about the books

New Library Website

2016-01-21T16:48:00.001+11:00

Boroondara Library Service has launched its new website. Now you can access library news, events and book reviews, all in the one place.

Unfortunately, this means this blog is no longer active.

In order to keep hearing about fantastic junior and teen events and recommended reads, sign up on the website for Library News.

Happy reading!

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy

2015-10-16T10:00:00.000+11:00

Skulduggery Pleasant (originally published as Scepter of the Ancients) is the first book in the Skulduggery series.

Stephanie’s wealthy, eccentric, famous author uncle has just died - at his desk of natural causes… or has he? Sophie isn’t so sure - not after she meets Skulduggery Pleasant anyway. Meeting a “living” skeleton that can control the elements while making sassy comments would cause anyone to reevaluate what they thought they knew. Soon, Sophie is meeting all sorts of magic people and learns that a secret war is brewing between good and evil - and that her Uncle had been right in the middle of it - as he had uncovered the long lost Sceptre of the Ancients - which, if used would tip the world into darkness.

With the final book in the series being published last year - I can read these without the pesky year long wait between books. I can wait to see what adventurous mess Stephanie and Skulduggery find themselves in next.

Review: Sharni @ Balwyn

What now?

Having a chat with Sherryl Clark

2015-10-15T13:05:00.001+11:00

How did you get started as a writer?

I have always read a lot, and I used to write long letters to my dad when I travelled overseas. Then I started going to a writing class, where I wrote stories and my first real poems, and that turned into a workshop group, and things went from there. Going to classes helped, as did the writing group.

Who were your favourite children’s authors when you were young?

C.S. Lewis ("The Magician's Nephew" was the first book I ever owned), Arthur Ransome, Enid Blyton, and an adventure/mystery writer called Malcolm Saville. I wrote him a letter once - the only time I ever wrote to an author - and I got a reply all the way from England!

Who’s your favourite author or book character?

I have lots of favourite authors, but at the moment I am still in awe of Phillip Pullman and his Northern Lights trilogy. I also love Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising series. I read a lot of crime and mystery fiction.

Any words of advice for aspiring young writers?

Read widely - not just the one genre of book - and try to read "as a writer" now and then. Think about how a writer draws you into their story, and how they write the bits you love the most! And write lots - writing is not much different from most other things people want to be good at - you have to practise. Have fun. Write for yourself. Give yourself time to write stories and think about them - let them grow inside you!

What now?

The Naturals: Killer Instinct by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

2015-10-09T14:26:00.000+11:00

Following on from ‘The Naturals’ where a team of kids with unconventional abilities work for the FBI on cold cases. Events take a sinister turn when a young girl is murdered and displayed at a college campus. For Dean, a profiler with the Naturals, it brings back horrific memories - as the murder echoes the pattern set by his father - an infamous serial killer, now in prison.

While the gang - Cassie, Lia, Michael, Dean & Sloane are not technically supposed to aware of the details of active cases - it seems inevitable that they will become involved, especially when Dean’s father refuses to talk to anyone except for Dean. With time running out, with more girls being murdered - will they be able to put together the pieces before the murderer strikes again or that their FBI handler works out what they are doing?

This is a fast paced read - with lots of danger, I was never sure if my favourite characters were going to survive to the end of the book. Can’t wait for the next one.

Reviewer: Sharni @ Balwyn

What now?

Add your thoughts in the comments below.
Go to the catalogue and reserve
Borrow an ebook
Review a book yourself

Board of board books?

2015-09-29T14:08:00.000+10:00

Lisa @ Ashburton Library has put together a fantastic list of first picture books. Bright pictures and simple text. And best of all, fun to read together.

Ten little fingers and ten little toes - M Fox

Charlie chick - N Denchfield

Ten terrible dinosaurs - P Stickland

I spy under the sea - E Gibbs

One bear, one bedtime - M Inkpen

I went walking - S Machin

Kisses for daddy - F Watts

Say boo to the animals - I Whybrow

Baby parade - R O’Connell

My first 1, 2, 3 - P Allen

Teddy bears, teddy bears - T Winburn

Whose baby - J Rowe

In Wibbly’s garden - M Inkpen

What colour are your knickers - S Lloyd

I’m not scary - R Cambell

Mr Gumpy’s outing - J Burningham

The very hungry caterpillar - E Carle

Guess how much I love you -S McBratney

Each peach pear plum - A Ahlberg

Can’t you sleep little bear - M Waddell

What now?

