Lucas is driving with his parents when his father loses control and goes off the road. Both of his parents dead, Lucas climbs out of the wreckage to see a wolf standing in the middle of the road. He's sent to live with his Nan, an ageing lawyer who lives far from his home. Sent to a new school and coping with trauma, Lucas becomes obsessed with the image of the wolf. Then he hears it, news stories about a wolf killing farmers' sheep. Lucas' Nan doesn't believe it, neither does his friend Deb, whose father is a farmer, someone that is convinced the wolf is real. Coping with dangerous bullies and forced to go to anger management therapy, Lucas feels that his mind is slipping, that he's losing control of his sanity. As the hunt for the wolf intensifies, Lucas decides to take matters into his own hands. I really loved this novel, Lucas is a dark, complicated character with a lot of guts. Lambert's writing is poetic and brooding, pounding away at you until you are completely absorbed into the story. It's a nice shot in the arm for anyone looking for a book to really grab you by the collar and give you a shake. I recommend it for ages 11+.
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Meat Market has been shortlisted for the YA Book Prize, You can hear Juno's interview with one of our students at Glenthorne High School by clicking here. It's the story of Jana, a teen from a council estate in London. When she's at a theme park she's scouted by a model agency and signed almost immediately because she's "got the look." Her friends are freaking out, her boyfriend supportive but somewhat wary and her parents aren't having any of it, although they are very supportive throughout the novel and I was happy to see this family dynamic rather than a one dimensional cardboard set of parents that just scream at the main character whenever they get a chance. Jana herself isn't too sure, it's a big time commitment and she is genuinely worried about her school work. However, she soon gets sucked into a whirlwind of casting agents, shoots and catwalks. She's whisked to New York, Dubai, MIlan, all over the world and seemingly overnight finds herself, as a teen, on billboards all over the world. People are copying her hair style, going into hairdressers and asking for "The Jana". It's all a dream, and it all becomes too much. Jana very quickly sees the dark side of the modelling industry, the pressure not to eat and the loneliness, the pressure to get to the shoot at five am when she's expected to go to parties all night. Drugs, sexism and the idea that she is just a mannequin to be posed however they want and then discarded. Her relationships begin to strain, her mental state becomes frazzled and then something happens that shatters her to her core. Meat Market is impossible to put down, Dawson has created a character in Jana that cuts to the bone, she is real, funny, stubborn and smart just to name a few. You will find yourself cheering her on every step of the way and getting angry at those who deliberately try to keep her down. This could have been a book on any industry in my opinion, Dawson is such an expert writer that truth pours off the page, really loved this one and I can see hundreds of students in my library that will really want to get their hands on it. Trigger warning for sexual abuse. Amelie has just moved from Sheffield, UK to the southern part of the country, her dad has a new job and she's going to university. She's leaving behind her friends and most importantly Alfie, the boy she loves. Together they've made a pact, that they will give each other space but get back together in two years. Things seem to be going ok at first, Amelie meets Hannah, a nice girl who shows her around. When she performs and wins a local music talent show, she's introduced to Reese, a student and singer in a local band. It's love at first sight, but is it? What follows is a harrowing story of abuse. Reese tells Amelie he loves her over and over again, then casually insults her in front of his friends. He insists every mean thing he says is a joke, but his "mood swings" become more and more intense and Amelie finds herself obsessed with keeping him happy, walking a dangerous tightrope as she tries to keep him from flying into a rage at something trivial. Then, to keep him happy, to save what she thinks is a normal relationship, she begins to buckle to his pressure to do other things. This is a terrifying novel, Amelie's descent into this manipulative, toxic relationship is something that is tragically all too real. This novel is like an air raid siren for the soul, a warning shot that will undoubtedly help teens navigate what is essentially a confusing and scary time in their lives. Holly Bourne is a fantastic writer who slugs you to the gut in a matter of a few pages. She knows how to write about fear, relationships and the anxiety of life with an impressive skill. I really recommend this one