Top 5 reasons why 'What I did' by Christopher Wakling is the most disturbing book I've read all year

List by Tosca

Sadly there are no light savers in this story. It is all real. It is about a terrible thing which happens to me. But watch out because the thing you think is the terrible thing isn't really it. Other things come later and they're worse. I'm not going to tell you what they are yet because now isn't the time. That is called suspension.
I also have to warn you that nobody is bad or good here, or rather everyone is a bit bad and a bit good and the bad and good moluscules get mixed up against each other and produce terrible chemical reactions.
Did you know cheetahs cannot retract their claws?
Here is the real beginning."
- Billy Wright in What I did by Christopher Wakling

Tuesday of Christmas weekend was my 'reading' day. I had gone home the Friday beforehand with a huge stack of DVDs and fiction/nonfiction/graphic novels to get through. In my usual fashion I left the books until my last day of the four day weekend and, really, had no clue what I would be getting when reading Wakling's What I did.

Mr. Wright gets the fright of his life when 6 year old Billy runs out into traffic. Angry, concerned and relieved he smacks his son. Hard. A passerby who tried to intervene (and is told to get lost) later calls social services. The fallout is beyond anything Billy and his parents could ever have imagined.

Wakling's What I did is very well-written, hugely topical, greatly interesting and wholly disturbing. Truly. Not because it's a terrible book. In fact, far from it. It's disturbing because the whole time you're wanting adults to ask the RIGHT questions, you're wanting Billy's dad to stop being so close mouthed and speak up, you're wanting Billy's grandma to JUST BE QUIET, you're wanting Billy to stop being so charming and scatter brained (he's 6, I know, I know) and see what social services are getting at, you're wanting social services to stop being so dense and you're wanting Billy's mum to...do something useful (I'm not sure what, she seemed quite spineless) and OH! The frustration just goes on. But never, at any time, is my frustration about the way the book is written or the way everything is handled. Although at times it's very amusing (Billy's rather unusual view of adults and his world around him is informed by nature documentaries), it's not an 'enjoyable' read. And by 'enjoyable' I mean that it's not the kind of book that leaves you with a happy feeling. And maybe that's a part of why I found it so disturbing. Some people will liken What I did to Australian book The slap by Christos Tsialkos but I can't because I haven't read it yet. I have it on request at the moment, but I do wonder if I should have left it for a few weeks so that I won't always have that thought in the back of my mind. If you've read The slap and this one, do let me know! So, long story short - which I could've done in the first place, right? - I really, really (can't stress *really* enough) think this is a darn good read. It's also disturbing. And here's why...

Merry Christmas

A very merry Christmas from the Auckland Libraries team who look after this blog. That's Anne, Tosca and Megan (with contributions from other library staff from time to time).

Auckland Libraries are open through the festive season and to find out more about when you can whip into your local library for some reading or entertainment check out our Library website.

We hope everyone has a fun, safe, relaxing and happy festive season with just the right amount of cheer, some lovely weather and plenty of good times.

Take care.

5 tweets with interesting links you may have missed on our tweetstream

List by Tosca

"oh this is going to be addictive"
- Dom Sagolla, Twitter co-creator

Wow. How BOO is it that this post published before I was ready? Gremlins in the system, geez. A very quick post from me today (go ahead, you can heave a sigh of relief) in which I do very little but highlight some pretty interesting links that went out from/or came across our tweetstream: a pic of Mt. Roskill Library (who've just recently re-opened, and looks awesome, by the way), Google Doodles (yes, I really do mean Google Doodles), short recipes (truly, truly short), Santa Claus, digital media resources, 230 films in 5 mins (it's true!) and Google snow. YES, SNOW! You're welcome :P

Honourable mention:

@Auckland_Libs
Auckland LibrariesRT @mtroskillib: Check out our new library #mtroskilllib - stunningly awesome http://t.co/UukDwyLr 4 days ago via HootSuite · powered by @socialditto

@Auckland_Libs
Auckland LibrariesLike WHOA. Have just discovered Google keeps all of their Doodles. AND I can view/play with them http://t.co/4vTs5jwd 2 days ago via HootSuite · powered by @socialditto

Summer Reading for Children - How you can help

We have designed Dare to Explore - Auckland Libraries Summer Reading Adventure with both children and their parents or caregivers in mind. One of the things that we want to do is help you to help them. And to make it FUN. So here are some tips for the adults about our new summer reading programme.

We have designed Dare to Explore to be as flexible as possible, fitting in with whatever you have planned for the holidays. The Auckland Libraries Summer Reading Adventure runs right through the holidays, and your child can complete as much or as little as they want. It can be done at home, while on holiday, by visiting the library, on the Internet and with friends. You can visit other libraries around Auckland in person, or drop by our website to carry out the online activities and challenges.

Dare to Explore aims to:
* maintain or improve reading skills over the summer holidays

* increase your child's love of books and reading

* help create confident and comfortable library users

* provide a fun adventure that helps children get the most out of the holidays

The key to any visit to the library is that if you can't find what you are looking for, just ask. That's why the librarians are there. Librarians do more than just check out books. We might not know every book in the library, but we can certainly help recommend some and help you find what you are looking for.

We have taken top picks from all of the children's librarians around Auckland to point you at some fantastic new books (and some old favourites). Each of the challenge sets comes with a booklist, and you will find more suggestions here in the Booklists section.

But it's not just about books... we also have collections of music CDs, DVDs, puzzles, games and magazines, as well as a whole world of digital resources for us to help you explore.

We have plenty of other tips to help you. Check them out on our Dare to Explore - Encouraging young readers page

School's Out - Dare to Explore

Most schools have now broken up for summer which means there are plenty of kids out there between 5 and 13 who are looking for something to do. Which is where Auckland Libraries come in with Dare to Explore - Auckland Libraries Summer Reading Adventure.

We have already talked about this a bit on our blog. Maybe you have heard something about it through the school newsletter, or seen it advertised. Let me tell you how it works so that you can be as excited about it as we are.

Over the summer holidays we want you to read, read, read and see if you can complete the Dare to Explore... Your Library challenges. We want you to read every day - even if it's just a little bit. You can choose your own books, or you might choose a book from the challenge lists, or get a librarian to help you pick a book. Check out the Your Library challenges in the Guidebook. You will need to complete at least 4 of the challenges to get a stamp in your Passport. The more you can complete, the better - try and become a Trail Blazer! Visit the Dare to Explore... Your Library pages to find more challenges, helpful hints and great book recommendations

When you have completed at least 4 challenges, visit your library and get one of the friendly librarians to stamp your Passport. Don't forget to bring in anything you'd like to show us from your completed challenges - your photos, bookmarks, crafts, reviews and stories and, of course, tell us about the books you have been reading.

When you've finished doing the Your Library challenges, you will receive a certificate and can come along to the Summer Reading celebration event in your area - check the events page on our website for more details.

But wait - there's more.
For those who want more adventure, we have 5 more sets of challenges to choose from:
Dare to Explore... Your Past, Dare to Explore... The Great Outdoors, Dare to Explore... Go Aqua, Dare to Explore... Our People and Dare to Explore... Get Active. Talk to your librarian about which you'd like to try and they will give you the challenge card. Complete at least 4 of the challenges to get another stamp in your Passport; you can try as many as you like - it's up to you!

As well as the challenges, our website provides lots of other ideas and resources, plus details of all the events and activities being run at all of the Auckland Libraries over summer to support the adventure. Why not check it out and join the fun.