When a virus causes global infertility, Lowrie and Shen become the two youngest people on Earth. Living in a dilapidated London, they live with their families as they race for a cure to solve the epidemic. In the meantime, Lowrie and Shen go mudlarking, searching for artefacts along the banks of the Thames and anywhere else they can look. They are shadowed by Mitch, an old-tech robot that communicates through a blinking series of different coloured lights. After someone in their community suffers a tragic accident, Lowrie and Shen discover a disastrous secret. As time slips by, they are fighting against the clock to save everyone around them. I loved reading this novel, Lowrie's discovery of old social media and how the person she follows on it evolves over time is fascinating to me. I also loved how the tech is described, it's not forced or sloppy like a lot of sci fi can be, it's completely organic and realistic. There's also a romance element to it that is worked in seamlessly throughout the story. I was continually drawn to their relationship with Mitch and intrigued by every nugget of information they discovered as they unpeeled the onion that is their existence. I highly recommend this novel to anyone interested in sci-fi, romance and msytery!
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Tom struggles with his mobility but his love of drone building helps him escape the confines of his house. He uses his drone, named Skylark, to travel up and down the countryside near where he lives. It's unique because it's something that Tom himself has built and is very proud of. Then one day he stumbles upon something sinister, a terrorist plot that puts a lot of people in danger. The problem is that nobody believes him. Help arrives when Maggie and Joel, children who are staying with their parents at Tom's aunt's cottage, join him in his quest to foil the plot. In over the heads, the kids must use all of their brains and resilience to overcome a seriously dangerous mission. I loved Spylark, it's the perfect book for students looking for a fun, full throttle escape. We all wanted to be the heroes, the kids who outsmarted the adults at their own game, Spylark does this and more, it gives voice to a great character in Tom and shows the reader the power of friendship and the importance of not giving up despite the odds. It's a fun, fast read that will go down a storm at Glenthorne High School, can't wait to get it into the hands of our students! Newt has only known the Bearmouth mine. Life is hard, harder than can be imagined. They serve the Master, toiling away in near darkness, death and dying is all around them, misery is their only company. People come and go, but the work never stops, Newt sees those around them fading away, working themselves to death. Then Devlin comes to the mine, and starts to whisper about revolution. Even talk of this kind of thing is dangerous, the Master has eyes and ears everywhere. At first, Newt doesn't trust Devlin, but this soon changes and Newt along with everyone else in the mine is sent hurtling towards a deadly yet exhilarating end. Bearmouth is truly a unique YA that is near impossible to put down. Newt's voice is raw and heartbreaking all at the same time. The corruption, the misery, the damp dark coffin like atmosphere of Bearmouth drips off of every page. You might squirm a little reading this, in a good way, because it's simply that engrossing. I loved this book and am excited to see the students' reactions when they read it. I'd suggest it for ages 13+ When Sarah's parents buy her an android, a Troofriend 560 Marj IV, she's not really happy about it. She'd rather have a dog, and she makes this clear to her parents. Needless to say, the original meeting between Sarah and her new "friend", whom she names Ivy after the Roman Numerals "IV" on her arm, isn't very positive. Sarah thinks it's weird and a little annoying to have something like Ivy in the house. Then Sarah realises that her school is having a "Bring Your Tech to School" day. It's the perfect chance for her to show off Ivy to the popular girls, the inner circle she hopes to join. Maybe having an android friend won't be too bad after all. Meanwhile, Sarah and her parents are acutely aware of the persistent news stories about this model of android. Protesters have camped outside of the manufacturing plant, demanding that the androids be set free due to the theory that they have developed human feelings. Then other stories emerge, stories about the androids getting out of control, even hurting humans around them. There's also the buffering, Ivy has started to stutter, whirr and experience a strange feeling in her chest. She sends error reports to company, but they become more and more frequent as she spends time with Sarah. As the protests gather strength and the pressure from her concerned parents grows, Sarah must come to terms with what it truly means to be a friend. Trooffriend is a really amazing novel that touches upon several important issues like friendship, bullying and the ethics surrounding AI. We exist in a time when AI will be integrated into society one way or another and Troofriend captures the hope, anxiety and fear around this topic for ages 9+ in a truly seamless matter. I really loved this novel, fans of Slick my M.M. Vaughan will want to have this in their hands asap! Agatha is a Hawk, someone who protects her clan in the mythical land of Scotia. She loves her job, she patrols the wall looking for the enemy. However, Agatha is made fun of by others in her clan and some see her as an annoyance, since she has a learning disability that makes her stand out from the others. Jamie is training to be an angler even though he is scared to death of the water. He's also been chosen to marry a girl he's never met, someone from another clan. This is a big deal because their clan hasn't allowed marriage in a long, long time. On the big day, treachery descends upon the clan and Agatha and Jamie find themselves hunting a deadly group of bandits in order to find their loved ones. Along the way they discover deadly wild wolves, mysterious Highland bull riders, a mad Queen, shadow monsters and many more intriguing characters. It will take all of their nerve and bravery to find their loved ones, the odds are high, but their determination is higher. I loved the Good Hawk, I can hear Agatha's voice in many of the students I interact with. She is kind, loyal yet naive of the world and its often brutal ways. Jamie is patient, caring and courageous even though he wouldn't consider himself any of those things. The Good Hawk is a novel that you'll want to live in for a long time. Heartbreaking and engaging, I know it'll be a hit with our students. It's an absolute thrill ride from beginning to end. Expertly written, you'll