We’ve got lots of great new books fresh in this month. Pupils were quick as ever to rifle through the boxes! Read on to see their pick of the bunch..
Taylor Blake Is a Legend by Laura Jane Williams
Welcome to the life of Taylor Blake: complicated crushes, awkward encounters and hoping for a first kiss! A hilarious and heartfelt new teen series that fans of Geek Girl and Jacqueline Wilson will love.
Pupils’ say: Classic teenage romance, looks worth a read
An unlikely proposition by Rosalyn Eves
Eleanor did not come to London to be proper and boring. After the death of her husband shortly after their marriage she wants nothing more than her independence. She’s hardly looking to remarry. Eleanor quickly devises a plan that includes a fake engagement. What’s not a part of the plan? Falling for a dashing, quiet man outside of her social circle – a man who is not her betrothed.
Can she survive the Season with her heart and her fortune intact?
Pupils’ say: Unexpected old-timey romance that looks sweet to read
Knights of the Borrowed Dark by Dave Rudden
Denizen Hardwick doesn’t believe in magic – until he’s ambushed by a monster created from shadows and sees it destroyed by a word made of sunlight.
That kind of thing can really change your perspective.
Now Denizen is about to discover that there’s a world beyond the one he knows. A world of living darkness where an unseen enemy awaits.
Fortunately for humanity, between us and the shadows stand the Knights of the Borrowed Dark. Unfortunately for Denizen, he’s one of them . . .
Pupils’ say: Knights are so cool and the embodiment of darkness thing makes it better
Ms B says: Such a good series, great for Harry Potter fans, who are ready for something a bit more grown up.
HappyHead by Josh Silver
“We are in an epidemic. An epidemic of unhappiness. Friends, here is the good news: HappyHead has the answer. “
When Seb is offered a place on a radical retreat designed to solve the national crisis of teenage unhappiness, he is determined to change how people see him and make his parents proud. But as he finds himself drawn to the enigmatic Finn, Seb starts to question the true nature of the challenges they must undergo. The deeper into the programme the boys get, the more disturbing the assessments become, until it’s clear there may be no escape…
The Thread That Connects Us by Ayaan Mohamud
Safiya has struggled to pick up the pieces of her family since her dad left them and moved to Somalia. She refuses to trust in love, despite wishing she could fall for boy-next-door Yusuf… And then her dad moves back to town with his new family, shattering her life all over again.
Halima doesn’t want to move to England. She resents her stepdad for dropping her in a strange new life with a new language to learn – replacing her friends with bullies who set out to shame her.
When the girls are thrown together at school, it’s hate at first sight. But as they uncover life-changing secrets from their parents’ past, they begin to realize…What if the key to all their problems lies in their sisterhood?
Pupils’ say: The blurb sounds relateable and compelling
The Last Thing You’ll Hear by Jan Dunning
“Have you ever been so obsessed with someone that you start to lose yourself? “
Wren and Lark are rivals first and sisters second, so when mysterious music producer, Adam, and his DJ prodigy, Spinner, come to their small town, the game is on to impress.
Lark is soon taken under Adam’s wing, but as she’s pulled deeper into his web, distancing herself from friends and family, Wren starts to suspect that there’s a more sinister side to Adam. And when the sisters get a chance to perform at Enrapture the most talked-about festival of the summer, suddenly there is a lot to lose…
Pupil’s say: Looks like a horror but the blurb makes me curious about this ’obssession’.
Running Away for Beginners by Mark Illis
Jasper was just diagnosed with cancer. His treatment starts in a week, and in the meantime his parents want him to carry on as normal. Jasper knows that’s impossible. His friends help to organize a weekend trip to get away from everything that’s happened and clear his mind. It’ll be like running away for beginners, they joke.
On the journey, they come to understand each other better as everyone’s secrets come out. Except Jasper doesn’t tell his friends his own secret: that when the return journey begins, he won’t be going with them.
Pupils’ say: Running away from problems – something we’re all compelled to do sometimes!
Girl, goddess, queen by Bea Fitzgerald
Thousands of years ago, the gods told a lie: how Persephone was a pawn in the politics of other gods. How Hades kidnapped Persephone to be his bride. How her mother, Demeter, was so distraught she caused the Earth to start dying.
The real story is much more interesting.
Persephone wasn’t taken to hell: she jumped. There was no way she was going to be married off to some smug god more in love with himself than her.
Now all she has to do is convince the Underworld’s annoyingly sexy, arrogant and frankly rude ruler, Hades, to fall in line with her plan. A plan that will shake Mount Olympus to its very core.
Pupils’ say: Seems like an absolute slay girl book #girlpower
International Mother Language Day
Volunteers Iman, Amany, Roya, Rose and Kah Jun have been working hard to get ready for our Pop Up Library at St Roch’s Cultural Diversity Event in February. They have chosen and collected books representing authors/characters from all around the world. Lots of effort is going into decorating the library stand too- we can’t wait to see it on the day. 
They labelled the books with a ‘Recommended by Us’ slip, as this works well in bookshops, and we like to guide readers to choose books that they will love.
