Book Review.

The Summoning                                             By Kelley Armstrong
 When 15 year old Chloe Saunders begins to see ghosts everyone thought she was just crazy, including herself.
And all crazy people have to go to a pyscho home so she is sent to Lyle House, a home for disturbed teens.
  “Chloe? Chloe!” Emily’s voice seemed far away, shrill “Where are you?”
“Chloe, Chloe, where you?” mimicked a voice, like Emily’s but not quite.
Chloe turned, slowly.
In the doorway stood an old woman, her face crackling like twigs in a fire, her eyes and teeth glistening in the dark. Then her skin fell away revealing a skull with pieces of blackened flesh on it. The jaw opened, the teeth still glistening.
“Welcome back, Chloe.”
It is all about when she is at Lyle House and she thinks it is just a normal usual home. But then she starts to make friends with the other patients, charming Simon and his menacing, unsmiling brother Derek; obnoxious Tori and Rae who has a ‘thing’ for fire. And finds out she is nothing more than a walking science experiment…gone wrong.    

“You saw a ghost, didn’t you?” he said.
To my relief I managed to laugh “Sorry to break it to you but ghosts don’t exist.”
Derek’s gaze travelled around the room, when he turned around to face me; the intensity in his eyes sucked the backbone out of me.
 “What is Chloe, what do you see?”
“I-I-I d-d-d…”
“Slow down,” he snapped, impatient “What do they look like? Do they talk to you?”
“You really want to know?” I asked him.
“Yeah.”
I leaned up on my tiptoes to whisper in his ear and he bent down to listen.
“They wear white sheets and have big holes for their eyes and they say ‘Boo!’” I glowered up at him “Now get out of my way.”
I like The Summoning because Chloe has to find out about herself and what she is. Before it’s too late and it is also very adventurous, a little bit yuck though (only when it describes the ghosts).

I give it 5 stars.
Also I recommend it for tweens. 
By Natasha

Weekly Tasks - Term 2, Week 6

Weekly Task sheet for Term 2, Week 6. (Especially for Lily.)

Jump Jam

Kids at Jump Jam rocking out to the song 'I like to Move it'.

By Charlotte and Emily.

Photo of the day

Here are some Year 7 friends doing YMCA in front of the drive way gate having a great time.


CAITEPIE

Weekly Tasks - Term 2, Week 5

Here is this week's task sheet: Term 2, Week 5

Book Week

The whole school had a book character dress-up day as part of Book Week. It was very impressive to see the creative costumes that everyone came up with.

The Hunger Games was a popular choice after we read the book earlier this year.

Harry Potter is still a favourite.

Tintin costumes - including Ms Bolger and Miss Bolger as Thompson and Thomson.

Alice in Wonderland & plenty of white rabbits.

Some people are still obsessed with One Direction! And yes, there is a book about them...

A miscellaneous collection of other awesome costumes.

Elsewhere

By Gabriel Zevin

When 15 year old Liz (Elizabeth) Marie Hall finds out that she is in Elsewhere, after a bicycle accident. She first thought it is just a dream, but soon find out it isn’t. After a long trip on the SS Nile ship, she arrives at Elsewhere. She meets Betty. Her grandmother who died at 50 because of breast cancer, who is now a 30 year old woman.

 “Welcome to Elsewhere.” Grandma Betty laughs, pointing matter-of-factly to the large banner that hangs over the pier.

“I don’t understand.”

‘Here, no one gets older, everyone gets younger. But don’t worry; they’ll explain all of that at your acclimation appointment.”

“I’m getting younger? But it took me so long to get to fifteen!”

“Don’t worry, darling, it all works out in the end. You’re going to love it here.”

Understandably, Liz isn’t so sure.

For the first month Liz spend her time watching her family at the Observation Desk. But soon, she finds out it isn’t helping her. She got a job in the Department of Domestic Animals helping the dogs to find an owner. She also meets Owen and makes friend with him. She decides that she is going to do the Sneaker Clause, to go back to earth.
“What makes a person want to go back to earth early?” Dolly asks.

“What do you mean?” Liz replies.

“I mean, it’s all life isn’t it? Why are you in such a rush to get back?”

At the moment, the sun appears in the sky. The ocean splits in two, and the river is revealed.

“Sunrise,” says Dolly. “Time to go. Well, have a good trip!” Dolly gives Liz a push down the river.

It’s a really good book, I recommend it for tweens.

By Stephanie

Book Review

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

By John Boyne

The boy in the striped pyjamas is about a nine year old boy, Bruno, who has to move house because of his dads work. When he arrives at his new house he finds that there is no one his age around. In fact there is no one around at all.

 "But there were no other streets around the new house, no one strolling along or rushing around, and definitely no shops or fruit and vegetable stalls. When Bruno closed his eyes, everything around him just felt empty and cold, as if he was in the loneliest place in the world. The middle of nowhere." 

So one day, when Bruno feels particularly bored, he goes outside to do some exploring. After Bruno has walked for quite a while he stumbles upon a fence. The fence is really tall, and on the other side of the fence he spots a boy of about his age. Bruno walks over to say hello, and the little boy says that his name is Shmuel. Bruno and Shmuel begin a friendship with devastating consequences.