to teens ages 15 and up! I'm very excited to be part of the Federation of Children's Book Groups Children's Book Award blog tour. I will be highlighting the amazing On The Come Up by Angie Thomas! Use the hashtag #FCBGCBA2020 on social media to follow the tour and find out about these amazing books! Bri Jackson has a plan. That plan is to become a rapper, someone who shines a light on the situation she and her family endures on a daily basis in Garden Heights. Her mother, Jay, is a recovering addict, someone Bri doesn't fully trust. Her brother Jay works at a pizza shop, he's smart, headstrong and stays out of trouble. If only Bri could follow his lead. She sells candy, a banned item in her school, to those who are craving sugar. When she gets caught, the authorities grossly overreact by throwing her to the ground and pinning her there. It's a moment that will stick with Bri throughout the novel, a lightning bolt that sets many different events into action. Rumours start to spread, primarily that it wasn't candy in her bag, that it was drugs. Bri has a choice, does she ignore this nonsense and try to carry on, or does she act the way society expects her to act, to lash out, to be angry on both the inside and outside. Her status as a rapper gains huge credibility when she destroys a boy, the son of Supreme, her late father's manager, in a rap battle. When Bri decides to make another song, one that makes her out to be someone she isn't, her community takes notice. This puts Bri, her aunt Pooh and her friends in a dangerous position. As the pressure mounts and the lights and the gas gets cut in her home and she suspects her mother of using again, Bri has to make some really tough choices, choices no teenager should make, On the Come Up is a raw, devastating look at what it's like to claw at a dream that everyone tells you is just that, a dream. Bri is tough, quick to fly off the handle yet sensitive, someone who loves video games and comic books and hanging out with her friends. Thomas has once again developed a fully formed character that screws up just like every teen, except for Bri the consequences are much heavier compared to most. It's an honest look at stereotypes, racism, white privilege and how we project our fears and expectations on African American youth. I think On The Come Up should be required reading, loved it. 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+ Beth Teller has a problem. She's dead. Not only that, but her dad can still see and talk to her. Grieving, her dad tries to pour himself into his work as a detective, allowing for Beth to talk to him without assuming he's gone completely mad. Then it happens, a local children's home burns to the ground, and there's a body inside. It's not a victim of the accidental fire, the person inside was murdered before it started. Now there's a case to solve, and Beth's determined to help her dad solve it and keep his mind off of, well her. As the mystery deepens, they come into contact with Isobel Catching, a girl who was found wandering around near the children's home. Her story is terrifying, strange and in Beth's father's opinion, delusional. But as the bodies begin to pile up, Beth and her father aren't sure what to believe. It will take all of their combined strength to survive this case. I tore through this novel, Beth is a brilliant character, her relationship with her father is sharp, sad, funny and cutting. Isobel Catching could have a side series on her own she's that strong of a character. I loved Catching Teller Crow, it is a razor sharp mystery that serves to educate the reader on Australia's shameful treatment of its Indigenous peoples. These are characters you'll want to hang around with, especially the ghosts. Don't miss this fantastic YA novel. When she turned ten, Aniyah made a wish on a star for her mum. The wish was for her mother, but during that same day, she and her brother Noah are taken from her home and driven far away and made to live in a foster home. The only silver lining is that the foster home is run by Mrs. Iwuchukwu who is one of the best motherly fiction character from the past few years in my opinion. She is firm yet fair, loving and open. This is a character that helps restore the image of foster carers as caring, responsible people when the primary image we receive from the media are ones who prey on children's weaknesses. Throughout the novel, Mrs. Iwuchukwu becomes a character I wanted to spend more time with and I wanted to learn as much as I could about her. Aniyah is obsessed with star hunting, so when she finds out that the Royal Observatory at Greenwich is holding a contest to name a new star, she knows that the star is connected to her mother and that it must be named after her. This is when she recruits the help of some of the foster children to embark on an adventure to travel to the Observatory to tell the judges her mother's story and why the star belongs