Category Archives: Great Reads

An emotional journey.

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To be frank I would not have picked this book up if it had not bee on the Carnegie long list – I am quite glad I did because it is now on the short-list.

My Sister Lives on the Mantlepiece by Annabel Pitcher tells the story of 10 year old Jamie (please do not let the age of the main character put you off) who, much to his father’s frustration has not cried since the death of his sister; the girl on the mantelpiece.  

Jamie is a silly, funny heart-warming little boy that you can not help liking/feeling frustrated with/laughing at/with and the core themes of the book or loss and acceptance and growing up are delicately portrayed by his character.Big issue are not flinched from such as racism, divorce and terrorism but it is to the credit of the author that they never become preachy or overpowering.This book may not take you too long to read but it just might stay with you once you have closed the last page.

One Choice can transform you

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Well, that’s what it says on the cover of the book so it must be true!

If you Google the word Twilight at the moment you will invariable find someone wittering on (wrongly) about how if you liked drippy Bella and her unhealthy dead boy fascination you will like The Hunger Games – not true don’t listen to them – listen to me instead.

If you liked The Hunger Games there is a good chance you will enjoy Divergent by Veronica Roth. Another chunky monkey dystopian thriller of a book so set aside a good few days to indulge.

We have another strong female lead in the form of Triss who faces her own tough choices in an extremely regulated society much in the same way as Katniss Everdeen has to. However, Triss is a very different type of character – I would say she is harder to like and that is actually part of the appeal of the book – you can distance yourself from her and ask yourself what would you do and where would you choose to put yourself ? Unlike Katniss, Triss seems to want to put herself in danger by making a very difficult choice right at the beginning of the book. But, it is this choice that defines her future. She had to forget everything from her past life and recreate herself in the image of the… oh well that would be telling too much.

Go read, go enjoy and go be annoyed that the sequel – Insurgent is not out … yet!

Elementary reading

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Ever wondered what the wimpy kid was like as a baby or Katniss Everdeen got to be so pushy? Well in the Andrew Lane Young Sherlock series we get to explore the origins of one of the world’s best loved fictional characters.

The game is afoot

In this tale; the first of many, Sherlock begins his life-long obsession with logic, crime and bees. We meet the distant but super smart Mycroft Holmes as well as a very brief sneaky peek into the lives of his mother and father and sister! And it is to a Holmes home that Sherlock is sent for the summer – not his parent’s but his aunt and uncle.

Where dastardly deeds are afoot and Sherlock with a motley crew of friends – remember he does not meet Watson till much later- aims to solve the puzzle of the Death Cloud.

This is a proper Sherlockian adventure that anyone could enjoy but with some lovely little touches that true Sherlock fans will love spotting.

A great read for boys and girls and the first book I have ever read on a Kindle – though paper copies are available from the library as well.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

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For me Patrick Ness is Jekyll and Hyde ; not in the drinks a potions and turns evil type way (though I am really not sure what he gets up to in his spare time!) but more in the like him but don’t really like his books category.
His last series – the Chaos Walking trilogy won awards left right and centre but left me cold and I know a certain English teacher who visibly cringes at his name she dislikes his books so much!
But he does such nice things – he runs marathons for charity and with this latest book he is taking an idea from a lovely author; Siobhan Dowd, who died of cancer a couple of years ago and created a fascinating book; the proceeds of which will go to a charity in her honour.

So, now we come to the book. It is a curious mix of story, illustration and fantasy. We follow Conor’s journey of discovery and loss on learning of his mother’s illness.
It is an emotional book which will have you laughing and crying in the same page. – the book itself says it is “darkly mischevious and painfully funny”.
My problem with it was the main character who I could not connect with. I could empathise with his pain and reactions to the situation he found himself in but I could not warm to him as a character – perhaps we are not supposed to?

The book, as I mentioned, is illustrated and please do not think that just because a book has pictures in it it is a children’s book; this is definately a young adult fiction title. The pictures and dark and brooding and draw you in to the tale. (I actually wish more books made use of images in as clever a way as A Monster Calls.)
I shall leave it up to you to find out who or what the monster actually is or even if there is more than one.
What I would say is please get yourself a hankie or two as you will need it.
Mrs B

Frozen in Time by Ali Sparkes

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After A BORING SUMMER Ben and Rachel certainly didn’t think that they would find an underground lavatory in their back garden. It was created by a previous scientist who had lived in their house, fearful that that time a nuclear war was going to occur. He built it for shelter but also, as a scientist, had been experimenting in ‘freezing’ his children if a nuclear war was to occur. This was so they could have basically eternal life.
After finding and exploring the lavatory Ben and Rachel found in a far room two missile looking containers. Actually, this contained two children the same age as Ben and Rachel who had been frozen successfully by their father since 1950s. After finding and retrieving the two children they bulk of the story began as the two children Freddy and Polly tried to fit into modern day life.
An amusing story which ends as Polly and Freddy find their father who had been frozen somewhere in Russia and had been found and released and had returned to England in hope his son and daughter had been a success. It ends as they walk through the streets in London, trying to think what to do fit into their new life.
It was an extremely enjoyable book and would definitely recommend it to anyone who is searching for a good Thriller.
Paul S3

Blood Red Road by Moira Young

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Dystopian fiction is all the rage at the moment; taking over where the vampires all left off.

Obviously, the big blockbuster of the summer is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins but why not try something a little different?

The first couple of chapters lacked something of punch but stay with it as soon as her quest begins and we witness just how feisty and gutsy our heroine is the story moves along quite nicely.

There is a strong cinematic feel to this book and indeed if rumours are true it may indeed grace the big screen (though hold off on buying the popcorn yet it will be a year or two).

So, back to the book – once Saba is on her quest we meet a rag taggle bunch of heroes and anti-heroes. From a girl gang that would give the Mafia a run for their money to a pompous, vain and brutal King to a handsome hunk!

The author has used an interesting dialect which takes a few pages to get in to the swing of- unless, that is, you are Canadian.

This is another title on the long list for the Carnegie award and another that I think might make it to the short list.

A good read for those who read good!

Flip out over this brilliant read

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What would you do?

Fourteen-year-old Alex Gray wakes up one morning to discover he’s not in his own bedroom. More surprising is that he doesn’t recognize his hands, or his legs… When he looks in the mirror he gets the shock of his life! How is it possible that Alex has become another boy – a boy who everyone calls Philip? And how have six whole months passed overnight? A riveting psychological thriller by a brilliant new voice in children’s books.

This is also on the long list for the Carnegie award.
Well worth getting your hands on, this fantastic read incorporates ideas that will linger with you long after you have reached THE END.