Sami is a typical teen, he like to play football with his friends and relax on the Playstation. When a bomb destroys a mall near his home in Syria, it's the final straw for his parents. They make the fateful decision to try and make the voyage to the UK. What follows is a harrowing trip with Turkish smugglers, deadly sea trips and eventually an immigration prison. Along the way Sami witnesses extreme poverty, racism, madness but also hope and generosity. Boy, Everywhere should be required reading in secondary schools. It hits with a tidal wave like force, bringing the plight of refugees to the forefront in a nuanced way that is subtle and shocking at the same time. Sami, dealing with not only the physical dangers of being a refugee, also has to cope with the psychological torture he endures on a daily basis. He blames himself for a lot of what has happened to his family. He sees his father withering away, his sister stops speaking after witnessing the horrors in the shopping mall and his mother is left frayed and despondent. The reality of what refugees have to go through is much more than what we're told and what we think they go through. This novel brings it home, it's an important read that deserves all of the attention it's getting. Ages 11+.
0 Comments
I'm excited to be a part of the blog tour for Katy Birchall's new novel SPELLS & Secrets! Morgan Charmley is back in a brand new comedy adventure with tons of heart and a lot more laughs. It seems simple on paper, don't tell anyone that you're a witch. It's not so easy when you've got another witch who is also keeping their identity a secret trying to sabotage your every move! To make things even more complicated, Morgan must try to figure out her blooming relationship with her sworn warlock enemy. Trouble is never far behind Morgan in this great series. If you were a fan of Sabrina The Teenage Witch, The Worst Witch and even The Whitby Witches, the Morgan Charmley series will definitely be something you'll enjoy. A perfect read for the Halloween season, we have tons of students looking for a fun spooky series with great characters and this is it, check it out! I'm very excited to be a part of this great blog tour for this hilarious new novel by Sophie Wills & Illustrated by David Tazzyman. Something weird is going on at St. Halibut's Home for Waifs & Strays. Life for the children there has been pretty sweet since they had to bury their matron, don't worry, it was an accident. Turns out their matron left behind a huge stack of money, all they need to do is make sure nobody finds out that no one is actually looking after them. When an inspector stops by to, well, inspect the place, the kids must convince him that everything is cool at the Home otherwise the jig is up for them. As can be imagined, when the inspector starts sniffing around, things go horribly, horribly wrong.
It's a laugh out loud comedy with a ton of great, memorable characters, I really recommend this novel for ages 10+! Knight Sir Louis is a hilarious romp through a seriously strange land. With his trusted steed, a mechanical Sir Clunkalot and his magical sword, which has a face and is called Dave and can trap things in its reflection, he sets out to become the bravest knight in the land. With dastardly villains like the Stripey Knight and Bazook Harry and unlikely allies like Mr. Catalogue, Knight Sir Louis is on an adventure of a lifetime. This story is perfect for ages 7+ and begs to be read aloud with silly voices, it's very, very funny. If you're like me and unexpectedly fell in love with the Mr. Gum stories, then you should add this to your bookshelves, your students and your own children will love it! Effie feels alone and invisible in her school. Her teachers don't seem to like her and she's always bumped into, ignored and called a nerd behind her back. One day she discovers a school for ghosts in the woods near her human school. Despite warnings, the other ghosts take her in and she starts to learn the ways that the ghosts can control lost spirits. It's all fun for Effie and very exciting until she's asked by her new ghost friends to track down an actual lost spirit, one that proves to be quite dangerous. Effie now has to prove to her new friends that she deserves to be in the ghost school and that she's got special powers like the others. It's a great story about believing in yourself and finding your true friends. It's also an important story about bullying and how easy it is to fall into the trap of not only being bullied but becoming one yourself. Great comic for fans of ghosts and good storytelling for ages 9+ In Aster's world, all the girls get trained to be witches while the boys get trained to be shape shifters. However, Aster knows in his heart that he's destined to be a witch. He doesn't fit in with the boys and has no real friends because the girls are told to exclude him from their studies. He's lost, confused and angry at everyone's rigid reaction to his passion for studying witchcraft. Despite this, he starts to learn it in secret, breaking a long tradition that can land him in serious trouble. However, when one of the boys goes missing, a horrible disturbance in the balance of order is sensed by the elders. An old foe has reared its head and returned to their land and Aster just might have the goods to help out this time. I really loved Witch Boy, it's beautifully told with a great cast of characters. Aster is a boy struggling with his identity, where does he fit in, he's not a jock or a shape shifter like most of the boys in his community.His parents and cousins don't understand him, he just doesn't seem to belong anywhere. It's a great story because it's made clear that it's not Aster's fault, he does fit in, it's those with the