Monthly Archives: April 2014

The City’s Son, by Tom Pollock

City's_SonI’m a bit of an urban fantasy fan, particularly if they are set in London and even more so if they are set in London and have a firmly rooted mythology. The City’s Son reads like a Neverwhere for this generation (although obviously if you like this kind of book, Neverwhere is the classic example), with maybe a little Rivers of London and some Stoneheart thrown in for good measure. I really enjoyed it, and will be buying the sequels for the library as soon as possible – although it may be a while before I go near a train again.

Hidden under the surface of everyday London is a city of monsters and miracles, where wild train spirits stampede over the tracks and glass-skinned dancers with glowing veins light the streets.

When a devastating betrayal drives her from her home, graffiti artist Beth Bradley stumbles into the secret city, where she finds Filius Viae, London’s ragged crown prince, just when he needs someone most. An ancient enemy has returned to the darkness under St Paul’s Cathedral, bent on reigniting a centuries-old war, and Beth and Fil find themselves in a desperate race through a bizarre urban wonderland, searching for a way to save the city they both love.

The City’s Son is the first book of The Skyscraper Throne: a story about family,friends and monsters, and how you can’t always tell which is which.

I really like the cover art for all three books in this trilogy, but I am going to have to wait until book three (The Glass Republic) before I get to the book with the London Eye on the cover…

Knightley & Son, by Rohan Gavin

Knightly & SonThe game is afoot for Knightley & Son

If you enjoy detective stories with a bit of mystery and adventure mixed in, as well as some great unforgettable characters, try Rohan Gavin’s Knightley and Son. The blurb on the back says…

Darkus Knightley is a perfectly ordinary thirteen-year-old, apart from the name, his brainpower, his fondness for tweed, and the top secret files hidden upstairs. But when a stranger from the Department of the Unexpected arrives with news of his father, ordinary is over for good…

Alan Knightley was London’s top private detective until he went into a coma four years ago. Now he’s woken up to discover his son has inherited the family talent – and their services are urgently needed. Is a bestselling book making people do terrible things? Could it be linked to a shadowy organisation known as the Combination? It’s clear to Darkus that two mega-brained investigators of the weird are definitely better than one. And it doesn’t get weirder than this.

Click on the book cover to go to Knightley’s Dark Files and find out more, or pick up the book from the new books display.

Book of the Week – Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell

rooftoppersOn the morning of its first birthday, a baby was found floating in a cello case in the middle of the English Channel.

Sophie may have survived a shipwreck as a baby, but her life really began when an eccentric but loving bachelor brought her home. Charles uses toast as a bookmark and welcomes Sophie writing on the walls. But when a child services organization threatens to remove Sophie to an orphanage, she and Charles flee to Paris to search for the one thing that might save her: her long-lost mother.

Winner of the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize a and short-listed for the Carnegie Award, Rooftoppers is a gorgeous charm of a book, where appearances don’t matter, but love, education, hope and determination do. I loved the characters (particularly Charles) and the fearlessness of Sophie. This book made me smile the whole way through, and it even (spoiler alert) has a happy ending. I do enjoy a book with a happy ending!

Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone – Friday 25th April

Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone is a novel by JK Rowling. It is the first in a series of 7, and the start of a story that changed thousands of peoples lives. It is about a boy called Harry Potter who finds out he is a wizard. He goes off to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where he learns about the things he can do with his magic, and meets his two best friends Ron and Hermione. It is a must read for everyone. Everyone ever. (And we have loads of copies!

Harry_Potter_and_the_Philosopher's_Stone_Book_Cover

The Booktrust Book Finder

imageNot sure what to read next? Have a look at the Booktrust’s Book Finder – you can select by genre and age and then flick through the cover pictures until you find something you like the look of. Click on the covers to get the blurbs and to find out more about the books and authors. It’s updated regularly, so you can go back and use it over and over again!

Click on the heap of books to go to the site, and then click on the orange book finder button to start choosing your books.

Queen of Teen 2014

Queen of TeenYou still have time (just) to nominate your favourite teen author for Queen of Teen 2014. Previous winners include Maureen Johnson in 2012, Cathy Cassidy in 2010 and Louise Rennison in 2008, and of course we currently have books by these authors on display.

Who do you think would be a good Queen of Teen? What about Rainbow Rowell, or John Green? David Levithan or Dawn O’Porter? You don’t have long to make up your mind, because nominations must be made by the 29th April – go to the Queen of Teen website to find out more!

Book of the Week – All the Truth That’s in Me by Julie Berry

all the truthFour years ago, Judith and her best friend disappeared from their small town of Roswell Station. Two years later, only Judith returned, permanently mutilated, reviled and ignored by her friends and family.

Unable to speak, Judith lives like a ghost in her own home, silently pouring out her thoughts to her childhood friend, Lucas. He is the boy who has owned her heart for as long as she can remember – even if he doesn′t know it.

But when Roswell Station is attacked, long-buried secrets come to light, and Judith is forced to choose – to continue living in silence, or recover her voice, even if it means changing her world, and the lives around her, forever.

All the Truth That’s In Me is the story of what happens to Judith, and about how she makes herself heard again – in more ways than one. I really enjoyed the way this book was written. Reading Judith’s thoughts makes you feel as though you are inside her head, and the back and forth nature of the narrative reinforced that. The short (very short) chapters seem to compress the things that happen into small urgent bites, which keep you reading. Altogether All the Truth That’s in Me is a compelling story which thoroughly deserves it’s place on the 2014 Carnegie Award shortlist.

 

 

Easter Holidays – Blog Maintenance

West Calder High School’s official site is currently being redesigned, so the Library Blog Team decided that we would have a bit of a makeover as well. Over the next two weeks I will be making some of the changes they suggested, and trying out some new things as well – so don’t be surprised if the blog looks different every day.

We will have a final look at it as a team on the first day back after the holidays, and after that it should stay the same – until the next time we decide to change it, that is!

Thursday 3rd April – S1 Day of Inspiration

light-40701_150Today all the S1 students and a large number of  S6 students will take part in the S1 Day of Inspiration. This year it is based around a Commonwealth Games theme, and the activities are designed to teach the first year about the Commonwealth values of responsibility, endeavor and integrity. There will be seven different tasks or activities, and a presentation ceremony at the end of the day, so S1 should be kept pretty busy!