We have some copies of the World Book Day books in the library. You can find them on the Quick Reads spinner. These are a great way to try out an new author, or to read a different genre.
World Book Day vouchers can be used up until the end of March to get your own copy of any one of the books for free! If you don’t have a World Book Day voucher, ask your English teacher.
Last week I read the BZRK trilogy by Michael Grant. It follows a group of teenagers who are part of an organization known as BZRK, who use nanotechnology to wage war on those who would misuse it. It’s gory, to say the least, but has characters you’re really interested in and is told in a brilliant way. It’s certainly unique, and I would highly reccoment it to sci-fi fans. The other books are BZRK:Reloaded and BZRK:Apocalypse.
Fear by Michael Grant
You should read this book because it was a good thriller with some freaky bits. It also has some quite funny parts but the rest is serious. My favourite part was when Penny was allowed to make Cigar hallucinate about stuff he loved and feared. When Cigar would get the stuff he loved by Penny playing mind tricks on him she would take it away and give him something he feared.
I read the first Bzrk book after Michael Grant visited last year, so I wanted to read the second one Bzrk: Reloaded to see what happened next. Bzrk: Reloaded developed the characters and plot from the first book, so in a way it was really just the aftermath of the first book. I found it exciting, but not too scary. Some of the characters had a really dark sense of humour and there are some quite mature subjects discussed – in some parts of the book you’re not quite sure if your parents would be happy with you reading it!*
The cool bit is that this is not just a book; there is also an app, and a blog and games, and a website with a devoted fandom. The book is a small part of the whole experience – Michael Grant is good at that.
*Librarian’s note: Bzrk and Bzrk: Reloaded are both marked as teenreads in our library.
We have new books in the library this week! Anyone willing to review books for the library blog will have first choice – see the librarian if you are interested.
I’m torn about how I feel about the book ‘Gone’. The idea for the story was great, and I loved how imaginative some of the powers were. I could really understand why the children were scared, and I shared their fear as I joined them on their life-threatening adventure. There were some amazing twists and sub-plots thrown in, which I really enjoyed. I only have one problem with the book… Why is Sam so obsessed with Astrid when the rest of the world is cut off by a GIANT IMPENETRABLE DOME?! Get it together, Sam.
At this time of year, we have lots of completely non-romantic books for you to enjoy:
The Forbidden Game 2: The Chase by L.J.Smith – Julian has returned to trap Jenny and her friends in yet another game, Lambs and Monsters, and it looks like Jenny doesn’t stand a chance. Tom and Jenny are having problems, and Julian is waiting in the wings for his chance to attack. A creepy story that shouldn’t be read in the dark.
Gone by Michael Grant – A dome has appeared over a small town in California, and all the adults are gone. Chaos has descended on the town as the kids run riot, but they soon run into problems when their world starts to fall apart.
Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy – A strange skeleton detective appears on Stephanie’s door soon after her uncle’s demise. She is thrown into a world of magic, monsters and mayhem. Just a few pages in and you’ll be hooked on the entire series.
These and many more are on the Anti-Valentine display in the Library.
FEAR – BOOK REVIEW BY LH
As a series of books begins to reach their conclusion, often the quality of writing will begin to deteriorate. It is because of this reason that I am cautious of sequels to books that I greatly enjoyed. When I received my copy of Fear I began to worry about its contents. Grant had been performing miracles up until this point, flawlessly pulling out books of amazing quality, each with riveting plot lines and fantastic characters. I’ll admit, I was worried that this book would finally be his tripping point, the point where the series falls into the realms of the ‘bad sequel’.
I am pleased to announce that Fear lives up to the standards of its predecessors. The book is suitably creepy, utterly exhilarating and in every aspect a fantastic read. Like all of the Gone series, Grant creates a very simple plot device, in the case of Fear, the loss of all light within the FAYZ. However, with not much plot Grant still manages to create a dramatic, enjoyable and unpredictable story.
There are certain aspects of Grant’s writing that makes his books thrilling. A good example of this would be his characters. Each character in the book is realistic, despite some of the far-fetched plots. One character that comes to mind is the sick minded Drake. Drake is a terrifying character, with no morals and a large writhing whip in place of one of his arms. There is no character in any book I have read that makes my skin crawly in the same way Drake makes me shudder. Grant has created a disturbing, sadistic character that is completely believable.
Fear is a fantastic book. It is of impeccable quality and is un-put-downable. It is a must read for anyone who has read the previous books in the series. And, for those who haven’t, it is a series of books that will leave you hooked.
MICHAEL GRANT
We are really lucky to have Michael Grant visiting us this morning to talk about his books, and particularly his new book BZRK – although I suspect there will be lots of questions about the very popular Gone series as well. You can find out about Michael Grant here, BZRK here and Gone here.
Have a look!
Thanks to the Scottish Book Trust for arranging this visit for us.