Ginnette Cameron-Gardner – Primary Teacher/Librarian

Reading for all

The Primary Library has a diverse collection of fiction and non-fiction suitable for students in Years K-6. We are happy to help find the ideal book to spark the interest of even the most reluctant reader.

The Collection includes many books published by Barrington Stokes who specialise in producing ‘super-readable’ books which assist in the provision of reading matter for those students who experience visual stress or dyslexia. A wide range of students are enjoying reading them as they have clear font, wider line spacing, and are exciting reads.

Disaster Strikes series. This series is suitable for older readers as well as there is a real-life survival element, and the stories are action-filled with realistic friend dynamics and strong storyline.

Earthquake Shock by Marlane Kennedy; illustrated by Erwin Madrid. Disaster Strikes series #1. Located at JF KEN.

Summary: When Joey Flores walked home from the skate park with his friends, the ground began to tremble and Joey knew they were headed for trouble. The earthquake that followed devasted the neighbourhood, collapsing a nearby overpass with Joey and Fiona on one side and Kevin and Dylan on the other. Now Joey and his friends must rescue one another and find a new way home as the earth cracks beneath their feet. (From publisher)

Tornado Alley by Marlane Kennedy ; illustrated by Erwin Madrid. Disaster Strikes series #2. Located at JF KEN.

Summary: When disaster strikes, the only thing you can count on is yourself! Wyatt Anderson isn’t thrilled that his prissy cousin is visiting his family’s Oklahoma ranch. But it turns out Wyatt has bigger problems to deal with when a pair of duelling tornadoes lock the prairie in their sights…. Wyatt, Alison, and neighbours Joshua and Jackson have nowhere to run. And when the old barn is battered by the tornados’ ferocious winds, the animals that live inside are in danger. Will Wyatt and his friends risk their own lives to protect them?

Blizzard night by Marlane Kennedy; illustrated by Erwin Madrid. Disaster Strikes series #3. Located at JF KEN.

Summary: A winter trip in the remote Michigan wilderness seemed like the perfect way for Jayden to get to know his new foster family. But when the snow really starts to come down, the family van crashes and the three kids must go out into the bleak, white storm to search for help. Soon the wind is howling and night is starting to fall. Jayden, Maggie, and Connor will have to think fast, find shelter, watch out for bears, and somehow stay warm if they don’t want to end up frozen in their tracks… (From publisher)

Volcano Blast by Marlane Kennedy; illustrated by Erwin Madrid. Disaster Strikes series #4. Located at JF KEN.

Summary: Noah and Emma Burton have traded the sand and surf of their Hawaiian home for a chilly stay in Alaska, and Noah isn’t happy about it. His father may be a volcano expert, but why did they have to travel to the coldest, grayest place on earth when there are millions of volcanoes near Honolulu? Noah thinks he’s in for the most boring vacation of his life. He couldn’t have been more wrong! A day trip to a remote island turns deadly when a once-dormant volcano suddenly sputters to life in an eruption of epic proportions. Now Noah, Emma, and their new neighbour Alex must fight to survive. (From publisher)

Interesting facts about the author.

Marlane Kennedy is the author of the Disaster Strikes series, Me and the Dog Days of Charlotte Hayes and others. She has lived through one tiny earthquake, the blizzard of 1978, and a tornado that swept through Wooster, Ohio, where she lives with her husband and daughter. Though she is having a blast writing about disasters, she is hoping not to add any more to this list! You can find her online at www.marlanekennedy.com.