Latest Review 
Jan 25 2012
Snuff by Terry Pratchett
Doubleday, 2011. ISBN 9780385619264.
(Ages: 14+) Highly recommended. Sir Samuel Vimes, Commander of the
City Watch, Duke of Ankh-Morpork and Blackboard Monitor, is on an
enforced holiday, with his adored wife and son, in the peaceful
countryside. It is his idea of hell, and he finds trees, livestock
and wildlife slightly disturbing, not to mention his young son's
obsession with all things 'poo'. However, his supposedly quiet
retreat is interrupted by a murder. The fact that it is a goblin
that is murdered, and that most people consider them non-sentient
beings and no better than animals, doesn't deter Vimes from
investigating. He uncovers systematic corruption, vice and slavery
and has to deal with the local aristocracy who believe the law
doesn't apply to them. These poor fools have no idea what they are
in for, and while Vimes is a cynical sceptic, he holds on to the law
for dear life. To him, no one is above or beneath the law.
I am a self confessed Terry Pratchett fan, and I am always excited
when a new book is released (this is the 39th Discworld book). I
especially enjoy the City Watch books and have watched Sam Vimes
evolve as a character over the series. It is always amusing and
uplifting to see him overcome his prejudices against non-humans (and
humans!) ie. vampires, trolls, golems, orcs, zombies, and now
goblins. He has learnt to give anyone the benefit of the doubt, and
judges them by what they do, not what they are.
Terry Pratchett is a wonderful, witty and wise story-teller. His
books are social commentary, interspersed with humour, farce and
extremely funny footnotes. One day he has Sam giving a gentle
dressing down to a bunch of fluttering Jane Austenesque young
ladies, the next he is chasing a killer on a steamboat on a raging
river. He does rollicking adventure and crime mysteries extremely
well. His stories are rich and multilayered, with a large cast of
characters and locations. Whilst he is never strident, he pokes mild
fun at people's frailties and foibles, but is happy to take a bigger
stick to hypocrisy, discrimination and cruelty.
Alicia Papp
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Jan 25 2012
Book of blood and shadow by Robin Wasserman
Atom, 2012. ISBN 9871907411441.
(Age: 14+) Recommended. With her thriller in the genre of The Da
Vinci Code by Dan Brown, Wasserman takes the reader on a
roller coaster ride with Nora after she finds her best friend Chris
murdered, his girlfriend Adriane in a catatonic state... more
Jan 25 2012
The future of us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler
Simon and Schuster, 2012. ISBN: 978-0-85707-607-6.
The Future of us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler is a
brilliantly put together novel that is set in 1995, with hardly any
of the modern technology we have today. The storyline centres on
Josh and Emma, the main characters. These... more
Jan 24 2012
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
The Lunar Chronicles Bk 1. Penguin, 2011. ISBN 9780141340135.
(Ages 14+) Highly recommended. Cinder, written by Marissa
Meyer, is the first book of the Lunar Chronicles. There are themes
presented within the text but one stands out in particular: Romance
thriller. I know at the... more
Jan 24 2012
Goliath by Scott Westerfeld
Ill. by Keith Thompson. (Leviathan Series). Penguin Viking,
2011. ISBN 9780 6 70 07305 4
(Age: 12 - Adult) Goliath, the last in the Leviathan
trilogy, is a steampunk story set during WWI. For those who are
still coming to terms with this relatively new genre, it has... more
Jan 24 2012
The name of the star by Maureen Johnson
Shades of London, book 1. HarperCollins, 2011. ISBN 9780007398638.(Age: 13+) Recommended as a light suspenseful read. Thriller. Paranormal. Arriving in London for her last year at school, Rory discovers that a brutal murderer has 'pulled a Jack the Ripper' the night before. Her new...
moreJan 24 2012
Eli the good by Silas House
Candlewick, 2011. ISBN: 9780763652883.
Set in the United States, in the summer of 1976, this is a novel
about the ongoing impact of the Vietnam war for returned veterans
and their families. Told through the eyes of ten year old Eli, the
novel opens with 'The first true day of summer for... more
Jan 23 2012
Wolves, boys and other things that might kill me by Kristen Chandler
Speak, 2011. ISBN 9780142418833.