Ghost Hawk by Susan Cooper

2015-09-25T14:15:00.000+10:00

Little Hawk is a Pokanoket boy who must go into the wilderness and survive alone for three long winter months, to complete his initiation into the tribe. He is eleven years old and is allowed to take only some very basic implements. The thought of his family and everything he holds dear helps him to cope with the many challenges he faces. But when he returns home he finds that the village has suffered a shocking blow from the white man’s disease, and he is alone again. As he grows to accept his loss and rebuild his life in a new village community, Little Hawk finds himself curious about the foreigners and befriends a young British boy called John. The bond between the boys, which grows in spite of the animosity and suspicion between their two peoples, is heartwarming. But can it survive the biggest challenge of all?

Review by Philippa @ Balwyn

What now?

Inky Awards 2015

2015-09-22T12:10:00.000+10:00

Did you know that the Inky Awards are the only teen voted book award in Australia? The shortlist has been fought out by a panel of teen judges and now it's time to vote!

So if you are aged between 12 and 20, head to Inside a Dog and vote now.

Extra fun fact: the Gold Shortlist (Australian Titles) are all female authors. Go girls!

What now?

Add your thoughts in the comments below.
Go to the catalogue and reserve
Borrow an ebook
Review a book yourself

Zines at Kew Library

2015-09-18T16:31:00.000+10:00

Learn how to self publish your own personal magazine. Hosted by the fantastic team at
A Zine Thing.

Monday 21 September
Kew Library

Aimed at ages 12+ but all ages welcome.

What now?

Add your thoughts in the comments below.
Go to the catalogue and reserve
Borrow an ebook
Review a book or suggest our next event

Minecraft Madness!

2015-09-15T10:52:00.000+10:00

The Minecraft addiction has not escaped us here at the Library. Those of you who attended our Mad About Minecraft event earlier this year would have witnessed the Minecraft love.

We had over 100 enthusiastic kids talking about their Minecraft creations and adventures, borrowing our Minecraft fan fiction and playing our real world Minecraft games.

We had a lot of fun defining a Kronkiwongi and building it out of lego; creating a 3D tnt cube; participating in a construction challenge, making the tallest tower we could using 6 pieces of paper and tape only.

It was amazing to see the kids take on our open ended challenges (challenges the adults didn't even have the answer to) and more than exceed our expectations.

If you want to hear about the learning benefits of Minecraft, here are a couple of articles:

Minecraft: Researches urge teachers to embrace game as tool

Tapping into kids passion for Minecraft in the classroom

Our next Mad About session will be held at Kew Library with a ghouly Halloween theme!

October 27, 4:30-5:30. No need to book, just turn up.

What now?

Listen, slowly by Thanhha Lai

2015-09-11T13:10:00.000+10:00

All Mai wants to do during her summer vacation is hang out at the beach with friends. Instead she is sent to Vietnam with her grandmother. Meeting her extended family for the first time is overwhelming. As Mai begins to understand the importance, for her grandmother, of finding the truth about her grandfather’s disappearance during the Vietnam War, she also comes to appreciate family ties.

Reviewer: Rita @ Hawthorn

What now?

Add your thoughts in the comments below.
Go to the catalogue and reserve
Borrow an ebook
Review a book yourself

Conspiracy of blood and smoke by Anne Blankman

2015-09-04T13:03:00.000+10:00

This is the gripping sequel to Prisoner of night and fog. Having escaped from Germany, Gretchen and Daniel are beginning to make a life in London when Daniel receives a telegram that his cousin is in hospital. Daniel decides to return to Germany without Gretchen. Gretchen is torn between wanting to remain safe and her concern for Daniel. In the end, despite the danger, she returns to Germany to help Daniel. Once in Germany she finds that Daniel has been accused of murder. Daniel is determined to clear his name and Gretchen sets out to help him. As they work to find a way to clear his name, they discover a conspiracy which could break Hitler’s hold on power. Can they find a way to both clear Daniel’s name and implicate Hitler at the same time? This book had me enthralled till the nail biting finish.

Reviewer: Rita @ Hawthorn

What now?

Add your thoughts in the comments below.
Go to the catalogue and reserve
Borrow an ebook
Review a book yourself

e-resources: Oxford Reference Online

2015-08-31T12:54:00.000+10:00

Homework help at your fingertips! The Library has a great range of Online Resources, including full text and searchable newspapers, magazines and journals. All you need is your Library ID number and pin to access these from home. Don't risk your assignment on Google alone!

Below is a review for Oxford Reference Online. Kindly supplied by one of our Community Service Students.

