Spring Reading

What can I say - it's been a busy time and I haven't had the time to comment as much as I would have liked - but nonetheless I have kept reading....

Some recommendations for a Good read...

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. Set in the American colonies at the time of the revolutionary wars this is the story of Isabel and Ruth - and their slavery in New York. I found it gripping and involving - as well as feeling authentic and I felt I learned a great deal about how it might have been.

The Boy Who Fell Down Exit 43 by Harriet Goodwin. Not yet published I was lucky enough to have a proof copy. This is a new take on the boy who takes and drive away a car to escape his constant grief and guilt over his father's death - and though it deals with a hard subject - and dwells on death (most of the characters are ghosts in the Underworld) the ultimate story is both uplifting, humorous and fun - as well as being an adventure quest of sorts. A good debut novel.

The Vanishing of Katharina Linden by Helen Grant. A thriller where the detectives are a slightly misfitting boy and girl in a small German town - where their classmates are going missing. Some of the adults are totally sinister. Another new talent - well worth reading.

Malice by Chris Wooding. I love the idea of this novel - which has graphic elements as well as the usual chapters but was disappointed that it was left on such a cliff hanger ending. A sinister comic - Malice- entices young people into it's terrifying world where they may perish in their attempts to escape...

Patrick Ness - The Knife of Never Letting Go

This book has won a recent teenage prize - it's an exploration of how society may develop as man sets off to colonise new worlds, how they live with what they find there, and how they cope with the mistakes.

That makes it seem rather prosaic - it certainly isn't. It is written from the viewpoint of Todd, a boy on the threshold of manhood, who works on the farm of his carers, and has a talking dog - Manchee. The colony they are part of is all male, a sickness has wiped out all the females, and given the men an ability (or curse) in that they can hear each others thoughts all the time. There has been a war on the Spackle who were thought to be the cause of the sickness and who are all thought to be dead as the story starts.

Once you have read the first page you are dragged into this terrifying vision of the future and have to unravel the truth, little by little, as Todd does as he tries to flee the despotic, cruel Mayor and the rest of Prentisstown. Manchee is a wonderful character, with all the characteristics of a truly faithful dog, but he can talk!

I can understand why this won - it's a roller coater ride with fear at every turn.

The Goldsmith's Daughter by Tanya Landman

This is a compelling story set in the Aztec Empire - at the time of the Spanish conquest. The savagery of the time is well researched and well presented; and is quite shocking in it's depiction of the sacrifices of the religion of the time.

Itacate is the daughter of an Aztec goldsmith, who looks as if she is set for a life of drudgery - until she proves her skill in creating wonderful gold statuary. At the time of the conquest she falls in love with one of the Spanish invaders. Can she survive, can their love blossom, can she come to terms with the loss of her way of life?

A really good read - I would recommend it to any teenager with a love of history.

Broken Soup by Jenny Valentine

Heart wrenching story of a family falling apart after the eldest son's death in an accident. But a chance meeting for Rowan sets her on an inexorable path towards discovering more than she ever imagined...

A great read, be prepared to cry!

Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nicholls

This scrapbook as from an 11 year old boy who is dying of cancer will make you laugh and cry, it will touch your heart and it will stay with you for a very long time. Read it.
http://www.waystoliveforever.co.uk/