(Age 13+) Recommended. K. J. lives near the Yellowstone
National Park where her father is a fishing and wildlife guide. She
is a loner who spends her time helping him out in his shop and in
the wilderness. Over the summer she has turned into a... more
Jan 23 2012
Melody burning by Whitley Strieber
Allen and Unwin, 2012. ISBN 9781742379135.
(Age 13+) Thriller. In the crawl spaces and niches of a large Los
Angeles building lives a boy named Beresford. When very young he
witnessed a horrible death and has hidden ever since, making the
chutes his home. When rock star Melody comes to... more
Jan 23 2012
Stork by Wendy Delsol
Candlewick, 2010. ISBN 9780763648442.
(Age: 12+) 16 year old Katla Leblanc has moved from Los Angeles to
the wilds of Minnesota with her mother after her parents got
divorced. Fashion is all important to her, but being trendy brings
stares from the locals and horrors of horrors, she... more
Jan 23 2012
Bambert's Book of Missing Stories by Reinhardt Jung
Translated by Anthea Bell. Ill. by Emma Chichester Clark. Egmont,
2008. ISBN HB 9 7814 0523 640 9.
I highly recommend this book for 10 year olds to adults. A must
read.
Who is Bambert and how are his stories missing? The title itself
made me curious, the book captured me instantly... more
Jan 20 2012
Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
Walker Books, 2011. ISBN: 9781406330373.
(Ages 15+). Recommended. This is the second of three books in the
Infernal Devices series, which is a prequel to the hugely popular
Mortal Instruments. Set in Victorian London, it follows the journey
of Tessa, a 16 year old American orphan, who... more
Jan 20 2012
Legend by Marie Lu
Razorbill, 2011. ISBN 9780141339412.
(Ages 14 +) Recommended. This dystopian novel is set in Los Angeles
in a time of conflict, plagues and extreme inequity. The story is
told from two perspectives, one of Day, a Robin Hood like teenager
who is trying to ensure the safety of his family,... more
Jan 20 2012
Crossed by Ally Condie
Razor Bill, Penguin, 2011. ISBN: 9780141333069.
(Age: 14+) Highly recommended. 'The Society chooses everything. The
books you read. The music you listen to. The person you love. Yet
for Cassia the rules have changed. Ky has been taken and she will
sacrifice everything to find him. And... more
Jan 19 2012
Cold hands, warm heart by Jill Wolfson
Walker, 2012. ISBN 9781406325416.
(Age: 12+) Dani is a 15 year old who has had more doctor's
appointments and hospital visits than she cares to remember. She was
born with her heart on the wrong side of her body and is waiting for
an organ donor. 14 year old Amanda is a top gymnast in... more
Jan 19 2012
How Do You Feel? by Anthony Browne
Walker Books, 2011. ISBN 9781406330175.
(Age 2-5) Highly recommended. How do you feel? Do you feel happy or
sad? Curious or surprised? Bored or lonely? Using his signature
young chimp, Anthony Browne explores a myriad of emotions in this
book for young children.
The emotions... more
Jan 18 2012
Battle fatigue by Mark Kurlansky
Bloomsbury, 2011. ISBN 9781408826911.
For Joel Bloom, a boy growing up in 1960s America, war is familiar
and an accepted fact of life. Parents, relatives, neighbours and
teachers have served in World War Two and some have been
significantly affected. Whilst some are reticent to divulge... more
Jan 18 2012
Knight Night by Owen Davey
Templar, 2011. ISBN: 9781848772182.
A simplistic and sparsely worded recount of a boy's preparations for
bed, this book holds much more for its readers. Despite the
minimalistic text simply telling of the mundane night time routine,
the illustrations open up a new and wonderful world of... more
Jan 18 2012
The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
(Also Seeing Redd and Arch Enemy). Egmont, 2004.
ISBN
978140521976.
(Ages: 14+) This series of 3 books turns the original premise of Alice
in
Wonderland on its head. In the first of the trilogy we are
introduced to the 'real' Wonderland, the brutal world of... more