Book of the week 8th September

'Over the line' by Tom Palmer is set in the trenches of the First World War and is based on a true story. From the blurb: "It's the proudest moment of Jack's life - his debut as a professional footballer. Now he has a chance to achieve his dream of playing for his counrty.
But it is 1914 and the world is at war. Talk of sportsmen's cowardice leads to the formation of a Footballers' Battallion and Jack has little choice but to join up. The promise of a Cup in Flanders offer a glimmer of hope, but Jack and his team-mates will have to survive a waking nightmare if they are ever to play again."

For more information about the inspiration behind the book and some footage of a football match from 1914 visit Tom Palmer's websiteIf you enjoy this book you would also enjoy 'Soldier's game' by James Killgore which tells the story of a Hearts of Midlothian player who is also sent to the front during WW1. To hear James Killgore talk about the book click here

 

Book of the week

To celebrate the return of Doctor Who to the television, this week's Book of the Week is the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary collection "11 Doctors, 11 Stories". A collection of stories featuring the Doctor by 11 different, but very famous authors.  A 'must read' for all fans of the Doctor.

Book of the week 16th June

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell is this week's Book of the Week.
From the blurb:
 "Eleanor is the new girl in town, and with her chaotic family life, her mismatched clothes and unruly red hair, she couldn't stick out more if she tried.
 Park is the boy at the back of the bus. Black tee-shirts, headphones, head in a book - he thinks he's made himself invisible. But not to Eleanor...never to Eleanor.

 Slowly, steadily through late-night conversations and an ever growing stack of mix tapes, Eleanor and Park fall for each other. They fall in love the way you do the first time, when you're young, and you feel as if you have nothing and everything to lose."

Book of the Week 9th June

Book of the week this week is Divergent by Veronica Roth. Not a new book by any means but very popular in school just now - possibly something to do with the film release. So, in case you have missed out on this latest phenomenon the book is a dystopian novel set in post-apocalyptic city (Chicago). At the age of 16, the young are assessed to determine which of five Factions they suit best  but theycan still make the final choice of which Faction to join on their own. Most opt for their home Faction but there are some, such as Tris the heroine of the novel, who make a jump, turning their backs on their families to join their chosen Faction. The initiation and training are far from easy and Tris battles to settle in to her chosen Faction and cope with being away from her family. If you like 'The Hunger Games' trilogy then you will enjoy this series too. Worth reading the book BEFORE you see the movie!

Book of the week 2nd June

This week's featured book is 'The bone dragon' by Alexia Casale.
From the blurb:    'Dreams are the fire that warms the soul. Evie refuses to talk about why she needed an operation. Saying it out loud would hurt too much. Instead she focuses on carving the piece of her rib that the doctors removed into a tiny dragon - a dragon that comes to life at night, helping her to heal. Finally, she can feel safe again.
But Evie's dragon dreams are becoming more and more powerful, and soon the dragon is calling for revenge...'
This is a deep, powerful, and compelling novel which plays havoc with your emotions!

Book of the Week 26th May

The book of the week this week is 'Wild boy' by Rob Lloyd Jones. The book is set among the rough fairgrounds and grimy slums of Victorian London and tells the story of a boy raised as a freak and displayed in the fairground sideshow.

From the blurd: " London 1841. A boy covered in hair, raised as a monster, condemned to life in a travelling freak show. A boy with an extraordinary power of observation and detection.

 A boy accused of murder; on the run; hungry for the truth."

Ideal for anyone who likes a good murder mystery, especially of the Sherlock Holmes variety.

Visit the author's website - here - for more information about the book, Victorian London and lots more.

 

Book of the week 19th May

The book of the week this week is 'Stay where you are & then leave' by John Boyne the author of 'The boy in the striped pyjamas'.

From the blurb: "The day the First World War began, Alfie Summerfield's father promised he wouldn't go away to fight - but he broke that promise the very next morning. Four years on, his letters have stopped, and all Alfie knows is that he is very far away on a secret mission.

