Three children, all from different time periods, all trying to escape the horror of war. This is refugee, a meticulously researched historical fiction about Josef, a boy escaping Nazi Germany with his family, Isabel, a girl escaping Castor's Cuba for Miami in a makeshift boat and Mahmoud, a Syrian refugee desperately trying to get to Germany through whatever means necessary. Each story is woven against the backdrop of brutal confrontations and callous, uncaring governments more concerned with political manoeuvring than the plight of people who have reached complete rock bottom. Each story is connected, separated only by a few decades. This is an important read, one that forces you to see the plight of refugees from their perspective. Through this novel we see the desperation, fear, shame and hopelessness that they face on a daily basis. I'm excited to promote this in the library, I plan on purchasing several copies to ensure my book club gets their hands on it, highly recommended!
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This is a guest review from Dulcie, student at Glenthorne High School: This thrilling sequel to Lady Midnight is a barely possible to put down. It continues to delight readers with its mix of danger, fear and forbidden romance. It shows how friends can be torn apart by unrequited love and how deeply you can betray someone you love, without meaning to. Introducing new character, Kit Rook, ‘the lost herondale’ and the deep friendship he forms with Tiberius and Livia. It also shows how the shadowhunters fight against the discrimination of downworlders when some of their closest friends have to flee to stay alive Rating (out of 5 stars): 5 stars This is a guest review from Emily, student at Glenthorne High School: At first glance, you see an luminously bright and colourful cover with the title 'Seeker Of The Crown' embezzled in gold fancy writing. As good as it seems, just the illustrations isn't enough. You see, you need to have a story - a fantastic journey with adventure through just your imagination and the story's words. Written by Ruth Lauren herself. It's as if her words figuratively leap of the page and come to life. Of course not really - because that would be impossible! But if words really did leap of the pages in this book ; I'd picture them dancing merrily around each other - their smiling lips telling the story altogether. But darkness was right around the corner... This was a realistic trek venturing through my mind. Everyone should read this book. Read it with your whole life's content. But be aware - darkness is just around the corner... ''Darkness is just around the corner... Darkness is just around the corner'' she said in a frightened tone of voice. She did not notice the red glowing eyes around the corner. And death had come to soon for her. Rating (out of 5 stars): 5 stars It's going to get dusty in whatever room you're reading Pax in right now. When his family is killed as a kit, he's rescued and raised by a boy named Peter. When Peter's father enlists in the army he forces him to live with his grandfather and abandon Pax in the forest. Wracked with guilt, Peter runs away from his grandfather's home and starts to make the trek back to where left Pax - more than three hundred miles away. Along the way Peter gets injured and is helped by Vola, a recluse living in the woods. One-legged and eccentric, Vola teaches Peter to stand up for himself, to listen to his heart and to fight for what he believes is right. In turn, Peter teaches Vola a few things about forgiveness and moving on. The novel alternates between Peter's story and Pax's. Pax encounters Bristle & Runt, two sibling foxes trying to survive in the war torn area in which they live. Pax, having never lived in the wild, is on the brink of starvation and must rely on the help of other foxes in order to live. on top of this, Pax must not stray too far from where "his boy" left him because in his heart he knows that he will see him again one day. Pax is a powerful novel, it's anti-war message with humans who are "war-sick" ravaging the natural beauty of the world is a recurring theme. Peter's story of redemption and coming of age with the equally damaged and self-loathing Vola was, in my opinion, a great read. Pax's encounters with other animals and their style of communication wasn't clunky or forced, Pennypacker made it come across as natural and urgent. You can tell she has done her research on red foxes. I'm late to the game with Pax but it's definitely a modern classic that can be revisited over and over again. Don't miss it. Shannon's best friend Adrienne has just joined The Group. The Group is led by Jen, the most popular girl in the class. Getting into The Group is hard, and once you're in the group, you never quite know where you stand. Shannon never really figures out if she's in The Group or not. All she knows is that she's losing her best friend to the others. To make matters worse, her older sister is mean to her, to the point of physical and emotional bullying. All of this triggers a form of anxiety and OCD within Shannon that manifests itself as stomach aches and counting objects over and over again. Shannon has to learn the hard way that being in The Group might not be the most important thing in the world, even if it feels like it is. I loved this story. In elementary school I constantly felt like I was missing out on all of the cool things the other clicks were doing. It takes many years to realise that you are never late to the party, there is no party. Everyone feels as alone and isolated and confused