Happy Halloween

It's finally half-term break and we can relax a bit! Some of you may be thinking about Halloween on October 31st, and if you hurry there is still time to check out some scary books before the library closes today. Titles include Walking with the Dead (Tales from the Dark Side) by Tim Bowler, The Tower of Moonville by Stephen Elboz and of course the Point Horror Stories by RL Stine, Halloween Night and Halloween night II.

Just for fun, go to the Pumpkin Simulator and try carving your own pumpkin.

See you all on Monday 6th November.

United Nations Day

On 24 October 1945, the United Nations was formally established, and in 1971, the United Nations General assembly adopted a resolution recommending the anniversary be acknowledged by member states.

Many countries around the world mark the day with “peace marches” and other celebratory events. The outgoing UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has prepared a message assessing progress and challenges for the UN. You can read the message or view a video of Kofi Anan at the official web site.

Students interested in the UN can also join the KGV Model United Nations; look out for announcements for when it starts up again.

Diwali

Many students have been celebrating Diwali this weekend. The festival marks the beginning of the new year in the Hindu calendar. If you want to know more about it, a good place to start is the Encyclopedia Britannica (find it on the KGV Library home page) where you can find several articles.

To see some colourful photos of Diwali around the world, go to CBBC Newsround. There's also a Diwali guide and quiz.

World Rainforest Week

October 16-22 is World Rainforest Week, promoted by the Rainforest Action Network. We are told that every year nearly 40 million acres of rainforest are lost. Not only are these forests important ecosystems themselves, they also help prevent global warming by absorbing greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide.

Members of EDEN will be interested in some of the activities taking place this week. Learn more about some of the programs here; and please take note of Tuesday's report about the Tasmanian forests.

Thanks and have a great World Rainforest week!

Lemony Snicket

The final installment of Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events was released on Friday 13th October. A description from the publisher tells us that this book "will answer readers' most burning questions: Will Count Olaf prevail? Will the Baudelaires survive? Will the series end happily? And if there's nothing out there, what was that noise?"

Before you read the book you might like to take a look at A Gruesome Guide to Lemony from NPR. It includes:

• An Unfortunate Events quiz
• An interview with Lemony Snicket
• Literary references in the series
• An audio report about the books

Lemony Snicket fans will have to wait for this book to be available from the library, but be patient - it has been ordered!

Kiran Desai wins the Man Booker Prize

Kiran Desai was named the winner of the Man Booker Prize for Fiction on Tuesday 10th October. Here is the synopsis of her book, The Inheritance of Loss, from Penguin:

At the foot of Mount Kanchenjunga in the Himalayas, lives an embittered old judge who wants nothing more than to retire in peace. But with the arrival of his orphaned granddaughter, Sai, and his cook's son trying to stay a step ahead of US immigration services, this is far from easy. When a Nepalese insurgency threatens Sai's blossoming romance with her handsome tutor they are forced to consider their colliding interests. The judge must revisit his past, his own journey and his role in this grasping world of conflicting desires every moment holding out the possibility for hope or betrayal.

You can watch Kiran Desai talk about The Inheritance of Loss (in Windows Media Player) at Amazon.co.uk .

The library has ordered this book. In the meantime, you might like to read the books written by Kiran Desai's mother, Anita Desai: Fasting, Feasting and The Clear Light of Day; both in the senior fiction section.

Read more at the Man Booker Prize web site: http://www.themanbookerprize.com/

Battle of the Books 2006-07

All students in Years 7, 8, and 9 who enjoy reading can join KGV'S BATTLE OF THE BOOKS TEAM! To kick off, come to the first Battle of the Books meeting in the library on Monday 9th October at 1:45 pm.

Former Battlers are welcome you to join as coaches.

To join the Battle of the Books:

• read 27 specially selected books during the school year
• work with a team
• come to lunch time practice sessions during the second and third terms
• take part in a final inter-school competition in May 2007

Battle of the Books summaries are now available - take a look at what the teams are reading this year.