Jennifer and Maisie are best friends. After bonding at the all-female roller derby tryouts, dubbed the Fresh Meat Orientation, they become inseparable. However, when they are both drafted to different teams and forced to compete against each other and bond with different teammates, their friendship is tested to its limits. This first in a series of four volumes is a hilarious, honest and interesting look at modern friendships, trust and of course the incredible world of roller derby. I flew through this book in record time, I loved all of the characters, each one has tremendous depth. Slam! is a real punch to the guts, in a good way. I can't wait to get this into the hands of our students, they're going to devour this story. I recommend it to ages 14 and up!
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This is my 6th book review for the #BritishBooksChallenge18 - a book review challenge where reviewers choose books written primarily by British authors. You can find out more about the challenge here or by clicking on the banner to the right of the page. Now, on to the review! Twister's father is missing. Vanished from the face of the earth. Her mother is inconsolable and has slipped into a deep depression. Raised by her aunt Honey, Twister spends time with her best friend, her pet dog Point. As the days and weeks slip by, Twisters is given a mysterious letter that appears to be written by her father. It suggests that there's a woman, a witch in the forest who may try to help her. The letter warns her to stay away from the woman. Of course, Twister goes out to seek her immediately. The witch, named Maymay, gives Twister a necklace. She tells Twister that the necklace's name is Mah and that it can capture souls and tell her where her father is. However Maymay warns her that there is a terrible price for using the necklace, one that Twister might never recover from. Twister isn't convinced, but when the school bully Clem takes the leap from psychological intimidation to physical violence, Twister uses the necklace to scare him off. Convinced that Maymay is on to something, Twister decided to use it to try and find her father. Twister is fantastic story filled with adventure, magic and violence. Set in what appears to be Depressio-era America (although it could be another time period), the novel reminds me of Lauren Wolk's writing with a fantasy twist. There are a lot of great scenes in this novel, scenes that will stick with you long after reading. I highly recommend it for ages 11 and up! When angels start falling from the sky around the world, people start preparing for the end. Religious institutions see a massive rise in attendance, flights are cancelled and cults spring up everywhere - some to praise the fallen ones and some to denounce them as devils. Jaya's father leaves his job and decides to devote his life to tracking the angels, dubbed Beings. He maps where they have fallen, what their characteristics are like and spends countless hours hunched over his laptop discussing how to anticipate where the next one will fall. Jaya and her sister feel abandoned, their mother passed away tragically only ten days before the first Being fell to the ground. When their dad bundles them in the car and whisks them to Edinburgh to try and catch a Being fall, Jaya is annoyed and depressed. Not only is she grieving her lost mother, her girlfriend Leah has seemingly vanished from the face of the earth. As things begin to spiral out of control, a two things happen that change Jaya's life forever. First, she meets Allie, a girl who seems to understand that the Beings aren't commodities to be studied, cut open and have their feathers sold on eBay. She feels an instant connection with her and her heartbreak starts to lessen the more she's around her. The second thing that happens is that a Being falls to Earth right at Jaya's feet. The difference between this one and all of the others around the world? It's still alive. Jaya decides to hide the Being from her father and recruit the help of Allie and her reluctant brother, Callum. The Being can't speak English, and one of its wings is broken. With the help of her new friends, Jaya is determined to keep the Being (nicknamed Teacake) hidden from the strange Angel Cults roaming Edinburgh and her own father, who has descended into A Beautiful Mind-esque mania. This is a great story about loss, grief and how people process it differently. Jaya has some major issues to work through, things that she hasn't properly spoken to her father and sister about regarding the loss of their mother. Allie is equally complicated, fiery and stubborn but harbouring a secret that affects her ability to carry through with Jaya's dream of freeing Teacake once and for all. There's also a dark undercurrent with the cults and Jaya's ex-girlfriend Leah. All of their stories will combine in an exciting action sequence. I have students who come to the Library looking for books exactly like this, books with sadness and grief and uplifting aspects all rolled into one. Don't miss this! I recommend it to ages 14 and up. When aliens called the vuvv land on Earth, everyone is initially terrified. Then the vuvv announce that they are here to help -- their technology is superior, their medicine can cure any illness in seconds. They bring knowledge from the farthest depths of space to us humans. Nobody realised how much of a curse it would be. With everything now automated using vuvv technology, people lose their jobs by the droves. Sure, their medicine is amazing but the vuvv run a private practice. If you can't pay their currency, which is a lot, then you don't get treatment. Those who can afford the vuvv's high cost of living can really experience life to its fullest. The rest are pretty much left in the dark to scrabble and starve. Adam is an aspiring artist, but his family has no money to survive. He decides to get creative with his girlfriend Chloe. Together they create a 1950s style romance that the vuvv subscribe to and watch via their version of The Cloud. Turns out the vuvv are obsessed with American 1950s music and culture. However, when his relationship with Chloe goes south and his Merrick's Disease flares up dangerously high, Adam has to decide if he's going to stand up for what he believes in or cave and go along with vuvv rule like everyone else. This novel is sharp as a razor with some really biting commentary on class, consumerism, pop culture and teen apathy. Hilarious, sad and disturbing, it's a must read. I recommend it for ages 15 and up! Bryony Gray's portraits are becoming very popular in late 19th century London, but they come with a terrible price. Locked in an attic by her aunt and uncle, Bryony spends her time dreaming of some sort of escape. Then there are the strange rumours that she sometimes hears, rumours about the people she has painted going missing. During one of her paintings, things go very wrong. Bryony is angered by her overbearing and cruel aunt and she ruins the portrait. Little does she know that she has inadvertently awoken her family's long hidden curse. The ruined portrait comes to life, tears its way through the canvas and makes its way down the London streets. Horrified, Bryony sets off on her own adventure to finally solve her mysterious past. Along the way she meets some unlikely friends and some truly disturbing enemies. With a fiery and smart protagonist and genuinely scary scenes, The Strange and Deadly Portraits of Bryony Gray is a clever spin on The Portrait of Dorian Gray. With tons of twists and surprises and scenes that will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end, it's a real treat that should not be missed by any mystery or horror fan. I recommend it for Ages 11 and up! This is my fourth book for the British Books Challenge 2018. You can learn all about the Challenge here. Now, on to the review! Meg's life has always been chaotic. Her mum could be labelled a "free spirit" and her granddad is even more eccentric. Her only dream is to become an astronaut. She spends her time obsessing over constellations and star maps and preparing for a competition in order to win a free trip to NASA's headquarters in the U.S. At the most crucial time, Meg's mum leaves her to go on a "spiritual journey", meaning Meg has to take care of the house and her baby step-sister Elsa. As the deadline approaches, Meg fells the pressure of school and suddenly becoming a full-time teenage parent too much to bear. Afraid that the people in her life will alert the authorities if they understood the full situation, Meg desperately tries to keep it all together as she attempts to fulfil her dream of becoming involved with NASA's space program. Meg finds friends in unlikely places but will she be able to prepare herself for the competition? With big laughs, heartfelt moments and a lot of insight into the world of space travel, Stargazing for Beginners is for fans of See You in the Cosmos and The Many Worlds of Albie Bright. Highly recommended, our students are really loving this novel! |
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