Media release

9 September 2009

Books in the Wild is back

Are you crazy about reading? Waitakere Libraries’ innovative literacy competition, Books in the Wild is back and this year it promises to be bigger, better and wilder than ever.

Now in its third year, the competition has been opened up to all secondary school students (Year 9 to 13) across Waitakere and a question and answer category has also been added.

"Books in the Wild is about generating excitement about reading among teenagers and encouraging them to read and enjoy good quality literature," says Robert Baigent, Children’s and Teens’ Services Librarian for Waitakere Library and Information Services.

“We’ve been delighted with the way local Year 9 and 10 students have embraced the competition in the first two years and decided to open it up to all secondary school students.”

Throughout September 600 Books in the Wild books will released into local schools.

Students are encouraged to take up the challenge to hunt down and read the titles and register them online before releasing the books back into the wild for others to find.

The 10 different titles are chosen to appeal to a wide range of tastes and for the first time ever include a graphic novel.

Last year 300 students took part and each registered book was read an average of 1.98 times. The most popular book was Finding Violet Park by Jenny Valentine, closely followed by Northern Lights by Philip Pullman.

Books were found all over the region from New Lynn and Henderson to Bethells Beach and Piha and in some unusual locations including bus and train stops, the cinema and the seat of a Helensville-bound train.

There are great prizes up for grabs this year.

Each time anyone registers a book they go in to the draw to win an iPod Nano. Those who read a book and then answer a question about the book go in to a separate draw, also to win an iPod Nano.

The grand prize of an X-Box 360 and games will go to the person who registers the most Books in the Wild books. If there is more than one person who register all ten books, the first name drawn from the total entries will win the Xbox 360.

To find out more www.booksinthewild.co.nz, email kidz@waitakere.govt.nz or ask at your community or school library.

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