Author James Russell has the whole school laughing.

Yesterday we were so lucky to have author James Russell visit us at school. He spoke to the year one to three children first and they loved him. Many children in fits of giggles over his story telling. He read, or rather recited, his picture books and told funny jokes. James shared images on a screen from his Dragon Hunters picture books.

Next were the year four to six children who were equally entertained and also in fits of giggles, even when he told gory stories with lots of blood, pain and a hospital visit. His Dragon Defenders books are perfect for this age group. Great for readers who love a good story, a bit of fantasy, and a quest or two.

The highlight for most children was seeing his books come to life with the aid of an App (AR Reads) which can be used on his books. Dragons appear out of nowhere as well as volcanic eruptions and clouds floating by. Augmented reality is an amazing feature and hooks readers in, no matter what age. Teachers were just as enthralled and entertained. It is no wonder he in is the Whitcoulls Top 50 kids books. In fact he has two books on this list and his book at number ten, makes him the first New Zealander on that list. This is a wonderful achievement, so congratulations James.

If you want to know more about James and his books you can check out his website right here.

James in front of our Fantsy display in the library.

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World of Fantasy

Over the next month we have three cool competitions with some great book prizes.

You can draw your own Fantasy Island and create your own magical world. You might want to write your own fantasy story. Maybe there are dragons in your world. Maybe there are trolls and monsters. There are lots of magical items on display which might have been enchanted. Maybe there is something hidden inside some of them and opening it up might release something wicked, or free something that has been trapped for years. Give your characters good names, maybe you could make them up. Use your imagination, it’s all yours.

The third competition is to match the maps with the books. Lots of books have maps and they are very cool with some exciting names and plenty of adventure.

Next week we have author James Russell coming to school. His Dragon defenders books definitely feature dragons. Come and have a look at his books in the library, check out the display and see if you can come up with a story or map of your own. Make sure you use lots of detail on your map.

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