Merry Christmas

Best wishes to you and your family for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

May you receive or borrow some good books to read over the holiday break. 

 

Rose Blanche by Ian McEwan

When Rose sees a little boy trying to escape from the back of a truck, only to be captured and shoved back in, she decides to follow the truck. At a desolate place out of town she discovers many other children, staring hungrily from behind an electric barbed wire fence.

In this sophisticated picture book a young girl called Rose witnesses the inhumane actions of the Nazis during World War Two. Showing courage and selflessness Rose takes it upon herself to help people in desperate need. This was my favourite of the sophisticated picture books I read for the 27 challenge. It showed that not all children's books have to have a happy ending and I would recommend this story to anyone thinking about reading a sophisticated picture book. 

By Melanie

 

Christmas Tree Challenge

Our final get together of the year included our usual book chat and then a completely non-book activity - constructing a Christmas tree from a limited set of materials.

Also three Wrappers completed the 27 Challenge and received their certificate and Paper Plus gift card.  Congratulations to Melanie, Hannah and Ashleigh.

Book Share - books recommended by the Wrappers from their recent reading.

The Roses in My Carpets   by Rukhsana Ashraf-Khan   (sophisticated picture book)

 Vampyre   by Margaret Wild  (sophisticated picture book)

Gathering Blue   by Lois Lowry  (Number 2 in The Giver quartet)

When We Wake / While We Run  by Karen Healey

Singing Home the Whale   by Mandy Hager

Christmas Tree Challenge

Using an assortment of materials (coloured card, tinsel, ribbon, sellotape) the challenge was to construct a Christmas tree that was free standing, as tall as possible, a traditional Christmas tree shape and decorated. The photos below show the progress and results.  Two teams (the 'oldies' and the 'youngies') took part. The final verdict based on the judging criteria was a tie - and that was honest judging not 'you're just being diplomatic' as someone suggested!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

“ I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers.” January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb….

As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.

Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society’s members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for some historical fiction to read. It gives an interesting insight into how people in the Channel Islands  were impacted by World War Two and how their lives continued to be effected by Germany's occupation in the post war years.

Reviewed by Melanie 

Answer a Question and Win

It's the festive season and this month's question is about Christmas carols. What's your favourite Christmas Carol?  The choices are all traditional Christmas carols, at least 100 years old. This month you can choose two answers - just check two of the boxes below.

Complete the form to enter the prize draw (open to Kapiti District residents only). The winner will be drawn at the next Wrappers meeting on Friday 12 November.