as you do at some point in their life. I think this is an important story that I want to bring to the students at the school I work at. There are so many students that must feel like their being left out, that they aren't cool enough, that they aren't good looking enough to be with the popular kids. It takes a book like this to tell them that it doesn't really matter, that you should make your own group and do the things that you enjoy doing. Highly recommend this for anyone who has ever felt left out or sad about not having enough friends. Sunny Lewin doesn't want to go to Florida for the summer. She was supposed to go on another holiday with her parents but all of that was cancelled after an unfortunate incident. When she gets to Florida to stay with her grandfather, she realises that his neighbourhood is filled with old people who do nothing but argue, go to supper at 4:30 in the afternoon and golf. It's a good thing she meets Buzz, the son of the groundskeeper where her grandfather lives. Buzz introduces Sunny to comic books, the alligator at the golf course and a way to make money all summer long by finding lost cats and golf balls that can be sold back. The golf balls, not the cats. Throughout the summer, the incident that sent her down to Florida in the first place is Sunny's secret, but as the tension mounts inside her, she realises that she can't keep it a secret much longer. Books by Raina Telegemeier are always a favourite at my school so I know this book will be on high demand. Funny, sad and very accessible, I know some really reluctant readers that will love this story. Petula is struggling. She's developed OCD after a tragedy in her family. She doesn't ride elevators, she doesn't eat ground beef, she doesn't take public transport. She also doesn't speak to her former best friend anymore. She sees the school counsellor, but feels herself falling further and further from what everyone else calls "normal" teenage life. Her parents aren't much help. Her mother appears to be collecting cats for a living and her father buries himself in work to try and numb the pain from their loss. The only break in Petula's day is taking an art therapy class with other teens equally or more confused, sad or angry as she is. Then she meets Jacob, he has a prosthetic hand and a mysterious life story that Petula can't seem to crack no matter how close they get. Jacob helps Petula open up see many of her fears as irrational, but Jacob won't open up about his past, and that bothers her. Jacob's story is one that might damage Petula more than she can bear. Optimists Die Firs tis full of heart and humour, with some relatable awkward and touching moments. I think our students will really gravitate towards it as I think a lot of them will see themselves in Petula, great stuff! Stormchaser lives in a world ravaged by hunger and disease. Food is scarce, and an illness that starts with the blistering and peeling of one's skin soon leads to death. In her world, a few dinosaurs still exist. Stormchaser has befriended a plesiosaur she's named Milo. This is a secret she must guard closely because dinosaurs are universally hated. When the Trials are announced, Stormchaser enters on a whim, she doesn't have a family, doesn't have anyone dying from the plague like the others. The contest is a deadly one, enter the area of the world known as Piloria, where the dinosaurs are abundant, and retrieve as many dinosaur eggs as possible. The winner will receive health care and food, two things essential in order to survive their daily nightmare. She's join on the Trials by Lincoln and Leif, two boys with a lot on the line. As the competition heats up, they must learn to trust each other if they're going to avoid being eaten alive. But as Stormchaser soon learns, you can't really trust anyone in the Extinction Trials and what she finds hiding under the surface of Piloria will change her life forever. The Extinction Trials is a super fast action adventure that anyone looking for a strong female hero will love. It's got elements of The Hunger Games without a doubt, and that's a good thing because it means it will make my job as a School Librarian all the easier when I promote this book in the coming weeks. And promote it I shall, because it's got some great scenes, fully realised characters and a ton of action. Highly recommended, can't wait for the sequel! Emma is 16 years old and has just been "ghosted" by her boyfriend Leon. If you're like me and have no idea what "ghosted" means, it's when someone you think you are in a relationship with suddenly acts like they don't know you or want to know you. Distraught, and then even more distraught when she sees that Leon is "in a relationship" on Facebook, Emma decides to turn her life around. How does she do this? By creating a new Emma online, one that will help her find someone worthy to be in a relationship with her. Standing in her way is her mum, who is herself "out there", online and looking for love and a perpetual source of frustration and emotional hostage-taking for Emma. Also standing in her way is Emma herself. Through a series of awkward, cringe-worthy and laugh out loud funny experiences manages to alienate and embarrass herself in the process. Editing Emma is a funny and frank look at trying to find out where you belong and who you are in an online culture where everything is fragmented and has a 5 minute shelf life. It's a great novel that I think a lot of teens I work with in the school library can see themselves in, which is important. |
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