I am currently in year 12, studying mostly maths and science. Many (all?) of my resources come from books published by Oxford University Press. These resources included quick references, books, etc.

Things I liked about Oxford Reference Online:

Subject specialisation search
See recently viewed searches and content
Add new lines with different conditions in advanced search
Highlight text for dictionary definition
Annotate text

When finding information online, I normally use a search engine (Google). The results include many websites and webpages from all over the internet. Oxford Reference seems to use its own published books as resources (which they have a lot of) so the reference can be useful for viewing content from their books.

Would I use this in preference to a Google search? Probably not. Using a search engine is more convenient and has results from more different sources.

However, Oxford Reference does have potential to have more detailed information about some topics since it uses its published books as sources (rather than public websites).

Web searches on some topics such as history often only show a small number of useful results (Wikipedia, …) Oxford reference claims to have a reference library best for "conducting more comprehensive research on a specific topic, drawing from in-depth articles".

Overall, this online reference can be useful for browsing Oxford's books and possibly conducting deeper research.

What now?

Add your thoughts in the comments below.
Go to the catalogue and reserve
Borrow an ebook.
Review a book yourself

Book Week 2015

2015-08-28T13:33:00.000+10:00

We love books and we super love Book Week!

Hope everyone managed some quiet time, either on your own or with a loved one, to enjoy a great book. Or joined in with the dress up day at Ashburton Library!

Special shout out to Freya Blackwood who won the CBCA trifecta. Her illustrations and words are just divine and I am happy to recommend her books to all ages.

One of the winners, Go to Sleep Jessie by Libby Gleeson and Freya Blackwood made me sob, bringing back memories of my own little one crying out. The beautiful ending, with the young siblings cuddling in bed, made me cry again.

What now?

Add your thoughts about in the comments below.
Go to the catalogue and reserve it.
Borrow it as an ebook.
Review a book yourself.

Reading Hour

2015-08-17T15:55:00.000+10:00

Here's the staff at Ashburton Library, hanging out with the Reading Hour ambassador, Chrissie Swan.

Reading Hour is celebrated on Tuesday, 18 August from 6-7pm all over Australia. But of course, the message is reading - any time, anywhere. Reading 10 minutes a day is all it takes to raise your own little reader.

What will you be reading for Reading Hour?

What now?

Add your thoughts about in the comments below.
Go to the catalogue and reserve
Borrow it an ebook
Review a book yourself

Meet Scot Gardner

2015-08-06T15:14:00.000+10:00

Want to meet a fantastic Australian author?
Want writing inspiration and tips from the real deal?

Scot Gardner will be talking about why he loves writing and what inspires him to write for young people.

Kew Library
August 25 @ 7pm
Head to the Boroondara Libraries website for booking details.

What now?

Add your thoughts about in the comments below
Go to the catalogue and reserve
Borrowas an ebook
Review a book yourself

Beneath by Roland Smith

2015-07-31T15:52:00.000+10:00

Pat O’Toole is just a kid. His older brother, Coop, has suddenly left home without any explanation and to make matters worse their parents look like splitting up. Pat has a lot of questions and no-one around to answer them - until he receives an intriguing package in the mail. It is from Coop. At first Pat is furious and wants to ignore his request. But the bond between the brothers is too strong and he soon finds himself embarking on an exciting search to find Coop, only gradually realising just how much danger they are both in.

Reviewer: Philippa @ Balwyn

What now?

Add your thoughts in the comments below.
Go to the catalogue and reserve
Borrow an ebook
Review a book yourself

The Dreamsnatcher by Abi Elphinstone

2015-07-27T15:39:00.000+10:00

Moll has always had nightmares but, when they start to become real, Moll knows it’s time to find answers. With the help of her wild cat Gryff, and a boy called Alfie, Moll sets out to find the Amulet of Truth. Armed with Amulet she begins to unravel the truth about her parents’ death and who is behind the dark magic which is luring her into peril.

Reviewer: Rita @ Hawthorn

What now?

Add your thoughts about in the comments below.
Go to the catalogue and reserve it.
Borrow it as an ebook.
Review a book yourself.

REVIEWbyU - 1984 by George Orwell

2015-07-24T15:53:00.000+10:00

An amazing political fiction about the dark world under dictatorship. She core of the book is 'language and power'. The government in the novel uses language to control peoples minds, which proves that language has the power to change society, people, thought processing and maintain power. This inspiring book is definitely worth reading, especially for those who want to explore English language.

What now?