Then, while shining shoes at King's Cross Station, Alfie unexpectedly spots his father's name on a stack of papers belonging to a military doctor. Bewildered and confused, Alfie realizes that he's a patient in a hospital close by - a hospital treating soldiers with an unusual condition. And he's determined to rescue his father from this strange, unnerving place...'

Book of the Week 5th May

Book of the week for this week is 'She is not invisible' by Marcus Sedgwick. This is a novel about Laureth whose father is a writer researching a book about coincidences. When he goes missing she takes her younger brother, Benjamin, with her to search for their father in New York following the clues he has left in his notebook. Needless to say the pair encounter all sorts of difficulties during their quest, these are magnified by the fact that Laureth is blind and her brother has a knack of causing machinery to crash! This book is a really good read and the characters are very believable.

Hear the author talk about this book in the clip below:

Book of the week 28th April

Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell is a fabulous book which is has already won many awards. It is about an orphan caleed Sophie who is convinced that her mother did not die in a shipwreck. She travels with her guardian to Paris following a clue found in her mother's cello case. In Paris she is helped in her quest by children who live on the rooftops of the city, they cross the city on the rooftops using tightropes when necessary. This is a wonderful, quirky book. Other than Sophie, my favourite character has to be her guardian - Charles Maxim- who is very eccentric, but very wise and understanding. Read and enjoy.

Book of the Week 20th January

'The last wild' by Piers Torday is book of the week this week.
From the blurb "This is the story of a boy named Kester. He is  extraordinary, but he doesn't know that yet. All he knows, at this very moment, is this:
1. There is a flock of excited pigeons in his bedroom
2. They are talking to him
3. His life will never be quite the same again..."

Book of the week

Happy New Year to everyone!
The book of the week is 'Breathe' by Sarah Crossan.
From the blurb:
"When oxygen levels plunge in a treeless world, a state lottery decides who will live inside the Pod. Everyone else will slowly suffocate.
Years later, society has divided into Premiums and Auxiliaries. Only Premiums can afford enough oxygen to live a nomal life. Dissenters to the regime are ejected from the Pod.
Alina belongs to a rebel group. On the verge of capture, she is rescued by a Premium boy. They escape the Pod but with only two days worth of air. Outside they unearth conspiracy on a breathtaking sclae.
Everything depends on their survival."

If you enjoyed The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins or the Noughts and crosses trilogy by Malorie Blackman you will love this book!

Breathe Book Trailer

Book of the week - 18th November

Mosi's War by Cathy MacPhail is book of the week this week. It is a terrifying urban tale set in Glasgow, a book which will keep you on the edge of your seat and turning the pages until the end.
From the blurb: 'Patrick and Mosi are very different.  Patrick has only ever known the council estate where he lives and the local boys who are like him. Mosi has just arrived in Glasgow and desperately needs to start his new life without any trouble.
Then Patrick sees a man fall to his death from a neighbouring tower block, and a dangerous figure appears from Mosi's past - a man who really terrifies him.
Mosi has no choice but to tell Patrick a secret. But for Patrick and Mosi, knowing the truth also means facing unimaginable danger - together.'

Check out Cathy MacPhail's blog to read where her inspiration for this book came from or view the book trailer:

Book of the week - 11th November

This week's book of the week is 'Soldier dog' by Sam Angus. This book fits in with two of the display themes in the Library - Remembrance and animals. The story is set during the First World War and is a moving story about the bond between humans and dogs.
From the blurb:
'He''ll always be true, faithful and brave, even to the last beat of his heart.
It is 1917. In the trenches of France miles from home, Stanley is a boy fighting a man's war. He is a dog handler, whose dog must be so loyal that he will cross no-man's-land alone under heavy fire to return to Stanley's side, carring a message that could save countless lives. But this journey is fraught with danger, and only the bravest will survive.
As the fighting escalates and Stanley experiences the true horror of war, he comes to realize that the loyalty of his dog is the only thing he can rely on...'

