Hydrogen and Oxygen. 2 Hydrogen + 1 Oxygen = H2O.

• Nearly 97% of the world’s water is salty or otherwise undrinkable. Another 2% is locked in ice caps and glaciers. That leaves just 1% for all of humanity’s needs — all it’s agricultural, residential, manufacturing, community, and personal needs.

• Water regulates the Earth’s temperature. It also regulates the temperature of the human body, carries nutrients and oxygen to cells, cushions joints, protects organs and tissues, and removes wastes.

• 75% of the human brain is water and 75% of a living tree is water.

• A person can live about a month without food, but only about a week without water.

• Water is part of a deeply interconnected system. What we pour on the ground ends up in our water, and what we spew into the sky ends up in our water.

• Water expands by 9% when it freezes. Frozen water (ice) is lighter than water, which is why ice floats in water.

 

Electricity

 

• Electricity travels at the speed of light, which is 186,000 miles per second.

• Before electricity was a way of life, ancient Egyptians were aware that lightning and shocks from electric fish were very powerful. They used to refer to these fish as the “Thunderers of the Nile.”

•  Electricity can be created using water, wind, the sun, and even animal waste.

• When lightning strikes, it flows from the cloud to the ground, but the part we see is actually the charge going from the ground back up into the cloud.

• Electricity is sometimes used as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), where patients are given electrically induced seizures in order to treat psychiatric illnesses.

• In the 1880’s, there was a “war of currents” between Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison. Tesla helped invent AC current and Edison helped invent DC current, and both wanted their currents to be popularized. AC won the battle because it’s safer and can be used over longer distances.

• Iceland is the country that uses the most electricity annually. Their consumption is about 23% more than the U.S.

• Static electricity occurs when the electrons from one object jump to another object.

• The world’s biggest light bulb is located in Edison, New Jersey. It’s 14 feet tall, weighs eight tons, and sits on top of the Thomas Edison Memorial Tower.

• Electricity travels in closed loops called “circuits.” It must have a complete path before the electrons can move. If a circuit is open, electrons can’t flow.

• Electricity is present in our bodies – our nerve cells use it to pass signals to our muscles.

 

Meteors

 

f a meteoroid is more than 10 metres in diameter, it is classified as an asteroid

• A meteoroid is a chunk of space rock. If it burns up in the Earth’s atmosphere, it is a called a meteor; if a piece lands, it is a meteorite.

• The blast caused by the shock waves of the Russian meteorite was picked up by infrasound sensors on the other side of the world.

• When a meteoroid hits the Earth’s atmosphere, it may be travelling at 130,000mph.

• It is illegal to buy or sell meteorites in South Africa.

• A foot-thick coating of Kevlar protects the International Space Station from meteoroids.

• Meteorites that are seen or otherwise detected as they land are called ‘falls’; those discovered later are called ‘finds’.

• A meteorite smaller than 2mm in diameter is called a micrometeorite

Accelerated Reader

All Year 7 students that are going into Year 8 MUST have at least ONE library book on them and one quick read at all times.  You must read your AR library book for AT LEAST twenty minutes every night.  You need to make extra time for your quick reads.  Please do not forget to write your completed book in your planner on page 20.  You must then complete your online book quiz within 24 hours of completing the book, then write your quiz result on page 19 of your planner.

 

Books to 

Movies/TV Series

 

 

What film adaptation did you love?

What is your favourite movie or television series that has been adapted from a book?

The School for Good and Evil

Netflix is working on this film based on Soman Chainani's young adult series of the same name, and we can't wait to find out how it turns out. It focuses on best friends Agatha and Sophie, who are kidnapped to The School for Good and Evil - when their fortunes are reversed and their friendship is put to the test, will they be able to find their way home?

Agatha will be played by Andi Mack star Sofia Wylie while Broadway's Sophia Anne Caruso is taking on the role of Sophie... plus the extended cast includes the likes of Charlize Theron, Kerry Washington, Laurence Fishburne and Michelle Yeoh. Phew!

Matilda

This is a film, and technically this is based on the musical adaptation of Roald Dahl's novel, but we still think it counts! We don't know what we're more excited about: No Time to Die star Lashana Lynch as Miss Honey, Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough as Mr and Mrs Wormwood or Emma Thompson as Miss Trunchbull (we just know she'll be terrifying!) It's not coming to Netflix until December 2022, but get your massive chocolate cake ready now…

Heartstopper

 

Netflix's upcoming adaptation of Alice Oseman's wonderful Heartstopper, about the friendship between two students  who meet at school.

 

The highly-anticipated movie adaptation of Where the Crawdads Sing will star Daisy Edgar-Jones as Kya. The movie is at cinemas now and will be available on Netflix soon.

The Tiger Rising

Starring Katharine McPhee, Dennis Quaid, Queen Latifah and Sam Trammell

Kate DiCamillo writes wonderful children’s books and this will be such a good family friendly movie for this year.

Starring:  Gillian Anderson, Helen Mirren and 

Premise: “A young Jewish girl hidden away by a boy and his family in Nazi-occupied France during World War II.” 

If you are familiar with Wonder (and the expansion on the characters in Wonder in Auggie & Me) then you might be familiar with Julian’s grandmother who got a graphic novel called White Bird written about her story. 

Also in the works…

We're also really excited about some other television shows and movies that we've heard are in the works - but unfortunately, we don't have any dates for them yet so we might need to wait a little longer.

We've already heard that Disney+'s TV adaptation of Percy Jackson and the Olympians might not be here until 2023, but we think it will be worth the wait. We're also really excited about the news that Disney+ is working on a series based on Kwame Alexander's The Crossover - we love that book!

Let us know the name of the book and movie adaptation that you loved the best, saying if you prefer the book or the movie, and why.  Your contribution will then be added to our next Newsletter in September!

 

 

How to Write an Epic Short Story

 

 

 

Write a short epic

Truth is stranger than fiction. Often it is funnier too. Short Epics are nuggets from the daily news that might raise a smile or prompt a remark that starts: “You wouldn’t believe it, but…” They must be no longer than 140 characters long including spaces. Do have a go at writing one and send it to ltaylor@oakspark.redbridge.sch.uk and your epic story will be in the next issue of our online Library Newsletter!

 

   

 

You wouldn’t believe it, but………………Chickens have a profound memory and are able to distinguish between more than 100 faces of their species.  They can also recognise people.

 

 

 ePlatform

Please do not forget that you can also use our reading app ePlatform to read lots of fabulous electronic and audiobooks!  For instructions on how to use ePlatform, please use the link below:

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/8064653522683152574/1799106046324446297

 

 

Well, that is the end of this month’s Library Newsletter!

 

Is there anything else that you would like to see in The Online Library Newsletter?  If you have any contributions, queries or great ideas please email: ltaylor@oakspark.redbridge.sch.uk