Penguin, 2009

179p.

A new stoy from a popular author, Grace tells its tale from the eyes of a young girl.  She lives in a loving family who are members of a very strict religious community.  Grace see herself as a sinner and the cause of the problems that happen to her family.  When her father is cut off from the rest of the family and the whole church community, Grace tries to make things better and help him to return to them.

Gleitzman has a gentle way of getting his message across about intolerance.  He gives a glimpse of life in a very controlled religious community where outsiders are shunned.

Rating 8/10

Reviewed by Judy Sutton

Penguin 2009

406p.

Who are the enemy? All the adults in the world appear to have been affected by a disease with horrifying results. Many have died. The remaining adults have bodies rotting from within, covered with boils and sores. Even worse, they are like zombies and hungry!

Only those under fourteen years old remain and they have to fight for their lives.  This book describes their lives as they  search for some sense of safety in a world of chaos.  It is set in central London – a world of deserted houses and dangerous streets with roaming rival groups and attacking grown-ups.

Alhough there are some gross moments, there are moving moments too and you come to care about what could happen to the characters.

I found this to be a gripping story that was very hard to put down. The book should appeal to males and females, but you need a strong stomach.

This is the start of a new series (I’ll be looking out for the next book when published).  The author has formerly written the Young Bond series.

Rating: 8/10

Reviewed by Judy Sutton

This book truly qualifies for the ‘ just couldn’t put this book down’ category. Wow!!!  What an adventure!!! Katniss, a young girl from District 12 (a place in the future) elects to save her younger sister from danger and compete in the yearly Reality TV Show: The Hunger Games. Thus begins the fast-paced action where Katniss is forced to obey the only rule: kill the other 23 competitors or be killed. I totally loved this book and can’t wait until the sequel arrives!! At times the dystopia was quite cruel and confronting but themes of loyalty, love and survival make this well worth the read. I would recommend this to any Year 7-10.   Five-stars!!

Miss B

ABC Books, Sydney, 2003 95p. ill.

Summary: Griffin has to go to school while mama is away getting well. Nell buys him new school clothes and long with his unusual name and his long hair he draws the attention of the bully Scott McAllister. Griffin stand his ground but decides he doesn’t like school so much. On his way home he meets layla from school. Obviously a princess with a crown of daisies on her head, he thinks maybe he can survive school. When layla notices the empty crib in his parents room Griffin tells her about Tishkin. Together they plan a naming day ceremony and invite mama home to share it with the whole Silk family.

Comment: I love Glenda Millards style. It is gentle but packs a punch. This sort of topic while confronting is just the sort of thing young people often have to deal with but is often kept from them.

Rating: 7.5/10

Mrs B

I read this book within approxamatily 5 hours i will admit it was very short but it was very good all the same. In this book there is a yooung boy Frankie aka Francies which whom the storey is based around or to be more precise  he is the one that is telling the storey.

About the Book: Frankie lives in a place called  the rocks in sydney at around the time of 1900, He is pretty much just a young boy that has no friends untill a kid moves next door  and in the end they become best friends. Rats are a big problem at this time and the goverment have declared that every rat that is court will earn that person a sixpence so Frankie and hes friend form The Black Dog gang and decided that they will catch them and then bread them, BUT this is not all that happens and there are some unexpected twists that happen and i will not be the one to spoil it so if you want to happen to these boys this is the book for you!!!!!

Rating: 8/10 But only because i…… na not going to tell you

Hayden

Books are great many people love to read them yet the quite a select fue that dont even care But! not me i love books and everytime that i read a really good book i will do my best to remember to post it here for you all to see and read about it

Genre: Love

Older readers

The three main characters of the book are all prisoners – a young main waits in a dank prison; a young woman has locked herself in a self imposed prison of hatred and denial; and Heloise who is a prisoner in all but name .

Heloise lives with her beautiful godmother  and the morbid old housekeeper Mrs Moth  in an isolated cottage. Next door is a museum of which her godmother is caretaker . Although she has been banned from entering this museum which is dedicated to Mary Child, she cannot help noticing  that visitors who have entered happily, depart subdued and fearful.

Denied love and friendship, Heloise yearns for a doll. She eventually finds one under the floorboards in her room, and against her godmothers wishes secretly plays with the doll which she has called Maria and learns to love her.  When her godmother discovers her secret  she flees with Maria and -  guided by the talking Caged Birds of the City she runs away.

A gothic fairy tale, the novel explores hatred, hope and the need for love. Disturbing yet fascinating, the story ends with an entirely unexpected twist.

Mrs GS

Summary: Iluak and the people of his village are moving across the Arctic for the Summer to hunt whales. Iluak spends his time waiting for Nana’sprophecy to come true. His grandmother is the village shaman. The prophecy says he will meeting the bear because he has something the bear wants and the bear has something Iluak needs. Iluak survives a drop into an icy seal hole and makes his first Caribou kill, but it is the coming of the Northmen which is the ultimate test.

Comment: This is a great way to learn about the culture of the Arctic peoples. The wonderful descriptions of the whale hunt and their nomadic movement with the constant need to build new housing. Highlights the concept of only killing to survive and the deep connection to nature and its impact on teir day to day lives. The plot is beautifully threaded through the eents with us anticipating the meeting of Iluak and the bear. Great secondary characters. Finn his best friend of few words but deep thinking, Iluaks’ sister Miki and the boyhood rival, Tuaq, the new shaman. 

Rating: 8/10
Mrs B