KPE Episode 248: "Copper Top"

"Copper Top" by Coral Atkinson

Recently we were very priviledged to receive a complementary copy of the newly released children's book, "Copper Top" from the author. Coral Atkinson lives in Canterbury, in the South Island of New Zealand.
" Copper Top follows the fortunes of feisty young Irish heroine Aisling Lynch, and is set in the West Coast goldfields of the 1860s. The book is ideal for readers aged 9 to 13."
Toreka and Selena both read this book and after declaring it a great read, wrote and recorded this podcast about the book.
Have a listen and leave them some feedback....

KPE Episode 247: "Oh, Hogwash Sweet Pea!"

"Oh, Hogwash, Sweet Pea!" was written by Ngareta Gabel and is published in Maori and English.
Jarna and Sylvia from Room 15 discuss this book in their latest podcast for KPE.
"It's Monday and Sweet Pea's lost her shoes again. Who's got them now? Find out in this imaginative book - it's a lot of fun!"

If you have ever lost your shoes, we think you will love it too...

KPE Episode 246: "Captain Felonius"

Matthew and Lepa have read "Captain Felonius" by Joy Cowley. This book is such a favourite of kiwi kids that we think EVERYONE has read it. You probably have listened to one of our previous podcasts about "Happy Birthday Mrs Felonius" too.
Listen to their latest podcast and see if they have covered all your favourite parts of the story. And let them know what you think about the very interesting morals they concluded with.

KPE Episode 245: "Endless Wave"

"Endless Wave" by John O'Brien is reviewed by Selena and Mubasshira in this podcast.
They present an entertaining discussion about a book that is set in the time of the dinosaurs, but also includes a robot! It seems that the surfing hero gets caught inside a wave and lands way back in time. And who better to go to his rescue than his friend and surfing buddy. Have a listen and tell the girls what you think.
*Breaking News* These girls won the Podcasters of the Year Award at the Pt England School prizegiving on December 10th. We hope you are enjoying your new iPods girls :)

Edublog Awards

KPE's nominations for The 2009 Edublog Awards are:

Best class blog: Ka Tangi Hoki Ko Au
Best educational wiki: Getting Tricky With Wikis

KPE Episode 244: "Brian's Brilliant Career"

"Brian's Brilliant Career" by Pamela Rushby is podcast by Rachael and Sela from Room 18.
This book is about a boy who gets talent scouted when a TV News crew visits his school. He joins a talent agency and he does some work on commercials. During the course of the podcast you will hear about some of the incidents that happened when Brian started making advertisements.
Both these girls have experience presenting on Pt England's own television news show, PENN, and they conclude that presenting is a better option than acting in commercials after reading this book.

KPE Episode 243: "30 Weird and Wonderful NZ Stories"

Mubasshira and Seini-Mino from Room 15 discuss one of the stories, "Mr Wardback and the Topsy Turvey Show" , from this collection of short stories for children. It is about a man who does everything backward (clue: take a look at his name, and think very carefully about this one....).
The girls do a good job of talking like him on this podcast as well.
Have a listen and tell them what you think....

Happy 4th Birthday KPE!

September the 24th
This means that
Korero Pt England is
FOUR years old today!

So this year, to celebrate our birthday we have decided to re-publish our first ever podcast on the KPE blog. This podcast was made way back in the day before podcasts had pictures and so we have remixed it a little. Our original podcasters, Miriam and Anahera, are now in Year 10 at secondary school, so we searched through the archives to find some pictures of them to enhance the podcast.
We have also made a banner from some of the photos in our archives which you can see below. You will see that we had to use a lot more equipment back in the day, and we recorded our podcasts in the corridor. We also want to acknowledge Paul, who created the original logo for KPE back in 2005.
And for any adults reading this who want to know more about KPE, click here for research information.
Let us know what you think of our original podcast, four years later....

KPE Episode 242: "Why Do Dogs Sniff Bottoms?"

