As part of the Book Week celebrations, Star Mail’s journalists reached out to several local schools to showcase their students’ favourite books and costumes for the annual event running from Saturday, 16 August to Saturday, 23 August.
Menzies Creek Primary School was among those to welcome the invitation, with students from Grades 5 and 6 sharing their love of reading and creative flair.
For Grade 5 student Thomas Shannon, books are more than just pages of print, they’re a way to relax and have a laugh.
His favourite series is Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
“It’s funny, and the main character’s like, ‘what’s happening to me,’” Thomas said.
Thomas said if he were to write his own book, it would blend humour with a touch of adventure.
“Something about school and travelling the world… the main character would be an 11-year-old struggling through primary school,” he said, adding that the humour would “come from Australia.”
Classmate Maya Thrane also finds comfort and inspiration in stories.
Now in Grade 5, Maya named Wings of Fire and Anne of Green Gables as her favourite series.
“They both have a lot of detail in describing the characters and the stories,” Maya said.
“There’s a lot of emotion in the scenes.”
One of her favourite characters is Sundu, a leafwing dragon from Wings of Fire who can speak to plants and help them grow, a skill Maya finds “great to have.”
During Book Week, Maya plans to dress up as a scavenger, the human characters in Wings of Fire, and she’s most looking forward to seeing what books her friends love.
She said, reading allows you to create your own version of the story in your mind.
“You can imagine the characters how you want them to look… every person that reads the same book will have a different imagination,” Maya said.
In Grade 6, Frances Coysh is captivated by stories told through the eyes of animals.
Her favourite series is Warrior Cats.
“I just love the adventure,” Frances said.
“It’s really cool to see what [the animals] think of humans and stuff.”
Her all-time favourite book from the series is Sunrise, which she described as “filled with adventure.”
When it comes to writing, Frances said she would create something that combines animals, fantasy, and the environment – three themes she feels most connected to.
“I love how reading lets you see all the different adventures and points of view,” she said.
“Everyone will have their own world of the same story.”
Frances is still deciding between dressing up as a cat or a scavenger for Book Week but said she’s mostly looking forward to seeing her friends and their costumes.