If you like this book why not try:

Book of the week - 4th November

'After tomorrow' by Gillian Cross is an exciting, page-turning, dystopian novel set in a time when the banks have crashed and there is not enough food to go round and as it says on the cover "survival is your only option". It is quite a frightening novel because it makes you think about what it would be like if this actually happened. So if you like a read that is excting and thought-provoking you should try this one.

From the blurb : "What if you woke up tomorrow and everything had changed? Money is worthless. Your friends are gone. Armed robbers roam the streets. No one is safe. For Matt and his little brother, Taco, that nightmare is a reality. Their only hope of survival is to escape through the Channel Tunnel. But danger waits on the other side...Stay or go. What would you do?"

Book of the week - 28th October

This week we are revisiting a previous book of the week - 'Liar & spy' by Rebecca Stead - this book was not very popular first time round despite my recommendation (or because of it?!) but it has now won a major literary prize. Rebecca Stead is the first America author to win the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize for Liar & spy which is a very clever story about a boy who is bullied at school and how he deals with this problem. Well worth reading.

Book of the week - 14th October

'Far rockaway' by Charlie Fletcher is this week's featured book. When Cat and her grandfather are knocked down by a truck in central Manhattan they find themselves fighting for their lives in two worlds: a hospital in Manhattan and a strange world full of heroes and villains from some literary classics such as 'The three musketeers' and 'Treasure Island'. Cat has to find a way to survive in this fantasy world and find her way home and back to consciousness. This is an exciting fantasy adventure and will appeal to your inner swashbuckler!!

If you like this story you might also enjoy 'Stoneheart'  by Charlie Fletcher.

Book of the week - &th October

Book of the week this week is 'Unfed' by Kirsty McKay. If you liked the first book in this series ('Undead') of zombie fun and adventure then you will surely enjoy 'Unfed'.
 From the blurb on the back cover:

"They're back... and this time they're hungry.
The good news: Bobby survived her unreal school trip. The bad news: her best bud Smitty is missing, there are undead everywhere and they're getting hungrier...
It's a no-brainer. Somehow she must find some living frinds - and the antidote- before everyone's toast."

Just the sort of story for the lengthening dark nights and the lead up to Halloween!!

Book of the week - 30th September

'Tomorrow, when the war began' is the first in the series of books by John Marsden. The books are set in an Australia which has been invaded and occupied by a foreign power. The book centres around a band of teenagers who return from a camping trip to find that their families have been taken and decide not to surrender but to fight. Thus they embark on a  guerrilla war against the enemy soldiers. The story is narrated by Ellie one of the teenagers. This series of books has been recognised as the most popular teen fiction series ever written in Australia.

Book of the week - 9th September

Book of the week this week is 'Gravenhunger' by Harriet Goodwin - a terrifying adventure story. The blurb on the back cover reads:
 "Phoenix gasped. How could she have kept a place like this a secret? It was huge. Four storeys of dark grey stone glowering down at them through a multitude of mullioned windows...The sun had disappeared behind a dense bank of cloud - and above the towering chimneys of Gravenhunger Manor a thin grey rain was falling."
"Gravenhunger Manor isn't the only secret Pheonix's mother took with her to the grave. Something terrible happened at the house during her childhood, something for which she never forgave herself. Pheonix is determined to uncover the truth, but as he begins to dig up the past, he finds himself in mortal danger..."

This book is a wonderfully atmospheric, mysterious adventure which will keep you turning the pages right up until the end.

Book of the week - 2nd September

The book of the week this week is a thrilling adventure story with the tag line "Death is not the end..."!!
It is 'Mortlock' by Jon Mayhew. If you like adventure or fantasy books then you are sure to enjoy this book.
From the blurb-
"Josie is a knife thrower in a magician's stage act. Alfie is an undertaker's assistant.
They are both orphans and have never met, but they are about to be given a clue to the secret of their shared past.
A past which has come to seek them out.
And while they flee for their lives, they must unravel the burning mysteries surrounding the legacy that threatens to consume them."

Don't be put off by the historical setting because once you get into the story I am sure that you will discover that it is a real page-turner.