be clambering for the sequel. We've all been on school trips we've not enjoyed. I once had to go on a school trip to see how a local courthouse was run only to see a family member standing before the judge. Well, that has nothing on Ian's upcoming school trip. Ian's mum is being a little over protective about this particular trip. She's packed him ten pairs of underwear and is very interested in embarrassing him to the tenth degree every chance he gets. Ian's not worried, though, why would he be? It's just a school trip. School Trip from Hell, that is. What begins as a slightly unnerving visit to an eerie mansion turns into a full blown fight for survival as Ian and his friends fend off tentacled monsters and slow moving but equally deadly zombies. Not to mention the entire show is being run by some sort of evil mastermind zombie controlling creature. Mutant Zombies Cursed My School Trip is a hilarious addition to Matt Brown's other hilarious stories. They are sharp, clever and with a little bit of an edge to them, perfect reads for those in Year 6 or 7 who claim they hate reading when in fact they haven't found a book like this one. London has been flooded, Kara and Joe scavenge their way through a rickety part of the city. To some, they are considered scum, urchins who don't deserve to live, to others they represent an opportunity to bring about change. When the siblings come into possession of a bizarre looking map, they find themselves on the run. Captured by sea pirates, they must escape from their prison in order to save the only home they've ever known. FloodWorld is fast paced near future in a terrifying dystopian world where climate change has ravaged our planet and threatened our way of life. The world is split between the super poor and the super rich, there is no in between. I really got pulled into this world and enjoyed every minute of it. Kara and Joe's plight is gut wrenching and nail biting at the same time, they've got nothing in this life but each other so the stakes are very high as they tumble into one twist after another. Fans of Sarah Govett's The Territory will really sink their teeth into this thrilling adventure! Noah is about to embark on a bleak summer holiday. His adopted mother is a best selling novelist and needs inspiration. To find it, she decides to travel to a remote Scottish island and live off the grid for a couple of weeks in a ramshackle cabin while she furiously pounds away on her typewriter. The catch is, she wants Noah to accompany her. It just so happens that Noah is deathly afraid of water as a result of a cruel PE teacher and an incident in a pool. Nevertheless, he makes the short boat journey to the rocky island whose only inhabitant is a mysterious bird watcher who lives in an even more dilapidated cabin on the far side of the island. On the short journey across the water, Noah discovers that the island used to house a leper hospital, and that not many people have the courage to stay on the island for very long. The captain taking him across won't divulge any more information, unfortunately. It doesn't take long for Noah to get entwined in a mystery of his own, and there's the mysterious figure that seems to be watching him from afar. What follows is a thrilling horror-adventure set in a stunning atmospheric island. Set in the early 1950s, Inchtinn is a perfect scary read for a dark December evening. Noah's growth throughout the novel is admirable, I was really rooting for him and enjoyed seeing his confidence grow. The eeriness of the island crawled off the page, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel! Lance's Year 6 camping trip isn't going as planned. Before they even make it to Crater Lake, their final destination, a man covered in blood runs in front of their coach, screaming about bears and other strange things. This rattles everyone, except their teachers, who handle it in a calm manner. Something's not right in the camp, though. It's sweltering outside and they are served boiling hot soup for dinner. Lance and a small handful of other students refuse to eat it, a decision that will save them. As their bunk mates fall asleep, Lance decides to stay up and hang out with his friends. When they decide to check on the other students, they discover something completely out of this world. Now it's up to them to save the rest of the camp and yes, the world from a gruesome and determined alien force. The catch? Lance and his friends can't fall asleep. Whatever happens, do not fall asleep, otherwise it's "Game Over, Man." Crater Lake is a non stop action ride that will make you shiver and laugh at the same time. I really loved Lance and his friends, Killick has created a really enjoyable misfit crew of kids, some of whom can't stand each other but they understand what's at stake so they agree to work together. The challenges they must overcome are many, yet they solve them organically, nothing is forced or shoehorned in. I was completely on board for every turn no matter how intense or insane they became. This is the kind of book I will set aside to give to kids who claim they hate reading because I know this will help turn the tide. Fans of Holes by Louis Sachar will eat this up. There is no wasted dialogue in this one, it's pure jet fuel firing on all cylinders so hold on tight. Recommended for ages 10+ Thirteen year old Beth has just become captain of a giant colony ship called Orion. It wasn't how she intended on starting the week. There was a bizarre "Event" that the ship's ever-present AI system, aptly named "Ship" won't discuss in detail. The event has left the actual captain and all other adults in a coma-like slumber leaving Beth a few other young teens in charge. They know the basics, but there's real trouble brewing in the form of alien ships and especially Scrapers. Scrapers are space infamous space pirates that answer to no one and do whatever they want, especially to crippled space stations stranded in the middle of the galaxy. To get everything up and running, Beth must use all of her wit and cunning, not to mention tons of elbow grease. She needs to convince the crew that she's up for the job and keep from going insane. Full of laughs, scares and huge twists, Orion Lost is an amazing space romp that will have you asking for more. I truly wanted to spend more time with these characters, they are a clever, resourceful and caring group that keeps going in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. The villains are pitch perfect and the endless black void of space is always there, hovering around them. I will be purchasing multiple copies of Orion Lost for our Library as it is an amazing fast paced read that both boys and girls will love. Highly recommend it for ages 10+ |
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