Wilberfoss Primary School

Last half term, year 5 and year 6 had a great time on their topic: The Greeks.

Here’s a little glimpse of the great work on display in their rooms…

Year 5 & 6 are studying the Greeks this term – and yesterday they had the official launch day.

Lots of Greek activities, a Greek assembly, lots of interesting costumes, and all topped off with a Greek banquet of salad, feta, olives, houmous and much more….

Year 5 & 6 Theme Park Designer work…

…. and brilliant Year 2 Jackson Pollock style art……

Lots of fun – lots of weirdness! The Year 5 & 6 Space Project was a huge success last week!

More pics on the website.

Thanks to Mr Wragg for the great photos – lots more on the school website

Year 6 Leavers 2012

Congratulations to our 2012 Year 6 Class – a great set of SAT results, a wonderful year. The entire school would like to wish them the very best as they go on to their new schools.

Great, great show this year – congratulations to all those who took part!

Thanks to Mr Wragg for the photos!

Smile is a wonderful graphic novel by American author Raina Telgemeier. It tells a tale of a young girl who suffers a terrible accident, and loses her two front teeth. It’s the start of a long and painful journey of dentists, braces, surgery, headgear, all to get her smile working properly again.

But, as the boys and girls at school have found out, it’s about so much more than that. It’s one of those books that speaks so clearly to its audience, and everyone reading it finds something of their own lives in its pages; friendship issues, the trials and tribulations of growing up, new schools, and so much more.

It proved so popular in the graphic novel library that Mr Bruton had to buy a second copy, then a third, a fourth, a fifth, and a sixth! It’s the most popular graphic novel in the library, and amongst the top 5 of all loans in the library.

So, with Year 6 leaving us very soon, I thought it would be nice to say a goodbye from our library by collecting their thoughts on the book…. 

Review by Hazel (Year 6)

Smile is a really good book because it is all about a girl who has to have braces after she loses her two front teeth in a horrible accident. It is a true story and when I read it I could rally believe that everything Raina showed me was completely real.  After a while you feel like you get to know Raina and the other people in the book. I started to read Smile and I just couldn’t put it down.

Review by Holly (Year 5)

Smile is a lovely, and true story of Raina’s life, after she loses her two front teeth in an accident. You follow her on a really frustrating (for her) journey with so many different dentist visits, braces, weird headgear, elastics, even a retainer with fake teeth attached! I so loved this book that I couldn’t put it down! It’s amazing!

Review by Lucy (Year 6)

I liked Smile because it shows the reader that life can be full of challenges and difficulties, and my absolute favourite thing about it is that it’s all true, all of these horrible, painful things really happened to Raina. My favourite character is Raina, not just because she’s really brave about her teeth, but because she stands up to her mean friends in High School and finds some better ones. I think Smile gives out a message that tells girls around the world to make a stand and stand up to those who are mean to you, and never be afraid to move on!

Review by Mia (Year 6)

Smile is one of my favourite books! I thought it had a really good story and I liked the illustrations inside. I couldn’t stop reading it when I had started.

Review by Emily (Year 6)

I like the way that Smile is a true story about a problem that many children have to face at some point. I also found it a bit shocking and sad when I read about the accident and what Raina had to go through afterwards. It raises awareness of the problems you can go through if you have to wear braces.

Review by Rosie (Year 6)

Smile is a really good book because the pictures are really clear and detailed. I especially loved it when her friends gave Raina a deliberately horrible makeover! Smile is one of those books you have to read again and again. I have checked out Smile from the school library several times and it is definitely one of my top 3 books. I positively, definitely think Smile should be published in Britain.

Review by Maisie (Year 5)

I really enjoyed the book Smile because it was really good to read, and I was really shocked and upset for Raina when I saw her fall over and knock her teeth out! Ouch!.