Do you really want to know? Well then, Aidan and Cruz from Room 15 discuss this book which has delighted countless New Zealand kids; "Why Do Dogs Sniff Bottoms?" by Dawn McMillan & Bert Signal. This fun story provides an answer to the age old question and Dawn tells us that Bert Signal first heard about it in an old 1930's rugby song. That would be fun to listen to as well.
This book is so popular with Pt England students that it was one of the very first podcasts ever published on KPE back on Sept 24 2005. It was Episode 3 of KPE and was presented by Paul and Livingston who are now in Year 10 at college. You can listen to their version and compare it by clicking here.
Tell us what you think....

KPE Episode 241: "Lucky Feather" by Joy Cowley

Like most New Zealand school kids, Lepa and Matthew from Room 15 have read
"Lucky Feather" by Joy Cowley.
Have a listen as they discuss this well known story and see if you agree with the message they have identified from this book.

KPE Episode 240: "Swimming For Gold" by Joy Cowley

This episode of KPE is another book of Joy Cowley's. This time the podcasters are Selena and Mubasshira from Room 15. Mubasshira tells us that this book is about a girl who uses a wheel chair to get about in on land, but is a very good swimmer. In fact she is a very good swimmer with a BIG heart. When disaster strikes and a boy lands up in the water, it is Esther who dives in and rescues him before the able bodied people around her do anything about it.
This sounds like a story of great courage and we think you will enjoy listening to the podcast below.

KPE Episode 239: "Drum" by Joy Cowley

Erene and Joshua have created a lively podcast to share the latest book they have been reading about a dog called "Drum" and it is written by Joy Cowley. Drum is a stray dog who turns up in a small town and becomes sort of a town pet. The book talks about some of the adventures the kids in the town have with Drum. And our podcasters recommend this story as a good read.

KPE Episode 238: "Tall Tale" by Chris Bell

Ala and Reina from Room 15 have been reading "Tall Tale" and bring us this latest podcast. They tell us what happens when two kids are forced to be penpals by their teachers and make up a whole series of tall tales in order to make their letters to each other sound more exciting. It sounds like a fun read.

KPE Episode 237: "Jellylegs" by Elizabeth Pulford

Leoden and Blessing bring us episode 237 of the KPE podcasts. In this they talk about the book Leoden has read, "Jellylegs", and tell us about the Pt England cross country event that they have been training for - along with the rest of the school. They get onto talking about the cross country because this story is about a girl who is training to run in her school marathon event.
We know you will enjoy viewing this podcast as much as you will enjoy reading the book. Elizabeth Pulford is on of the favourite authors reviewed on KPE and if you click here you will be able to see the other FIVE of her books we have podcast!

KPE Episode 236: "Hark the Herald Angel"

"Hark the Herald Angel" by William Taylor was read by Sela from Room 18 and her classmate Paulitia is her DJ for this latest episode of KPE.

Sela says she chose this book because it was another book in a series about a boy called Charlie Kenny and his entertaining nemesis, Alice Pepper. The subscribers to KPE may well have listened to the podcasts we published about "Knitwits" and "Numbskulls" in previous years.

This book was just as much fun to read and it is based around the school Christmas play. Alice gets to produce the play and Charlie has to be 'Hark', which is of course the name of the Herald Angel.

KPE Episode 235: "Putting on a Concert and the Television News"

"Putting on a Concert and the Television News" was written by Roger Hall and illustrated by Rob Mancini. Angela and Selena from Room 15 have read this story and bring us a podcast to share their conversation about what they thought and learned. This picture book is a story about a group of kids who need something interesting to do in the school holidays and come up with some creative ways to entertain themselves and others. As you can guess from the title, their ideas included putting on a concert AND the television news. Both of these ideas were interesting to our podcasters because Pt England School is working towards the school production at the moment, A Toy Story, AND we have our own television news channel, The Pt England News Network (PE.N.N)

KPE Episode 234: "The Star of Bethlehem"

