Month: February 2019

 

Shif is just an ordinary boy who likes chess, maths and racing his best friend home from school. But one day, soldiers with guns come to his door – and he knows that he is no longer safe.

Shif is forced to leave his mother and little sister, and embark on a dangerous journey; a journey through imprisonment and escape, new lands and strange voices, and a perilous crossing by land and sea. He will encounter cruelty and kindness; he will become separated from the people he loves.

Boy 87 is a gripping, uplifting tale of one boy’s struggle for survival; it echoes the story of young people all over the world today.

 

Bethan, Y7 says:

I really enjoyed this book, except for the fact that the book ended in a hurry, like the author couldn’t be bothered to write anymore. I also think that the author could have given more information on whether Shif’s friend Bini is ok.

AND THEN THERE WERE SHOTS
Everybody
ran,
ducked, 
hid, tucked
themselves tight.

Pressed our lips to the
pavement and prayed
the boom, followed by 
the buzz of a bullet,
didn’t meet us.

After Will’s brother is shot in a gang crime, he knows the next steps. Don’t cry. Don’t snitch. Get revenge. So he gets in the lift with Shawn’s gun, determined to follow The Rules. Only when the lift door opens, Buck walks in, Will’s friend who died years ago. And Dani, who was shot years before that. As more people from his past arrive, Will has to ask himself if he really knows what he’s doing.

This haunting, lyrical, powerful verse novel will blow you away.

 

Mrs Taylor says:

A story of a 15 year old boy seeking revenge, set in a lift and told in short narrative verse. As the lift descends floor by floor Will is joined by some faces from the past as we gain insight into his life and the big decision he has to make. Amazing, thought provoking and engaging. The fast pace and subject matter would appeal to even the most hardened “non-readers”.

 

Toby, Y7 says:

Long Way down is a heart-shattering book about the death of Will’s older brother Shawn. It is magnificent and beautiful.

 

 

 

 

A powerful, haunting debut that steps seamlessly from the horrors of people-trafficking to the magic of African folklore by an award-winning Ghanaian-British filmmaker, shortlisted for the Branford Boase award 2018 and nominated for the CILIP Carnegie award.

Sante was a baby when she was washed ashore in a sea-chest laden with treasure. It seems she is the sole survivor of the tragic sinking of a ship carrying migrants and refugees. Her people.

Fourteen years on she’s a member of Mama Rose’s unique and dazzling circus. But, from their watery grave, the unquiet dead are calling Sante to avenge them:

A bamboo flute. A golden bangle. A ripening mango which must not fall . . . 
. . . are these the missing pieces of the jigsaw which will tell Sante’s story?

 

Tommy, Y7 says:

This is a great adventure story! Who can they trust? Is anyone who they claim to be? Probably not! It was a good mix of modern and past, with mutants and a circus struggling for survival.

 

 

Cerys, Y8 says:

This is a story of truth, bravery and trust. It has a sense of myth and modern. It’s enchanting and really highlights some issues in the world.

Meet Zezé – Brazil’s naughtiest and most loveable boy, his talent for mischief matched only by his great kindness. When he grows up he wants to be a ‘poet with a bow-tie’ but for now he entertains himself playing pranks on the other residents of his family’s poor Rio de Janiero neighbourhood and inventing friends to play with. That is, until he meets a real friend, and his life begins to change.

My Sweet Orange Tree is a worldwide classic of children’s literature – never out of print in Brazil since it was first published in 1968, it has also been translated into an astonishing number of languages and won the hearts of millions of young readers from Korea to Turkey, Poland to Thailand and in many other countries too.

Tabitha, Y9, says:

This was a very sweet little book, however I thought it took a bit long to get to the point and I was confused throughout it. Other people might enjoy it more than I did as it’s not my reading type.

 

Caitlin, Y8 says:

Zeze is a character that you can instantly understand. He will make you think about everything and relate. This book is good for people who like life stories and following how people think and act.

 

 

Romy Silvers is the only surviving crew-member of a spaceship travelling to a new planet, on a mission to establish a second home for humanity. Alone in space, she is the loneliest girl in the universe until she hears about a new ship which has launched from Earth – with a single passenger on board. A boy called J.

Their only communication is via email – and due to the distance between them, their messages take months to transmit. And yet Romy finds herself falling in love.

Can you fall in love with someone you’ve never met, never even spoken to – someone who is light years away? But what does Romy really know about J? And what do the mysterious messages which have started arriving from Earth really mean? Sometimes, there’s something worse than being alone…

 

Bethan, Y7 says:

This book is full of twists and turns. The main character, Romy, is very headstrong and determined and I liked her a lot. The book is surprisingly realistic, even though it is set in the future, 2067. 

 

Caitlin, Y8 says:

An intriguing and captivating book, following a girl called Romy who was born on a spaceship sent to Earth! This book has so much detail about Romy’s life that you seem to know her and start trying to anticipate what is going to happen next.

 

Evie, Y7 says:

This book is gripping and anyone who is into space, the future or adventure mystery might like this book.