Add your thoughts in the comments below.
Go to the catalogue and reserve
Borrow an ebook
Review a book yourself

Secret Library Stuff

2015-07-20T15:31:00.000+10:00

Want to know what happens behind the scenes?
Here is a review from a recent work experience student.

This last school holidays, I did work experience at Ashburton Library.

I learned about (and participated in) shelving, perfect ordering (making sure books can be found), children's activities (storytimes and holiday programs), home library (making sure those who can't get to the library can still access books) and processing (preparing books to be borrowed).

It was great fun and I really enjoyed helping out with the holiday program for kids.

I love the fact that the working environment at the library is comfortable and friendly. It surprised me that the library is more than 'just put the books back in order'.

I would definitely recommend this career to book enthusiasts like myself.

If you're enthusiastic about reading in all its forms, helping the community and community events; check out your local library!

LoveOzYa - Read Local

2015-07-17T12:24:00.000+10:00

I'm not sure if you've heard but Australian YA is a big deal. We have some seriously talented authors who write about amazingly diverse and exciting characters. A movement has started to push these stories into the spotlight. YA fiction isn't all about 'The Fault in Our Stars' (which is so fabulous, but I can't survive on John Green alone).

Follow LoveOzYa on Instagram and the hashtag for some great reads. Their latest post is this fabulous poster showing great reads and their equally fabulous Australian matches. The poster was created by the passionate Apha Reader and designed by the talented Trinity Doyle. Grab a copy for yourself and spread the Australian YA love.

What now?

Add your thoughts in the comments below.
Go to the catalogue and reserve
Borrow an ebook
Review a book yourself

REVIEWbyU - Cinder by Marissa Meyer

2015-07-14T10:32:00.000+10:00

Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles, 1) / Marissa Meyer

Reviewer: Sharni

A reimagined fairy tale where Cinderella (now Cinder) is the unwanted adopted cyborg daughter of a once wealthy family. She also happens to be something of a genius with anything mechanical (which is handy when you are part cyborg). An outbreak of plague in New Beijing sets of a chain of events that puts Cinders into the path of the newly crowned Emperor and a possibly mad scientist. Throw into the mix the fact that Cinders has no memories of her biological parents, a sassy android sidekick and an evil Queen bent on world domination – this version of Cinderella leaves the Disney adaptations in the dust and paves the way for the rest of the Lunar Chronicles.

What now?

Books that make you feel better

2015-07-07T12:57:00.000+10:00

Now that flu season has descended, we have been talking about comfort reads (just as good as comfort eating, without the calories) . I'm pretty sure the doctor recommends a fast paced, easy read that you can pick up and put down in between blowing your nose.

One avid reader has recently re-read the Gabriel series by Sylvain Reynard while recuperating under a blanket. She describes it as the 'ultimate literary hug' that can be read over and over again. This title is for older readers who love a good romance.

'The genre is romance and it had beginnings as Twilight fan fiction that became popular as a blog. The spin-off series to this one (The Raven) has vampires, is set in Florence Italy and is newly published'

Let us know what is on your comfort reads list!

What now?

Add your thoughts in the comments below.
Go to the catalogue and reserve
Borrow an ebook
Review a book yourself

Love Wins

2015-07-03T12:00:00.000+10:00

I cannot say how much I am in love with Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. It's a new one and totally my go to 'you have to read this right now so I can talk to you about it' book.

It's quirky, funny, sweet, romantic and all good bits tied between two paper covers. It's more than just warm and fuzzy; it's a really fast, realistic, current read that I couldn't put down.

Spoiler Warning: yes, the ending may be a bit too sweet. But I loved it all the same.

Check out our teen booklist here, celebrating same sex attracted and sex and gender diverse reads.

What now?

Add your thoughts in the comments below.
Go to the catalogue and reserve
Borrow an ebook.
Review a book yourself.

REVIEWbyU On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

2015-06-29T17:10:00.000+10:00

Reviewer: Holly aged 15
Rating: 4 stars

On The Jellicoe Road is a nostalgic book that stays with you. It is cleverly written so that both the readers and the characters come to the same conclusion at the same time. A thought provoking novel that inspires you to reflect upon your own life.

What now?

Add your thoughts in the comments below.
Go to the catalogue and reserve it.
Borrow it as an ebook.
Review a book yourself.

Ever wonder what the 13-Storey Treehouse is called in Dutch?

2015-06-23T12:42:00.000+10:00

No me neither, but I am none-the-less delighted to know it is called the Waanzinnige Boomhut!

What now?