"The Star of Bethlehem" comes from an anthology called "The Book with No Name" by 27 Tauranga writers. This podcast was created by Mubasshira and Sylvia who are Year 5 students in Room 15. They selected one story to discuss in detail and it centres around a family who go to a Garage Sale and the daughter who brings home a star - the Star of Bethlehem. She really didn't have much use for it until one day she decided to include it as a prop in a speech she was giving at school. And that led to the happy outcome of this story. It turns out that this star is very special to someone in the audience. And if you listen to the podcast you will find out who it was and the story behind it!
About The Book With No Name
The Book with No Name: 27 short stories from Tauranga Writers for Children.
Why The Book with No Name? Primary pupils said they would have to read it!
NZ$12.00 posted within NZ. Please send cheque with order to Tauranga
Writers for Children, 15 Cathray Place, Tauranga; enquiries 07 576 1943 or pageys@wave.co.nz.

KPE Episode 233: "A Present from the Past"

"A Present from the Past" by Jennifer Beck is the subject of this podcast by Toreka and Selena - two year 5 students from Room 15.
They tell us of a story about a young girl who is reluctantly waiting at the airport for a distant aunt to arive. But she is excited when she discovers that the aunt is carrying a special gift from the past.
During the first World War, soldiers and nurses were given a very special Christmas present from the Princess Mary - a precious box containing sweets or tobacco as the royal family's thanks for the hardship they were undertaking. As well as enjoying the story, our podcasters obviously love the illustrations drawn by Lindy Fisher.

KPE Episode 232: Ron Bacon Books

In this episode of KPE Gaby and Maree from Room 17 discuss two books they have read by the same author, Ron Bacon.
"Pania the Woman from the Sea" and "How Weaving Came".
These are both retellings of Maori legends and the girls discover a surprising number of similarities between the two stories. have a listen and see what you think.
If you are a Ron Bacon fan you will discover several more of his books that our Pt England students have podcast, including "A Mouse Singing in the Reeds", "Banjo Man" and "The Clay Boy".

KPE Episode 231: "Walking Lightly"

Jarna and Seini-Mino have published their first podcast for KPE. It is about the book "Walking Lightly" by Fleur Beale.
This story is about a rich girl called Millie who wasn't like the rich girls we see on TV. She didn't like shopping and stuff like that - in fact she didn't spend lots of money. She liked doing things outdoors that don't cost money like camping and tramping. Of course this didn't make her popular with the other girls in the class at her school for rich kids. They thought she was weird.
You will have guessed that something happens in this story to make them realise that Mille is a resourceful and clever girl, as well as good to have around. Listen to the podcast and find out more. And if you really want to know more about the story, you could check out Mele and Tiana's podcast too and see what they had to say back in 2007!

KPE Episode 230 :" The Refugees"

Two Year 5 students, Erene and Joshua from Room 15, bring us this book as their first podcast for KPE. They have joined the
Janice Marriott fan club at Pt England school and tell you about 'The Refugees'. This book has been podcast before by Tanisha and Keletiola so you could listen to their podcast too by clicking here.
The boys give us a lot of detail about what happens when a family is torn apart during a war and the children are left to look after themselves when their parents are taken from them.
They also introduce us to one of their classmates who understands this experience only too well. Have a listen to their podcast and give them some feedback. Maybe you will have some questions for Jephte as well.

KPE Episode 229: "Evil Fred"

KPE Episode 229: "Evil Fred" by Kylie Begg
Matthew and Lepa who are both Year 5 students in Room 15 tell us about this book. They tell a story of a family who sound evil and a dog called Fred who doesn't sound evil - well not the way they tell the story. You had better check this out and see what you think. And if you want another view of the story, we recommend Elizabeth and Sharon Rose's podcast of this book here. Listen to both and give us YOUR opinion of the story....

