Red Dot Book Award: Older Readers ( Years 5-8)

RED DOT

OLDER READERS

Name Class

Younger Readers – Years 3 & 4 Older Readers – Years 5–8 Mature Readers – Years 9 and above Red Dot website: https://sites.google.com/site/reddotbookawards20152016/

Dear Students, Welcome to your Red Dot Book Award activity book.

The Red Dot Book Award and the Singapore Readers Cup are a yearly event organized by school librarians in Singapore. Each year, eight books are chosen to be read, and students vote for the one which they think is best.

But the Red Dot Book Award is not just about choosing the best book. It’s also a chance for schools to compete against each other to see which team can remember the most about the books. This Readers Cup event takes place in May 2016.

Inside this activity book, you’ll find extra information related to the eight books chosen for this year’s challenge. This booklet is designed to support your reading and make the challenge more fun for you. Here are some suggestions on how to use it.

In the mood for some action-adventure, or would you prefer a ghost story? Did you just read about a family tragedy and want something a bit lighter? Use the summaries to help you decide which book to read next.

Keep track of your reading by using the Reading Log. Show your parents and teacher, especially if they set reading homework. Use your wider reading to boost your vocabulary by recording new words that you find in the Word List. If you can organise this page well, Ms Taylor or Mr Gourlay will reward you with a sticker when you finish each book.

Once you have finished each book, test your memory by having a go at the review. Describe the story, the characters and the setting.

Finally, give the book a star rating out of five.

Once you’ve finished all eight books, while the books are still fresh in your mind, decide on your ranking on the back page. When the time comes, cast your vote.

Happy Red Dot Reading…

Ms Taylor and Mr Gourlay Library Staff

Bleakboy and Hunter Stand Out in the Rain

by Steven Herrick

Jesse is an eleven-year-old boy tackling many problems in life, especially fitting in to a new school. Luckily he meets Kate. She has curly black hair, braces and an infectious smile. She wants to Save the Whales, and needs Jesse’s help.

DATE

FROM PAGE

TO PAGE

WORD LIST

Complete? Ask your parent to sign to receive a sticker!

Parent’s Signature

Review What happens in the story?

Who are the main characters in the story? What are they like?

Where does the story take place?

Write three quiz questions that you could use to test your friends.

1.

2.

3.

Colour the stars to rate the book:

☆☆☆☆☆

Blue Moon Day

by Anne Fine

Everyone thinks they know what it’s like, going to school. But have you ever wondered what life must be like at a boarding school? A school for young offenders? A school for the blind? With her trademark humour, insight, sensitivity and razor-sharp wit, Anne Fine explores these different worlds.

DATE

FROM PAGE

TO PAGE

WORD LIST

Complete? Ask your parent to sign to receive a sticker!

Parent’s Signature

Review What happens in the story?

Who are the main characters in the story? What are they like?

Where does the story take place?

Write three quiz questions that you could use to test your friends.

1.

2.

3.

Colour the stars to rate the book:

☆☆☆☆☆

The Boy on the Wooden Box

by Leon Leyson

Leon Leyson was only ten years old when the Nazis invaded Poland. With incredible luck, perseverance, and grit, Leyson was able to survive the sadism of the Nazis.

Ultimately, it was the generosity and cunning of one man, a man named Oskar Schindler, who saved Leon Leyson’s life.

DATE

FROM PAGE

TO PAGE

WORD LIST

Complete? Ask your parent to sign to receive a sticker!

Parent’s Signature

Review What happens in the story?

Who are the main characters in the story? What are they like?

Where does the story take place?

Write three quiz questions that you could use to test your friends.

1.

2.

3.

Colour the stars to rate the book:

☆☆☆☆☆

Eyes Wide Open

by Paul Fleischman

We’re living in an Ah-Ha moment. Take 250 years of human ingenuity. Add abundant fossil fuels. The result: a population and lifestyle never before seen. The downsides weren’t visible for centuries, but now they are. Suddenly everything needs rethinking – suburbs, cars, fast food, cheap prices. It’s a changed world.

DATE

FROM PAGE

TO PAGE

WORD LIST

Complete? Ask your parent to sign to receive a sticker!

Parent’s Signature

Review What happens in the story?

Who are the main characters in the story? What are they like?

Where does the story take place?

Write three quiz questions that you could use to test your friends.

1.

2.

3.

Colour the stars to rate the book:

☆☆☆☆☆

The Fastest Boy in the World

by Elizabeth Laird

Eleven-year-old Solomon loves to run! The great athletes of the Ethiopian national team are his heroes and he dreams that one day he will be an athlete like them, in spite of his ragged shorts and bare feet. When his grandfather announces that he’s going to take Solomon to the capital city, Solomon cannot believe his ears.

DATE

FROM PAGE

TO PAGE

WORD LIST

Complete? Ask your parent to sign to receive a sticker!

Parent’s Signature

Review What happens in the story?

Who are the main characters in the story? What are they like?

Where does the story take place?

Write three quiz questions that you could use to test your friends.

1.

2.

3.

Colour the stars to rate the book:

☆☆☆☆☆

Wild Boy

by Rob Lloyd Jones In seedy Victorian London, a boy is born and abandoned. Snatched up by an unscrupulous showman, Wild Boy, covered in hair from head to toe, becomes a sideshow freak. Isolated from other children, Wild Boy becomes an avid observer, developing Sherlock Holmeslike deductive skills.

DATE

FROM PAGE

TO PAGE

WORD LIST

Complete? Ask your parent to sign to receive a sticker!

Parent’s Signature

Review What happens in the story?

Who are the main characters in the story? What are they like?

Where does the story take place?

Write three quiz questions that you could use to test your friends.

1.

2.

3.

Colour the stars to rate the book:

☆☆☆☆☆

Masterminds

by Gordon Korman

From bestselling author Gordon Korman comes a thrilling new middle grade trilogy about a group of kids living in a Pleasantville-type town who discover a dark secret that connects them to some of the greatest criminal masterminds of their time.

DATE

FROM PAGE

TO PAGE

WORD LIST

Complete? Ask your parent to sign to receive a sticker!

Parent’s Signature

Review What happens in the story?

Who are the main characters in the story? What are they like?

Where does the story take place?

Write three quiz questions that you could use to test your friends.

1.

2.

3.

Colour the stars to rate the book:

☆☆☆☆☆

Half a Chance

by Cynthia Lord

When Lucy’s family moves to an old house on a lake, Lucy tries to see her new home through her camera’s lens, as her father has taught her – he’s a famous photographer, away on a shoot. Will her photos ever meet his high standards? When she discovers that he’s judging a photo contest, Lucy decides to enter anonymously.

DATE

FROM PAGE

TO PAGE

WORD LIST

Complete? Ask your parent to sign to receive a sticker!

Parent’s Signature

Review What happens in the story?

Who are the main characters in the story? What are they like?

Where does the story take place?

Write three quiz questions that you could use to test your friends.

1.

2.

3.

Colour the stars to rate the book:

☆☆☆☆☆

Which book do you think is best?

Now that you’ve finished all eight books, and while the books are still fresh in your mind, decide on your ranking. Your choice will help to decide which book will win!

(1 is best; 8 is worst).

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