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Te Parito Kōwhai Russley School

12,466 pages read and 2,557 team points

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    M Koster

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    Mim

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    Rhiannon

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    Christy

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    Kerry

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    Vanessa

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M Koster

10,310 pts
(7,432 pages read)

  • Gracehopper

    By Mandy Hager
    5 stars

    This was such an original, unusual story. Intriguing plot, interesting and well drawn characters. Highly recommended.

  • The Librarianist

    By Patrick deWitt
    4 stars

    A quirky, entertaining story about a retired librarian who accidentally finds himself volunteering at a community senior centre. The happenings at the senior centre are humorous and entertaining enough, but it’s Bob’s backstory I found most intriguing. His early years with his mum; the time he ran away and was taken in by two thespians; and the story of how he met the love of his life.

  • Nine Girls

    By Stacy Gregg
    5 stars

    Brilliant! Highly recommend.

  • Exquisite Corpse

    By Marija Pericic
    2 stars

    Disturbing.

  • The Raven’s Eye Runaway

    By Claire Mabey
    5 stars

  • The Dark Room

    By Sam Blake
    3 stars

    A bit of a slow start and a little predictable.

  • Close Your Eyes

    By Michael Robotham
    4 stars

    Another good whodunnit from Robotham.

  • The Secrets She Keeps

    By Michael Robotham
    3 stars

    The first half was a bit slower than this author’s other psychological thrillers, but still a good read.

  • The Fantabulous Animal Orchestra

    By Donovan Bixley
    4 stars

    I love the size of this book, the layout, the glorious colour palette and the pull out triple page spread. Bold, bright illustrations bursting with character and emotion will have young booklovers pouring over the pages finding more instruments and creatures with each reading.

  • The Hunt for the Whistle

    By Cleft New Zealand
    5 stars

    A missing whistle, a new kid and a mystery to solve. The other kids say Ollie is hard to understand because of his cleft, but Āria reckons they just need to listen better. She encourages Ollie to use his super power of finding things to help locate the missing whistle for Coach, but can he also find the courage to speak up? Having grown up with grandparents with speech impairments, this book really struck a chord with me. Āria is quite right, people just need to be better listeners. I love that the mystery was solved when the children worked together as a team, and the book was written by a team which included a group of young people. This is such a beautifully told story and should be compulsory reading in every classroom.

  • The Circus of Ghosts

    By Barbara Ewing
    3 stars

    Although this was not my usual type of book to pick up, the beautiful cover and mysterious title intrigued me. I found it a little hard to get into at first, but the second half was riveting.

  • In The Clearing

    By JP Pomare
    4 stars

    Creepy and chilling. I did not like the ending!

  • Brown Bird

    By Jane Arthur
    5 stars

    Such a lovely story with characters that are very relatable.

  • Storm Child

    By Michael Robotham
    5 stars

    A fantastic fourth and final book in this Cyrus Haven series. Satisfying end to the mystery of Evie’s past.

  • Red Rocks

    By Rachael King
    5 stars

    A mysterious, magical story set in Ōwhiro Bay. A boy spending holidays with his lonely father meets an old man with a secret and makes an intriguing new friend. The local bullies are the least of Jake’s problems. When Jake steals a sealskin from a cave and takes it home, it sets off a series of events that could destroy his father. I really enjoyed this pukapuka, and after learning so much about selkies I’ll never look at a seal the same way again!

  • Paint Me

    By NZ Poetry Society
    5 stars

    A fantastic collection of poetry from Aotearoa and around the world. Especially happy to read poems by students from our school in here. A great book to enjoy in little bites or to devour whole in one sitting.

  • Koro’s Star

    By Claire Aramakutu
    5 stars

    Winner of the Tom Fitzgibbon Award & a Storyline’s Notable Book. Set in 1967 NZ, Atama is missing his dad who’s serving in the war in Vietnam. Atama’s dad left Koro’s WW2 medal with him to keep safe. Atama hopes the medal will help him find the courage to make friends in his new home. Suitable for ages 9 & up, this would make a great classroom read. Scholastic have some awesome teaching notes for this book on their website too.

  • The Girl with all the Gifts

    By M R Carey
    5 stars

    Although I love a good post apocalyptic story, I absolutely hate zombie movies and avoid them… like the plague. Had I realised this book was set in a zombie apocalypse I probably would have put the book right back on the shelf. The central character is a young girl named Melanie, and everyone seems terrified of her. She’s locked up in a secure military facility along with other children, which is guarded from the “hungries” and “junkers” outside the walls. This was such a surprising story, so many twists and turns and told from some rather unexpected perspectives. The characters were brilliantly written and I loved the relationship between Melanie and her teacher Miss Justineau. It was a tense read, but I’m glad I was brave enough to stick with it! The ending was totally unconventional and very clever.

  • Lying Beside You

    By Michael Robotham
    5 stars

    Couldn’t put it down. Read it in a day. Sorry to my house. Sorry garden. Sorry family.

  • The Mess of Our Lives

    By Mary-Anne Scott
    5 stars

    A brilliant read from one of my favourite NZ authors. It’s a grim life for teenaged Jordan trying to look after his little sister as they try to survive the horrendous conditions in the hovel of a home with their hoarder mother. Another gripping page turner about a dysfunctional family where music plays an integral role. Highly recommended.

  • When the World Tips Over

    By Jandy Nelson
    5 stars

    I loved this YA novel! Quirky, interesting and relatable characters; a complex plot with a compelling family mystery, ghosts, curses, love stories and a sprinkling of magic and music. It is hard to categorise this one, it was such a mix. The gripping, dark and emotional scenes of this dysfunctional family’s story were heart wrenching… and then there were moments that just oozed joy and colour. A very satisfying read.

  • Girl, 11

    By Amy Suiter Clarke
    3 stars

    A good crime/mystery/thriller involving a serial abductor/killer and a true crime podcaster. The format of using the podcast transcript throughout took a little getting used to, but overall it was a good read.

  • When She Was Good

    By Michael Robotham
    5 stars

    The sequel to Good Girl Bad Girl, this was equally as riveting. A page turning crime/mystery starring a forensic psychologist and a girl found hidden behind the wall of a gangster’s house. The characters are complex and intriguing and the story well paced. This was an easy, enjoyable read and I’m looking forward to getting my hands on the 3rd book in this series.

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