Review by Lily (Year 5)

Raina just wants to be a normal girl, but one day after a Girl Scout camping trip, she has a horrible accident that makes her front two teeth come out. The scene where this happens is really exciting and scary, and pretty horrible. I certainly wouldn’t like it to happen to me! She has to have a lot of different braces, with all kinds of attachments, and wires, and bands – and I felt really sorry for her. I loved Smile and thought it was really good and dealt with some common problems in a very thoughtful way.

Review by Nick (Year 5)

It is a very good book and one of the best I’ve read so far. I like it because it’s funny, and it’s interesting to read about all of the problems caused by Raina’s one small trip.

Review by Eady (Year 5)

I really enjoyed Smile because it was funny, and I found myself gigglng many times all the way through reading it. The pictures really stand out and tell Raina’s story really well. I think this is the best book I’ve ever read. My favourite bit is when Raina gets her ears pierced shortly after she gets her first lot of braces. Her mom’s not sure, but Raina convinces her saying that she “didn’t really want the braces… but I want earrings”. It’s great seeing her grow up in the pages of the book, all the way to being a teen and going to High School, she even falls in love for a while!

Review by Kade (Year 5)

I think Smile was a dramatic and thrilling story – they even had an earthquake in it! I think it is a funny story and I’d recommend it to other people to read.

Review by Natalie (Year 5)

I really liked this book because it was funny, sad, and it had a really happy ending. I thought that the pictures have great detail and the book really stands out. As soon as I looked at the front cover I knew it was going to be good. The title is perfect for the book, as we get to see Raina having serious teeth problems all the way through, but at the very end, she feels comfortable with her smile again.

Review by Charlotte (Year 5)

I absolutely love graphic novels, but I’d say Smile is probably one of the best books I have ever read, not just the best graphic novel. It’s very funny all the way through, and my favourite part was the time when her mean friends pulled Raina’s skirt down – very embarrassing, very cruel, but also very funny. But it was all part of the main reason that I enjoyed Smile – the way Raina fights on through all her troubles, and shows us that as long as you believe in yourself and do the right thing you’ll succeed.

Review by Ailie (Year 4)

I think Smile is a very good book. I had it on loan from the library for a long time – but I did read it TWELVE times!! Yes, it’s that good! My favourite part is when Raina makes a new group of friends and has a lot of fun. I felt really sorry for Raina for having to cope with all that treatment for her teeth. It’s the best book I’ve read.

Review by James (Year 6)

Smile is a great graphic novel written by, and starring Raina Telgemeier, who tells us the true story of the time she was racing back to her house (when returning from girl scouts) but falls and knocks her two front teeth out. This is a really enjoyable book that contains lots of mouth surgery, lots of painful dental experiences, and a lot of smiling!

Yes, I think you can say that they all like it! Thanks to everyone for their reviews, especially Year 6! Good luck in your new schools.

And parents, if you do want to treat them to something – you’ll be able to get Smile at any good bookstore, provided they can get books from the US. Because sadly Scholastic UK have decided that books like Smile, Jeff Smith’s Bome, Amulet, and many other great Scholastic US graphic novels with huge popularity in America, aren’t going to be popular enough over in the UK. Hopefully, the glowing reviews of Smile say otherwise.

Raina Telgemier’s second graphic novel is called Drama and will be released in September.

Dinopopolous

By Nick Edwards

Review by Emily (Year 6)

I really enjoyed reading Dinopopolous, and think it’s a really clever story with so many twists and turns.

The start is fantastically gripping, and it’s a shock to see what happens to Lancaster Perrifold, famous explorer!

All of the jewels and treasure you’ll see at the end are amazing. I thought the miracle bird was hilarious, and there are many silly little creatures all the way through (and a scary one!)

Review by Lucy (Year 6)

Dinopopolous is all a boy called Nigel, a regular teenage boy … or so you’d think. But Nigel is really a secret detective who solves mysteries that nobody else can be bothered to solve. This story starts with Nigel’s boss handing him another mystery that gets this young adventurer into lots of trouble; involving strange new worlds, fearsome creatures, and dinosaurs.

