Monthly Archives: January 2015

A-Z of teen reads

Clare's A-ZHave a look at the new display at the Library entrance. It features an A-Z of books from After Tomorrow, by Gillian Cross to Zenith by Julie Bertagna – we even managed to find a book for X! The complete list is on the chalkboard; the books are on the display shelves and we have back-up books and spare copies ready so we can fill up the gaps when these books are taken out.

Read your way through the alphabet!a-f

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, reviewed by EM

Percy Jackson Lightning

The book Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is a tale about pre-teen boy named Perseus Percy Jackson who, on a field trip, ends up finding out that his maths teacher is a fury and his history teacher is a centaur and his best friend is a satyr!

On a trip with his mum Sally, Percy discovers a life changing secret that leads Percy, Grover and his new friend Anna-Beth into adventure.

I thought the book was brilliantly written combining both Greek myths and the hilarity of being a pre-teen  and the testing of Percy`s moral compass. The book was written by Rick Riordan and is the first of two brilliant series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and The Heros of Olympus.

The Ruby in The Smoke by Philip Pullman, reviewed by HS

imageThe Ruby in The Smoke is a brilliant book by Philip Pullman and is the first book of the Sally Lockhart series. Sally lives in Victorian London and her father has died whilst on a trip abroad and she wants revenge. She arrives at her father’s office wanting to see Mr Selby but instead meets with Mr Higgs. After saying three words, he collapses and dies. This was a good part in the book for me it was shocking but in good detail. Along the way she meets new friends and someone is after her. There is some death in the book but the story line is very good in my opinion.

Book of the Week – The Girl with all the Gifts by M. R. Carey

girlwithallthegiftsMelanie is a very, very intelligent little girl, who loves her teacher Miss Justineau, and who has to be guarded and watched over all the time…

Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant Parks keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don’t like her. She jokes that she won’t bite. But they don’t laugh.

I’m not sure whether to categorise The Girl with all the Gifts as post-apocalyptic, dystopian, a thriller or a zombie novel – possibly it’s all of these. It is a great read, with an unexpected twist at the end (or at least, I wasn’t expecting it) and a shining example of how important education is!

Project Petra

Blue-Peter-ship-logoBlue Peter has just launched a competition to find three CBBC Intelligence Officers (spies), with a chance to actually go inside MI5… It is called Project Petra, and Anthony Horowitz, author of the Alex Ryder books, will be one of the judges. Click on this link, or the picture to have a look at the details of the competition.

New Books in the Library – Theodore Boone by John Grisham

theodore boneJohn Grisham is well known for his adult novels which are often set in the American law courts. Theodore Boone is his first novel for younger readers.

The blurb on the back says…

A perfect murder. A faceless witness. One person knows the whole truth… and he’s only thirteen years old.

In the small city of Strattenburg, there are many lawyers, and though he’s only thirteen years old, Theo Boone thinks he’s one of them.

He dreams of a life in the courtroom, but finds himself there sooner than expected when he is dragged into the middle of a sensational murder trial. A cold-blooded killer is about to go free, and only Theo knows the truth.

The stakes are high, but Theo won’t stop until justice is served.

If you enjoy Theodore Boone, there are two sequels – The Abduction and The Activist.

Book of the Week – Where She Went by Gayle Forman

where she wentWhere She Went is the sequel to the much-loved and much-acclaimed If I Stay by Gayle Forman. This book is for all those fans who need to know what happened to Mia and Adam next…

The blurb says:

It’s been three years since Mia walked out of Adam’s life. And three years he’s spent wondering why.

When their paths cross again in New York City, Adam and Mia are brought back together for one life-changing night.

Adam finally has the opportunity to ask Mia the questions that have been haunting him. But will a few hours in this magical city be enough to lay their past to rest, for good – or can you really have a second chance at first love?

I sobbed my way through If I Stay, and I was not sure that I needed to read a sequel – I thought the story was complete as it was. However, Where She Went is a good read, which follows the characters into their new futures in a sympathetic and believable way.

BBC Radio 2 500 Words 2015

On this morning’s Chris Evans Show, he relaunched the BBC 500 Words Competition – you have more than a month to write a short 500 word story, and the prizes are fantastic: you could win Chris Evans’ height in books, and he’s a tall man! Have a look at the website (by clicking on the link of course) or ask the librarian for more details.