 

Leigh Chen Sanders is sixteen when her mother dies by suicide, leaving only a scribbled note: ‘I want you to remember’. Leigh doesn’t know what it means, but when a red bird appears with a message, she finds herself travelling to Taiwan to meet her maternal grandparents for the first time.

Leigh is far away from home and far away from Axel, her best friend, who she stupidly kissed on the night her mother died – leaving her with a swell of guilt that she wasn’t home, and a heavy heart, thinking she may have destroyed the one good thing left in her life.

Overwhelmed by grief, Leigh retreats into her art and into her memories, where colours collide and the rules of reality are broken. The only thing Leigh is certain about is that she must find out the truth. She must remember.

With lyrical prose and magical elements, Emily X.R. Pan’s stunning debut novel alternates between past and present, romance and despair, as one girl attempts to find herself through family history, art, friendship, and love.

Bethan, Y7 says:

I really liked this book. The main character, Leigh’s, mother commits suicide, but rather than focusing on how difficult it is, it becomes a story of how Leigh sees her mother as a red bird she must somehow catch.

 

Zack, Y9 says:

Really boring! It’s the worst one I’ve read. It shouldn’t win!

 

 

Fourteen-year-old Stevie lives in Lewes with her beloved vinyl collection, her mum … and her mum’s depression. When Stevie’s mum’s disability benefits are cut, Stevie and her mother are plunged into a life of poverty. But irrepressible Stevie is determined not to be beaten and she takes inspiration from the lyrics of her father’s 1980s record collection and dreams of a life as a musician. Then she meets Hafiz, a talented footballer and a Syrian refugee. Hafiz’s parents gave their life savings to buy Hafiz a safe passage to Europe; his journey has been anything but easy. Then he meets Stevie…

As Stevie and Hafiz’s friendship grows, they encourage each other to believe in themselves and follow their dreams

Zack, Y9 says:

An utterly great book, I hope for a sequel! I feel very close to Stevie in this book. Having to take care of her mother a few times. I love music. Her life is not the best, but things work out. Hafiz is a strong character too. 5 stars and great film material!

 

Bethan, Y7 says:

Stevie is passionate about music and it’s the only thing that keeps her going- her mum has depression. Hafiz is amazing at football but hasn’t played since he came back from Syria. When their paths cross, they create a unique friendship!

 

 

If I got to be God for one day, I’d like to say I’d end world hunger and create world peace. But I wouldn’t. Because if God could fix the big stuff, he’d have done it already.

Malin knows she can’t fix the big stuff in her life. Instead she watches from the sidelines, as her dad yells, her brother lies and her mum falls apart. At least after she meets Hanna she has a friend to help her. Because being Malin is complicated – learning how to kiss, what to wear to prom, and what to do when you upset the prettiest, meanest girl in school.

It’s tough fitting in when you’re different. But what if it’s the world that’s weird, not you?

A beautiful, funny and honest coming-of-age story that never pretends life is perfect.

 

Zack, Y9 says:

It’s set in Finland and in the form of a diary. It’s about a girl called Malin and how she deals with home and school. The book doesn’t really have a genre but the author has written a book that all teenagers can relate to. It’s the best one I have read so far.

 

Caitlin, Y8, says:

This is a book about Malin, a girl who sees things differently. her family is falling apart and she has no friends. Then she meets Hanna, whilst shoplifting! I thought this book was OK, but complicated.

 

Evie, Y7 says:

It is AMAZING!!!!! Highly recommend. It wasn’t your normal story, it doesn’t have cliffhangers or suspense, but you still don’t want to stop reading.

 

Bethan, Y7 says:

I liked this book a lot , it was somehow different to other books. It wasn’t written in a different lay-out, it was just… different! I enjoyed it a lot and would recommend it to anyone who likes a story of revenge and secrets.

 

Joe has always loved the moorlands above his home: the wildness, the freedom, the peace. But since his father died, everything has changed, and the moors are no longer a place of refuge. 
Now the whole community is divided over the fate of the hen harriers that nest up there in the heather – and Joe is stuck right in the middle, with a choice to make, and a huge secret to keep. 
Joe can’t do what’s right for everyone. But can he find the strength to fight for what he really believes in? 
Expert storyteller Gill Lewis presents a beautiful tale of loss, expectation, and change – with an important and thought-provoking environmental message.

 

Cerys, Y8 says:

Sky Dancer is an amazing book based on real life issues and a boy’s troubles growing up. The author makes the characters seem very real and you are able to sympathise with them. I would recommend it for Y7 and up and for lovers of Lauren St John’s stories.

 

Hannah, Y7 says

I really liked Sky Dancer. It was full of amazing description. I think everything worked together and I would recommend it to people who like adventure stories.

 

 

Amy May knows about webs of worries – so many people she meets are caught in them, from her own artist dad to newly arrived refugee Rima and her family. By being brave enough to open up her worry box, Amy May helps all those around her find a way forward.

 

Caitlin, Y8 says:

A good, quick and easy book to read with a nice storyline. You are able to relate to how Amy May feels once her parents decide to live separately. Also, her and Kima’s friendship  and how they help each other get to school, is heart-warming.