power around him that fail to see his potential. On top of that message it's a great fantasy adventure with a genuinely creepy threat. I highly recommend this comic and its sequels for ages 10+ Izzy & Eric are both obsessed with an upcoming video game called Dungeon City. When Izzy receives her copy first, she decides to give it a try despite promising Eric she won't play it until they both have their copies in their hands. Then, something strange happens, Izzy gets sucked directly into the video game! There she meets Rae, a robot who tells her that she's been sent to the world of Dungeon City to save the land. With Rae's help, she starts levelling up in preparation to meet the final boss. The problem is, she starts neglecting her real life responsibilities like school and her friendship with Eric. Not everything is as it seems in Dungeon City, and Izzy soon finds herself in grave danger. Any fan of video games will devour this great comic, I'm currently playing Zelda Breath of the Wild and there are so many great video game references that you will find yourself going back to re-read them. Anyone who has ever hunkered down for the long haul on their floor as they crawled through dungeons and worked out puzzles on their video game consoles will want to pick this one up, don't miss it! Willow loves exploring the woods outside of her house, it's where she and her mother did tons of exploring. One day, Willow gets into a huge fight with her sister and runs away with her dog. While she's in the woods, she runs into Pilu, a wood spirit who has also lost her way. Willow realises that Pilu's home is the same grove that she and her mother used to visit all the time. However, danger is lurking in the woods and Willow must overcome her own fears to help her new friends. This is a heartwarming comic book for fans of all ages. Anyone who has ever loved My Neighbour Totoro will really adore this. Can't recommend it enough! Five years ago student Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh, then Sal, consumed with guilt, killed himself. Everyone knows this, the police, the townsfolk, even Sal's family. One person, however, doesn't quite believe it, Pippa Fitz-Amobi is doing her EPQ (Extended Project Qualification) on the murder, despite the fact that everyone tells her it's not a good idea to snoop around where the police have already gone. To start, she's told not to contact the family of Sal Singh so what does she do? Immediately meet's Sal's brother for an interview. Once little pieces start to fall into place, Pippa realises that she's on to something, that things aren't what they seem in her idyllic little town. Unfortunately, this means that Pippa herself starts to get embroiled in the conspiracy, in that she becomes a target, putting herself and those she loves in danger. I really devoured this novel, as a huge Serial podcast fan, this novel hooked me from the start. Holly Jackson has created in Pippa a long-lasting and authentic detective character, a role model for teens and someone you'd want to have on your side if things went south. The novel is sprinkled with Pippa's notes, ideas and interviews. It's a glimpse into her genius brain and how it works. Pippa herself creates a "murder board" which she hides under her bed so her parents don't see it. It's a board filled with notes, pictures and string to connect everything together, I loved the idea of it and could picture it in my head. I also loved how those around Pippa think she's becoming a little too obsessed with the murder, with her school work falling behind, her relationships being strained and her own mental state fraying at the ends. A Good Girl's Guide to Murder is a top-notch murder mystery with amazing characters and twist after twist that will keep you guessing until the last page, I cannot wait to discuss this book with our students at Glenthorne High School! Best friends Hark and Jelt live on a series of islands known as Myriad. They are scavengers, hustlers, two people trying to survive and get by the best they can using their wits. Then one night, one of their plans goes awry and Hark is arrested. Sold in the island's auction, he is given a three year term serving the mysterious and eccentric Dr. Vyne, a scientist who works on a spit of land called where The Sanctuary resides. The Sanctuary is a place where retired priests go to live their lasts days. It's here that Hark hears of stories of the underwater gods, the terror that they wrought upon the land and the mysteries surrounding them. When Jelt returns out of the blue, he pressures Hark to get involved in a scheme to lay their hands on some priceless material, godware, the stuff left over from the gods' reign around the islands. Hark refuses at first, but Jelt has a way with words, and he is soon plunged into a nightmare adventure that will test his physical and mental strength like never before. Nobody really creates worlds as beautifully as Frances Hardinge, Deeplight is steeped in an edgy, dark world that borders close to horror (has anyone seen the film Annihilation?) but stays true to its core in my opinion, a story about friendship, loyalty and even toxic relationships. Harks devotion to not only Jelt (and what Jelt will become) but also the priests like Quest and even Dr. Vyne to a certain degree tells me that deep down it's a tale about wanting to find something to belong to. Deeplight is a story that covers a lot, but it does not feel cumbersome at all, it's full of undersea adventure, mystery, horror and suspense. It's a really ambitious novel that is beautiful in its scope, recommended for ages 13+. |
Categories
All
Follow These Guys: 100 Scope Notes No Flying No Tights Pretty Books Reading Rants! Sophisticated Dorkiness Teen Librarian |