KPE Episode 228: "The Christmas...Hiccup...Play"

"The Christmas...Hiccup...Play" by Elizabeth Pulford
Rachael interviews Shaniah in this episode of KPE about another book in the Kiwi Bites series. This book is about a girl called Abbey who was really excited because her wish had come true - she was going to be the Angel Gabriel in the school play. On the night of the performance she had a terrible fright and began to hiccup, and hiccup, and hiccup... In the story everyone offers ways of curing the hiccups and she tries them all.
Have you ever had the hiccups? What do you do to stop hiccuping? If you would like to listen to another podcast about this book that was published in 2006, you could click here to check it out too...

KPE Episode 227: "Akimbo and the Elephants"

"Akimbo and the Elephants" by Alexander McCall Smith
TeRangi interviews Rachael about this book, which they say is a story about bravery, doing the right thing and looking after animals.
In this book 10 year old Akimbo lives on a game preserve in Africa. His father is the head ranger, and Akimbo is keen to help him whenever he can—even if it means getting into some pretty dangerous situations. In Akimbo and the Elephants, ivory poachers are killing grown elephants for their tusks and leaving the calves to die. When the authorities can't find out who is doing this, Akimbo sets out to save the elephants by pretending to be a hunter himself.
These girls are in Room 18 and this is their first podcast together.

KPE Episode 226: "Grandma McGarvey Paints the Shed"

"Grandma McGarvey Paints the Shed" by Jenny Hessell is podcast by Sylvia and Mubasshira from Room 15.
This is another cool story about that crazy granny, Grandma McGarvey and we know you'll love it. When Grandma McGarvey decides to paint the shed, she does it with her own distinctive style! You'll never see a shed quite like this one! We know you will love this story, and if you want to listen to another story about her, try Grandma McGarvey Joins the Scrum...

KPE Episode 225: "The Immigrants"

"The Immigrants" by Alan Bagnall
In this podcast Ala tells Angela about a book set in 1856. You will learn a lot about what it was like for the early settlers who came to New Zealand during the Gold Rush. We are sure you will enjoy this lively discussion and you may well be inspired by this book about people who never give up. Tell us what you think...

KPE Episode 224: "The Day of the Snow"

"The Day of the Snow" by Joy Cowley
Tanielu and Blessing review this very popular book by Joy Cowley. One of the reasons it is so popular with our students is because she wrote it about a school in Auckland, where we live. Two years ago Jordan and Pheonix also published a podcast about this book, so if you have iTunes on your computer we recommend you have a listen to their podcast as well (KPE Episode 67 on 28 May 2007). Tell us what you think of both reviews of this book.

KPE Episode 223 :" Storm"

KPE Episode 223 :" Storm" by Margaret Beames

Shontal and Victoria from Room 18 discuss this book by another New Zealand author.

It is about a girl called Erin who has never had any doubt about what she wants to do when she leaves school. She wants to be a farmer like her father and mother. Erin loves being on her family farm for the school holidays. Trouble is, Erin gets stuck with the boring chores and her parents don't think she's capable of much else. Try as she will, Erin finds that the boring jobs around the farm don’t keep her from daydreaming and, as a result, neither of her parents has any confidence in her ability to concentrate and complete a job properly. Things, however, have a habit of changing and Erin has to call on all her concentration and resourcefulness to help her father after he has an accident on the farm.

We wonder if any of you have ever been on a farm? Did you like it? Tell us if you think you would like living on a farm....

KPE Episode 222: "Weaving Together"

"Weaving Together" by Dawn McMillan
Selena and Angela are Year 5 students who have made a great job of their very first podcast. They have chosen to share this wonderful New Zealand book about Jamie and her grandmother who are making a woven memory of all the wonderful and sad things that have happened in their lives. They choose colours that will remind them of special events. Soon it becomes more than a piece of art and Jamie realises that both her past and her future are part of the weaving.
As you listen to this podcast you will not only find out about the book, but also about some of the lovely memories these girls have shared with their Grandmothers.
Why don't you tell them about YOUR grandmother in return?

