Plimmerton School

34,218 pages read and 8,353 team points

Team members

Whaea Em

11,607 pts

(8,435 pages read)

This is ADHD

By Chanelle Moriah

5 stars

Loved this. Totally made me see myself in a different light :)
Watch Your Back

By Sue Wallman

5 stars

This story of manipulation of a girl by a classmate had me totally engrossed. Read in a day. The identity of the 'baddy' had me guessing right until the end.
Unwind

By Neil Shusterman

5 stars

Holy smokes. This book. Given that there are real scenarios that this has been inspired by, it scares the bejeebers out of me. Super real.
The Mapmakers' Race

By Eirlys Hunter

5 stars

Loved.
Can You See Me?

By Libby Scott and Rebecca Westcott

5 stars

Amazing book that really gives an idea of how ASD feels... Wow.
Dawn Raid

By Pauline Vaeluaga Smith

5 stars

Part of the 'My Story' series, set in Porirua. Sofia is growing up 'afi-casi' and the story is told through her diary entries. Her fears, her milk-run, her love of go-go boots and her trip to Auckland to see her grandparents and extended family. Beautiful book and great to read aloud to a class.
Omnibird

By Giselle Clarkson

5 stars

Beautiful book about birds - by the same author as the insect book! Not only NZ manu, lots of cool info about birds all over the world. Illustrations are very cool. Super accessible.
Kia Kaha - A Storybook of Māori Who Changed the World

By Stacey Morrison & Jeremy Sherlock

5 stars

Beautiful book of our tangata taonga. The illustrations are incredible, and the stories range from kōrero about the 28th Māori Battalion to Willie Apiata. Super inspiring for our rangatahi.
Whenua - Māori Pūrākau of Aotearoa

By Isobel Joy Te Aho-White

5 stars

Ataahua. Lots of pūrākau from all over the motu. Love, love, love.
Jason Mason & the Flightless Bird Fiasco

By Jason Gunn & Andrew Gunn

2 stars

Part 2 in the series. Still best for the 10 year old boys who think bogeys and bums (with a cashew shaped birthmark)) are funny.
Jason Mason & the World's Most Powerful Itching Powder.

By Jason Gunn & Andrew Guuunn

2 stars

Totally perfect for 10 year old boys. The villan's name is Hugh Jarse. Need I say more.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

By Sherman Alexie

5 stars

Loved this. Made me cry. Saw lots of similarities with our indigenous culture here in Aotearoa.
The Axeman's Carnival

By Catherine Chidgey

5 stars

Read this after the 'review of the week ' and loved it so much I've bought my own copy. Love the idea of Tama the magpie being so present and sentient.
The First Year

By Matt Goodfellow

4 stars

Lovely verse novel, second in a series. Follows Nate's entry to high school, finding new friends and dealing with his mostly functional whānau.
The Observologist

By Giselle Clarkson

5 stars

Beautiful book with amazing information for kiddos and adults. There are incredible illustrations and ideas for kiddos to find out more about the critters. Highly recommend this to anyone who has even a vague interest in our Aotearoa NZ critters.
The Thursday Murder Club

By Richard Osman

5 stars

Hilarious! Wanted to read this for ages and now I can watch the movie, lol. Loved how it's partly written in a journal style by one of the characters.
King of Nothing

By Nathaniel Lessore

5 stars

I haven't laughed out loud while reading so much in ages! Heard almost all of this in the 'Top Boy' accent in my head, lol. Anton and his mandem are the top kids in his year, with reputations they work desperately to maintain. But when Anton messes up with his mum the repercussions mean big decisions and realisations for Anton. And the mandem. Would be a great read aloud for a y7-8 class or a class novel.
Impossible

By Stan Walker

5 stars

Aue. Read with tissues. Makes my heart happy to read this book; even if it's the YA version, it still hits hard. I love that Stan has achieved his dreams but also that he keeps tautoko-ing te Aō Māori though his kōrero. Mīharo book to read and super inspiring.
Answers in the Pages