This book is really good, i would rate it 4 out of 5. If you do read it I hope you enjoy it!!

By Antonia :)

Holes

Holes by Louis Sachar

“You are to dig one hole each day, including Saturdays and Sundays. Each hole must be five feet deep and five feet across in every direction. Your shovel is your measuring stick”

This book involves 3 different generations, the past, the not so past and the present that all tie in to one another. As Stanley Yelnats IV works out why he is forced to dig holes every day. He has to look into the past to find out the truth. But what does onions and lizards have to do with it?

Overall I think this book is an interesting adventure great for everyone

Reviewed by Li@m

junah's book review

Chinese Cinderella

By Adeline Yen Mah

This book is an Autobiography of Adeline Yen Mah. When Adeline’s mother died giving birth to her, the family considered Adeline bad luck and she made to feel unwanted all her life. Chinese Cinderella is the story of her struggle for acceptance and how she overcame the odds to prove her worth. Her family has done cruel things to her and she was very young and coped all of that painful days. After the death of her stepmother in 1990, she felt compelled to write this story.

“but where was i?”

“please, sir, I want to go home.” But where was my home?

had anyone missed me? Did they think I was still at school? Were they looking for me? What should I do?

This book is sad and depressing but it’s a really good book. I would give a rating 4 and half out of 5. I would recommend this book to my aged people. You should try it if you don’t you would regret it J

Junah Jang

 

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

 Harry potter and the philosopher’s stone is the first in a series of seven books written by JK Rowling. Harry’s parents were killed by Voldemort (the most evil wizard of all time) when he was one year old. Voldemort tried to kill him with a killing curse but Harry mysteriously survived with only a lightning shaped scar to tell the tale. But Harry thinks that his parents were killed in a car crash and doesn’t even know that he is a wizard.

“Up, Get up! Now!”

Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again.

“Up!” she screached. Harry heard her walking towards the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the cooker.He rolled on his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying moterbike in it. He had a funny feeling he had the same dream before.

His aunt was back outside the door

“Are you ready yet? She demanded.

“nearly,” said Harry

“well you need to get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon.And don’ let it burn, I want everything to be perfect on Dudders birthday.”

This is a good example of Harry’s aunt every morning.

On Harry’s eleventh birthday Hagrid (the groundskeeper at Hogwarts the school of wichcraft and wizardry) Comes to tell him that he had a place in the school and that of course he was a wizard.

“The door is hit with such a force thast it swung clean off it’s hinges and with a deafening crash landed flat on the floor. A giant of a man was standing in the doorway.His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes glinting like black beetles under all the hair.”

 Harry met and became friends with Ron and Hermionie on the trip to Hogwarts. Harry’s first year at hogwarts is full of mystery, adventure and suspense. Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone is a great book for everyone.

By Lily.

This is my tree art in autumn.

Stephanie ~(^_^)~

This is my finger puppet. My group is doing the three little pigs. What is your group doing?
Lily

                              Facing the Water

The girl went under the waves, her black hair stuck to her pale white scared face as she came up spluttering for breath.
I could save this girl’s life or choose not to.
Would I overcome my fear of the water and rescue her or would I just watch her take her last breaths and die in front of me?
I made my choice.
I watched as the girl was dunked underneath the water and never came back up.

I woke up screaming, sweat clung to my forehead and it felt as if it had suddenly gotten hot, it had been the same dream every single night. It haunted me.
It had always ended the same way too, me just watching this girl drown, doing nothing to save her.

I brushed my long strands of blonde hair off of where it stuck on my face and felt myself shiver even though I was safe and warm in my nice comforting bed.
I could see my frightened figure in the mirror now, pale face, green frightened eyes, messy blonde hair all over the place.
‘Go back to sleep Jess,’ a voice in my head soothed.
And because that voice told me, I could.
By the time my head hit the pillow again, I was fast asleep.


“I’m going for a swim, last choice, are you in or out?” Addison asked, brushing her beautiful auburn hair from her shoulder. Her pale blue eyes glistened with fun.
My eyes drifted, cautiously to behind her, to the sea.
“I’m out,” I said, almost instantly.
I could tell by the expression on her face, that hadn’t been the answer she had wanted.
“You know, I remember when you used to win the swimming trophy for us, for the school and then suddenly you stopped, not only did we lose the swimming trophy but we lost our best swimmer,” her voice had turned sad.
“I had bad dreams,” I replied, hoping it didn’t sound too similar to an excuse.
“Yeah what is it exactly about these so called dreams you keep telling me about,” she demanded, collapsing onto the sand.

I sat down on the empty space next to her. My eyes fixed on the water, the way it shone in the sunlight, the way it rippled so gracefully beneath the surface. The way it was so beautiful, yet dangerous.
Then my eye caught a small dot, somewhere far away in the water, which reminded me of a person.
My eyes adjusted and this time I could make out the features.
It was a girl, about 5 years old, 10 years younger than me, short black hair, pale scared face.
Her face was familiar and I knew why. I would know her from anywhere. The girl, she was in my dreams.

