KPE Episode 299: "Bionicle: Trial by Fire"

This episode of KPE is brought to us by Matthew x 2; that's right, Matthew T and Matthew R.  Both of these boys are in Room 17.  They have chosen the second book in the Bionicle Adventures series, "Trial by Fire" by Greg Farshtey. Check it out...

The Toa are searching for the Disks of Power. Without these Disks, they may never be able to defeat the Morbuzak that is destroying the city of Metru Nui. The Matoran say they will help, but at least one of them has his own plans. Will the Toa succeed in their quest? Or will someone that they thought they could trust betray them?

KPE Episode 298: "Friends: Snake and Lizard"

Selena and Ala from Room 17 present "Friends: Snake and Lizard" by Joy Cowley and Gavin Bishop in this podcast for KPE.

"This is a new book of stories about the daily adventures of the popular Snake and Lizard. Snake is elegant and calm, and a little self-centred; Lizard is exuberant and irrepressible. In this book they meet a frog without its croak, a nosy porcupine and many other creatures of the desert – even human beings. Although Snake and Lizard argue a lot, they remain the best of friends."
 

KPE Episode 297: "The Wild West Gang"

Matthew and Joshua from Room 17 present "The Wild West Gang" by Joy Cowley.

This is the first book in a series about about Michael and his cousins known as the 'Wild Wests'.

 
"Michael is an only child of doting parents who believe that it is important to know the right people, say the right things and live in the right kind of house. They are not exactly enthusiastic when their relatives the Wests move into the next street but Michael can't wait to spend more time with Auntie Rosie, Uncle Leo and their five children who are known as the wild West gang. No one in the West family has ever heard of the word "tidy" and they all do exciting things that sometimes get them into trouble."

KPE Episode 296: "Mayday"

Joshua and Kayde from Room 17 have read "Mayday" by G Brassi.

This book is a great read for people learning about Mighty Mariners -as we are at Pt England School this year.  We all know what "Mayday" means and so the title gives us lots of clues about this book.

As well as telling a great tale, we also learn lots about maritime safety rules and what can go wrong on a boat trip.

"Lee, her Dad and cousin are aboard a stricken boat, and there is no one to help them.  They can’t use the radio- it doesn’t work.  Fixing it was another of the jobs Uncle Matt was going to ‘sort out sometime,’ along with the leaking dinghy and the faulty wiring. 

A lapse of concentration sees the Bella run aground on Richard’s Rock, kilometres away from any help.  With the dinghy only big enough for two, Dad prepares Lee and Joey for an epic row to land, and safety.  Dad must stay behind with the sinking Bella and hope that help arrives before he is forced to take to his raft of foam cushions, risking the ocean - and the sharks."

KPE Episode 295: "The Were-Nana"

Selina and Brooke from Room 17 have podcast a book by a New Zealand author called Melinda Szymanik. The book has a very strange title - "The Were-Nana".  Read the snippet below to get an idea of what the story is about, then check out their podcast...
 

"There’s nothing Simon enjoys more than scaring his little sister, Stella Rosa. And now that the mysterious Nana Lupin is coming to stay, Simon is having great fun. Stella Rosa is afraid. Is her nana really a monster?"

 

KPE Episode 294 : "As Kuku Slept"

"As Kuku Slept" by Erin Devlin is podcast by two students from Room 17, Kayla and Chanel.

Kingi Kereru wakes up one moonlit night to find a possum about to raid his nest and attack his baby, Kuku. He and his mate Queenie chase the possum away, leaving Grandpa Kukupa guarding Kuku's as they fly up to investigate. As they fly further they see hundreds, then thousands, then millions of possums gorging on leaves and berries, and stealing eggs and chicks from nests. Sad and exhausted, they fly homewards. When they stop for a rest, they are encouraged by the sight of people working to save the kereru, setting traps for possums and other pests.

This story tells the story of the kereru, the New Zealand native wood pigeon, which is now a threatened species. You will learn a lot about the threat possums are to our forests and native creatures as you listen to the podcast and read the book.

 

KPE Episode 293: "Old Bones"

Ala and Selena present "Old Bones" by Bill Nagelkerke in this episode of KPE.

Here is a taster of what this book is about...

Jamie and his family have just moved into a big, old house called Cloverly in
the city, and he is not happy about it. Jamie loved his life on the farm and
blames the move into town on Sue, his dad’s new partner. Jamie resents Sue
for the way she has intruded into his life with his father. The farm is special to
Jamie because it is where he feels closest to his mother, who died during
childbirth. To make matters worse Sue is pregnant herself. The thought of
having a new baby brother or sister is less than thrilling for Jamie.

For weeks Jamie rattles around the rambling, old house. He has left all of his
old friends behind and has no interest in trying to find new ones. Anyway,
there is something unusual about Cloverly. Jamie senses a ghostly presence
in his bedroom. The room is always cold, and he can hear strange sounds
such as running water and trains – even though there are none for miles.

Check out what our podcasters have to say about it below....

KPE Episode 292: "Eureka"

This podcast from Sylvia and Kayla is about a book called "Eureka" by Sandy MaKay. We were very priviledged to have Sandy McKay visit our school several years ago and make a podcast with us about another one of her books.
"Eureka" sounds like another great story and we think you will enjoy the way Sylvia and Kayla talk about it. We also think you will enjoy the talents of the photographer for this episode - it looks like they had a lot of fun on their photo shoot!

"It's science fair time again and, as usual, Joey and Todd are stuck for ideas. Their teacher keeps imploring them to look for things in their every day lives that they could make better, but they still don't have a clue. Then, Eureka! Joey decides the thing that needs the most improvement is his frazzled single mother, so he starts experimenting..."

KPE Episode 291: "The Dare Club"

"The Dare Club" by Vince Ford is podcast and superbly illustrated by Joshua and Matthew from Room 17. Vince Ford is another very popular children's author at Pt England School and this book is very entertaining. It deals with the subject of bullying and how kids can deal with bullying if they stand up against it together.

KPE Episode 290: "Evil Fred"

 "Evil Fred" by Kylie Begg is Unaloto's first podcast and he has worked with Joe from Room 17 to present this book as a podcast. We know you will also enjoy the animation Unaloto created to illustrate a part of the story they don't get time to talk about.
This book is very popular with Pt England students and we are sure you will enjoy the way these two Year 6 boys discuss the book.  It involves a very evil family, the Rancids, and the way they try to corrupt a very cute dog.  Let them know what you think of their podcast...