Māpuna Library’s Display: Te Wiki o te reo Māori 2025!

In Aotearoa New Zealand we celebrated Te wiki o te reo Māori (Sept 15 – 20) with the theme being “Ake ake ake – A Forever Language.” For our display we used a combination of our non-fiction titles about Māori culture, Māori cuisine and learning the language and some of our books in te reo. Continue reading Māpuna Library’s Display: Te Wiki o te reo Māori 2025!

Book Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Author: Stephen Chbosky Published: 1999 Genres: Coming-of-age, YA By: Kayla Star Rating: 4.5/5 ☆☆☆☆ 1/2 Stephen Chbosky’s 1999 The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a deeply moving coming-of-age story told through the eyes of introspective teenager Charlie. Throughout his freshman year of high school, Charlie writes about his past, experiences, and discoveries. Making friends with seniors Sam and Partick, Charlie is introduced to a new circle of … Continue reading Book Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Book Review: Sunrise on the Reaping

Author: Suzanne Collins Published: 2025 Genres: Dystopian, Fiction, Sci-Fi By: Mikaela Star Rating: 5/5 ☆☆☆☆☆ “I love you like all-fire.”  Sunrise on the Reaping is the fifth novel of the beloved Hunger Games franchise, written by New York Times bestselling author, Suzanne Collins. It follows the story of young Haymitch Abernathy, a relevant character that shaped, supported and mentored Katniss in the trilogy (The Hunger Games – Mockingjay). … Continue reading Book Review: Sunrise on the Reaping

Māpuna Library’s Display: Conservation Week 2025!

To celebrate Conservation Week NZ, our wonderful student librarian and staff team found books on conservation, native New Zealand animals as well as a few biographies from the infamous Sir David Attenborough. For more information on this week, the events that went on and how you can get involved in the future, visit Department of Conservation here. #ConservationWeek2025 #WhitikiTaiao #TakeActionForNature Continue reading Māpuna Library’s Display: Conservation Week 2025!

Book Review: Akarnae

Author: Lynette Noni Published: 2015 Genres: Fantasy, YA Series: Medoran Chronicles #1 By: Charlotte Akarnae is the first book in The Medoran Chronicles. It’s about a girl called Alex who accidentally ends up in Medora, a world full of magic, and has to attend a school called Akarnae. She makes new friends, gets caught up in dangerous adventures, and finds a mysterious library that holds a lot of secrets. … Continue reading Book Review: Akarnae

Māpuna Library’s Display: Tongan Language Week 2025!

Our most recent display, last week was Tongan Language Week, we displayed a combination of our non-fiction titles about Tonga, its culture and language and other Pasifika cultures. As well as displaying some greetings and key library-related phrases in Tongan language. The theme for 2025 was: ‘Ko ‘etau lea, ko e fe’unu mahu’inga ia ki he mo’ui ‘a e Tonga – Our language is a … Continue reading Māpuna Library’s Display: Tongan Language Week 2025!

Māpuna Library’s Display: Film & TV Show Bingo 2025!

One of our most recent displays (and most popular!) in our library was another Bingo inspired display: Guess the Film & TV Show! To celebrate School Libraries Week Aotearoa! This has been one of our most popular displays this term. With 24 images to guess on our ‘bingo board’, stills from films or TV shows that have been adapted from books. We always get a … Continue reading Māpuna Library’s Display: Film & TV Show Bingo 2025!

Book Review: Would You Rather

Author: Maggie Alderson Published: 2024 Genres:  Contemporary Romance & Domestic Fiction By: Zara J Star Rating: 3/5 ☆ ☆ ☆  I stumbled across the book when I was searching for books about grief for my upcoming connections assignment in English. The vibrant cover jumped out at me and after reading the blurb, I decided to give it a try.  For a book about a woman’s navigation through grief, it was … Continue reading Book Review: Would You Rather

Book Review: Vicious

Author: V.E. Schwab Published: 2013 Genres:  Fantasy, Science-Fiction By: Maya Star Rating: 4/5 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆  Vicious by V.E. Schwab follows two bright college students, Victor Vale and Eli Cardale who discover that near death experiences have the power to grant extraordinary abilities. However, like all power, these extraordinary abilities come at a cost, leading to characters full of moral ambiguity and a story full of tension. Vicious is a … Continue reading Book Review: Vicious

Book Review: Lessons in Chemistry

Author: Bonnie Garmus Published: 2022 Genres:  Fiction, Historical Fiction, Humor and Tragiccomedy By: Alexandrina Star Rating: 4/5 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆  Bonnie Garmus’s debut novel, Lessons in Chemistry, is a compelling and insightful work of historical fiction that explores themes of gender inequality, scientific integrity, and personal resilience. Set in 1960s America, the novel follows the journey of Elizabeth Zott, a brilliant chemist whose career is continually obstructed by the societal … Continue reading Book Review: Lessons in Chemistry