to her. A truly devastating story that will wreck you as a reader. As Aniyah's story slowly unravels, we see the true desperation behind her attempt to get to the Observatory. We see how children being sent to foster homes cope on a daily basis, how children are so, so resilient when it comes to traumatic events and how powerful kindness and empathy can be. Another blockbuster from Onjali, this will be another book I'll need several copies of to keep the students happy, don't miss this amazing story. Holly is fourteen and her best friend Amy has just moved from the UK to Canada. Upset, she turns to a group chat with students from her school to try and fill the void left behind after Amy left. Through the students in her school, she meets a boy named Jay. Jay doesn't go to Holly's school and she's never met him in person, but Holly feels like he really gets her. They are very similar in so many ways, same age, they both have parents who seem too busy to pay attention to them, they both are looking for a connection. It only takes Holly a few days to be nearly completely smitten with Jay. They chat online through the night and Holly finds herself nearly sleep deprived and desperate to be on her phone twenty four hours a day just to talk to him. Sometimes Jay gets impatient when she doesn't respond, when she's visiting with her grandmother or when she's trying to sleep or be with her other friends. Sometimes Jay sounds jealous, but Holly convinces herself it's because he loves her and there's nothing wrong with a guy being protective, is there? They've known each other a couple of weeks and already Holly is envisioning her life with Jay. Jay gets her, not like her parents, Holly thinks. He also starts to tell Holly to skip school, and when she gets detentions, to skip those too. He tells her to ignore her parents, ignore her teachers and only listen to him. Holly believes it's for the best, and when Jay asks to meet under the pier at Brighton, she agrees. Always Here For You is terrifying, it's a must read for any teen using social media, and let's be honest, that's almost every teen out there As the noose tightens, it becomes a book that is nearly impossible to put down, it's a true nightmare scenario that every teenager should read. I recommend it for ages 12+! Cosmo is a golden retriever, hisbest friend is Max. The trouble is, Max's parent's fight constantly. They fight so much that Max often covers his ears or buries his head in Cosmo's fur so he can soften the blow of the voices that echo beyond the door every day. When Max discovers a dog based competition in his hometown, he enrols himself and Cosmo in it. Cosmo takes part despite his aching bones and pain in his hips and legs. Desperate to help Max, Cosmo tries his best to make it all work, to do his best and help bring his family together. Written from Cosmo's perspective, this beautiful novel is often funny, touching and sad all rolled into one. Cosmo is such an endearing character, he's someone you want to follow along for a very long time. Max's situation at home will strike a nerve with anyone battling domestic issues, students will especially find comfort in how Max and Cosmo navigate this treacherous world. I loved Cosmo and you and your children or students will too, check it out today! Clea has trouble getting her brain to stay concentrated. She's smart, loves chess and wants to do well at school but when it comes to sitting down and getting the job done she always seems to fall short. What is infuriating to her is that she knows she can do the work, she knows the answers to the tests and the homework but she simply can't get this to translate from her mind to the page. Her friends start to notice, as do her parents, and it becomes an issue for everyone. When her parents take her to a psychologist and she's eventually diagnosed with ADHD, things start to become clearer for her but it doesn't help that she feels ashamed, embarrassed and angry. When her parents threaten to take her school chess program away, she becomes even more withdrawn. Then her best friend abandons her, fed up with her outbursts and erratic behaviour. Everything seems to be falling apart for Clea, the question is, will she take the advice of those around her or will she follow her gut and try to forge on as she has before? I really loved FOCUSED by Alyson Gerber. Not only does it educate the reader about ADHD, it does in a way that isn't heavy handed or preachy. Clea's personality leaps off the page, you are rooting for her every step of the way, even when she does the wrong thing which everyone does occasionally. Also, you learn a ton about chess which I thoroughly enjoyed reading, Gerber has created a truly believable setting that tackles an important and often overlooked and wrongly dismissed topic. Can't recommend this el enough, get it into the hands of students ages 11+ today! |
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