By David Leviathan

5 stars

Gorgeous book about realising who you are and accepting it totally. Gideon's mum reads his set novel and disagrees with the content, issuing a formal 'challenge' to the legitimacy of it being taught. Gideon has to face this challenge and stay true to himself and his whānau at the same time.
Bear

By Kiri Lightfoot

4 stars

Senior Fiction, has a content may disturb sticker. Jasper has to learn to deal with his issues, not least the bear who follows him everywhere, even in his sleep. Good description of how our heads can feel when we don't have the kupu to describe them ourselves!
The Things We Leave Behind

By Claire Furniss

5 stars

Senior Fiction. Read this with tissues. Clem's story is feeling scarily similar to what is happening in the states at the moment. Lots of twists you don't see coming.
Simon Sort of Says

By Erin Bow

5 stars

Loved this - going to see if we can get more copies for novel study, lol. Simon and his family have moved to a 'National Quiet Zone' in the hope that some of their past will be left in the past. He has to make new friends and deal with trauma from his past without revealing what it is. His mum is the proud new owner of the local funeral home and the accompanying peacock Pretty Stabby, and his dad is the Deacon of the church and accidental founder of a dead squirrel death metal cult. Hilarious and heartbreaking all the way through.
Taniwha

By Gavin Bishop

4 stars

Beautiful book. Would have loved to have read the pūrākau of Awarua though, as she's a 'friendly' taniwha and most of these are pretty vicious! Great to share with kiddos.
My Name is Mina

By David Almond

5 stars

One of my fave books of all time - I'll never tire of reading about Mina. She's a bit of an odd fish; she wrote her English exam in her own made-up language, tries to wake up Persephone to make spring come faster and would spend much of her day in a tree instead of school if she could. Great book about the acceptance of self, the support of a parent (and the impact the loss of a parent can have on a child) and how the education system actually isn't 'one size fits all'. Beautifully put together - nothing quite like reading random pages printed in white ink on black, or reading in a font that looks like a child's writing to tell the story. Love, love, love.
Teach Your Dog Māori

By Anne Cakebread & Hemi Kelly

5 stars

Hilarious and strangely practical! Got this to make everyday kīwaha and kupu easier for our whānau. (Cats, not dogs, lol.) Lots of great ideas, our cats are already responding!!
Keedie

By Elle McNicoll

5 stars

Loved this. Keedie has always stood up to bullies and uses this to help others. She is a very honestly written character, and explains neurodisiversity super well. Totally recommend this and am looking forward to reading the other books in this series. (This is the prequel)
Ara: A Māori Guidebook of the Mind

By Dr Hinemoa Elder

5 stars

Great read. Looks at Hinengaro, mental health, through a traditional Māori lens. Really eye-opening and gives you a lot to think about. Will be reading time and again!
Te Reo Kapekape

By Hona Black

5 stars

Hilarious! Written in both te reo Māori and te reo Pākehā, this is full of meke sayings to learn and use. My personal fave was e te uri o Kare rāua ko Take- the offspring of Use and Less... And variations. Great intro explaining origins of many kīwaha and how colonisation changed how many were viewed and used. Loved it. He tino pai ki a au te pukapuka.
Free Lunch

By Rex Ogle

5 stars

A really uncomfortable read, good idea to have tissues close at hand. US book but still feels very real in Aotearoa. Def YA up, discusses domestic violence. Very up-front. True story of the author's childhood.
Mondays are Murder

By Ravena Guron

4 stars

A good YA thriller / who dunnit! Kay heads back to her former home, reluctantly, only to find herself in the middle of her own predicted murder! Lots of mixing of the past and present and realising that not everyone is who they seem to be.
Everyday

By David Levithan

5 stars

YA. Read with tissues. A wakes up every day in a new life in a new body... What happens when A wants to take control and stay in a life? Couldn't put it down.
These Stolen Lives

By Sharada Keats

5 stars

Amazing YA fiction. Dystopian future where Mora has to save the closest person she has to a brother from being put to death.

6 - 0 - 1

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Plimmerton School

34,218 pages read and 8,353 team points

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