KPE 221: "A Can of Worms"

KPE Episode 221: "A Can of Worms" by Peter Bromhead

Cruz and Blessing talk to us about this incredible story about a boy called Angus who discovers something moving in a can of spaghetti he opens. He believes the spaghetti is alive but nobody else seems concerned at his amazing discovery! His mother is too busy to look and his sister thinks it’s just another practical joke. So Angus takes the spaghetti to school and tries to get help from the teachers. They can’t help so Angus consults rocket scientist Dr Von Brawn, who even rings up NASA, but no luck! An Italian chef and a worm farmer have a part in this story too.The book seems to have some pretty 'yuck' things in it from what we hear, but they really enjoyed reading it.
We wonder how many of you like eating spaghetti out of a can? Or do you prefer real spaghetti?

KPE 220: "Tom Thumb"

KPE Episode 220: "Tom Thumb" by Gavin Bishop

Ala and Toreka are publishing their very first podcast. These girls are Year 5 students and they are in Room 15. This book they have chosen to review is subtitled " The True History of Sir Thomas Thumb" and is written by a very popular New Zealand author at our school.
They tell us that this book is a collection of stories that Gavin Bishop has made up about the famous tiny fairy tale creature and they particularly like the one called "Tom Thumb and the Big Fish" and that is the one they tell us about. We hope you enjoy their podcast, and if you also like Gavin Bishop's books, we recommend you listen to 'Stay Awake Bear', 'Chicken Licken', 'Piano Rock', 'Bidibidi' and 'Kiwi Moon'.

KPE 219: "A Very Wicked Headmistress"

"A Very Wicked Headmistress" by Margaret Mahy
Helen and Destiney from Room 18 bring us another crazy story from Margaret Mahy.
When the wicked Miss Taffeta—notorious cheater at cards and blackmailer, and former trapeze artist and human cannonball—opens an exclusive boarding school for rich young ladies, everything seems perfectly normal. But when strange things begin to occur at the school the students become suspicious, and they begin to wonder just who Headmistress Taffeta really is. As well as taking on the roles of all the different teachers in the school, Miss Taffeta plots to gain control of a neighbouring farmer's fortune by marrying him!
We are pretty sure you will love this book and this podcast.

KPE 218: "Fish Tale"

"Fish Tale" by Lorraine Orman
Victoria interviews Rachael from Room 18 for this episode of KPE. This book is very popular at Pt England School and is another in the Kiwi Bites series.

"Kathleen is worried about her Great-Grandfather. Ever since Great-Gran died, and since he's been living with Kathleen and her Mum, Gramps has been very quiet and sad-looking all the time. And on top of that, Kathleen s Mum has been working long hours now that Gramps is around to look after her. It's easy to get bored that is, until Kathleen realises Gramps funny-looking garden gnome can actually talk! What follows is a crazy adventure as Kathleen sets out to give the gnome what he most desires, in exchange for making her Gramps happy again."

The girls tell us that the author is reminding the readers that everyone needs good friends, no matter what age you are.

The book has been reviewed by KPE in the past so part of the challenge for these girls was to give a different perspective on the book. You might like to click here and listen to the first podcast of "Fish Tales" after you have listened to Victoria and Rachael and leave both sets of podcasters some feedback.

KPE Episode 217: "Rugby for Rosie"

"Rugby for Rosie" by Frances Adlam
Shaniah interviews Helen about a book they have read which really appeals to them because it is about a girl who wants to play rugby - and both of these girls like playing rugby at Pt England School.
The story goes like this....
"Rosie wants to play rugby for the school team. And she's good too. The only thing is that Rosie is the only girl who wants to play, and the team need three girls to qualify. So to do what she loves she has to convince the pink-loving, doll-bearing girls at her school that rugby is the sport for them. Things seem impossible until a celebrity the girly girls know very well turns up to give Rosie a hand!"
They tell us that the theme of this story is that you should be yourself, nothing good ever comes from trying to pretend you are someone else.
Have a listen and tell them what you think.

KPE 216: "30 Weird and Wonderful NZ Stories"

"30 Weird and Wonderful NZ Stories" edited by Barbara Else.
Maree and Gabrielle from Room 17 discuss several stories in this collection of New Zealand tales for this latest episode of KPE. You will want to read the book after you have listened to the podcast and you will find out something very interesting about where Maree gets to go for her family holidays.
When you figure out where that is, why don't you tell us if you have ever been there too?

