The Tech and Code Club have done amazing work to build an Apollo Saturn V out of LEGO, along with a fully working Lunar Explorer!
Great work team š
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This summer’s Summer Reading Challenge is SPACE CHASE and Bream Community Library is not holding anything back in getting ready for blast off š
Summer Reading Challenge begins the 13 July 2019
āļøāļøāļøāļø 4 of 5 Stars
Gideon Mack is a preachers son who doesnāt believe in God, but decides to become a minister anyway.
His lack of belief can be easily explained by his narrow minded, strict, sad and unloving upbringing. The reason why he decides to become a minister anyway hints at his dark humour, which you see here and there throughout the book.
He marries a woman that he is not in love with, simply because he canāt have the woman he actually wants (that woman marries his best friend).
He comes across as a man who doesnāt actually know what he wants, will accept second best or will settle for what he thinks is ok…and then spend his life living in regret and unhappiness. Causing confusion and unhappiness to others in the process.
Where he didnāt believe in God at all…he does end up believing completely in the Devil. He falls into a treacherous river and is found 3 days later. He should be dead…but he isnāt. Depending on whether you believe in the supernatural or not, he was either fished out the first day by a smuggler or he was saved by the Devil and he bonded so well with the Devil he then spends a great deal of time and effort to be able to spend the rest of his life with him.
In order to leave with a clean slate he tells everyone what happened to him, including his sins…committing adultery with the very woman he is still in love with. He only confesses to this happening once, while helping him pack up his late wifeās clothes she takes pity on him and they sleep together. In actual fact, that summer they had a full blown affair as confirmed by the woman in question. Why lie? Perhaps he simply couldnāt see her as an adulterous woman as she is the epitome of perfection in his eyes, or it again displays his unique ability to lie to himself.
This book is a very detailed account of how a person can live a lie, how they can convince themselves completely into believing a lie, and then finally freeing themselves to believing what they genuinely believe is true…even though it could be complete codswallop. Who knows?
Once upon a time the sounds of a library would be hushed voices and just a murmur of turning pages. At times, it felt respectful and at other times oppressive. Especially when Iāve just found my favourite author and thereās a title of theirs I havenāt read. Iāll squeal in happiness and immediately want to tell someone, but the closest person is too far away to whisper to, so Iād have to hold in my joy until we were outside.
These days, things are very different, take for example the sounds of Bream Community Library on a typical Saturday morning.
There is the throw of the multifaceted dice and a table wide groan as the young men of the Dungeons and Dragons group puzzle their way through another adventure. The click of the mouse as someone works away on the library computers. You hear conversations at the reception desk as a customer is helped with renewing their books and is helped to reserve a book theyāre interested in reading.
The childrenās library is awash with childrenās voices as they sound out words in a brightly coloured picture books. A mum and her children crowded on a bean bag reading a story together. There is the unmistakable sound of Lego being built at the child sized table, and stomping little feet as they scamper about picking up some pieces that fell off.
Gone are the days of quiet libraries….but in their place is something way better, in my humble opinion. The whispers have morphed into joy and colour and thewide happy eyes of little ones having fun at the Library. It’s beautiful thing.
Stars out of 5: 2
Below is a review by one of esteemed members:
Be prepared, this is a tale of sexual violence and the aftermath of the couple who intervened.Ā The book takes twists and turns as new truths are revealed and as the characters true selves slowly unwind to provide us with a clearer picture of events. However, I didn’t have much sympathy for any of the characters and found it difficult therefore to engage in the plot.Ā I think its a book that works hard to provide thrills and chills, but it just didn’t do it for me.
This could perhaps be an absorbing holiday or travel read, but I did struggle to keep my interest going, and probably wouldn’t of pursued it if it hadn’t been for reading group.
……….
A number of our members declared it to be contrived and in places completely unbelievable. It was very heavily plotted and there was a thread of negativity against men being the ‘bad guys’ every time.
Well, summers over and so is our Summer Reading Challenge 2018! SRC is a national reading initiative to keep kids reading throughout the long summer break. Reading throughout this time means that children keep up the reading standards and donāt forget what they spent the last school year learning! Every year we are given a theme and this year we had Mischief Makers featuring Dennis the Menace and the Beano comic strip!
Once we knew this we set about creating activities based on this theme. So what did we come up with? Beano bingo, DIY comic strip characters, charades, joke telling and lots of other Beano related activities. I think the Bingo went down best with prizes of Whoopee Cushions, sweeties and classic Beano comics! Completion of the challenge (which means 3 visits and 6 books read by parent/child) ensured a place at the award giving which meant each child got a gold Mischief Makers medal as well as a certificate and a little pack of goodies. They also enjoyed a story time provided by the Dogs Trust as a special treat.
Before SRC officially launched we had children coming in hoping to register so we were off to a great start and with 45 actual starters in total, I think we did pretty well for a small community library! It was also great to see the number of boys enrolled in this projectā¦. All I can say is, come on girls ā game on for 2019! The total number finishing the challenge is 31 which is almost 70% completion rate! How amazing is that?! With thanks to all the volunteers who support this event, the parents for nurturing a love of reading in their children and finally, big congratulations to all the children for doing so well!
Stars out of 5.Ā Ā Ā 3
Overall the club members didnāt really enjoy this book. It is made up of four novellaās which perhaps we should have read piecemeal instead.
The first story is what the movie Shawshank Redemption is based on, it is excellent and memorable and for those who had watched the movie you couldnāt help hearing Morgan Freemanās voice for Red.
The second story Apt Pupil is psychologically frightening and fascinating, another gold star for Stephen King.
The last two stories were not enjoyed at all unfortunately, the third felt like a ramble, the fourth was just too weird and not particularly scary.
As always Stephen King is the master, occasionally the endings are a let-down but his setting up of a story cannot be beat.
Your library has a variety of events scheduled to enjoy the Summer Reading Challenge this year! Save the dates!
Stars out of 5 ā 3 Stars
There were many good things to say about this book. It was written very well. The main character has a very distinctive voice and was relatable. The emotional elements were written sparingly but with great care and respect. It was with emotional intelligence.
The story revolves around the death of an older brother and how the younger brother comes apart at the seams in his grief. His mind fractures and watching his downward trajectory is difficult but moving at the same time. The mother takes a great deal of her grief out on the surviving son, isolating him, almost torturing him in an emotional way, perhaps if she had received the help she needed he wouldnāt have had to carry so much. His dad is virtually absent and the only normal influence in his life is his grandmother. A truly loving and understanding person.
You are taken through his hospitalisation and rehab centre which from his perspective wasnāt easy at all. The end does bring some closure and perhaps even hope and new beginning for a young man who has been through far too much in a very short space of time.
An empathetic and well written story of what a descent into mental illness is really like.