The main character is Nigel and his best friend/ co-worker, Brian. Brian’s a dinosaur, and he’s my favourite character because he’s a faithful and loyal friend and pet. He also manages to keep Nigel in order!

I like Dinopopolous because it’s bright and cheery even though it’s in black and white. It also has hints of romance, adventure, fantasy, and mystery. However it does get a bit confusing.

I’d give Dinopopolous 9/10 because even though it had a good beginning, near the end it got really confusing. But overall the storyline and graphics were amazing.

Review by James (Year 6)

I thought the book was quite good but at times I didn’t completely understand what was going on in the story.

The main storyline is about a boy going on a quest (with his very friendly pet dinosaur Brian) to find a hidden treasure for his boss.

The boy and the dinosaur have an unearthly adventure looking for “The Miracle Bird Of Ndundoo” and along the way there’s lots of trouble including having to fight off an evil gang of lizards!

….. and here are the first three pages of Dinopopolous – lots of fun!

Gum Girl Volume 1 – Catastrophe Calling

By Andi Watson

Gum Girl is the new series by Andi Watson, an artist whose Glister books have been really popular in the school library.

Walker Books and Andi were kind enough to donate some copies for the school library, but before they go on the shelves we handed them out to some very keen pupils…. and they certainly seemed to like them!

Review by Holly (Year 5)

I loved Gum Girl, it’s a really good book, in fact it’s not good, it’s absolutely amazing!

When Catastrophe calls, it’s Gum Girl’s time to shine. Grace Gibson is the new girl with one very big secret … there’s a new heroine in town and she can well stick to the bad guys!

Review by James (Year 6)

I liked this book; it’s all about a girl moving to a new town with a new school and new problems!

Grace Gibson looks normal on the outside, but she manages to create some super-gum which comes in useful as she needs to save herself countless times!

There are three stories in Gum Girl Catastrophe Calling but my favourite is the first where she starts at Calamity Primary School and meets a boy called Billy Fisher, who always gets picked on. But the school bully at Calamity happens to be a giant super-robot!

Then there’s the evil genius little Nigel Lott who wants to get rid of Gum Girl because she saved the town from his robot of destruction. In fact, by the end of the book there’s a whole Evil Geniuses After-School Club. That’s just the sort of school Grace has found herself in!

I would definitely recommend this book to adventure lovers!

(School bullies with a difference at Clamity Primary School)

Review by Lucy (Year 6)

Grace has moved from a small calm town, to a catastrophic city packed with calamity! And if that wasn’t bad enough, her dad is the headmaster at her new school!

Things turn from bad to worse when Grace finds an old chemistry set in the new house. Unpacking or fiddling with the chemistry set…. oh … Grace chooses the chemistry set. And the explosive chemical reaction creates GUM GIRL!!

I liked Gum Girl because it has a fun, quirky storyline which people of all ages will enjoy. It was really clear, and each character felt like they could be real. I also liked the graphics and the jokes that Andi Watson puts through the book.

It’s an amazing graphic novel and I’d give it 10 out of 10.

(Oh dear…. the origins of Gum Girl!)

Review by Mae (Year 4)

At her new house, Grace Gibson plays with an old chemistry set she has found, but the glowing green contents explode everywhere, including on her gum.  Later on, when she goes to the shopping centre with her “friends”, chaos break loose; a meteor crashes down to Earth, a robot attacks the shop, and Grace is nearly run over by an out of control bright pink bin lorry. The gum she’s chewing, that was covered in the chemicals from the experiment, saves her from first the bin lorry and then the huge meteor. Grace realises what’s happened and after doing more experiments becomes Gum Girl!

I liked it because it has a lot of adventures in it whilst also having a bit of friendship. My favourite part was when Grace’s hair went very, very wrong and she looked so funny.

I think you should read this book, it is full of surprises and laughs.

(Grace Gibson, AKA Gum Girl is definitely having a bad hair day!)

Thanks once again to Walker Books and Andi for the books. They’re going in the library after Easter!