KPE 215: "Fern of Maru Bay"

"Fern of Maru Bay" by Lindy Kelly
The KPE podcasters have brought you all kinds of unusual stories written for kids by New Zealand authors and Sela and Paulitia from Room 18 have found another one!
This book is about a girl who has had a pretty alternative upbringing; she was home-schooled for a start, she lives on an island, her parents are arrested for breaking the law and she can talk to animals. Quite a strange mixture! Have a listen and tell us what you think - especially if you have read this book yourself!
Oh, and don't forget that if you click on either of the girls' names you will be directed to their own blogs and you will be able to read some of their other thoughts from this year...

KPE 214: "Bit Scream"

"Bit Scream" by Richard Gunther
Tyler and Jacob from Room 18 tell us about a book with a most unusual title and a pretty unusual plot. The main character, Michael loves it when his father drives fast in his car. One wintery night when they are driving home, with the headlights lighting up the snaking, twisting road, they take the corners at dangerous speed. The car whistles like a bullet towards a sharp bend .... suddenly Michael knows they're not going to make it.
"Dad! Dad! Stop!"
Michael wakes up in hospital, at the beginning of an unfolding nightmare. Why does his voice seem distant, his body unreal? Why do the nurses all look the same? Why has the old scar disappeared from his hand?
Gradually things begin to be explained and Micheal learns what is real and what is not in this 'Virtual Reality'. Have a listen and tell them what you think....

KPE Episode 213: "Charlie the Cheeky Kea"

"Charlie the Cheeky Kea" by Jack Lasenby

Hossanah and Tina present their first podcast for KPE. They are Year 5 students from Room 14 and they have been reading a cool picture book about one of New Zealand's native birds, Charlie the Kea. From what they tell us, not only will you hear a really good story, but you will also find out a lot about New Zealand. Tell the girls what you think of their podcast and if you have ever seen a Kea, let us know where you saw it.

KPE Episode 212: "Knitwits"

Knitwits by William Taylor
Tanielu and Paulitia have recorded a podcast about a book they read at the end of last year when they were in Year 5 with Ms Squires. They never quite got their podcast organised in all the end of year excitement, so Mrs Lagitupu (their teacher this year) suggested they take another look at Knitwits and publish their podcast now.
So you are about to enjoy a very polished podcast by two talented presenters.
This is what happens in the story:

" On the worst day of 9-year-old Chas Kenny's life, his cat dies, he is kicked off the hockey team, and his mother announces that she is pregnant. Although he is unhappy about being a brother, Chas doesn't like it when Alice Pepper, his next-door neighbor and best friend, says bad things about the baby. In response, Chas skites that he is so excited he intends to knit a jersey for the baby! Sneaky Alice bets him $5. a day for life against her skull collection that he will not be able to make such a gift in time. As events happen during the following months, Chas grows really excited about the new arrival while he struggles to win his bet and prove to Alice that he is not a 'knitwit.' "

Tanielu and Paulitia tell us about the story and talk about achieving your goals, which is the theme of this story. Their advice for us is not to take any notice of people who try to put you off achieving your goals because they don't have faith in you.

KPE on TV One "Close Up" programme

Last post we told you that TV One had sent people out to film our students and that they had talked to Leoden, Sela and Tanielu as they recorded the last episode of KPE. Well, on Friday night, 28th February 209, it was finally on "Close Up" and if you click here you can view the segment online.
This is what they wrote about our school:

"Today we have seen the adults brain trust getting together to work out ways to keep people in work and create jobs. We have been to a school where the children have plenty ideas of their own. They are at the forefront of learning, using hi-tech media like blogging, cloud computing and pod casting every day. While the how-to aspects of those concepts are still a mystery to many of us, to the students of Point England primary in Auckland, it's second nature. Robyn Janes reports on a small school boxing well above its weight in the world of technology. "

If the link above stops working after a while (when it becomes old news!) then we hope this one will be around for longer - choose chapter two.
Did you watch the programme? Tell us what you thought when you saw it.....

