Back in a bit...

I know that many of you will have a busy few weeks ahead of you, with it being the last half-term of this school year, so we'll give the blog a break until September. 

If you took part in the last story competition in Elm Class, I will be putting your stories into a file so they're available for everyone to read. Thank you for taking part, and well done, Darcy, on your winning entry. They're all worth a read, so look out for the story folder, which we'll keep in the fiction library. 

Good luck with the play, Elm and Rowan classes - it looks like it'll be a good one. Best of luck to all of our year 6s. Don't forget to keep in touch with us when you head off to high school!

...read some good books, and

let us know about them!

'The Big Strike' by Billy

Here's Billy's story, 'The Big Strike'. 


Max was horrified. 'I... I... I didn't do anything!'
'Sure,' mouthed Boris the Bully. 
People bullied Max because he had warts on his freckled face. He had light brown hair, braces and glasses. Bertie chucked Max on the floor.
'Ow!' Max ran off and burst into tears.

Ding! Ding! Ding! The bell had rung and everyone was going in and getting ready for maths. Max said nothing, but people could tell something was wrong. All the nerds surrounded him. They were his friends. Kevin, Bob, Gavin, Richard, Luke and Simon. They were his family. 
'Project Protect Max,' said Simon, with his eyes twitching.
'I know! I've got a plan!' said Gavin. 

The next day, Max got tied to a thin birch tree. While the bullies were talking, Gavin cut the rope off. 'Now!' Max was suddenly joined by an army of nerds. 
'Run!' said Boris the Bully. The bullies, all four of them, ran through the path. Snap!
'Nice one, boys,' said Max. All of the bullies' feet were trapped between a piece of bamboo. 
'Ow!' screamed the bullies. 
Max suddenly appeared over Boris's face with a massive cheesy grin.
'Guess what?' said Max.
'Gulp,' gulped Boris.
'1 x 1=2, 2 x 2=4, 3 x 3=9, 4 x 4=16, 5 x 5=25, 6 x 6=36, 7 x 7=49, 8 x 8=64, 9 x ....' Max paused. The bullies had fallen asleep. 
'Ha, ha,' laughed the nerds. 
'This is our school now!' said Max.
'Hooray!' shouted the nerds. Finally the nerd gang could learn, play, walk and put books away without being bullied!'

'Diary' by Jaime

Here's the story that Jaime wrote for our competition:

Competition winners!

Congratulations!

We had two lucky winners of the Elm Class story-writing competition.

Their entries were equally good, so we gave them a book each.

Well done to Jaime and Billy!

Their stories will appear on the blog shortly.

(written by Elm Class)

Edit: That was written during our lesson on using blogs. Ollie and Shannon had the idea of adding links to the books that were won, so here they are:

Jaime won Wonder, by R. J. Palacio, and here's a link 

to the author's website:

http://rjpalacio.com/book.html

...and Billy won Friend or Foe, by Michael Morpurgo. Here's 

the link:

http://michaelmorpurgo.com/books/friend-or-foe

If you've got any ideas for things to include on the blog, let me know!

Have a great weekend!

Links to more book blogs

To the right of this post, under our 'Total page views' (over 3000!), you'll see that I've added links to other blogs on children's books. I'll add to the list if I find some good blogs during my web-wandering. Maybe you could let me know if you find any, too. 

Have a great half-term, and if you're reading any good books, tell us what they are!

Elm Class competition

If you're in Elm class, you've got the chance to win a copy of Wonder, by R J Palacio. We discussed the competition yesterday, but if you need a reminder, here are the rules:

• We're after a short story or poem with a school setting.

• It needs to be your own work. (You can use books and websites for research, but please don't copy and paste!)

• Your poem or story needs to be given to either Mrs Dale or Mrs Eyres by Friday 27th February, so that gives you half term to work on it. 

• Please write your name on your entry, and if you'd rather it wasn't included on this blog, please make a note of that on the top of your paper.

• Entries can be handwritten or done on the computer, whatever's best for you. 

And that's it! Good luck!

'The Puppy who was Loved by Bob,' by Jake

'Billionaire Boy'

Here's a book review by Chloe, from Elm Class:

Billionaire Boy

by David Walliams

Rating: 5 stars

This book is about a 12 year-old billionaire's son called Joe. Joe has everything he wants, or so his dad thought. But all Joe really wants is a friend. Joe and his dad soon realize that money doesn't solve everything. 

It's a really funny book by David Walliams, and as it's his third book, there are lots more funny stories to come.

Recommended because of humour and story plot. 

Illustrated 'Harry Potter' books to be published

I've just read a newspaper article on how all seven Harry Potter books are going to be published with illustrations. The first one, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, will be out in September this year. While you're waiting, here's a link to find out more:

http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2013/dec/06/harry-potter-artist-jim-kay

I've just finished re-reading the Harry Potter series. What have you been reading? 

The Girl Who Walked on Air

Our first book recommendation of the new year! 

Willow, from Elm Class, told me about a new book she had for Christmas, and after reading the blurb, I think I'm going to have to add it to my wish list! It's called The Girl Who Walked on Air, and is by Emma Carroll. It's been nominated for the Carnegie Medal 2015, and this is what Emma Carroll's website has to say about the story:

Abandoned as a baby at Chipchase’s Travelling Circus, Louie dreams of becoming a ‘Showstopper’. Yet Mr Chipchase only ever lets her sell tickets. No Death-Defying Stunts for her. So in secret, Louie practises her act - the tightrope - and dreams of being the Girl Who Walked on Air. All she needs is to be given the chance to shine.

One night a terrible accident occurs. Now the circus needs Louie’s help, and with rival show Wellbeloved’s stealing their crowds, Mr Chipchase needs a Showstopper - fast.

Against his better judgement, he lets Louie perform. She is a sensation and gets an offer from the sinister Mr Wellbeloved himself to perform in America. But nothing is quite as it seems and soon Louie’s bravery is tested not just on the highwire but in confronting her past and the shady characters in the world of the circus...