 “Is that a girl?” I asked, my face creasing up from trying to see her more clearly.
“Nope,” Addison replied “Probably just one of those old buoy things,”
This time when I looked away, she seemed more vivid, clearer, it was like one of my dreams replaying itself, over and over again but this was real life.
I wasn’t going to let this happen. I wasn’t going to stand by and watch.
Not again.

I hesitated before pulling off my shoes and socks. Addison just stared at me as if I had gone completely crazy.
I didn’t care, a girl was dying. A girl who I could save.

I flew towards the water. I didn’t know how to swim, I had forgotten many years ago but still my arms knew what they were doing, my arms worked like propellers, splashing madly and disrupting the peaceful water.

Soon I was beside her, she was slipping away though, her eyes losing its life, her body relaxing like she was losing the control and life over it.

I looked back to the beach, now that I did, it suddenly seemed like so far away, my feet were kicking like crazy, trying to keep me above the surface. The sand at the bottom seemed like a long way down.

All my happiness melted away into fear. The girl’s lips parted and she was trying to speak to me, all she managed was to choke out water and blood.

Then she did speak.

“Please…” she whispered, tears stained her cheeks.

Then the water sucked her underneath, her fingers clawed through the water, trying to get back up to the water, trying to fight against it for her life.

But I just watched, frozen in place by fear. Her eyes were pleading with mine.
I had gotten this far.
For what?  For nothing?
“No!” I shouted.

Her hand was drifting down, away below me. I grasped it in mine and pulled her up through the surface, into my arms.
“You’re alright,” I said, my voice muffled by her hair “I’ve got you, you’re safe now,”
“Thank you,” she said, burying her face into my chest.
Her eyes shut close but her heart beat was normal, matching the beat of mine.
She was safe in my arms.
I had conquered my fears. I had proved my dreams wrong.
I wasn’t frightened anymore.
Still holding her wet body in my arms, I made my way back to the beach.




                                                   1 week later

 “You still planning on going to the beach today?” Addison asked, turning to look at me as we walked down the hill, from school.
I juggled my backpack on one arm, then switched to holding it with both.
“Yeah, that’s my plan,” I said.
 “I still can’t believe you saved that girl’s life, that was so brave,” she said, admiration glowing in her eyes.
“More like stupid, I couldn’t swim then,”
“Then?” she echoed, clearly confused and then her face brightened and she clapped her hands over her mouth “Oh, your back in the team, congratulations,”
I grinned “They were happy enough to let me, Coach says there might be a champion in me, after all,”
“Of course, you are a hero,”
I shrugged before answering “No big deal,”
She twisted her hair around one finger, her face showed that she was lost in thought. She caught me looking at her and smiled.
“You want to go to the beach now?” she asked.
“Sure, I’ll race you,” I challenged.
“I’ll win,” she teased.
“Wouldn’t count on it,”
 
We chased each other down and into the water, laughing and teasing.
And to think just a week ago I had been afraid of all of this.
All I had been missing out on was a whole different life, full of fun and adventures.
The beauty of this beach was so clear now to me. Why everyone loved it. Why I loved it.
It was their lives. It was mine.
And I would never give it up.

By Natasha ~(^_^)~

This is my writing about tech!!!

Tech is a programme for the year seven and eight students held in Mt.Cook school on a Monday. It is a fun way for children to learn and practise new skills outside of the classroom.

On a Monday afternoon the children will travel by bus to Mt.Cook school and move every eight weeks to a different activity. The activities include; movie making, electronics, wood work, sewing and cooking.

Each class is run by a different teacher.You do not need to buy or suply anything although covered shoes and tied back hair is required

Tech is a fun way to learn and everyone enjoys it.

By Esme

Rapid Writing

 "What's that strange thing in your bag?"asked George.
"Oh this" says Bob holding up a funny looking square "it's the Gizmo 2000."
"The Gizmo 2000, wow what does that thing do?" says George curiously.
"Watch this, up,up and away!" shouts Bob.
Bob was lifted into the air and didn't come down for two minutes while he was up in the sky he whizzed around and did loop-da-loops.
" How did it do that?" asked George when Bob finally came down.
"I don't know, I found it on the satellite of my house," replied Bob.
"Must be some sort of alien technology", whispered George " I bet the Gizmo 2000 isn't actually called the Gizmo 2000, its real name is probably the Plazma-lazer-flying-gizmo!"
"Of course it's not called the plazma-thingy-ma-jig you just made that up,"says Bob.
"You have no proof it's not called that!'shouts George.

To be Continued

That was my rapid writing piece that I am proud of!

By Christine

This Is My Leaf Art

Anna

Leaf Print Artwork

Here is my leaf print artwork. I had fun doing it.

By Junah

Photo of the day - Clifford



Here is clifford with Lucy W, Hannah WC and Emily J (from left).
They were having lots of fun.




 Here is clifford rolling around the floor and being silly. 

  

  By Genevieve Twyford