KPE Episode 211: "The Curse of Being Pharoah"

"The Curse of Being Pharoah" by Janice Marriott
Leoden and Sela from Room 18 have been reading this book and they give us an excellent recount of what the story is all about. You will find out their thoughts on bullies and you may agree with them after you have listened to the podcast that "what goes around, comes around".
As well as enjoying the book and having fun making the podcast these two presenters had a special thing happen while they were recording the podcast. Robyn Janes, a reporter from TVNZ "Close Up", was in the school with a camera person and she filmed them creating this podcast. We are still waiting for the interview to appear on television, but you can be sure that when it does we will provide a link to the programme from here to. So keep checking back.

And let us know what you think of this book....

KPE Episode 210: "Midnight Lightning"

"Midnight Lightning" by John Parsons
Beni and Jacob welcome back our subscribers to our 4th year of podcasting with another exciting kids' book to tell us about. These boys have started their final year at Pt England School and are Year 6 students in Room 18. We have realised that our original KPE podcasters are now in Year 10! Wow, time flies!
This book is very timely for us at Pt England because it is about a go-kart race and we are getting very excited about kart racing here because we are entering the soap box derby on March 22. This will be heaps of fun and we have an amazing prize to aim for. The winners get to go to America to race in the finals in Akron, Ohio.
To give you an idea of what this book is about from the blurb:

"Nicky's dad is convinced that he is great at building and repairing things. But Nicky and his mother know better. Everything Dad touches is a disaster. So when a go-kart race is announced,Nicky is sure he is going to die of embarrassment in the kart he and his father will build. At first, everything seems to be going well, but a disasterous test run means that another plan is needed and quickly!"

We know you will enjoy the podcast below, and if you want to read more, get hold of the book or click this link to see it on Google Books.

KPE Episode 209: "The Secret of Kiribu Tapu Lagoon"

"The Secret of Kiribu Tapu Lagoon" by Tandi Jackson.
This book is reviewed by Caprice and Simone. They explain to us about the meaning of 'Tapu' and about the setting of this book, beautiful Vanuatu. As well as describing an exciting adventure story the girls talk about some of the cultural ideas in this story. They are well qualified to do this as their movie about 'Preserving Culture' won them the best primary school movie award in the KWN film making competition in 2008.
Have a listen to their podcast, check out their KWN movie, and let them know what you think.
And best wishes to Simone and Caprice as they leave Pt England School and head to other schools for Year 7 in 2009.

KPE Episode 208: "Lucky for Some"

"Lucky for Some" by Fleur Beale

Tinei interviews Leilani in this podcast about the second book in a series by Fleur Beale. Leilani told us about the first book, Lacey and the Drama Queens, a few months ago and we have been waiting to hear what Lacey gets up to next. In this book she is forced to go and live in the country - which not only means leaving the city life she loves but also means a change of schools. And in this new environment she has all kinds of adventures. For any of you who enjoyed the stories of her dancing classes in the first book you won't be disappointed here because although she lives in the country now she still goes to dance classes. This series comes highly recommended by these podcasters. Tell us what you think.....

KPE Episode 207: "Piano Rock"

"Piano Rock" by Gavin Bishop
Xeneqe interviews Simone as she tells us about the latest book by Gavin Bishop that she has read. We have podcast lots of Gavin Bishop's fiction stories in the past (eg Stay Awake Bear, Bidibidi, Kiwi Moon, Chicken Licken) but this book is non-fiction. It is the story of Gavin Bishop's childhood in Invercargill. As well as finding out interesting things about one of our favourite authors the girls also learned lots of fascinating things about life in New Zealand in the 1950's.
Have a listen to their podcast and if you have any memories or ideas about the things they discover why don't you tell us about them in the comments below.
Oh, and from Pt England School to all of you, we wish you a VERY happy new year in 2009.